Saturday was another day of important results, much as it might not have been full of matchups that grabbed one’s attention before the day. The Big 12/SEC Challenge took center stage, which was surely the whole idea behind moving it to this time of year for both conferences a couple of years ago. The ten games were split all across the board: five wins apiece, with six of the ten games going to the home team and the conferences splitting the home and road evenly as each conference claimed three home wins and two road wins.
Meanwhile, conference races continue to take shape. The ACC has two out in front, both winning on the day, while the Big Ten has two teams in front but not by much and the Pac-12 has four teams with one or two losses and none of who look ready to separate from the pack.
With all of that, here’s a look at notes from many of the day’s games.
Baylor 72, Florida 61: The Bears had a close shave on Monday night, but this was a very convincing win on the road against a Florida team that has underwhelmed but is still talented.
Kansas 74, Tennessee 68: The Volunteers did well to hang in throughout, but Udoka Azubuike & Co. had a little too much for them to break through in the end. Azubuike added 11 rebounds and four blocked shots to his 18 points, and it seemed like he was in the middle of every big play down the stretch to help Kansas seal it.
Kentucky 76, Texas Tech 74 (OT): This game was all you could want in this matchup, and in the end, the Wildcats showed a solid level of toughness by pulling it out on the road and ending the Red Raiders’ 54-game non-conference home winning streak. Nick Richards (25 points, 14 rebounds, four blocked shots) continues to emerge inside.
LSU 69, Texas 67: A tale of two programs, with two head coaches who used to work together: LSU has become a master of winning close games, holding off a Texas team that just can’t seem to get wins when they need them, including at home like this one.
Arkansas 78, TCU 67: The Razorbacks pull away for another good win despite a monster game for TCU from Kevin Samuel with 24 points and 18 rebounds.
Oklahoma 63, Mississippi State 62: The Sooners hold off the Bulldogs for a good win, and it’s a game the Bulldogs could have used although they’re coming to life in the SEC after a slow start there.
West Virginia 74, Missouri 51: No real surprise in this result in one of the first games of the day, as the Mountaineers are 10-0 at home on the season.
Oklahoma State 73, Texas A&M 62: The Cowboys have certainly won in non-conference this season, but now the question is if they can win some Big 12 games from here on out.
Auburn 80, Iowa State 76: The Tigers bounced back well this week after losing two straight a week earlier, and being at home – as they were for this one – doesn’t hurt.
Alabama 77, Kansas State 74: This was the matchup of teams that had potential this season, but won’t be NCAA-bound unless they make a big run in their conference tournament.
Illinois 64, Michigan 62: At this point, we can chalk up the Illini whiffing on their best non-conference opportunities to growing pains that they are very much past now. Ayo Dosunmu had a career-high 27 points, including the winning shot with half a second left, as they move into first place in the Big Ten for now (Michigan State is even with them in the loss column).
Rutgers 75, Nebraska 72: Geo Baker fits this Rutgers team personally, having overcome great adversity with his broken thumb to be the hero in this one and lift the Scarlet Knights to 6-3 in Big Ten play.
Florida State 85, Notre Dame 84: The Seminoles just barely hold off Notre Dame to go to 7-1 in ACC play and keep pace with Louisville.
Louisville 80, Clemson 62: The Cardinals, meanwhile, have quietly won six straight since getting handled by Florida State at home right after they lost to Kentucky.
Georgia Tech 64, NC State 58: A damaging loss for the Wolfpack. Although there is still a lot of time left to pick up quality wins, there aren’t as many opportunities for them in the ACC as in recent seasons.
Syracuse 69, Pittsburgh 61: Don’t look now, but the Orange are quietly 6-3 in ACC play and all alone in fourth place. It’s both a sign that the ACC is down and that this group is perhaps a little more resilient than they are talented.
North Carolina 94, Miami 71: It’s hard to believe the Tar Heels lost five in a row overall and six straight ACC games, but they did before this one. They set a season high in points in this one, topping 90 for the first time all year in running the short-handed Hurricanes out of the building, a good sign since there is hope that Cole Anthony could return as early as Monday night.
Villanova 64, Providence 60: Not many are talking about the Wildcats, but as they hold off Providence, they remain right behind Seton Hall in the Big East and have won 12 of their last 13.
St. John’s 79, DePaul 66: Both teams needed this one, but perhaps DePaul a bit more because despite their good non-conference run, their 1-6 Big East record is dealing a severe blow to their NCAA Tournament hopes.
Dayton 87, Richmond 79: The Flyers remain on top of the Atlantic 10, winning a showdown on the road despite 29 points from Jacob Gilyard and allowing the Spiders to go 10-19 from long range. The dynamic duo of Obi Toppin and Jalen Crutcher delivered again as each had 24 points, with Toppin grabbing 12 rebounds and Crutcher eight while handing out seven assists.
Rhode Island 81, St. Bonaventure 75: It wasn’t long ago that the Bonnies had started Atlantic 10 play 4-0 and looked like a sleeper team. Now they have lost three straight, while the Rams are quietly 6-1, right behind Dayton.
Colorado 76, Washington 62: The Buffaloes remain in the running for the top of the Pac-12, while the Huskies continue to slide as they are 1-5 without Quade Green.
Arizona State 66, Arizona 65: A tremendous rally by the Sun Devils gets them to 3-3 in the Pac-12 with a win over their arch rival. Arizona led by as many as 22 in the first half, so this one will sting.
USC 75, Oregon State 55: At one time, the Beavers might have looked like a team with NCAA Tournament aspirations, but they are fading into the “strictly automatic” column fast.
SMU 74, Memphis 70: It was a tough week for the Tigers, as they got blasted at Tulsa earlier in the week and get stunned at home, allowing the Mustangs to score the final 15 points to rally for the win.
Utah State 77, Colorado State 61: The Aggies came back this week after a devastating loss a week earlier, but much remains to be done. It’s a good start, though, as a loss like that can easily send a team spiraling in the wrong direction.
San Francisco 83, BYU 82: A tough one for the Cougars, who had no answer for Khalil Shabazz as he had 32 points on a perfect 10-10 from the field.
Little Rock 73, South Alabama 71: A big road win for the Trojans at the preseason Sun Belt favorites, and it keeps them alone in first place.
Austin Peay 86, Belmont 78: Jordyn Adams’ 24 points leads the Governors to an 8-0 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference after this impressive win over Belmont. That ties them with Murray State, who beat the Bruins the other night and beat Tennessee State on Saturday.
Stetson 48, Liberty 43: Forget any talk of the Flames snagging an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament if they don’t win the Atlantic Sun Tournament. Having now lost two in a row (albeit both on the road), including this one, it’s safe to say one more loss to a conference opponent is not likely to hold up.
Towson 70, William & Mary 58: Now things are starting to get interesting in the CAA, as the Tigers go to Williamsburg and hand the Tribe their second loss in three outings. The Tigers have won six straight after a slow start and are one of three teams at 6-3, just a game back of the Tribe at the halfway point, and three more teams are another game back at 5-4.
UNCW 72, College of Charleston 70: Speaking of the CAA getting interesting, UNCW has won two Saturdays in a row over a couple of the conference’s better teams, with this one coming on the road to drop the Cougars into that three-way tie at 6-3.
Delaware 76, Northeastern 74: Nate Darling scoring 28 of his 34 points in the second half to rally the Blue Hens from 13 down gets the headlines for this game, but think about this: Northeastern has lost four games in CAA play, each one by exactly two points.
Winthrop 72, Presbyterian 57: The Eagles are 8-0 in the Big South and have won 10 straight. They are two games up on second-place Radford, and everyone else has at least three losses.
