College basketball winners and losers: No. 1 seed race ramps up as Duke, Arizona get big wins

Michigan began the day atop the college basketball hierarchy, enshrined during the March Madness bracket preview as the No. 1 overall seed. By day’s end, the picture looked a little different, as No. 3 Duke’s thrilling 68-63 win over the No. 1 Wolverines muddied up the race for the top spot in the NCAA Tournament bracket yet again.

No. 4 Arizona threw its name into the hat with a 73-66 win at No. 2 Houston while playing without star forward Koa Peat. The takeaway from those two top-5 battles is that there are now three 25-2 teams from three different conferences with impeccable credentials heading into the final week of February.

In case you weren’t already convinced, it should be obvious by now that we are in the midst of an elite regular season and headed toward an equally great postseason.

Consequential results on Saturday weren’t confined to the nation’s most high-profile teams. Vanderbilt landed as a No. 4 seed in the bracket preview and promptly suffered a home loss to Vanderbilt. Kansas, which was a No. 3 seed, took a historic home loss to a mediocre Cincinnati team.

Down toward the bubble, results were arguably even more consequential.

Here is the full rundown of winners and losers from a massive day of college basketball action.

Winner: UCLA defeats Illinois with OT buzzer-beater 

UCLA worked ridiculously hard to storm back from a 23-point hole, and Donovan Dent made sure those efforts were not in vain. The jet-quick guard zoomed coast-to-coast for the game-winning layup as time expired to help UCLA beat No. 10 Illinois, 95-94. Dent finished with 14 points and a whopping 15 dimes. The oft-invisible duo of Eric Dailey Jr. and Xavier Booker rose to the occasion with 36 enormous points.

It’s the third time that Illinois has lost in overtime during Big Ten play. — Isaac Trotter

Winner: Duke takes down No. 1 Michigan

Michigan’s guards finished a combined 6 of 25 from the floor as No. 1 Michigan lost to No. 3 Duke 68-63 as the Wolverines suffered their second loss of the season. If there is an Achilles’ heel for Michigan, it is the lack of an assassin in the backcourt. What was even more surprising, however, is that the towering Wolverines failed to match Duke down low. The Blue Devils were outscored 18-11 in second-chance points amid a 13-8 deficit on the offensive glass. Consequently, Duke outscored Michigan 34-24 in the paint with Cam Boozer leading the charge. 

The star freshman finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while deftly playing the final 4:47 with four fouls. His versatility was on display as well with a clutch late 3-pointer that put the Blue Devils up 64-58  – David Cobb

Winner: Arizona takes control of Big 12

No. 4 Arizona scored its most significant win of the season, taking down No. 2 Houston on the road 73-66. The two teams entered the day tied atop the Big 12, but the Wildcats, who played without star freshman Koa Peat, wrested control of the conference’s regular-season race in emphatic fashion. They led for nearly 37 minutes of game action and closed out the signature win by retaining the lead for the final 11 minutes.

With Peat injured, Arizona forward Ivan Kharchenkov played a season-high 39 minutes and added 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Wildcats guard Anthony Dell’Orso also chipped in in a big way, tying a season-high in scoring with 22 points.

The Wildcats hold a one-game lead now on Houston in the Big 12 standings with just four regular-season games remaining. They will likely be favored in each of the four games, and their toughest tests – vs. No. 8 Kansas next Saturday and at home vs. No. 6 Iowa State the following Monday – are both home games. – Kyle Boone

Loser: Kansas takes largest home loss under Bill Self

No. 8 Kansas suffered its largest home loss under Bill Self, who began coaching the Jayhawks in 2003 – and its first double-digit home loss vs. an unranked opponent since 1993 – in a stunning 84-68 defeat to Cincinnati on Saturday. The Jayhawks closed as 8.5-point favorites but played from behind for the final 17-plus minutes of the game as Cincy turned a close game into a blowout by out-scoring KU 48-34 in the second half. 

