Men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball – there’s no shortage of college ball, every night.
Don’t worry, we’re here to help you figure out what you missed but shouldn’t have. Here are all the best moments from last night in college basketball.
Vanderbilt sets program record(s), Blakes passes Clark
Vanderbilt women’s basketball has never posted a 16-0 record at home. Or at least, it had not prior to Thursday. The Commodores faced No. 24 Alabama in Nashville, and routed the Crimson Tide, 85-60. This also marked its 12th SEC win of the year, another program-best. Vandy came out hot, putting 28 points on the board in the first quarter while limiting Bama to 16, then exploded for 31 points coming out of halftime, putting the game out of reach for good after the Tide had narrowed the gap in the second quarter.
Alabama shot just 33% overall and 6-for-26 from 3, while the Dores forced them into 23 turnovers — Vanderbilt’s defense is at its best when it’s disruptive and capitalizes on the mistakes that it creates, and here it scored 22 points on those turnovers.
The real difference maker, though, was sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes. She scored 35 points on 11-for-21 shooting, sinking half-a-dozen 3-pointers while adding 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and a block; it was her NCAA-leading 11th 30-point game of the season. A massive performance that propelled Vanderbilt to victory, but also Blakes to a bit of history: as the broadcast noted, this was her fifth game in a row scoring at least 30 points against a top-25 team, passing Iowa legend Caitlin Clark’s mark of four-straight such games, which was the most of anyone since the 2021-2022 season. Given Clark is the all-time scoring leader in Division I college basketball — men’s or women’s — besting any achievement of hers is both notable and exciting. On top of that, per Vanderbilt, Blakes is the first player to achieve that feat during the regular season this century, and the last to stretch the streak to five since a different Iowa player — Megan Gustafson — went six-straight in 2018-2019.
Blakes, though, is just that kind of scorer. Clark, for her career, had 30+ points against top-25 teams 23 times in her career, far and away the most of anyone this decade — Blakes needs quite a few more of these to catch up, but she’s also just a sophomore. She’s got time to give it a shot.
As is, Blakes is the scoring leader in Division I, at 26.9 per game, which is 3.6 more points than she averaged a year ago when she was named an AP 3rd Team All-American. And Vanderbilt kept pace with Texas for the second place in the SEC with the dub — the Dores will close the regular season out on the road against Tennessee, which has lost five games in a row and is 2-8 in its last 10. Vanderbilt has the head-to-head tiebreaker against Texas, so its seeding destiny is in its hands.
MSU upsets Purdue on the road
No. 13 Michigan State took on No. 8 Purdue, and came away with about as close of a win as you can. After going up 72-64 with 4:11 left in the game following a layup from sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr., the Boilermakers responded with an 8-2 run over the next two minutes to narrow the lead to 74-72. That would be as close as Purdue would get, however: Spartans’ senior forward Jaxon Kohler would hit a 9-foot jumper with 1:55 to go, and the Boilermakers would only score one more time the rest of the way.
The lack of scoring — for both sides — wasn’t for a lack of trying. Kohler missed consecutive 3-point attempts on Michigan State’s next possession, getting a second chance thanks to an offensive rebound, and a block forced a turnover from a shot clock violation shortly after that. Purdue, though, could not capitalize on the misses, throwing up its own bricks and failing to keep Michigan State away from the rebounds again and again. When Purdue did get the ball back on a rebound with just 8 seconds left, the Boilermakers just could not get close enough to the basket, resulting in a 30-foot attempt from senior guard Braden Smith right before the clock struck zero. It didn’t find home, and Michigan State held on for the road dub.
This was a great win for the Spartans in multiple ways, as it moved them into a three-way tie for second place in the Big Ten — the top four teams get a bye right to the quarterfinals of the huge, 18-team conference tournament, and now Purdue is in fifth, still in line for a significant bye, but not quite as good. And with the Big Ten as deep and competitive as it has been this season, the fewer games that a team needs to win, the better.
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Michigan State and Purdue each have loads of video games left, although: the Spartans have bubble hopeful Indiana after which Rutgers earlier than taking over No. 3 Michigan, whereas the Boilermakers have a better street with one other bubble workforce in Ohio State, then Northwestern and Wisconsin. The distinction in schedule makes it all of the extra vital for Michigan State that it picked up this W.
