As is typical, Saturday was full of important games. There was a big game in one conference, a series of games that together made the picture in another major conference more interesting, while the Pac-12 continues to be a close race with a lot left to decide and a surprise team in the mix. A few mid-majors remain great races as well.
As can be expected, a few results were certainly surprises as well, whether in terms of who won or the margin. One blowout is not at all a good one for the losing team.
With that, here are notes from a number of the day’s games.
Baylor 70, West Virginia 59: The Bears just continue to roll, while the Mountaineers are probably glad this week is over.
Kansas 87, Oklahoma 70: The Jayhawks stay right with Baylor as Marcus Garrett, not known for his scoring, puts forth 24 points, and Udoka Azubuike stays hot with 15 points and 17 rebounds.
Oklahoma State 73, Texas Tech 70: Are the Cowboys coming back to life all of a sudden? This was a pretty impressive win, and you wonder if just getting that first Big 12 win was all they needed since they have now won three of four, though this was the first against a likely NCAA Tournament team.
Iowa State 81, Texas 52: Yes, it was in Ames, but a 29-point loss against a mediocre team without their best player? Granted, the Longhorns were without Jericho Sims and Jase Febres, but that shouldn’t lead to this result. Texas has now lost four in a row and is trending towards an NIT bid being a long shot.
Clemson 77, Louisville 62: Clemson has had some really good wins this season – NC State, Duke, Syracuse and now the Cardinals – but not nearly enough of them. They ran out to a big first half lead and never looked back, knocking the Cardinals a game back of Duke in the loss column after the Blue Devils manhandled Notre Dame.
Florida State 80, Syracuse 77: One of the more befuddling things about the Orange this season is home vs. away for them. They have had trouble winning in the Carrier Dome, but have won away from home, and nearly did so here, but Florida State held them off with star guard Devin Vassell apparently suspended as he was on the bench but did not play.
Virginia 64, North Carolina 62: Another heart-breaking loss for the Tar Heels as the Cavaliers get a three-pointer with less than a second left to win in Chapel Hill.
Maryland 67, Michigan State 60: This was a tremendous win for the Terrapins in so many ways. They won it in East Lansing, they did so after having a nice halftime lead and losing it, it puts them in control of the Big Ten race, and they did it with Anthony Cowan Jr. looking like the senior leader and winner he shined as early in the season when he also came up big for them. It’s the kind of win that makes you think this team can go really far this season.
Penn State 77, Northwestern 61: The Nittany Lions continue to roll with their eighth straight win, and this was one of the last opportunities for a bad loss. More than that, they are alone in second place, a game out of first and two games ahead of the next teams in the Big Ten standings.
Rutgers 72, Illinois 57: No Ayo Dosunmu, not surprisingly, but the Scarlet Knights have not lost at home all year so this result is no surprise.
Ohio State 68, Purdue 52: The Buckeyes are back to life, as they have now won five of six after losing six of seven, while Purdue falls back under .500 in Big Ten play.
Wisconsin 81, Nebraska 64: The Badgers take care of business and have now won three out of four after a little malaise – a sign of life in the Big Ten this year.
Dayton 71, UMass 63: The Flyers move a step closer to an undefeated Atlantic 10 season.
Richmond 77, VCU 59: The home team wins both games convincingly in this rivalry this season. The Spiders are worthy of the NCAA Tournament conversation again, while the Rams are hanging in there but also losing margin for error.
Providence 74, Seton Hall 68: The Pirates found ways to win early in Big East play, but lost both games this week. For Providence, you start thinking of what could have been, as they may not be out of the NCAA Tournament yet but have basically no margin for error the rest of the way after Alpha Diallo had 35 points and 10 rebounds in this one.
Creighton 93, DePaul 64: Is this a sign that the bottom is about to fall out for the Blue Demons? Sure, they were 1-10 in the Big East coming into this game, but only two of those losses were by double digits. This is the first time all year they have been out-classed in a game, their seventh straight loss.
Georgetown 73, Butler 66: A big road win for the Hoyas keeps them going and keeps the Bulldogs uneven of late, as they have traded wins and losses in their last five games.
