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

Wednesday’s Three Things to Know: West Virginia gets upset again, top-ten teams avoid disaster

Kansas v West Virginia

MORGANTOWN, WV - JANUARY 24: Head coach Bob Huggins of the West Virginia Mountaineers reacts to a call in the second half during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at WVU Coliseum on January 24, 2017 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)

Getty Images

1. West Virginia could be in trouble following a blowout loss to Iowa State

Since they were the No. 2 team in the country three weeks ago, West Virginia has been in a freefall as they’ve now lost five of its last six following a blowout loss to Iowa State.

The Cyclones became the latest team to figure out the Mountaineer press as they used a balanced scoring effort and 53 first-half points to earn the Big 12 win.

At one point this season, West Virginia was 15-1 as they looked like they could be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Now, the Mountaineers are desperately trying to get back on track as they try to stay in the top 25.

I go more in-depth on this game here.

2. Three top-ten teams needed serious comebacks at home to beat unranked teams

It was nearly a disastrous night for top-ten teams on Wednesday.

To begin the night, No. 5 Michigan State had a sluggish start and found themselves trailing at halftime against Penn State. Down 12 in the second half, the Spartans rallied for the Big Ten home win as Miles Bridges finished with 23 points and nine rebounds. It should also be noted that Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo benched starting point guard Cassius Winston to start the second half. Winston seemed to get the message as he roared back to finish with 15 points and 10 assists.

In the American, No. 8 Cincinnati found themselves down by 18 in the first half against Houston before making a big comeback to tighten the game by halftime. The Bearcats used four double-figure scorers to eventually race past the Cougars for the win as Kyle Washington led the Cincinnati offense with 19 points.

To end the night, No. 10 Texas Tech needed a late comeback in the final minutes of regulation to take Texas to overtime. Still a close game in the extra frame, the Red Raiders used a game-winning jumper at the buzzer from senior Keenan Evans to knock off the Longhorns. Evans finished with a game-high 38 points as his cold-blooded three came right over the outstretched arms of Texas defender Kerwin Roach II -- the player responsible for the game-tying three on the previous possession.

3. Virginia and Purdue extend double-digit winning streaks with home wins

While some of the top ten needed second-half rallies to earn victories, two of the nation’s hottest teams kept rolling on Wednesday night.

No. 2 Virginia extended its winning streak to 13 games as the Cavaliers used 22 points from Kyle Guy to help outlast Louisville. Although Virginia didn’t put together its strongest defensive effort, Guy and fellow sophomore guard Ty Jerome knocked down some key late three-pointers to help seal the ACC home win.

Over in the Big Ten, No. 3 Purdue is up to 18 consecutive wins after running past Maryland for a home win. Senior center Isaac Haas paced the Boilermakers with 20 points and nine rebounds while Carsen Edwards added 17 points as Purdue still won despite senior forward Vincent Edwards missing the game with an illness.