UConn only one win away
UConn took on Georgetown in Huge East play and received handily, 84-52. That half most likely shouldn’t be a shock, given the Hoyas 13-15 on the season and 6-13 in convention play. It’s noteworthy, nonetheless, due to what it means for the Huskies: they’re now 29-0, and a single win away from an undefeated common season.
The bench picked up a ton of minutes on this one, however not earlier than fifth-year guard Azzi Fudd scored a game-high 24 factors with 6 3s, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and a block — her taking pictures has been nice moderately than stellar of late, however Fudd has greater than made up for it by being an enormous a part of the Huskies’ oppressive, high-energy protection. Sophomore ahead Sarah Robust performed simply 23 minutes, however appeared as dominant as ever in that point with 13 factors on 50% taking pictures, with 11 rebounds, 7 assists and a steal and block every.
Perhaps most vital for UConn, because the Huge East match and March Insanity looms, is that freshman ahead Blanca Quinonez appeared like she has shaken the rust of lacking six video games with a shoulder damage all the best way off. Quinonez scored 10 factors off the bench in 19 minutes, including 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals in that point. Because the rotation tightens in match play, having Quinonez — who has skilled and worldwide workforce expertise in Italy and for Ecuador, respectively — coming off the bench able to contribute and hold the vitality up is significant.
UConn takes on St. John’s on the street in its regular-season finale on Sunday. And if the Huskies win that one, then the actual work begins: there have been simply 10 undefeated nationwide champions in Division I ladies’s basketball.
Texas routs Georgia
No. 4 Texas wanted a win to maintain up with No. 5 Vanderbilt, and whereas the Longhorns additionally had a ranked-ranked matchup to get by way of, that didn’t gradual them for a second. Texas downed No. 23 Georgia simply as simply as Vandy dealt with No. 24 Bama, 79-50, with the Longhorns going up huge early and by no means letting off the fuel till the fourth quarter when it was too late for the Woman Bulldogs, anyway.
Georgia shot simply 38% from the sector and a paltry 4-for-15 from past the arc — Texas wasn’t lively from deep, making simply six makes an attempt, nevertheless it additionally didn’t should for the reason that Longhorns sank 53% total and made 21 of 24 free throws. Whereas the Texas offense can generally characteristic inconsistency and the shortage of a capability to hit 3s when wanted can harm, when the Longhorns are capable of construct a lead, the protection grinds opponents down from there to make up for these deficiencies.
For instance: senior guard Rori Harmon scored simply 4 factors for Texas in 27 minutes, and nobody had a giant night time with 25 factors, and even 20. Nevertheless, the Longhorns had 11 extra area objectives than Georgia and all these pictures from the stripe, pressured the Woman Bulldogs to show the ball over 24 instances — whereas changing these into 27 factors — and managed the paint. Georgia was the one that would not shoot to catch up, on this case, and Harmon’s so-so outing was no drawback.
Now, this type of problem can chunk Texas in opposition to higher groups — Vanderbilt upset Texas earlier this yr particularly as a result of the Longhorns couldn’t reply to a relentless offensive assault with any bombs of its personal — but when the protection can management the tempo, the nice ones can fall, too.
Three 40-point video games (and one historic!)
We received a trio of 40-point video games out of D-I males’s basketball on Thursday. Stonehill’s Davante Hackett and Cal State Bakersfield’s Ron Jessamy had precisely 40 apiece, whereas Oral Roberts received 47 out of fifth-year ahead Ty Harper to guide all scorers in each males’s and ladies’s basketball.
Stonehill had a relentless offense throughout: whereas its junior guard Hackett went 14-for-24, the Skyhawks as a complete shot 58% and sank 14 3-pointers whereas dropping 103 factors on Saint Francis. These 40 factors characterize the primary time a Stonehill participant has reached that stage for the reason that workforce moved to Division I ball, as nicely.
Cal State Bakersfield and Jessamy weren’t so fortunate. As an alternative of the junior ahead being a part of some bigger offensive domination, he was the offense: the Roadrunners, even with Jessamy’s 40 spot, managed simply 72 factors in opposition to UC San Diego in a loss. Jessamy shot 14-for-21, an absurd 67%, and had an extra dozen factors from the charity stripe. He additionally had 9 rebounds, eight of them defensive, giving his workforce loads of possibilities to slim the lead. The issue is that the remainder of the Roadrunners went 8-for-28 from the sector, and had been rebounded by the Tritons, too.
