GAME OF THE NIGHT: UCF 103, Tulane 100 (3OT)
One of two games to go multiple overtimes (Western Michigan beat Ball State 95-93 in two overtimes), the Knights and Green Wave produced a classic in Orlando. B.J. Taylor led the way for UCF with 33 points, six rebounds and four assists, with four other players scoring in double figures. Tulane hit 16 three-pointers, with Jay Hook and Louis Dabney responsible for 13 of those makes. A Taylor layup in the final minute of the first overtime forced a second extra session, with a Dabney three with 41 seconds remaining in the second overtime forcing a third.
IMPORTANT OUTCOMES
1. No. 15 North Carolina 81, NC State 79: The Wolfpack nearly sent the game to overtime, but an attempted tip-in of an Abdul-Malik Abu intentionally missed free throw missed the mark as time expired. As a result the Tar Heels beat NC State for the 23rd time in the last 25 meetings, with Marcus Paige tallying 23 points, nine assists and five rebounds, and Kennedy Meeks adding 15 and ten boards. North Carolina shot 55.6% from the field and outscored NC State 38-24 in the paint. Ralston Turner scored 20 points and Trevor Lacey 19 for NC State, but they did so on combined 11-for-30 shooting from the field.
2. No. 12 Notre Dame 62, Georgia Tech 59: In their first game without center Zach Auguste, the Fighting Irish rebounded from an eight-point halftime deficit to beat the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta. Notre Dame shot 50 percent from the field in the second half and assisted on eight of their ten field goals, and they outscored Georgia Tech 13-6 in the paint in the final 20 minutes as well. Jerian Grant led five players in double figures with 12 points, and forward Bonzie Colson stepped forward to contribute ten points and four rebounds off the bench. Demarco Cox (17 points, seven rebounds) and Chris Bolden (13) led the way for the Yellow Jackets.
3. No. 22 Baylor 74, No. 11 Iowa State 73: A Kenny Chery jumper with 4.9 seconds remaining gave Baylor the win, capping what was a tough shooting night for the Bears’ point guard (4-for-16 FG). Royce O’Neale led four Bears in double figures with 15 points, and Baylor was able to open up an early 17-point lead thanks in part to their perimeter shooting (8-for-15 3PT in the first half). Naz Long led the Cyclones with 19 points, hitting all five of his three-point attempts, but the slow start and an 11-for-19 night from the foul line cost Fred Hoiberg’s team in the end.
4. San Diego State 60, No. 25 Wyoming 52: One of the most incredible streaks in college basketball was extended Wednesday night, as the Aztecs held off the Cowboys in Laramie. The Aztecs shot just 36.7% from the field on the night, but their ability to hit the offensive glass (13 offensive rebounds, 15 second-chance points) and convert Wyoming mistakes into points (16-2 edge in points off turnovers) made up for the shooting issues. Aqeel Quinn scored 14 points, Trey Kell 12 and Winston Shepard III ten for San Diego State, which dropped the Cowboys into a three-way tie for first in the Mountain West (Wyoming, New Mexico and Fresno State are 4-1, SDSU 3-1). Larry Nance Jr. scored 19 to lead all players, but the Cowboys’ issues in completing defensive possessions with a rebound proved costly. San Diego State has now won 132 consecutive games in which they’ve led at the 5:00 mark in the second half.
STARRED
1. Central Michigan
Keno Davis’ Chippewas caught fire from deep, shooting 19-for-27 from three in a 105-77 win over Miami (Ohio).
2. Youssou Ndoye, St. Bonaventure
Ndoye shot 9-for-11 from the field and 10-for-11 from the foul line, accounting for 28 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks in the Bonnies’ 75-55 win over George Mason.
3. Dyshawn Pierre, Dayton
The Flyers don’t have a player taller than 6-foot-6, meaning that Pierre has to step forward on the glass. He did so in a 61-50 win over La Salle, scoring 16 points and grabbing 14 boards.
4. Marcus Paige, North Carolina
23 points, nine assists, five rebounds, four steals and no turnovers in the Tar Heels’ 81-79 win at NC State.
STRUGGLED
1. Jherrod Stiggers, Houston
The Cougars’ leading scorer had a rough night in their 66-61 loss at East Carolina, shooting 2-for-15 from the field and scoring five points.
2. Duquesne
The Dukes shot 13-for-34 from the foul line in a 78-69 loss at Saint Louis. The biggest offender was Dominique McKoy, who shot 1-for-10.
3. Nevada
The Wolf Pack shot 5-for-30 from the field in the first half of their 98-42 loss at Colorado State. The score at the half: 55-12 Rams, and they were without their leading scorer and rebounder J.J. Avila (one-game suspension).
THE REST OF THE TOP 25
- No. 14 Maryland didn’t get off to the best of starts, but they played better down the stretch in their 73-65 win over Rutgers.
- No. 13 Wichita State took care of Southern Illinois, 67-55, limiting the Salukis to 39.3% shooting.
- Ryan Arcidiacono led five Wildcats in double figures with 18 points as No. 5 Villanova took care of Xavier, 88-75. Villanova outscored Xavier 45-24 from beyond the arc.
NOTABLES
- Markus Kennedy made the most of his return to his hometown of Philadelphia, scoring 21 points and grabbing seven rebounds in SMU’s 60-55 win at Temple.
- Damon Sherman-Newsome scored 19 points as Colgate moved to 4-1 in the Patriot League with a 62-53 lead over Boston University. The Raiders ended a 20-game losing streak in the series.
- Akron handed Bowling Green its first MAC loss, beating the Falcons 67-50 with Deji Ibitayo scoring 15 points off the bench.
- D’Angelo Harrison scored 20 points, moving to third on the St. John’s all-time scoring list, and Phil Greene IV matched that point total in the Red Storm’s 83-70 win at Providence.
- Dayton won its seventh straight game, beating La Salle 61-50. Dyshawn Pierre scored 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the win.
- Tyler Kalinoski and Brian Sullivan scored 14 apiece as Davidson earned its first conference road victory as a member of the Atlantic 10, winning 71-63 at UMass.
- Albany moved to 4-0 in America East with a 73-58 win over Binghamton. Will Brown’s team will be right there with Stony Brook and Vermont in the race for the conference crown.
- Keith Hornsby scored 23 points and Jarell Martin added 18 and 14 to lead LSU to a 75-71 win at Ole Miss.
- Wichita State has company atop the Valley standings, with Indiana State moving to 5-0 with a 71-70 overtime win over Illinois State with Tre’ Bennett’s layup in the final seconds being the difference.
- Seniors Chasson Randle, Anthony Brown and Stefan Nastic combined to score 58 points in Stanford’s 69-59 win at rival Cal.