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Late Night Snacks: Joe Harris leads Virginia past No. 3 Duke

Duke v Virginia

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 28: A general view as students and fans of the Virginia Cavaliers celebrate on the court following their game against the Duke Blue Devils at John Paul Jones Arena on February 28, 2013 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Virginia defeated Duke 73-68. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)

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Game of the Night: Morehead State 101, Tennessee State 100

There wasn’t much on the line in this one (besides seeding for next week’s OVC tournament) but the Eagles and Tigers played a classic in Nashville, with Morehead State needing to hang on despite shooting 61.7% from the field and 60.0% (15-of-25) from beyond the arc. Angelo Warner led five Morehead State players in double figures with 23 points, but the Eagles finished the game with as many turnovers (20) as assists (20). Kellen Thornton scored 29 points and Robert Covington added 23, eight rebounds and four steals for Tennessee State, who dropped into third place in the OVC East Division with the defeat.

Important Outcomes

1. Virginia 73, No. 3 Duke 68

The result is more about the Cavaliers than the Blue Devils, who didn’t play their best but Ryan Kelly was dressed (he did not play) and that could open the door to the possibility of him playing on Saturday against No. 5 Miami. Joe Harris scored 36 points and Akil Mitchell added 19 and 12 rebounds for Virginia, who picked up a much-needed win for their resume.

Virginia’s final three regular season games are against Boston College, Florida State and Maryland, which makes their win over Duke all the more important. Duke’s loss is the 19th time this season in which a team ranked in the Top 5 has lost to an unranked opponent this season.

2. Temple 83, Detroit 78

Originally scheduled to be played on December 28 as part of the Gotham Classic (Detroit was unable to travel due to inclement weather), the Owls and Titans played one of the more entertaining games of the night in Philadelphia. Khalif Wyatt scored all 20 of his points in the second half and knocked down two huge three-pointers late to push Temple past Detroit.

An unsung hero for Temple on this night was forward Jake O’Brien, who scored 16 points off the bench to help keep the Owls afloat when Wyatt was struggling. Ray McCallum Jr. led Detroit with 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but they would have been in need of the Horizon League’s automatic bid regardless of the outcome.

3. No. 2 Gonzaga 70, BYU 65

Gonzaga is now just one win away from the fourth undefeated WCC campaign of the Mark Few era...and possibly the top spot in the national polls for the first time in school history. Kelly Olynyk scored 19 points and Gary Bell Jr. added 15, but if the Bulldogs are to be successful in March Kevin Pangos can’t shoot as poorly as he did in Provo (2-of-13 FG, 1-of-12 3PT).

Tyler Haws led four BYU players in double figures with 19 points, and they need a win at Loyola Marymount on Saturday night to clinch the three-seed in next weekend’s WCC tournament. A loss combined with a Santa Clara win would drop them to fourth, which would mean a possible meeting with Gonzaga in the semifinals as opposed to the title game.

Starred

1. G Damion Lee (Drexel)

Lee was hot in the Dragons’ 81-77 win at Old Dominion, scoring a career-high 34 points on 11-of-14 shooting and grabbing ten rebounds.

2. G/F Joe Harris (Virginia)

No. 3 Duke had no answer for Harris, who scored a career-high 36 points (12-of-20 FG) and grabbed seven rebounds in the Cavaliers’ 73-68 victory.

3. G Omar Strong (Texas Southern)

Strong was part of CBT’s #shootmore campaign during non-conference play due to his ability to get hot from beyond the arc. In the Tigers’ 79-66 win over Southern, which gave them sole possession of first place in the SWAC, Strong shot 7-of-13 from three and scored 34 points.

Struggled

1. Grambling

The Tigers (0-27, 0-17 SWAC) are down to their final shot when it comes to picking up a regular season victory. Grambling shot 32.8% from the floor in a 74-47 loss to Alabama A&M.

2. G Rasheed Sulaimon (Duke)

Sulaimon had a tough night in Charlottesville, scoring four points on 2-of-10 shooting and committing three turnovers in the 73-68 loss to Virginia.

3. G Jarred DuBois and C Jason Washburn (Utah)

If the Utes were to have any chance of beating California in Berkeley they needed their seniors to have good nights. That didn’t happen, as they combined to shoot 3-of-17 from the field and score 11 points in the 64-46 loss.

Three Facts

1. Three teams locked up the top seed in their respective conference tournaments and the automatic bid to the Postseason NIT (should they need it) that comes with the honor on Thursday: Stony Brook (America East), Robert Morris (Northeast) and South Dakota State (Summit League).

2. Dominic Artis returned to the floor for No. 24 Oregon after missing nine games due to a foot injury, playing 12 minutes and scoring six points in the Ducks’ 85-75 win over rival Oregon State. Oregon retains sole possession of first in the Pac-12, and Artis has a week of rest before the Ducks visit Colorado and Utah to end the regular season.

3. Florida Gulf Coast kept its hopes of winning a share of the Atlantic Sun title alive with a 60-57 win over first-place Mercer, and the win also guaranteed the Eagles of their first 20-win season as a Division I member. Mercer will look to win the regular season title outright on Saturday with a win at Stetson.

Top 25 Scores

No. 2 Gonzaga 70, BYU 65
Virginia 73, No. 3 Duke 68
No. 16 Ohio State 63, Northwestern 53
No. 24 Oregon 85, Oregon State 75
No. 25 Louisiana Tech 84, Utah State 61

Raphielle also writes for the NBE Basketball Report and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.