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 the weekend in college basketball.
No. 4 Purdue upset by No. 11 Illinois
This was not a great weekend to be a favored ranked team, especially in men’s college basketball. Six different ranked men’s teams were upset over the weekend, and all on Saturday since Sunday was an abbreviated schedule for the men even before the winter storm that enveloped much of the country postponed multiple matchups. These teams probably wish that their games had been postponed, too.
No. 4 Purdue needed to bounce back after losing to unranked UCLA on Tuesday, but next up on the schedule was No. 11 Illinois, making that a difficult task even in a home game. And one the Boilermakers apparently were not up to, as well, as they lost 88-82. Which is not to say that Purdue isn’t capable or anything of the sort: the Fighting Illini just had a weapon that the Boilermakers had no answer for, and that was freshman guard Keaton Wagler.
Wagler broke out for 46 points — twice his previous career-best — on 13-for-17 shooting while sinking 9-of-11 3-pointers, and on top of that also shot 11-for-13 from the line. He had zero rebounds, no steals and no blocks, but he also just committed one foul, dished out 4 assists, and oh yeah, scored those 46 points. He had a hand in comfortably more than half of Illinois’ points between the buckets and the dimes, and even a Purdue team getting a 27-point, 12-assist double-double out of senior guard Braden Smith couldn’t contend with that performance.
Illinois is now second in the Big Ten at 8-1, tied with Michigan and Michigan State but behind Nebraska. Purdue has slipped from tied with the Huskers atop the conference to fifth in the span of a week, which puts them out of position for the coveted double-bye in the Big Ten tourney. That is, of course, still a ways off, so there is time for the Boilermakers to recover. But given how competitive the conference has been and will continue to be, having to make up ground isn’t a positive.
Somehow, Wagler’s 46 points wasn’t the most of the weekend. That honor instead went to California Baptist senior guard Dominique Daniels, who dropped a program record 47 points on Utah Valley, with 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals in a 78-71 overtime win.
Surging Houston stopped by Texas Tech
No. 6 Houston had been moving up in the poll and in projected brackets owing to an 11-game win streak that included plenty of credible and ranked opponents, like Arkansas and Texas Tech. The rematch against the Red Raiders did not go Cougars’ way, however: whereas the first time out was a defensive-minded, 69-65 affair, this time Texas Tech would win a 90-86 shootout.
Houston shot 48% overall and 39% from three, going 11-for-28 from deep while hitting 17 of 21 free throws, as well. Texas Tech actually shot a little worse overall, but had a dozen 3-pointers and went 24-for-30 from the line: in the end, the extra free throws were the difference, but the Red Raiders also outrebounded the Cougars, 44 to 28 — with 21 of those offensive rebounds allowing for second chances — and that was too much for Houston to overcome.
[Men’s College Basketball Rankings: Nebraska, Michigan State Make Big Jumps]
And this regardless of a monster efficiency from freshman guard Kingston Fleming, who scored 42 of Houston’s 86 factors on 15-for-26 capturing whereas including 2 boards, 6 assists and a pair of steals. Senior guard Emanuel Sharp added 20 factors in 35 minutes, however the remainder of the staff mixed for twenty-four factors, with nobody from the bench stepping as much as compensate for the in any other case missing offensive performances from the starters.
Texas Tech, in the meantime, received 31 factors in 40 minutes from junior guard JT Toppin, 18 factors out of each freshman guard Jaylen Petty and senior guard Donovan Atwell, and sophomore guard Christian Anderson added one other 12. That was virtually the complete output of the Pink Raiders, however it proved sufficient to topple Houston.
Houston had been undefeated in Huge 12 play to that time, however now sits 5-1, tied for third with BYU however leapfrogged by the now 6-1 Texas Tech. Arizona, 7-0 in convention play and undefeated general, sits forward of each, however all 4 of those groups are in place for double-byes within the convention tourney as of now.
UNC comes again in opposition to Virginia
Not solely was No. 14 Virginia upset by No. 22 UNC, however North Carolina stormed again to win a recreation it appeared just like the Tar Heels had been perhaps out of. With 2:05 left within the first, UNC was down 43-27, and Virginia had been in full management for the complete recreation to that time. A 7-0 run to finish the primary minimize the result in 43-34, nonetheless, after which the Tar Heels exploded for a 51-point second half. The end result? An 85-80 comeback win and upset for UNC.
