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Monday, December 23, 2024
Dayton is having a special season, but Friday night stands out beyond being one more aspect of it. Plus a regular season champion is crowned in the Horizon, the Ivy is a three-team race, and a triple overtime rivalry game headlines the other games on the night.
It’s been an interesting first season for Juwan Howard at his alma mater, with a lot happening from the beginning to Sunday’s blowout of Indiana. Plus a former Wolverine head coach appears to not be long for his current job, the Aztecs continue to win, and a Husky goes down early to the chagrin of many, including an opposing player.
The Ivy League is looking a little different than expected, with only one of the top three preseason picks among the top three at the midway point. Plus the leaders win in a couple of other mid-major leagues, the MAAC continues to be a tight race, and one MAAC coach will be sticking around a little longer.
The team right behind Dayton in the Atlantic 10 is the Rams, as predicted, but not the Rams that were predicted to be there. Plus Ivy League play begins in earnest with a couple of streaks snapped in one game, a couple of league leaders win, and a Tar Heel may be set to return.
On a light night of action, a Big East battle that tipped a little later was everything we could have hoped for, and a big win for a team that had lost three in a row. Plus there’s no doubt who’s on top in one league, two teams have a reversal of fortune in the Big Ten, and a Wildcat is moving on.
Road wins were hard to come by in the Big Ten until Friday night, when it suddenly became a good night to be a road team, especially one surging team in particular. Plus two teams go in different directions in the Big East, a stunning rally ends with a buzzer-beater in the MAAC, and better news out of Miami concerning a coach.
Two out of three wasn’t bad in Brooklyn, with a game that wasn’t competitive sandwiched between two good ones. Plus the Tar Heels face a major challenge due to a key injury and a Pirate may not return to action so fast this time.
The first day of action in the Maui Invitational didn’t quite start off as expected, but that might help in a year where it may be surpassed in terms of having the best field. Plus more tournament action includes one championship, a program first in Richmond, and a Hawkeye is done for the season.
The Horizon League through some rocky times has seen a pair of programs emerge as its best, and Northern Kentucky and Wright State engaged in a good league race in 2018-19 with the Norse making their second NCAA trip in three years.
The Streak is officially over, the end of an incredible run. Plus big results in the Big Ten, a great road team in the ACC, and conference tournament play continues to get underway.
