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Top 25 Games
- #4 Kansas 67, UCLA 66: “Bill Self and the Jayhawks no doubt need to thank the basketball gods for the way this one ended and they should feel extremely fortunate to be sitting at 64 straight in the Phog. Final score in this one 77-76, Kansas escapes on a last second Mario Little free throw” (Rock Chalk Talk) and “I’ll keep this short. It’s the only way I can type this out without inserting all manner of four letter words into this post. And the refs ruined one hell of a great game, inexplicably overturning years and likely decades of precedent of officiating at the end of games, gifting Kansas a cheap win with a cheap call on a loose ball. For 39 minutes and 59 seconds, the Bruins and Jayhawks battled to an even tie. Then the refs decided they wanted in on the action.” (Bruins Nation)
- #10 Missouri , Oregon : “An Oregon loss has never left me feeling so good. Forget the emigration of talent out of the program over the last offseason. Forget that we have no expectations this season. This game was unlike any Oregon basketball game we’ve seen in the last two-plus years. Teondre Williams and Jeremy Jacob were out with injuries. Walk-on Matt Losli was seeing action in the first half. Oregon was down the expected twenty points at the half. And, yet, we found ourselves rooting for one last Mac Court miracle. Somehow, if Johnathan Loyd could hit just one last three at the buzzer, the Ducks surely would have won this game in overtime. As it was, Dana Altman took a short version of a Big Sky roster and gave a top ten team everything it wanted and then some.” (Addicted to Quack)
Other Games of Interest
- Texas A&M 62, Stephen F. Austin 53: “SFA reminded me a lot of watching a small school version of our team. They are grinders who depend on their defense to win games. I was impressed with their team and coaching, and then heard that they are coming off consecutive 20-win seasons. I would not be surprised to see SFA playing in the Dance in March.” (I Am The 12th Man)
Pre-Game Analysis
- First Look at Maryland-Temple: Terps Get Another Shot at a Marquee Win: “First impression is foggy. Even if Maryland wins, it’ll likely be in ugly fashion again. Temple is going to put up a fight against everyone they play this year, and Maryland will either need to develop some halfcourt offense or control the tempo to get the score into the 60s. The losses to Cal and TAMU have me encouraged, but Temple’s not about to roll over. The keys might be pushing the tempo and forcing turnovers against a slow, point guard-less team.” (Testudo Times)
- Tommy Amaker Talks Michigan: The current Harvard coach talks about tonight’s match-up against Michigan, his former team. (UM Hoops)
News/Analysis
- The driving ability of Kyrie Irving: Taking a look at how the freshman phenom is able to get the basket so often (The Mikan Drill)
- On Roy Williams’ Rant About Harrison Barnes: “So yes, Harrison Barnes hasn’t taken the world by storm. Most freshmen don’t. Of course, now ESPN has Roy Williams to talk about, which will feed the media maw for another few days. Interestingly enough, I’d had people complain to me that Williams seemed more willing to blame the players this season; this has put an end to that as well. Maybe there’s method to the ranting after all.” (Carolina March)
- Gator Basketball in trouble after loss at UCF: “Florida was expected to compete for the top of the SEC this season. But after Wednesday’s 57-54 loss at UCF, the Gators (5-2) may have to start wondering if they are a victim of their own expectations or a selfish and unfocused team.” (Alligator Army)
- Enjoy Jones, but root for Knight: “It’s not hard to see why Kentucky fans are so geeked about the early play of freshman forward Terrence Jones. The multi-dimensional Oregonian has wowed scouts and Big Blue Nation alike in the early season, posting upperclassman numbers in just his first few games in Blue and White. But while Jones and his production are obviously crucial to the Kentucky offense, it’s the play of another of the highly touted freshmen that should concern UK fans more, because if guard Brandon Knight doesn’t grow into a consistent scoring and passing threat, too many of those impressive double-double performances from Jones will be in close Kentucky losses.” (A Sea of Blue)
- I’m Still All In, Are You?: After a couple of brutal early season losses Virginia Tech is at a crossroads. (Tech Hoops)
- Almost Official: ACC Basketball in a Down Year…Again: Breaking down what appears to be yet another down year for what has traditionally been considered the top basketball conference in the country. (Testudo Times)