Two large performances off the bench stored that ball rolling, with junior ahead Jarin Stevenson scoring 17 factors in 16 minutes whereas freshman guard Luka Bogavac added one other 14 in his 28. Virginia outrebounded UNC, 44-28, however the Tar Heels made up for that deficit by turning the ball over simply 4 occasions whereas changing Virginia’s 11 turnovers into 19 factors. And, regardless of the rebound distinction, the Cavaliers outscored UNC by simply 6 factors within the paint.
However wait: extra upsets!
We’re solely midway by means of the upsets in males’s faculty basketball from Saturday. Like Houston, Florida has been surging recently, although within the case of the Gators you may name it “resurgent” as a substitute, given their earlier struggles. A lot of that needed to do with a troublesome schedule, although — the Gators have performed the seventh-toughest slate in all of males’s faculty basketball — however it was additionally adjusting to a turned over roster from final 12 months’s championship squad.
The resurgence hit a snag on Saturday, when the No. 16 Gators misplaced to unranked Auburn at dwelling, 76-67. Auburn held on to win right here, dominating within the first half, 43-28, after which surviving a Florida staff that outplayed the Tigers within the second. Junior ahead Thomas Haugh scored a game-high 27 factors on 9-for-19 capturing and secured a double-double with 10 rebounds — additionally a game-high — however simply didn’t get sufficient assist from his teammates: Florida shot a mere 37% general, and 7-for-27 from past the arc. Auburn, conversely, was at 48% general and went 19-for-21 from the road, each of which made up for sinking 5 3-pointers.
Tennessee takes down Bama
Alabama might need entered its matchup with Tennessee ranked No. 17, however that didn’t matter to the Volunteers. Tennessee rode a 43-point second half to a 79-73 win over Bama, dropping the Tide to 3-3 in SEC play whereas bringing the Vols to the identical convention file.
Freshman ahead Nate Ament dropped a game-high 29 factors on Bama on 10-for-20 capturing whereas choosing up 7 rebounds and three assists, and he was joined by senior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who scored 24 factors with 3 boards, 4 assists and a pair of steals. Factors-wise, the remainder of the Vols provided little or no, however they did mix for 42 rebounds to Bama’s 33.
Former G League middle Charles Bediako, now again at Alabama and a senior and enjoying as soon as extra due to a short lived restraining order as a result of an eligibility-based lawsuit in opposition to the NCAA, performed 25 minutes with 13 factors, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and a pair of blocks, however this enhance from the bench wasn’t sufficient for the Tide.
Texas will get a W over No. 21 Georgia
Right here we’re, the ultimate males’s upset from Saturday. And it featured unranked Texas downing No. 21 Georgia, and never in an in depth one, both. The Longhorns would win, 87-67, with Georgia going into the half up 37-30 however then getting blown out within the second, 57-30, to present that again and far, rather more.
Junior guard Dailyn Swyn led the way in which with 26 factors on 12-for-16 capturing, whereas knocking down 6 boards with 2 assists and 5 steals. Senior guard Tramon Mark added 23 factors on 10-for-16 capturing with 6 boards of his personal to go together with 4 dimes and a steal. Then, sophomore middle Matas Vokietaitis and senior guard Jordan Pope every added 14 factors, with Vokietaitis contributing a game-high 8 rebounds with an help and a pair of blocks to go together with the scoring. Texas’ bench added little or no in the way in which of scoring regardless of intensive minutes, however did have 8 mixed rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and a block to shore up the Longhorns elsewhere.
Georgia’s offense wasn’t horrible, however 43% capturing isn’t going to chop it when Texas appeared incapable of lacking, particularly within the second half — the Longhorns completed at 58%, hitting frequently sufficient that it didn’t even matter that they went to the road lower than half as typically as Georgia did. The Bulldogs at the moment are simply 4-3 in SEC play, which goes to make life harder for them — as of now, Georgia is in fifth within the convention, one spot out of a double-bye within the convention tourney and tied with Missouri, Vanderbilt and Auburn.
It wasn’t simply the lads getting upset
Ranked ladies’s basketball groups took care of enterprise this weekend in a method the lads’s groups didn’t, however they didn’t all escape unscathed. Whereas Georgia’s males might need fallen to Texas, its ladies’s staff stunned No. 11 Kentucky with a 72-67 win on the highway.
Georgia got here out robust with a 21-12 first quarter, and whereas the Bulldogs had been outscored over the following two, it wasn’t by sufficient for Kentucky to completely dig out of the opening it discovered itself in — the Wildcats had been nonetheless down 52-50 initially of the fourth, after which Georgia buckled down and gained that quarter, 20-17, in addition to the sport.
The distinction? Free throws. Kentucky dedicated 18 fouls to Georgia’s 12, and despatched the Bulldogs to the road 20 occasions — they shot 90%, sinking 18 of them to Kentucky’s 10 in 17 tries. The Wildcats hit extra 3s and shot barely higher general, however the 8-point distinction in free throws was too giant, giving Georgia the highway upset dub.
Shout out to junior guard Rylie Theuerkauf, who scored 19 factors on 5-for-9 capturing off the bench with a 5-for-6 displaying from the road — she additionally had 5 boards and a steal.
An ideal night time for O’Keefe
Senior ahead Charlotte O’Keefe crashed the boards onerous once more on Saturday, choosing up 22 rebounds in a recreation for the second time this month. Whereas that might usually be the main focus — what else do you want when you will have 22 rebounds? — the UTRGV standout really did one thing much more spectacular. She had 19 factors on an ideal 7-for-7 recreation from the sector the place she hit all three of her 3-point makes an attempt, in addition to each of her free throws. 9 photographs, all makes whatever the the place or why, and oh yeah, 22 rebounds, too… in addition to 3 assists, a steal and three blocks.
The Vaqueros would get the 65-53 win over Houston Christian, and O’Keefe is now at 13.8 rebounds per recreation for the season whereas main the Southland convention in offensive, defensive and whole rebounds. Oh, and the 22 boards pushed her over 1,000 for her profession, too, making her the one participant in program historical past to perform the feat.
Vanderbilt is now not undefeated
No. 5 Vanderbilt was 20-0. No. 2 South Carolina was coming off of a stunning loss in opposition to what had been a reeling Oklahoma staff. Possibly this one was going to be shut, or Vanderbilt may even shock everybody and stay undefeated by handing the Gamecocks their third lack of the season.
All of that pregame questioning was shortly dismissed, as South Carolina received out to a commanding 33-16 lead after one quarter in Sunday’s main SEC matchup. Whereas Vandy recovered within the second by dropping 28 factors whereas holding South Carolina to 22, the Gamecocks as soon as once more ran the present within the third quarter, and ended up successful 103-74 regardless of a a lot nearer last body.
Sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes scored 23 factors to steer the Commodores, however she shot simply 9-for-24, her third-straight contest the place she’s shot 38% or worse. The remainder of Vandy fared a lot better percentage-wise, however took a mixed 37 photographs, which restricted simply what number of factors the Dores might rating even in a recreation the place they went 12-for-25 from 3.
The true killer was turnovers. Vanderbilt turned the ball over 20 occasions, and South Carolina transformed these into 32 factors, whereas the Commodores managed to get 15 the identical method. Vanderbilt is nice, however South Carolina appears prefer it’s on a very totally different stage regardless of the closeness of place within the ballot.
4 of South Carolina’s starters had a minimum of 10 factors, with senior guard Ta’Niya Latson main with 21, junior guard Tessa Johnson placing up 20 and sophomore ahead Joyce Edwards getting 16 whereas including 7 rebounds and 6 assists for the perfect all-around efficiency. On high of that, senior ahead Madino Okot added 17 factors, 7 rebounds, 5 steals and a block in 20 minutes from the bench. The Gamecocks might need two losses, however they nonetheless look actual powerful to beat.
With Vanderbilt taking the L, UConn is now the one undefeated staff left in ladies’s faculty basketball – the Huskies downed Seton Corridor of their rematch, 92-52, on Saturday to enhance to 21-0 general and 11-0 within the Huge East.