The good news for Kansas was that oft-injured guard Darryn Peterson played 32 minutes, tied for the third-most he’s played in a game this season. The bad news for Kansas is that his 17 points in that action were rendered moot because of an abysmal defensive showing. KU allowed 12 made 3-pointers from Cincinnati, tied for the most it has allowed in a regulation game this season, and also surrendered 84 points, tied for the fourth-most allowed in a game this season. 

“We were just awful today defensively,” KU coach Bill Self said. “Their bigs dominated. It was a combination of defensive rebounding, their guards getting where they want, and their bigs destroying us.”

Kansas has dropped two of its last three – both by 16 points – with tilts vs. No. 2 Houston and No. 4 Arizona upcoming over the next week. – Boone

Winner: St. John’s inches closer to Big East title

Rick Pitino and his St. John’s Red Storm scored their 13th consecutive win Saturday in resounding fashion, dominating Creighton 81-52 and inching closer to their second consecutive Big East title. The win comes just days after fellow conference contender UConn fell at home to the same Bluejays 91-84 in a stunning outcome that has shaken up the Big East race. It leaves St. John’s one game up in the league’s regular-season standings with UConn set to face Villanova later Saturday night. – Boone

Winner: Virginia honors Tony Bennett, beats Miami

Virginia honored former national-title winning coach Tony Bennett by dedicating the court at John Paul Jones Arena in his honor before the game. The No. 14 Cavaliers then followed through by honoring Bennett with a thrilling 86-83 win over a quality Miami team. It wasn’t a vintage defensive effort from the Cavaliers, but they made up for it with six players reaching double figures during a 12-of-24 shooting effort from beyond the arc. Jacari White led the way with 17 points on 5-of 8 shooting from 3-point range. – Cobb

Loser: Vanderbilt loses another heartbreaker

No. 19 Vanderbilt began the day with good news, as star guard Duke Miles returned from a six-game injury absence. Just before tip-off against rival Tennessee, the Commodores were also included in the March Madness bracket preview as a No. 4 seed. But by mid-afternoon, the good vibes had dissipated in a 69-65 loss to the Volunteers. It was only the latest close loss for Vandy, which has dropped three of its past five contests by a combined margin of six points. At 21-6 and 8-6 in the SEC), Vanderbilt is still in the midst of a fantastic campaign, but the “what if” moments are starting to add up. – Cobb

Winner: Texas Tech dominates without JT Toppin

Playing in its first game without the services of All-American forward JT Toppin, who suffered a torn ACL during the team’s road loss Tuesday to Arizona State, No. 13 Texas Tech bounced back with a resounding 100-72 win at home over Kansas State. It’s the third-highest scoring game of the season for the Red Raiders’ prolific offense, which on Saturday was led by Donovan Atwell (26 points) and Christian Anderson (21 points). – Boone

Loser: Ole Miss plays as SEC punching bag (again)

An increasingly lost season at Ole Miss took another ugly turn Saturday as it suffered its largest loss of the season 94-75 to SEC-leading Florida. The loss is the Rebels’ ninth consecutive stumble in SEC play to drop to 3-11 in conference action after starting 3-2. – Boone

Winner: Sandfort’s career day lifts Nebraska past Penn State

No. 9 Nebraska made quick and easy work of Penn State in Pinnacle Bank Arena thanks to a career-high in scoring from guard Pryce Sandfort, who had 33 points in 35 minutes of play. It’s Sandfort’s second career 30+ point scoring outing of his career but second this season. He did his damage primarily from deep, as he is wont to do, finishing with eight made 3-pointers on 14 attempts. 

