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Late Night Snacks: Big Ten race tightens as No. 9 Michigan State, No. 15 Michigan fall

badgers

GAME OF THE DAY: Canisius 92, Siena 88 (3OT)

Billy Baron scored 40 points (ten rebounds and five assists as well) in a winning effort, with this being the 17th time a player has scored 40 points or more in a game this season. But it wasn’t easy, as Rob Poole led scored 33 points to lead the way for a Siena team that was tough throughout. The Golden Griffins, who remain tied with Manhattan in second place in the MAAC, came from behind at the end of regulation and each of the first two overtime periods before taking the lead for good on a Baron three-point play with 45.1 seconds remaining in the third extra session.

IMPORTANT OUTCOMES

1) No. 21 Wisconsin 75, No. 15 Michigan 62

Frank Kaminsky, who finished the game with 25 points and 11 rebounds, took over in the second half as the Badgers picked up yet another win over a ranked opponent. Michigan, which chose not to double-team Kaminsky in the post, had no answer for the big man on Sunday afternoon. As for Michigan, their 32% shooting in the first half resulted in a hole that was too deep to crawl out of despite a career afternoon from Caris LeVert (25 points).

2) Nebraska 60, No. 9 Michigan State 51

Playing in a conference like the Big Ten can be a challenge, but it also provides numerous opportunities to teams in need of quality wins. Tim Miles’ Nebraska Cornhuskers took a big step forward on Sunday afternoon, beating the Spartans in East Lansing with Terran Petteway hitting key shots down the stretch. Keith Appling returned for Michigan State but played limited minutes, and the Spartans could not seem to get going. And credit for that should go to Nebraska, which now finds itself on the outskirts of the NCAA tournament bubble conversation.

3) No. 18 Creighton 101, No. 6 Villanova 80

After two games between the Bluejays and Wildcats, it’s safe to say that Villanova does not match up particularly well with Creighton. The three-point shot did in Villanova in the first meeting, but it was Creighton’s ability to get inside that made the difference in the rematch. Creighton scored 44 points in the paint, and Doug McDermott scored 39 points on 13-for-17 shooting from the field. Creighton has one of the best offensive attacks around, as they currently rank second in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency per kenpom.com.

STARRED

1) Doug McDermott (Creighton)

Scored 39 points on 13-for-17 shooting from the field and grabbed seven rebounds in the Bluejays’ 101-80 win over No. 6 Villanova. McDermott now ranks 13th on the NCAA’s all-time scoring list, passing Otis Birdsong and Larry Bird on Sunday night.

2) Billy Baron (Canisius)

Baron struggled from beyond the arc (2-for-12 3PT) but still managed to score 40 points to go along with ten rebounds and five assists in the Golden Griffins’ 92-88 triple overtime win at Siena.

3) Rob Poole (Siena)

33 points (11-for-18 FG), three rebounds and three steals in Siena’s 92-88 triple overtime loss to Canisius.

STRUGGLED

1) Drew Crawford (Northwestern)

Scored two points on 1-for-15 shooting in the Wildcats’ 54-48 loss to Minnesota. Crawford did grab a team-high 11 rebounds.

2) Dion Nesmith (Hofstra)

Shot 2-for-11 from the field (0-for-7 3PT), scoring six points and grabbing six rebounds in the Pride’s 74-63 loss to Drexel.

3) Desi Washington (Saint Peter’s)

Washington made just one of his ten field goal attempts, scoring three points in the Peacocks’ 74-64 loss at Quinnipiac.

NOTABLES

  • No. 4 Wichita State won its 27th consecutive game, winning 84-68 at Evansville. Ron Baker scored 26 points and Fred Van Vleet added 18, eight assists and five steals.
  • St. John’s picked up its eighth win in nine games, starting the game on a 15-0 run and beating Georgetown 82-60. D’Angelo Harrison and Rysheed Jordan scored 24 points apiece for the Red Storm.
  • Temple picked up its second conference win, upsetting No. 23 SMU 71-64 in Philadelphia. That’s a bad loss for the Mustangs, who haven’t accomplished much away from home.
  • Mercer used a 52-point first half to beat Northern Kentucky 89-67, maintaining their one-game lead atop the Atlantic Sun as a result. Langston Hall scored 25 points for the Bears.
  • Joseph Young led five Ducks in double figures with 25 points as Oregon defeated rival Oregon State, 93-83.
  • Luke Hancock scored a career-high 25 points as No. 13 Louisville throttled Rutgers, 102-54. Rick Pitino’s Cardinals shot 16-for-30 from beyond the arc.

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