Harper’s 47 factors characterize a career-best and essentially the most scored by any Summit League participant but in 2025-2026, and in addition contributed to a Golden Eagles victory over Denver. This was an upset, too, as Oral Roberts had simply two wins in convention play, and the Pioneers had been over .500 earlier than the defeat. The Golden Eagles shot nicely as a workforce — Harper 12-for-24, the remainder of the workforce really an excellent higher 17-for-31 — and as a unit Oral Roberts went 35-for-39 from the road: Denver misplaced due to Harper’s main exhibiting, sure, but in addition as a result of the Pioneers clustered their 25 fouls collectively within the worst attainable methods. Harper, although, did his half: he went an ideal 21-for-21 from the road.
Harper is the primary Division I participant to handle no less than 45 factors and go no less than 20-for-20 from the road since 1966 — that’s so way back that it was practically twenty years earlier than the NCAA even sponsored the ladies’s version of March Insanity.
Western Illinois, Lindenwood prep for convention showdown
The battle for the Ohio Valley Convention can also be a battle for the OVC’s computerized bid: Western Illinois and Lindenwood are on the high, with the previous 16-3 and the latter 15-4. Each groups received on Thursday, and are set to face one another on Saturday of their respective regular-season finale. Western Illinois has secured no less than a share of the regular-season title already, however Lindenwood can complicate issues with a W, since it might begin to herald the “greatest successful proportion in opposition to a like opponent” stage of tiebreakers, and it’s unclear who that might be simply but for the reason that groups behind these two within the standings are nonetheless being sorted out, as nicely.
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For any of that to matter, although, Lindenwood must win, because it already misplaced final day out in opposition to the Leathernecks, which was itself partial revenge for the Lions taking Western Illinois out in final yr’s OVC match.
As for Thursday, senior ahead Mia Nicastro was her typical stellar self, scoring 36 factors on a extremely environment friendly 14-for-19 taking pictures whereas going 7-for-7 from the road. She picked up 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 steals to go together with it, and led the Leathernecks to a 79-61 win over SIU Edwardsville. Lindenwood didn’t get the identical sort of dominant efficiency out of a single participant, however the Lions did shoot 54% as a workforce in opposition to Jap Illinois, permitting the starters to all keep at 26 minutes or fewer en path to an 80-43 dub.
Now, Saturday serves as a attainable preview of the OVC match, the place it’s very probably that certainly one of these two will emerge because the convention’s consultant in March Insanity. Lindenwood is well-rested, however with Nicastro there — she’s fourth in D-I scoring at 24.5 per sport, and sixth within the league in Participant Effectivity Ranking behind the likes of Sarah Robust, Audi Crooks and Hannah Hidalgo — Lindenwood goes to want extra than simply vitality to down the Leathernecks.
Iowa outlasts Illinois
Illinois isn’t ranked, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a troublesome workforce: the Combating Illini rank thirty second within the NCAA Analysis Device, behind Texas Tech and forward of Iowa State, and are comfortably positioned in Wins Above Bubble in a approach that has them arrange for March Insanity, too. No. 9 Iowa was examined by Illinois on Thursday, however held on to win, 82-78. As has been the case so typically of late, middle Ava Heiden was the rationale why.
Heiden scored 28 factors on 13-for-18 taking pictures, with 20 of these coming within the second half, and the 6-foot-4 sophomore pulled down 4 rebounds, as nicely. That a part of her sport was quieter than typical — she averaged 7.5 per sport — however between the scoring and her teammates choosing her up elsewhere, Iowa received by way of this one.
Senior ahead Hannah Stuelke added 18 factors on 7-for-18 taking pictures with 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a block. Sophomore guard Taylor Stremlow had a double-double with 11 factors and rebounds every. And the bench added 15 factors, 9 boards, 3 assists and a couple of steals in 44 mixed minutes, assuring the Hawkeyes that they may really give its starters a couple of minutes right here and there with out inviting catastrophe in opposition to a sport Illinois squad.
That ended up being the distinction, too: Illinois’ starters performed the majority of the sport and contributed 73 of its 78 factors, whereas Iowa was capable of lean on its reserves.
The Hawkeyes stay tied with Michigan for second within the Huge Ten, and with one sport left on the schedule and a two-game lead on 12-5 Minnesota and Ohio State, they’re additionally safe in one of many byes that may ship them straight to the quarterfinals. Illinois, in the meantime, wants a win in opposition to No. 22 Minnesota in its personal finale so as to have a shot on the remaining bye within the 5-8 slots within the convention.
