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Top 25 Games
- #1 Ohio State 73, #18 Illinois 68: “In a game of runs, Ohio State saved their best for last answering a 12-4 Illini run creating a 50-42 deficit with 12:53 to play with a 22-6 blitz of their own to take a 64-56 lead with 4:22 left before holding on for a 73-68 victory this afternoon against Illinois in Assembly Hall.” (Eleven Warriors or Hail to the Orange)
- #10 Texas 74, #2 Kansas 63: “The University of Texas Longhorns fell down 18-3 in the first four minutes of the game and trailed by 12 at half before roaring back to blow out Kansas in the second half. J’Covan Brown’s offense, combined with an exceptional team effort on defense (and huge second half rebounding from Matt Hill), fueled the Texas comeback, with the Horns outscoring the Jayhawks 51-28 in the second half. The win was the first by a visiting opponent at Kansas since February, 2007, snapping a 69-game home winning streak for the Jayhawks. And for Rick Barnes’ squad, it was a stunningly poised performance after a disastrous start, showing the heart of this team. One of the most impressive, exciting regular season wins in school history.” (Burnt Orange Nation: Part 1 and Part 2; Rock Chalk Talk: Part 1 and Part 2)
- #7 Villanova 83, #3 Syracuse 72: “Both Villanova and Syracuse entered the game eager to break the streak each had begun with their last outing. A streak of the losing kind. For both the number stood at one and neither wanted to see it go to two. Villanova played to their offensive and defensive numbers in the first half, establishing an 11 point (40-29) lead going into the intermission. The last 20 minutes, an offensive festival for both (or a clinic on how to deconstruct the other team’s defense?), saw the two Top 10 teams match point-for-point to the end of the game, ended at 83-72, with Villanova’s 11 point first half cushion intact.” (Villanova by the Numbers and Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician: Recap and Videos)
- #8 UConn 72, Tennessee 61: “Kemba Walker had, statisically, his least productive game of the season. The Huskies still won. These truly are heady times, my friends.” (The UConn Blog and Rocky Top Talk)
- #11 Kentucky 67, South Carolina 58: “Well, except for the last 3 minutes, that game was outstanding. But in a mere 180 seconds, the Kentucky Wildcats went from having one of their better games to fighting off a wild comeback by the South Carolina Gamecocks. In the end, Kentucky won more or less convincingly, but I’d feel a lot better about it if the ‘Cats had finished better.” (A Sea of Blue: Part 1 and Part 2)
- #13 Missouri 87, Iowa State 54: “It was almost a bit jarring seeing a team actively not trying to slow Mizzou down last night. Before the game, the announcers made it sound as if Fred Hoiberg wanted his team to slow down the pace, but with a team (and coach) so inexperienced against this style, Iowa State ran and ran despite their best intentions, and … You. Do. Not. Run. With. Missouri.” (Rock M Nation)
- #14 Purdue 86, #19 Michigan State 76: “We knew it would happen. We knew Smooge would return to his old form. He showed a bit of it v. PSU on Wednesday, but he showed it all versus MSU tonight. He created his own shot, knocked down the long ball and *gasp* even shot a free throw or two!! It was good to see Moore back at it. But, he wasn’t the story tonight in God’s Country. The win was a team effort.” (Boiled Sports)
- #17 Minnesota 69, Michigan 64: “Different game, same story. This team’s inability to play defense in the Big Ten becomes more evident with every game. This time it was Minnesota that dismantled the Michigan defense with an overwhelming number of easy looks around the basket and offensive rebounds. Michigan appeared to have a chance to make the game interesting down the stretch but was unable to the two or three stops in a row necessary to have a chance.” (UM Hoops: Recap, Player Reaction, and John Beilein Reaction; The Daily Gopher)
Other Games of Interest
- Baylor 76, Oklahoma State 57: “It seems like every game for OSU turns into a big man Jenga competition for Travis Ford, “which post player can I pull out of the game without disrup…no not that one!” Ford shook things up on Saturday, starting Darrell Williams and Markel Brown for Matt Pilgrim and Ray Penn respectively. Williams thanked him by picking up a foul all of 19 seconds in which means OSU is edging ever closer to that magical, elusive game where they commit foul #1 in under 10 seconds. I can’t wait.” (Pistols Firing)
