And now the Atlantic Sun is really interesting. It was once thought that the big question was whether or not Liberty would run the table and then put together an interesting resume should they then lose in the conference championship game. They might still put together an interesting resume, but running the table won’t happen, and now they have something else: company at the top.
Liberty traveled to North Florida to take on an Ospreys team that might be the one team capable of toppling the Flames. The Ospreys were well-tested in non-conference play, taking on the likes of Florida, Georgia Southern, Iowa, Creighton, Florida State, Syracuse and Dayton. They won just one game out of those, their home date with Georgia Southern, but that tough schedule appears to be paying dividends as they entered the night 4-1 in Atlantic Sun play.
Thursday night, five Ospreys scored in double figures, and they looked to be on their way when they went up 70-60 with 3:09 left. But back came the Flames, who scored the next ten points to tie it with 18 seconds left. After a blocked shot, Garrett Sams had another chance but got fouled with one second left. He made the second free throw, and the Ospreys would hang on for a 71-70 win, tying them for the top spot in the Atlantic Sun with Liberty.
It was a close, well-played game between the top two teams in the conference, with North Florida being just a little better at home. Chances are, this will be round one of two good games in the regular season and possibly one more for the championship.
Side Dishes
How concerned should one be about Ohio State? The Buckeyes fell 62-59 at home to Minnesota on Thursday night, dropping to 2-6 in the Big Ten with their sixth loss in seven outings. In five of those losses, they have scored under 60 points. Also in the Big Ten, Indiana edged Michigan State 67-63 in a dandy in Bloomington.
Speaking of a team to be concerned about, what about Washington? The Huskies are now 1-4 since Quade Green was declared academically ineligible, the latest being a 67-66 loss at Utah where the Utes scored the game’s final six points. Also in the Pac-12, Colorado handled Washington State 78-56, UCLA upended Oregon State 62-58 in Corvallis, the third straight loss for the Beavers after they looked like they should be in the NCAA Tournament discussion, and in the final game to finish on the night, Oregon got 30 points and 11 rebounds from Christ Duarte and took over in the second overtime to beat USC 79-70 in double overtime. In Oregon’s win, Payton Pritchard became the first player in Pac-12 history with 1,500 points, 600 assists and 500 rebounds in his career.
Houston managed to keep UConn sliding, but they almost blew it. Up 61-55 in the final seconds, the Cougars first gave up a runner, then picked up a technical foul, whose ensuring free throws made it 61-59. They were fortunate to get a miss on the ensuring possession, then the rebound and two more free throws to seal a 63-59 win and drop the Huskies to 1-4 in American Athletic Conference play.
Other results of note: Murray State won the latest in what is fast becoming one of the better rivalries in the sport, moving to 7-0 in OVC play with an 85-75 win over Belmont; Delaware edged Hofstra in CAA play 73-71; Merrimack will remain on top in the Northeast Conference after a 74-71 win over Fairleigh Dickinson in double overtime, and they got some help from St. Francis Brooklyn, who handled Robert Morris 78-57; and Saint Mary’s got past San Francisco 58-48.
Overshadowed by the big fight in Lawrence the other night was another egregious action by a player, which was Illinois guard Alan Griffin stepping on Purdue’s Sasha Stefanovic after the Boilermaker made a driving layup and then hit the deck. The Big Ten announced on Thursday that Griffin is suspended for the next two games as a result of the incident.
Tonight’s Menu
It will be a light night of action ahead of the usually busy Saturday.
- The night gets going with Buffalo hosting Kent State (6:30 p.m.) in the lone MAC game of the night.
- Purdue hosts Wisconsin in a Big Ten tilt early on (7 p.m.)
- Five MAAC games tip at 7 p.m., and they’re all important as many teams are close in the standings: Canisius at Iona, Fairfield at Quinnipiac, Niagara at Monmouth, St. Peter’s at Rider and Marist at Siena.
- Brown hosts Yale in the lone Ivy tilt on the slate (7 p.m.)
- Butler tries to get back on track as they host Marquette (9 p.m.)
- The lone Horizon League game on the slate comes later on, and first place is on the line as Northern Kentucky visits Wright State (9 p.m.)
