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Top 25 Games

• #2 Kansas 64, Texas A&M 51: “It wasn’t pretty, but it doesn’t always have to be.  Kansas secured a seventh consecutive league title tonight with a 64-51 win over Texas A&M tonight.” (Rock Chalk Talk)
• #11 UNC 72, FSU 70: “A clutch game-winning three will forgive a lot. Tonight it allows you to overlook fifteen turnovers, some bad fouls, defensive lapses and FSU’s 10-2 run to take the lead with eighteen seconds remaining. None of that matters, because Roy Williams was smart enough to leave the last shot to Harrison Barnes. And Barnes drained a three like it was a casual shoot-around.” (Carolina March)

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Top 25 Games

• #1 Ohio State 82, Penn State 61: “Jon Diebler might have missed his first and last triple tries but he connected on 10 straight in between, pouring in a career high 30 points as the Buckeyes clinched at least a share of the B1G regular season conference title by routing Penn State 82-61 tonight in Happy Valley.” (Eleven Warriors)
• #6 Purdue 76, Illinois 67: “The game almost felt secondary tonight, as the Boiler faithful sent off 33 and 25 with many resounding Mackey cheers, as thanks for four years of dedication and hard work. Once again, the place was clearly deafening even through the TV broadcast. Let’s say that first, everyone: great work again, especially the Paint Crew who always brings it. As is always a concern on a night like this, the home team fell behind. However, it wasn’t really that Purdue was playing poorly — Illinois was just shooting the lights out and playing like the team we all thought they were capable of bring this season. Of course, that only lasted about ten minutes and then they reverted to the Illinois who resides on the bubble.” (Boiled Sports)
• #16 Florida 78, Alabama 51: “With their 78-51 victory over Alabama Tuesday night, the Gators clinched a share of their first SEC championship since 2007. The Gators (23-6, 11-3) were led by Chandler Parsons’ 19 points and 11 rebounds, as the Gators dominated the second-half following an even first half. The Gators used several second half runs to put distance between them and the SEC West champions.” (Alligator Army)
• #22 Kentucky 68, #19 Vanderbilt 66: “What a game. I have not been more nervous at any time this year. The Kentucky Wildcats and the Vanderbilt Commodores battled to the wire in Rupp Arena in a wild affair that went down to the last tick of the last second before Kentucky could claim their 15th and final home game for a perfect season in Rupp Arena. But it was by no means a perfect game.” (A Sea of Blue or Anchor of Gold)
• Nebraska 69, #21 Missouri 58: “This was the second game this season in which I was truly and completely disappointed.  The other — Oklahoma State — could be blamed, at least a bit, on ridiculous travel trouble (anytime it takes you two days to get where you’re going, you probably aren’t going to be amazingly sharp).  Missouri is 30 games through the season now, and the fact that they were able to play their worst game of the season now is, in and of itself, cause for alarm.  In each of the past three seasons, they haven’t played their best in the final week before the conference tournament, but to me, at least, this was possibly a new level.  (Then again, I probably didn’t enjoy the 25-point whipping Kansas laid on Missouri two years ago either. That ended up alright.)” (Rock M Nation)

Other Games of Interest

• Boston College 76, Virginia Tech 61: After a huge win over Duke that led some to predict that the Hokies were definitely a NCAA Tournament team they came out flat on Senior Night against the Eagles. (Tech Hoops)

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Top 25 Games

• #9 Notre Dame 92, #14 Villanova 72: A running diary of Notre Dame’s blowout victory on Senior Night that raised their profile and lowered Villanova’s profile in many eyes. (Rakes of Mallow)

