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Top 25 Games
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Alabama 68, #12 Kentucky 66: “Well, let’s make no mistake about it, the Kentucky Wildcats deserved to lose this basketball game, and they did. Once again, the Wildcats allowed an SEC team to physically dominate them in the interior, at least for one half of basketball, and that half was enough. It is a tough loss for Kentucky fans to swallow, and raises some serious questions about how far this team can realistically go in the post-season. It shouldn’t be overstated, but this loss was a major setback for Kentucky, one that could end up costing them at least one and possibly two seed positions in the tournament.” (A Sea of Blue)
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#18 Illinois 71, #19 Michigan State 62: “There is no overstating the importance of this win for the Fighting Illini, after suffering a heart breaking road loss against Penn State, and a soul crushing defeat against the Badgers in Madison, the team needed a win badly to keep themselves in the hunt for the Big Ten championship.” (Hail to the Orange)
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#22 Georgetown 80, Seton Hall 75: “Such is life in this year’s Big East. The conference is as competitive as it has ever been and every victory should be cherished, nurtured, and adored. Georgetown was down six points with three minutes to go, and rebounded to win 80-75 on the backs of their three seniors – Austin Freeman, Chris Wright and Julian Vaughn. Say what you will about New Jersey, but it will forever be known as the state where Austin got his groove back. Freeman scored an otherworldly 28 points on 13 shots, while Wright added 17 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Vaughn, much maligned for the first 35 minutes of the game, took over after Herb Pope fouled out, scoring a quick bucket and grabbing a crucial rebound.” (Casual Hoya)
Other Games of Interest
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Tennessee 59, Georgia 57: “This was a huge win for Tennessee. Absolutely huge. The only way you shed inconsistency is to put together consecutive quality wins, and Vanderbilt and Georgia certainly qualify. The Vols have played to the wire every night in the SEC, and against the better teams in the league it’s probably what we should expect the rest of the year. While the Arkansas game was a struggle, tonight was the third straight really good basketball game we’ve seen – nine ties and eleven lead changes, including four of each in the final twelve minutes.” (Rocky Top Talk)
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Marquette 94, DePaul 64: “After a soul-crushing defeat is there any greater gift than seeing DePaul next up on the schedule? No sir, there is nothing better.” (Cracked Sidewalks)
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UNC 75, Clemson 65: “It was only mentioned a couple of hundred times during the broadcast, so you may have missed it. But apparently Clemson has a slight problem winning in Chapel Hill. And with this team’s problems, that mark of 54 wins was in danger of being joined by a loss; they came through, however. The Tigers have now faced futility fifty-five times, and all remains right in the universe.” (Carolina March)
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Northwestern 74, Michigan 60: “The growing pains continued as Michigan’s defense was effortlessly picked apart by Northwestern. Northwestern’s offense is very good, the Wildcats are one of the best shooting teams in the country, but this game was about Michigan’s defense being awful. Again.” (UM Hoops)
Pre-Game Analysis
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Virginia Tech at Maryland: “On Thursday, the Hokies kick off a three week stretch where they play four out of five ACC games on the road. Tech must find a way to steal two of these four games, and defend the Cassell against Miami, to stay in the ACC race. But this game in College Park may be the toughest of the four, at least on paper.” (Tech Hoops)
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Xavier at St. Bonaventure: “The Reilly Center will be rockin’ Wednesday night when Chris Mack brings his Xavier Musketeers (11-5/ 3-0) to western New York for an Atlantic 10 showdown with Mark Schmidt and his St. Bonaventure Bonnies (9-7/ 1-2).” (Pickin Splinters)
News/Analysis
- First Year Players Prominent In Ohio State’s Basketball History: Going back in time to look at other prominent Buckeye freshmen. (Eleven Warriors)
- Rashad McCants’ fledgling acting career: NC State fans are enjoying the former Tar Heel’s first acting role. (State Fans Nation)
- Maryland Basketball: Don’t Panic…Yet: “Although the Ravens’ season is over, and even though on Saturday I was really upset about Maryland’s loss and blown opportunity for a signature victory against Villanova, there is still reason for optimism for our beloved Terps. So, as they say in the Hitchhikers’s Guide, DON’T PANIC.” (Testudo Times)
- Rick Pitino press conference notes: The Louisville coach talks about the team’s recent comeback victory and their upcoming games. (Card Chronicle)
- Crean: Creek will undergo surgery on Thursday: “In a series of tweets posted early on Tuesday evening, Indiana coach Tom Crean announced that sophomore guard Maurice Creek will have surgery on the stress fracture in his right patella on Thursday.” (Inside the Hall)
- Still Waiting On UCLA To Open Lines Of Communication On Pauley Renovation: “It has been 617 days since UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero, Chancellor Gene Block and a host of current and former Bruins stood up on a podium in Pauley Pavilion and revealed their plans for a renovated arena that would bring the facility into the 21st century. The decades of rumored renovations to Pauley were finally going to be a thing of the past because UCLA was going to give the historic, but antiquated arena the renovation is desperately needed.On that day, May 11, 2009, Guerrero said, “Pauley Pavilion is a special place and this renovation will keep it among the nation’s elite venues.” Sounds fantastic, right? It sounded great until a perusal of all the information showed a new Pauley Pavilion that didn’t look much like one of the best arenas in the country.” (Bruins Nation)
- The Kansas Jayhawks Sit 18-0 With Plenty To Play For: “Kansas sits 18-0 on the regular season and 3-0 in the Big 12. The Jayhawks are ranked #2 in the nation and are just one of three remaining undefeated teams across the country. While there are certainly times that could be pointed to as “room for improvement” moments, this is a team that has a ceiling as high as anyone in the country. ” (Rock Chalk Talk)
- UK Basketball: Awaiting the “Kentucky Way”: “For as long as I can remember (which really isn’t that long ago) I have heard commentators and coaches loudly espouse in a medley ways — It’s tough to win on the road in conference. Some variation of that phrase has been uttered millions of times over the life of modern day college basketball. Uttered so often, because it is as righteous as the sun set. So then, why is it so hard for some college basketball teams to grasp the concept? ” (A Sea of Blue)
- Louisville’s road to ten conference victories: “If Louisville were to miss out on the NCAA Tournament come March, there would be more than one national column written about the “collapse” of a team that once stood 14-3 and ranked 15th in the country. We’d read them, we’d cry, and then we’d either bash Pitino, defend Pitino, or blindly debate the merits of Teddy Bridgewater vs. DaMarcus Smith (we still won’t have seen either of them play, but whatevs).” (Card Chronicle)
- Film Session: A varied offense: Breaking down some key sequences from Indiana’s big win over Michigan. (Inside the Hall)