Alabama 88, LSU 82: For a moment, it looked like LSU had a comeback in them, and they have been masters of close games. This is big for Nate Oats’ team to be able to close one out, especially against a good team.
Kentucky 67, Ole Miss 62: The Rebels gave the Wildcats all they could handle before succumbing. They led by two at the half and led before Kentucky scored the final six points of the game to now take a half game lead on Auburn in the SEC.
Missouri 85, Auburn 73: Speaking of Auburn, their seven-game winning streak ended in Columbia, where the Tigers knocked off Arkansas a week earlier. They also gave LSU all they could handle the other night.
Mississippi State 78, Arkansas 77: This is a good recovery for the Bulldogs after they were blown out at arch rival Ole Miss a few nights earlier, getting a tip-in in the final second to pull it out over the fading Razorbacks.
South Carolina 63, Tennessee 61: This was a game with two teams going in opposite directions, and the game paralleled their seasons to date. The Volunteers, who have now lost five out of seven, started better, but the Gamecocks, who have now won six of seven to move into a fourth-place tie with Florida, rallied to pull out the win.
SMU 73, Houston 72 (OT): Don’t look now, but the Mustangs are just a game back of the Cougars in the loss column in The American after it looked like they had faded.
Arizona 69, Stanford 60: The jury was out on Stanford when they started 11-1 with only a close loss to Butler, then were 11-2 with only an additional loss to Kansas. They are in freefall now, having lost four in a row and seven of eight, including three straight at home, to fall to 5-7 in Pac-12 play.
UCLA 67, Washington 57: We’ve talked a lot about how the wheels have come off for the Huskies, who are 1-10 since Quade Green was academically ineligible, and this was noticeable in this loss, where UCLA turned the game around in the second half. But give the Bruins credit, as they aren’t in contention in the Pac-12 by accident when no one expected it.
Loyola-Chicago 82, Northern Iowa 73 (OT): The Ramblers don’t control their own destiny, but they draw a game closer by taking over in the extra session and getting a quality win.
Bradley 69, Southern Illinois 67: Just like that, the Salukis, who were the hottest team in the Valley, have lost two in a row.
Hofstra 78, UNCW 64: Big man Isaac Kante was the star in this one with 23 points and 14 rebounds on a guard-dominated team. The Pride are in control in the CAA now after sweeping their home weekend and College of Charleston getting swept.
William & Mary 81, Delaware 77: The Blue Hens’ seven-game winning streak comes to an end, and with it a shot at sole possession of second place behind Hofstra in the CAA. They instead settle into a tie for third with Towson, who handled James Madison.
UT Arlington 76, Little Rock 69: The Mavericks have come to life of late, while the Trojans have now lost two straight following a seven-game winning streak but remain in first place in the Sun Belt because they had built up a big lead during the winning streak.
Princeton 73, Brown 54: The Tigers now move back into a tie for first in the Ivy League with Yale losing at Penn, and knock the Bears into a three-way tie for third.
Penn 69, Yale 61: The Quakers are back in business at 5-3 in the Ivy League, tied with Brown and Harvard, the latter of who survived Columbia in overtime on the evening.
Austin Peay 93, Eastern Kentucky 85: With Murray State also winning, the Governors stay tied at the top of the Ohio Valley Conference and knock the Colonels two games back, with Belmont in between them after they won.
Fairleigh Dickinson 72, Robert Morris 71: The Knights pull off the shocker in the final seconds in Moon Township, knocking the Colonials back a game.
Merrimack 68, Wagner 59: The Warriors regain sole possession of first place in the Northeast Conference and also have the record for most wins in a program’s first Division I season.
Sacred Heart 80, LIU 72: This game is mostly notable because Sacred Heart’s E.J. Anosike had the stat line of the day with 26 points and 22 rebounds.
Norfolk State 62, Morgan State 57: The Spartans had to hold off the Bears to move into a first place tie with North Carolina A&T in the MEAC, while knocking the Bears back into fifth place and three games back in the loss column.
Loyola Marymount 65, Santa Clara 59: Once upon a time, the Broncos were 14-2. Then they traded wins and losses until now going in the tank with three straight losses and four in five games to fall to 5-7 in WCC play.
