Is it too early to send a Valentine’s Day card to college basketball?
How do we love the sport? Let us count the ways from one Wednesday night.
Gonzaga was 22-1 and 10-0 in the West Coast Conference. Portland was 10-14 and 3-8 and had been walloped its last two games by 23 and 30 points. The Pilots had lost 20 times in a row to the Zags and were 2-47 vs. Mark Few. Gonzaga was No. 6 in the latest Associated Press rankings. Portland was No. 230 in the latest NET ratings from the NCAA.
Portland 87, No. 8 Gonzaga 80.
The Zags led for 32 seconds. Gonzaga started the game sixth in the nation in field goal percentage but shot 40 percent. The Zags came in ninth in the nation in field goal defense and were shredded by the Pilots’ 59.3 percent. Gonzaga had a 37-19 gap in bench points, but that meant the Portland starters outscored the Zags’ starters 68-43. Gonzaga lost for the first time since the day before Thanksgiving. Portland defeated a ranked opponent for the first time in 12 years, and had never beaten anyone rated this high.
“They were getting better shots on the offensive end and we couldn’t find a way to stop them,” Few said afterward. “They beat us in all facets…They just outplayed us, out-executed us, outshot us. When they got open shots, they made them and we didn’t.”
Minnesota had lost seven games in a row and was 10-12. Michigan State was ranked No. 10 and 19-3.
Minnesota 76, No. 10 Michigan State 73.
The Spartans never led one second and were behind by 16 points with four minutes left before making a frantic last push. Every Gopher starter went at least 35 minutes and Minnesota did not get a single point from its bench. Michigan State shot 53 percent the second half, committed only nine turnovers all night and had a 39-23 gap in rebounding. And still lost.
Spartans’ star Jeremy Fears Jr. had a costly technical foul when a review found his foot had made contact with Langston Reynolds’ groin in a mixup. Michigan coach Dusty May had taken a dim view of a couple of Fears’ plays the game before, too.
“I don’t even know if I’m gonna start him in the next game,” Tom Izzo said. “I’ve had it with that. That’s not what I teach, that’s not what I coach.”
Things can change fast in February. A week ago, Michigan State was tied for the Big Ten lead and had lost two games in nearly three months. Now the Spartans have dropped two games in six days and are in fourth place.
BYU was No. 16 in the country. Oklahoma State had lost five of its last eight games. In its most recent home date, the Cowboys had trailed Iowa State by 30 points and lost by 13. Anthony Roy missed eight of 10 shots and scored only seven.
Oklahoma State 99, No. 16 BYU 92.
Roy went 9 for 15 and poured in 30 points. Not even 36 points from AJ Dybantsa could save the Cougars. Just like Richie Saunders’ 33 points could not save them at Kansas. Just like the 28 from Robert Wright III could not save them at Texas Tech. BYU rarely lacks for a big individual performance — someone has scored 24 or more points in 18 of its 22 games. But the Cougars have still dropped four of five. This was the first loss of the season to an unranked opponent
Butler and Providence had played in December, and that ended 113-100 for the Bulldogs in two overtimes, part of the Friars’ 0-4 record in OT games. Wednesday was the rematch.
Providence 97, Butler 87, two overtimes.
There were 73 free throws, and six players fouled out, four of them for Butler. Jaylin Sellers, who scored 26 Providence points in the first meeting, had 36 Wednesday. Finley Bizjack, who had 26 for Butler in December, scored 30. Over two games and 100 minutes against each other, the teams combined for 32 ties and 46 lead changes.
Providence has averaged 102 points in its five overtime games but is only 1-4.
Illinois has been on a tear, but the opponent was Northwestern, and rivalry games are known for volatility. Plus, the Wildcats had the nation’s top scorer, Nick Martinelli and his 23.7 average. He had scored at least 20 points in 17 of Northwestern’s 22 games.
No. 5 Illinois 84, Northwestern 44.
Northwestern committed only one turnover, the fewest by anyone against a top-10 opponent in 20 years. Didn’t matter much. The Illini put it away early with a devastating 30-4 run in the first half. Illinois had five players score in double figures. Northwestern none. That included Martinelli, who was 2 for 10 and had four points.
That’s 12 wins in a row for the Illini.
Alabama had hit something of a lull. The team expected to contend in the SEC was 4-4 in league play. Once ranked as high as No. 8 in the AP poll, the Tide were nowhere to be found in this week’s top 25. SEC leader Texas A&M, winner of 15 of 17, was next.
Alabama 100, Texas A&M 97.
Here was a genuine trial by fire for the Tide. There were 28 lead changes. Six Alabama players scored in double figures.
Clemson showed up at Stanford and the Tigers starters scored only 23 points, missing 18 of their 26 shots. Sounds like big trouble.
No. 20 Clemson 66, Stanford 64.
The Tigers’ bench supplied 43 points, the seventh time this season the subs have chipped in at least 40. Duke might get most of the ACC attention, but swing the spotlight over to Clemson for a moment. The No. 20 Tigers are 19-4, have now won 13 consecutive league road games which is tied for the third longest streak in ACC history and is 5-2 this season when trailing at halftime.
Surprising plot twists, astonishing numbers. Yeah, that’s why people love college basketball.
Just like Tulsa, picked to finish eighth in the American Conference, edged FAU Wednesday to win its seventh consecutive game and own sole lead in the league.
Just like Loyola Maryland had four steals in the last 2:36 of the second overtime to get by Lehigh, who has played seven overtime games this season.
Just like the top three teams in the Horizon League were all upset on the same night.
Just like Bucknell stunned American on a bank shot from near midcourt at the buzzer by Achile Spadone, who had missed all four of his 3-point shots before that. It came one day after Fresno State had beaten UNLV at the buzzer, scoring seven points in the last six seconds.
Just like Arizona is 22-0 and ranked No. 1 with the 11th highest scoring team in Division I despite being 355th in the nation in 3-point attempts, just ahead of 5-18 Binghamton. And Miami (Ohio) is 23-0 after winning four of its past five games by one possession or in overtime.
What’s not to love?