The win gave Nebraska its 23rd win of the season – tying for its second-most in a single-season in program history. – Boone

Loser: USC’s loss to Oregon costly to Trojans

USC leading scorer Chad Baker-Mazara returned from a three-game absence due to a knee strain, but the Trojans suffered a devastating 71-70 home loss to Oregon anyway. The Trojans led by six with 1:10 remaining before a stunning late collapse that could haunt them on Selection Sunday. USC entered the day as a No. 10 seed in CBS Sports Bracketology, but a drop is likely in store after an inexplicable stumble against a Ducks squad that is just 10-17 (3-13 Big Ten). – Cobb

Winner: Georgia trending up after beating Texas

Georgia entered the day as the last No. 9 seed in CBS Sports Bracketology, which isn’t a safe place to be this time of year. But the Bulldogs capped off a huge week by beating Texas 91-80. With a Tuesday victory at Kentucky also in hand, UGA (19-8, 7-7 SEC) is once again trending toward making back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since 2001 and 2002. There is work still to be done, but Mike White’s club has rediscovered itself after losing five of six games in league play over the end of January and beginning of February. – Cobb

Loser: Clemson is cratering after loss to FSU

This Clemson team is starting to resemble the 2023 team that started 18-4 before falling apart and missing the NCAA Tournament. After suffering a 70-65 home loss against Florida State, the Tigers have dropped four straight and are sitting at 20-8 (10-5 ACC) with games against Louisville and North Carolina up next. Clemson entered the day as a No. 8 seed in CBS Sports Bracketology, but its margin for error is rapidly diminishing. If the slide continues against the Cardinals and Tar Heels, the ACC Tournament could be very uncomfortable.  – Cobb

Winner: Calipari closing in on 900 victories

Arkansas coach John Calipari led his No. 20 Arkansas team to a 94-86 win at home over Missouri to secure his 31st season with 20 or more wins and in the process reached 897 career wins. He is now three wins shy of joining the exclusive 900 club, which is occupied by only five coaches: Mike Krzyzewski (1,202), Jim Boeheim (1,116), Rick Pitino (906) and Bob Knight (902). – Boone

Loser: Washington faceplants to kiss at-large hopes goodbye

Washington’s slim margin of error completely evaporated in Saturday’s 64-60 loss to lowly Maryland. Washington had one of the top NIL budgets in last spring’s portal cycle, and it is facing the music that without winning the Big Ten Tournament, it will not make the NCAA Tournament. Hannes Steinbach continued his stellar freshman season with 14 points on 7-for-8 shooting, but the Huskies shot just 5 for 22 from downtown and got out-rebounded by a baker’s dozen. Not great. —Isaac Trotter 

Winner: Cincinnati gets off the mat

Wes Miller apologized to Cincinnati’s home faithful after a dreadful meltdown loss to West Virginia on Feb. 5, and his Bearcats bunch has reeled off a four-game winning streak, punctuated by a stunning 84-68 win over No. 8 Kansas in front of a shocked Allen Fieldhouse crowd. Cincinnati’s offseason visions came to life. Big man Moustapha Thiam was dominant, scoring 28 points and ripping down eight rebounds on his birthday. Baba Miller added 18 points, eight assists and seven boards.

“This group’s been pretty consistently resilient, which is why I feel so much joy they get to have a moment like this tonight,” Miller said.

Cincinnati (15-12, 7-7 Big 12) is not far from fighting its way back toward the bubble. Tuesday’s road clash with JT Toppin-less Texas Tech is enormous  – Trotter

Winner: UConn bounces back with road win over Villanova

Three days after getting torched by Creighton, UConn’s defense had a revival. The No. 5 Huskies held Villanova to just five made buckets in the first 15 minutes of regulation in the second half and ran away with a 73-63 road victory. UConn played nine players. All nine of them scored at least four points, led by a dozen from captain Alex Karaban. 15-1 St. John’s vs. 15-2 UConn on Wednesday for Big East supremacy. — Trotter

Winner: Colorado State sends San Diego State careening toward the chop line

Jase Butler and Carey Booth combined for 47 points to help short-handed Colorado State knock off San Diego State 84-73. It’s a massive loss for SDSU’s quest to win the Mountain West. The Aztecs are now a full two games behind Utah State in the loss column.

This one also featured one of the best baptisms of the season, courtesy of the high-flying Booth. — Trotter