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Top 25 Games

• #1 Ohio State 82, Indiana 61: “After scoring just seven points in six games on 3/22 shooting before a modest bounceback six point effort Tuesday night against Illinois, Deshaun Thomas exploded against his home state school with 22 points, including 14 in a row during a decisive 26-6 first half run, keying Ohio State’s 82-61 blowout victory over Tom Crean’s Indiana Hoosiers.” (Eleven Warriors or Inside the Hall)
• Virginia Tech 64, #2 Duke 60: “The Hokies got the signature win that everyone has been looking for over the last four years, and all but punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a 64-60 win over #1 Duke at the Cassell. Tech used an extremely balanced effort to take down the Devils. All five Hokie starters reached double-digits in points, including double-doubles from Jeff Allen and Victor Davila. The Hokies are now 3-2 against #1 teams under Coach Seth Greenberg, and this was Tech’s fourth win all-time against a #1 (Tech is 3-1 against #1 teams in the Cassell overall).” (Tech Hoops)
• #17 Louisville 62, #3 Pittsburgh 59 (OT): Breaking down Louisville’s OT victory that featured one of the strangest finishes this season. (Card Chronicle)
• Colorado 91, #4 Texas 89: “For the second straight Saturday, the Texas Longhorns suffered a road loss to an unranked opponent after their defense and then their offense completely fell apart. The game was nowhere near as close as the final 91-89 margin indicates. Texas did just about everything right in the first half and led by as many as 22 points before taking a 15 point lead to halftime. However, in a sign of things to come, Colorado won the final few minutes of the first half and trimmed that lead to a more workable margin.” (Burnt Orange Nation)

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Top 25 Games

• Marquette 74, #13 UConn 67 (OT): The Huskies lost a tough game at the XL Center that should help Marquette’s NCAA Tournament chances. (The UConn Blog)

Other Games

• Gonzaga 89, St. Mary’s 85 (OT): The Zags’ keys to the game included (1) beating SMC on offense with Sacre, Harris and Dower, (2) limiting SMC’s three-point attempts with skin tight perimeter defense, and (3) forcing SMC to take a higher-than-usual percentage of two-point shots. Aside from the obvious victory — and Zagacious cannot understate the awesomeness of this win! — how did we fare on our checklist?  (Zagacious)

Pre-Game Analysis

• #2 Duke at Virginia Tech: “Program changer.  You don’t get many opportunities at program changing wins, but VT has a shot at one on Saturday.  The whole nation (and world thanks to ESPN America) will be get a big glimpse of what Hokie Nation is like for roundball on Saturday with ESPN College Gameday (basketball) making its first ever trip to the ‘Burg with Rece, Hubert, Digger, and Jay Bilas, airing from 10 AM to Noon.  Then, the big show starts nine hours later with Tech taking on the #1, by God, Duke Blue Devils at 9 PM on ESPN in OUR CASSELL..” (Tech Hoops)

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Top 25 Games

• #8 Purdue 72, Indiana 61: “The Boilers took yet another step tonight, demonstrating how focused and prepared they are able to be following the biggest win of the season. Purdue allowed no semblance of a letdown tonight, taking care of business at the lovely Assembly Hall and winning by 11, 72-61.” (Boiled Sports or Inside the Hall: Recap, Player Interviews, and Tom Crean Interview)
• #10 Wisconsin 53, Michigan 52: “A month ago today, Minnesota beat Michigan in Crisler Arena. The final score was 69-64, but down the stretch the outcome was never really in question. It was Michigan’s seventh loss in eight games and a once promising had derailed and was hurtling toward abyss. Michigan’s turnaround over the last month has surprised even the most optimistic Michigan fans, but it also forces us to suffer through a deflating loss like this. The pain of losing a coin flip game like tonight’s is infinitely harder to manage than a loss like Minnesota, where you simply get outplayed.” (UM Hoops: Recap, Player Interviews, John Beilein Interview, and Final Shot; Bucky’s Fifth Quarter: Wisconsin Drinks Michigan’s Milkshake)

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Top 25 Games

• #1 Ohio State 89, Illinois 70: “Looking to bounce back from the salty trip to West Lafayette, Ohio State placed five in double figures led by 21 from a previously struggling David Lighty, to overwhelm Illinois 89-70 tonight in an underwhelming Value City Arena.” (Eleven Warriors)

