If you are interested in participating in our ATB2 feature, send in your submissions to rushthecourt@gmail.com. We will add to this post throughout the day as the submissions come in so keep on sending them.
Top 25 Games
- #3 Kansas 82, UT-Arlington 57: “Sometimes the best thing you can do after a week off filled with a little extra turkey and egg nog is go out and take on a team that you can beat on talent alone. That’s what the Jayhawks did on Wednesday night and that’s about all they probably could have handled through the first 25 minutes. In a game that saw an all new starting lineup, a choppy rotation and sluggish defense, the Jayhawks managed to hit a bit of a stride through stretches of the final 15 minutes allowing Kansas to pull away and get a victory over a Maverick basketball team that quite frankly isn’t very good.” (Rock Chalk Talk with a recap and Bill Self after the game)
- #16 Notre Dame 69, #8 Georgetown 55: The Irish picked up their biggest victory of the year behind a great shooting night from Tim Abromaitis and solid team defense. Austin Freeman put up 21 points for the Hoyas, but it wasn’t enough. (Casual Hoya or Rakes of Mallow)
- #22 Vanderbilt 77, Marquette 76: In one of the more entertaining games of the season Marquette came up just short and there were plenty of questions about the officiating after a late no-call. (Anonymous Eagle and Cracked Sidewalks)
Other Games of Interest
- Gonzaga 83, Lafayette 55: “As another winter storm hit the Spokane area, leaving the Kennel eerily quiet throughout a majority of tonight’s game, the Gonzaga Bulldogs took care of business as they defeated Lafayette, 83-55. Gonzaga has faced a number of teams that are simply unable to matchup with their tremendous size in the paint which was the case tonight as 7-footer Kelly Olynyk led the Zags with 15 points. Sophomore forward Elias Harris wasn’t far behind with 14 points to go along with nine boards. In total, Gonzaga outscored Lafayette 40-12 in the paint and won the rebounding battle by 20 over the Leopards.” (The Slipper Still Fits)
- UCLA 80, Washington State 71: “Tonight truly was a story of two halves. After sleepwalking through much of the first half (Malcolm Lee excluded), the Bruins retired to the locker room down by 8 points at the half. Coach Howland must have raised a massive stink in the locker room, because the Bruins returned to Wooden Court with a completely different mindset. After Malcolm Lee kept the Bruin boat afloat in the early stretches of the game, Reeves Nelson and Tyler Honeycutt came alive to lead a 51-point second half outburst resulting in an 80-71 win (boxscore here) over a strong Washington State squad.” (Bruins Nation)
- Maryland 85, North Florida 62: “The Maryland Terrapins were expected to roll over the North Florida Ospreys, and though the margin wasn’t as great as it might’ve been, it wasn’t a particularly close game. After North Florida stuck around for the first ten minutes or so, the Terrapins pulled away and stretched the lead out to 12 by halftime. The gap widened in the second half, with Maryland withstanding a 14-2 Ospreys run to win by 23, the final margin stretching to 85-62.” (Testudo Times)
- Tennessee 68, UT-Martin 62: “Yikes. Memories of those fantastic games for the basketball Vols against Villanova and Pitt that had fans talking about how much better Tennessee was than the two best teams in the best basketball conference in the nation? Fading like your favorite dream. Four slug-fests in a row against teams that, well, can’t really be called the best, can they, will do that to you. Last night’s 68-62 win over UT-Martin didn’t turn out to be the Vols’ fourth consecutive one-point game in a row against a team we’d hoped to beat comfortably, but it certainly wasn’t comfortable.” (Rocky Top Talk)
- Canisius 85, Northwestern State 52: “Alshwan Hymes made it look like child’s play. The sophomore must have mistaken the hardwood of the Koessler Athletic Center (KAC) for the asphalt on the playgrounds and family driveway at and near his home in DeWitt, New York. He treated the Canisius faithful to a record-setting shooting display that seemed more like a game of around-the-world than part of college basketball game. It didn’t matter where he let it go. From the right or left side of the floor, from the corner, foul-line extended or the top of the key, Hymes made every spot on the floor his. When it was all done, Hymes set a new school record with nine 3s leading to a career-high 28 points as the Canisius Golden Griffins exorcised the Northwestern State Demons 85-52 in non-conference action Wednesday night.” (Pickin Splinters)
News/Analysis
- Jim Boeheim Fantasy Camp: Where a Man Can Become An Orangeman: For $5,500 you can participate if in a Jim Boeheim Fantasy Camp assuming you are over 35 and male. (Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician)
- Texas Basketball Report 4.1: Barnes Bounces Back: Part 1 of an extensive analysis of the Longhorns so far this season. (Burnt Orange Nation)
- Rick Jackson Elbowgate: Was It Called Correctly?: Taking a look at questionable play involving Rick Jackson from Tuesday night’s game involving new NCAA rules regarding a player’s use of his elbows. (Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician)
- 2010: How Syracuse Got Its Groove Back: “It’s been a while since Syracuse fans could proudly wear their colors every month of the year. In 2010, that was never an issue. Sometime tells me it won’t be an issue for a while.” (Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician)