GAME OF THE NIGHT: Boston College 62, No. 1 Syracuse 59 (OT)
With a game at No. 5 Duke on Saturday night, many expected No. 1 Syracuse to take care of a struggling Boston College squad and move to 26-0. But the Eagles had other ideas, shooting 11-for-22 from three on their way to a stunning win at the Carrier Dome. The issue for Syracuse was their shooting, as they shot just 32% from the field for the game. Also of note is the fact that Syracuse and Virginia are tied in the loss column atop the ACC as result of the Orange’s first loss.
IMPORTANT OUTCOMES
1) No. 4 Arizona 67, Utah 63 (OT)
Utah needed a resume-building victory but they were unable to get it, losing by four in overtime with foul shooting and turnovers being the biggest reasons why. Utah shot 13-for-22 from the foul line and committed 16 turnovers, which were converted into 16 second-chance points by the Wildcats. Add in Jordan Loveridge shooting 1-for-12 and Delon Wright turning the ball over six times, and the end result is Arizona bouncing back from its loss at Arizona State on Friday night.
2) No. 3 Wichita State 88, Loyola (Ill.) 74
With Syracuse losing there’s just one remaining undefeated team in college basketball: Wichita State. The Shockers moved to 28-0 with Fred Van Vleet accounting for 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Wichita State plays two of its final three regular season games at home, with Missouri State being the strongest of the three.
3) No. 2 Florida 71, Auburn 66
Like Syracuse the Gators struggled at home against a team they were expected to beat. Unlike the Orange, Florida took care of business in the end with a little help from the visiting Tigers. Auburn committed a critical turnover late in regulation, and those mistakes cost Tony Barbee a win that would have done wonders for his program. Patric Young led the Gators with 17 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
STARRED
1) D.J. Covington (VMI)
Covington scored 33 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Keydets’ 84-81 win over Campbell.
2) Jordan Adams (UCLA)
28 points, six rebounds, five assists and five steals in the 23rd-ranked Bruins’ 86-66 wins at California.
3) Javon McCrea (Buffalo)
McCrea finished the Bulls’ 96-90 home win over Akron two assists short of a triple-double, finishing the game with 20 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.
STRUGGLED
1) Jordan Loveridge (Utah)
Shot 1-for-12 from the field in the Utes’ 67-63 overtime loss to No. 4 Arizona.
2) Tyrone Wallace (California)
Five points on 1-for-9 shooting in Cal’s 86-66 loss to UCLA.
3) Malik Smith (Minnesota)
Went scoreless in Minnesota’s 62-49 loss to Illinois, shooting 0-for-7 from the field.
NOTABLES
- No. 11 Creighton retained sole possession of first place in the Big East, beating Marquette 85-70. Doug McDermott scored 25 points and Ethan Wragge added 22 for the Bluejays.
- Boston University extended its lead in the Patriot League to two games with a 71-62 win over American in Boston.
- Davon Usher and Devon Saddler combined to score 51 points in Delaware’s 81-77 win at Hofstra, moving the Blue Hens to 12-1 in the CAA.
- Langston Galloway shot 2-for-12 from the field but Ronald Roberts Jr. scored 17 points to lead Saint Joseph’s to a 57-54 win at Rhode Island.
- Jordan Clarkson led Missouri to a 67-64 win over Vanderbilt with 21 points and five assists.
- Kendall Williams scored 29 points and grabbed seven rebounds in New Mexico’s 68-56 win at UNLV, avenging a loss to the Runnin’ Rebels last month.
- Jordair Jett scored 25 points to lead five players in double figures as No. 10 Saint Louis beat George Mason in overtime, 89-85.
THE REST OF THE TOP 25
- No. 7 Cincinnati 77, UCF 49
- No. 23 UCLA 86, California 66
- No. 24 Ohio State 76, Northwestern 60