Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Late Night Snacks: No. 2 Virginia survives, banged-up No. 20 VCU falls in double overtime

La Salle v Dayton

La Salle v Dayton

GAME OF THE NIGHT: No. 19 Maryland 68, Indiana 66

Indiana’s Yogi Ferrell had chances to both win and tie the game in the final seconds, but both shots missed the mark as Maryland moved to 15-1 at home this season. Ferrell led all scorers with 23 points but freshmen James Blackmon Jr. and Robert Johnson struggled offensively, combining to score 13 points on 5-for-27 shooting. Dez Wells and Melo Trimble scored 18 apiece for Maryland, which also received 14 points and seven rebounds from Jake Layman. The Terrapins are now tied for second in the Big Ten with No. 23 Ohio State.

IMPORTANT OUTCOMES

1. La Salle 74, No. 20 VCU 69 (2OT)

Shaka Smart has himself a banged-up team, with Briante Weber done for the season with a torn ACL and Treveon Graham dealing with an ankle injury. Graham didn’t play Wednesday night, and VCU missed his scoring ability in a five-point double overtime loss to the Explorers in Richmond. VCU shot 30.1% from the field and 3-for-23 from beyond the arc, and they struggled to take advantage of La Salle turnovers (13 points off of 17 La Salle turnovers) and second-chance opportunities (17 offensive rebounds, five second-chance points) as well.

Jordan Price was sensational for La Salle, as he finished with 34 points and 18 rebounds. As a result of the loss, VCU drops into a four-way tie for first in the Atlantic 10.

2. No. 2 Virginia 51, NC State 47

In their first game without the injured Justin Anderson, Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers held off the Wolfpack in Raleigh. Malcolm Brogdon scored 15 points and Mike Tobey added 11 for the Cavaliers, who are now 22-1 on the season. Trevor Lacey, who missed a layup late that would have tied the game at 47, led the Woldpack with 14 points and Anthony Barber added 11. NC State missed out on what would have been an incredibly valuable win for their NCAA tournament resume.

3. St. John’s 86, DePaul 78

With Seton Hall going through tumultuous times, there could be room for the Red Storm to climb back into the NCAA tournament conversation. For that to be the case, Steve Lavin’s team has to win games they’re expected to win. St. John’s did that Wednesday night, taking care of the Blue Demons in Queens. D’Angelo Harrison snapped out of his slump, scoring 33 points on 10-for-14 shooting from the field and grabbing ten rebounds. Four of their five starters scored in double figures, with Felix Balamou replacing the injured Chris Obekpa (ankle) in the starting lineup. The next two games are critical for the Red Storm if they’re to make a run at an NCAA bid: at Xavier on Saturday, and at Georgetown next Tuesday.

STARRED

1. Jordan Price, La Salle

34 points and 18 rebounds in a 74-69 double overtime win at No. 20 VCU.

2. Montrezl Harrell, Louisville

Harrell scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the Cardinals’ 69-56 win over Pittsburgh.

STRUGGLED

1. Corey Allen Jr., USF

Allen scored 15 points, but he did so on 6-for-21 shooting in the Bulls’ 73-62 loss at UCF.

THE REST OF THE TOP 25

  • Brandon Watkins scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench as No. 21 West Virginia beat Kansas State 76-72. The Mountaineers ended a two-game skid with the win.
  • Montrezl Harrell (28 points, 12 rebounds) and Terry Rozier (22 and ten) both posted double-doubles as No. 9 Louisville beat Pittsburgh 69-56.
  • Sam Thompson scored 22 points to help lead No. 23 Ohio State to a 75-55 win over Penn State.
  • Both ranked Missouri Valley teams took care of business at home, with No. 13 Northern Iowa beating Illinois State 83-64 and No. 15 Wichita State handling Indiana State 74-57. Both teams are now 12-1 in conference play.
  • Ryan Arcidiacono scored 20 points and Daniel Ochefu, who didn’t start the game for disciplinary reasons, added 19 and nine rebounds as No. 6 Villanova won 74-68 at Providence.

NOTABLES

  • This was a rough night for Atlantic 10 teams in the hunt for an at-large bid, as both George Washington (78-62 at Duquesne) and Rhode Island (65-64 at Saint Joseph’s) lost on the road. URI is now tied with VCU, Dayton and UMass atop the conference standings.
  • Rick Barnes picked up his 600th career win as Texas beat TCU 66-43 in Austin. Cameron Ridley went for 15 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks.
  • Greg Mays led four starters in double figures as Green Bay won 63-62 at Youngstown State. A Keifer Sykes shot with 25 seconds remaining proved to be the difference.
  • Joining GW and URI as teams who took road losses that won’t help their NCAA tournament hopes was Miami, which lost 72-70 at Wake Forest. Kostantinos Mitoglou led the Demon Deacons with 21 points and eight rebounds.
  • The Big South race has begun to (somewhat) sort itself out the last couple days after ending the weekend with seven teams tied for first place. Wednesday night, High Point, Radford and Charleston Southern moved to 9-4 with wins over Winthrop, Longwood and Coastal Carolina, respectively. The three winners join UNC Asheville atop the league standings.
  • Georgia picked up a solid road win, winning 62-53 at Texas A&M with Kenny Gaines scoring 15 points and Charles Mann adding 14, six rebounds and four assists.
  • Boise State won its eighth straight, beating Air Force 67-42. James Webb III scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in the win.
  • After Arizona and Utah there are some questions to answer re: who else from the Pac-12 will get to the NCAA tournament. Oregon avoided what would have been a bad loss Wednesday night, winning 80-75 at USC.
  • Josh Richardson accounted for 27 points, seven rebounds and four assists at Tennessee won 76-73 in overtime at Vanderbilt.
  • After Wyoming’s last two defeats, there should be no doubt that the injured Larry Nance Jr. (mononucleosis) is the most valuable player in the Mountain West. After getting blown out by Air Force Saturday, the Cowboys lost 67-41 at San Diego State. The Aztecs (9-3) are now in sole possession of first, with 8-3 Boise State on their heels.