Other Games of Interest

• Michigan State 53, Minnesota 48: “The Gophers needed this one. The Gophers had this game won. And then Tubby Smith watched as his team let Michigan State end the game on a 14-1 run. The Gophers lost 53-48 and fell to 6-9 in conference play. Talk of the NCAA Tournament is now silly. The Gophers have lost 6 of 7 games. NCAA Tournament teams don’t let that happen even with injuries playing a factor. ” (The Daily Gopher)
• Virginia Tech 76, Wake Forest 62: “Fresh off a one-game suspension for a marijuana charge, freshman Jarell Eddie was smokin’ hot as he helped lead the Hokies to a 76-62 win over Wake Forest on the road. Eddie scored a career-high 17 points and didn’t miss a single shot, going 6/6 from the field, including 3/3 from behind the arc.” (Tech Hoops)

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Top 25 Games

• #6 Kansas 92, Oklahoma State 55: “Kansas got some good news and some bad news headed into Monday nights game against Oklahoma State. Thomas Robinson would return to the court ahead of schedule, but the Jayhawks would be without the services of junior guard Tyshawn Taylor due to suspension. As for the performance on the court, Monday night was all good news for the Jayhawks as they cruised past an overmatched Oklahoma State Cowboy team.” (Rock Chalk Talk)

Pre-Game Analysis

• Virginia Tech at Wake Forest: “The Magnificent Seven make their debut Tuesday as the Hokies try and pick up a road win in Winston-Salem against the lowly Deacs. This, plain and simple is a MUST WIN game. Must win to stay in the race for an ACC Tournament bye. Must win to keep NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Must win to keep Saturday meaningful as Gameday comes to the ‘Burg for the first time for hoops… oh, and Duke will be there, too.” (Tech Hoops)

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Top 25 Games

• #11 Purdue 76, #1 Ohio State 63: “In the last week, Purdue took down Wisconsin and Ohio State…back to back. The number 2 and 10 teams in the nation. Sure, they were at home, but that’s where you must dominate. Ask MSU or Illinois how much they’d like to be unbeaten at home this year and how hard it is to accomplish.” (Boiled Sports or Eleven Warriors)
• Nebraska 70, #2 Texas 67: “The march toward a 16-0 conference mark is over as the No. 2/3 Texas Longhorns fall, 70-67, to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Despite a furious rally in the final three minutes of the game, aided by mindless Nebraska fouls, Texas could never overcome the lead they relinquished early in the second half. The Huskers dominated the glass from start to finish, crippled the Texas defense with dribble penetration, and limited the Texas offense by sagging four or five players in the paint and daring the Longhorns to score from the perimeter. In a game that looked eerily similar to the December loss at Southern Cal, Texas was thoroughly worked physically, especially in the low post. The Nebraska size gave the ‘Horns fits, got most of the Texas frontcourt into foul trouble, and forced Rick Barnes to play some odd lineups, mostly in the first half.” (Burnt Orange Nation)
• #3 Kansas 89, Colorado 63: “Markieff Morris led the Jayhawks with 26 points and 16 rebounds including 9 on the offensive end. It was one of the best performances of his career and Colorado simply had no answer on the interior.” (Rock Chalk Talk: Part 1 and Part 2)

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Pre-Game Analysis

• Virginia Tech at Virginia: Breaking down what should be a win for the Hokies who are hoping to finally avoid being on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble. (Tech Hoops)

News/Analysis

• Notre Dame vs. Temple Series: “The big news yesterday was that the much-rumored Temple series was about to become official, with the first date likely to occur in 2013.  Ideally, the 2013 game would be the last weekend of August and the first contest of the season, giving the Irish a warm up before the trip to Ann Arbor.  If all of this is accurate, then it will be a three-game series, with two games in Notre Dame Stadium and one in Lincoln Financial Field, the bird-friendly home of both the Owls and the Philadelphia Eagles.” (Rakes of Mallow)

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