- Iowa 91, Indiana 77: “This was a contest that should have been competitive for a Hoosier team that had played well in its last two games and appeared to be heading in the right direction. Instead, it was an abysmal defensive performance against the Big Ten’s worst offensive team. Consider this: Iowa had broken the 75-point barrier in a conference game just once. The Hawkeyes hung 91 on Indiana.” (Inside the Hall: Recap and Tom Crean Audio)
- Providence 72, Louisville 67: Stunned reaction from the Cardinal fan base following a surprising loss. (Card Chronicle)
- Maryland 79, Clemson 77: “It wasn’t always pretty, but after the week of hell Maryland just went through, any win will do. Jordan Williams scored 16, Cliff Tucker scored 14, and the Terrapins withstood a late Tigers run to defeat Clemson at the Comcast Center, 79-77.” (Testudo Times)
- UCLA 68, Stanford 57: “In the last of our four “must win” games, the Bruins shook off an awful first ten minutes to shut down Stanford defensively and pull away for a 68-57 win.” (Bruins Nation)
- Canisius 75, Iona 73: “Scott Machado stood at the top of the key shaking his head. To his left, Jermel Jenkins extended his arms in a gesture of disbelief. Under the basket, Mike Glover was doubled over clutching his shorts. Not exactly the picture one would expect from a first-place in the final moments of a conference game. Gaby Belardo finished a pair of lay ups late, Greg Logins netted a career-high 30 points and a relentless Golden Griffin defense led to a 75-73 victory over the Iona Gaels in Metro-Atlantic Athletic action at the Koessler Athletic Center, Sunday.” (Pickin Splinters)
- Fairfield 67, Canisius 60: “Tom Parrotta and the Canisius Golden Griffins know all too well the discomforts that come with the quest for self-awareness. In the past twelve days, Parrotta and his Golden Griffins have had the chance to learn how they measure up with the top of the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference. After three close losses the Griffs know what is within their reach. Derek Needham scored a game-high 19 points, and the Fairfield Stags won the war on the boards defeating the Griffs 67-60 in MAAC action Friday night at the Koessler Athletic Center.” (Pickin Splinters)
News/Analysis
- The Gameday Experience: “ESPN’s College Gameday filmed two hourlong shows (one on ESPNU and one on ESPN) in Mackey Arena today and the students brought it. There was a buzz on Twitter about the experience and even tweets from non-Purdue folks saying that anyone who wants tips on how it should be done should check out the Paint Crew.” (Boiled Sports)
- Further Analysis of the Texas Longhorns TV Deal With ESPN: “Now that the dust has settled–and the pundits have spoken–the narrative for the ESPN/Texas TV deal is largely written. And that narrative is “Mo’ Money.” Which, to be honest, is pretty awesome. However, while we all celebrated what this TV deal means for Texas in another post, I think it deserves a second post with a bit more discussion and analysis. Luckily, we’ve got a couple of writers who have been following this issue and wanted to provide some thoughts.” (Burnt Orange Nation)
- Ben Hansbrough Appreciation Thread: “Career-high 28 points for Ben in a big 80-75 comeback win against Marquette, with 5 boards and 6 assists to fill out the line.” (Rakes of Mallow)
- UCLA Hoops Roundup: We Have a Team: “The UCLA Bruins got through the four must win games and arguably improved every game. Yes they looked young often and they still have not put together 40 solid minutes but they are showing that they are a “good” team.” (Bruins Nation)
- Putting a wrap on Gonzaga’s Bay Area blues: “Saturday night’s loss to San Francisco ended a streak that I find to be truly remarkable. Not since 2000, Mark Few’s first year, had Gonzaga lost back-to-back conference games. Gonzaga’s dominance in the West Coast Conference has been well documented but to not lose back-to-back conference games in a little over a decade really adds a little more color to just how good it has been in Spokane.” (The Slipper Still Fits)