No. 19 Michigan 60, No. 9 Michigan State 59: The game of the night, without a doubt. After blowing an 11 point lead midway through the second half, Michigan took the lead with 36.5 seconds left after Trey Burke grabbed a rebound and led the break, finding Stu Douglass out of the corner of his eye for the game-winning layup. On the ensuing possession, the Wolverines forced the Spartans into a pair of tough shots while playing terrific defense.
I think its safe for us to say now: Trey Burke is the best player on the Michigan team. His stat line says it all -- 20 points, four boards, three assists, two steals and two blocks. He’s not the same kind of player at Darius Morris -- Morris was a better distributor than Burke -- but he’s just as valuable. His poise with the ball is precisely what John Beilein needs out of a point guard.
This is a big win for Michigan, as it moves them a half game ahead of Michigan State and Ohio State in the Big Ten standings. You know who is in first place? Illinois. Who had that back in October?
No. 2 Kentucky 86, Arkansas 63: Yeah, Anthony Davis is pretty good, and last night might end up being his best performance as a collegian. He finished with 27 points, 14 boards and seven blocks, setting the Kentucky single season record for blocked shots ... in mid-January. The other guy that looked good last night is Marquis Teague. He finished with nine assists and just three turnovers, although he was the only one of Kentucky’s top six that didn’t finish in double figures.
No. 12 Georgetown 83, DePaul 75: The Hoyas looked terrific last night, especially on the offensive end of the floor. Jason Clark finishied with 31 points, Henry Sims added 16 points and seven boards while Hollis Thompson had 14 points. Nate Lubick, who continues to look better and better, finished with seven boards and six assists. Of note: Markel Starks didn’t play. Otto Porter replaced him in the starting lineup, finishing with 15 boards.
Florida State 84, Maryland 70: The Terps got 27 points out of Terrell Stoglin, but the Seminoles used a 21-3 run to take a 61-45 lead midway through the second half. The run was sparked by Deivad Dulkys, who knocked down a pair of threes. But it was Michael Snaer and Ian Miller, who finished with 19 and 18 points respectively, who carried the Seminoles.
UNC-Asheville 88, Coastal Carolina 81: UNCA got 23 points and six assists out of JP Primm and 19 points and five assists from Matt Dickey as they opened up a two game lead in the Big South. Unfortunately, it looks like they won’t be able to host their conference tournament even if they win the league.
LSU 65, Auburn 58 OT: LSU avoided what would have been a crushing home loss by outscoring the Tigers 9-2 in the overtime session. Varez Ward, the Texas transfer, forced overtime when he buried a three with just tenths of a second left on the clock. The Tigers, believe it or not, are still in the mix when it comes to the bubble.
Other notable scores:
- Purdue 75, Iowa 68
- Oklahoma 64, Texas Tech