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Saturday, January 11, 2025
A quick look at key results and/or top stories from the night before, as well as a look ahead to key games during the season, to lead a reader into the new day
Syracuse may be young, may have a paper-thin rotation and may have been coming into Monday night’s game at Louisville off consecutive unflattering losses to Georgia Tech and by 15 at home to Virginia, but one should know by now not to write off Jim Boeheim’s team just yet.
On a light day of action ahead of the Super Bowl, a Pac-12 team gets a key win that gives them a chance to gather some momentum. Plus a suspension in Columbus, Owls start to come around, and no real surprises among the few games on tap.
Funny things happen in college basketball in late January and early February, and Saturday was a perfect example of as much, as the day was marked by upsets and near-upsets, and we’re talking real upsets.
One preseason favorite is certainly living up to that billing and scored a convincing win to add to that on Friday night. Plus a first loss in the Ivy, some close ones in the MAAC, and a ho-hum game further west on a quiet night.
Suffice to say, the first year in the American Athletic Conference is not going the way it was supposed to for Wichita State, which dropped another game in the AAC to Temple last night and has now lost three of its last five games.
Of all the teams near the top of the rankings-scratch that, in the top 25 rankings at all-Cincinnati has been the mystery team of this season. And while the Bearcats will still be that for some time for many, they at least should have answered some questions Wednesday night.
We wonder if Kentucky is turning a corner, and that’s not a trivial question for a couple of reasons. Plus a freshman to the rescue again, a surprise leader goes two games up, and a tough day in Chapel Hill.
You just never know where you’ll find a college basketball game that you can’t take your eyes off of. Maybe even whether you want to or not. St. Peter’s and Siena provided such a game Monday, going triple overtime-and with both teams still unable to top 60 points.
It isn’t the best of times in Storrs, Connecticut, to be sure. Plus close ones in the Big Ten that go for the road teams, a bigger road comeback in the ACC, and a Tiger will be out indefinitely.
The Big 12 and SEC once again provided a nice jolt to the late January college hoops schedule with their annual challenge event, but this year’s was notable for and different from other previous ones for several reasons.
