Showing posts with label Big Ten. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Big Ten. Show all posts

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Ohio State Wins Big Ten; All 31 Automatic Bids Allotted

College Hoops Player of the Day for DAY, Month, 2012
Ohio State held Wisconsin scoreless for the final seven minutes to capture the Big Ten championship, 50-43, the fourth under head coach Thad Motta.

The Buckeye victory completes the 31 automatic bids to the NCAA tournament for conference champions.

2013 NCAA Tournament Bids by Conference

Harvard Ivy League
Belmont Ohio Valley
Florida Gulf Coast Atlantic Sun
James Madison Colonial Athletic Association
Iona MAAC
Creighton Missouri Valley
LIU Brooklyn Northeast
Western Kentucky Sun Belt
Liberty Big South
Gonzaga West Coast
Davidson Southern
South Dakota State Summit League
Valparaiso Horizon League
Bucknell Patriot
New Mexico Mountain West
Memphis Conference USA
Albany America East
Northwestern State Southland
Pacific Big West
Chicago State Great West
Montana Big Sky
Southern SWAC
North Carolina A&T MEAC
New Mexico State WAC
Akron MAC
Louisville Big East
Oregon PAC-12
Kansas Big 12
Miami ACC
Mississippi SEC
St. Louis Atlantic 10
Wisconsin/Ohio St. Big Ten

Saturday, March 16, 2013

SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Atlantic-10 Semi-Final Results, Highlights

Conference Tournament Updates:

Big Ten Semi-Finals

Wisconsin 68 Indiana 56 - The Badgers beat Indiana for the 12st straight time and third time this season, something to keep in mind should the two meet again in the NCAA tournament.

Ohio State 61 Michigan State 58 - Arron Craft scored 20 points, had three rebounds, nine assists and four steals to lead the Buckeyes past the Spartans and into the Big Ten final.

Ohio State and Wisconsin will duel for the Big Ten championship Sunday afternoon.

ACC Semi-Finals

Miami 91 NC State 81 - Durand Scott pumped in 32 points as the Hurricanes blew past the Wolfpack, advancing to the Sunday tourney final.

North Carolina 79 Maryland 76 - North Carolina held on against a determined Maryland team to advance to the ACC final. With the loss, Maryland will have to wait until Sunday afternoon to determine their post-season fate, though any team that beats Duke twice in a season deserves a good, hard look.

Sunday's ACC final features the tournament's top-seeded team, the Miami Hurricanes, against the Tar Heels from North Carolina.

SEC Semi-Finals

Florida 61 Alabama 51 - The Gators broke open a close game with a 15-point, second half run and cruised to the win. Kenny Boynton led all scorers with 16 points.

Mississippi 64 Vanderbilt 52 - Ole Miss likely played themselves into the NCAA tourney with this semi-final win, turning a 26-all tie at the half into a solid victory and a shot at Florida in the conference final on Sunday.

Atlantic-10 Semi-Finals

St. Louis 67 Butler 56 - 16th-ranked Billikens whipped Butler for the third time this season, advancing to the A-10 final. Dwayne Evans scored a game-high 25 and scored a double-double with 11 rebounds. St. Louis boasts a 26-6 record and a 13-3 mark in conference.

VCU 71 Massachusetts 62 - Troy Daniels came off the bench to score a game-high 20 points and Juvonte Reddic scored 18 with 12 rebounds to lead the Commodores into the A-10 Final.

VCU faces St. Louis in the tourney final Sunday. The Billikens took a 76-62 victory at home over VCU during the regular season.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

NCAA Tournament Conference Scoreboard:

With just eight teams remaining after Thursday and Friday's regional semi-final games, all of the smaller conferences have been ousted, leaving only the ACC (North Carolina), Big Ten (Ohio State), Big East (Syracuse, Louisville) Big 12 (Kansas, Baylor) and SEC (Kentucky, Florida).

Regional final match-ups include only one scenario that could produce a Final Four meeting within the same conference, that being the potential South-West game that could come down to an all-SEC showdown between Florida and Kentucky.

Suffered the worst in regional play was the Big Ten, which entered the week with five teams still in the hunt (Wisconsin, Ohio State, Purdue, Michigan State and Indiana), but was decimated in the semi-finals, leaving only the Buckeyes to fend for the conference.

The Big East, which sent nine teams to the tournament, still has two left - Syracuse and Louisville. Syracuse could eliminate the Big Ten completely with a win over Ohio State on Saturday, while the Cardinals hope to whittle the SEC down to one with a win over Florida, also on Saturday.

Two potential meetings in the championship game could involve teams from the same conference. Syracuse could face Louisville in an all-Big East final or Kansas could meet up with Baylor, a Big 12 championship assured.

The SEC, which sent only four teams to the tourney, leads the way with a 7-2 record. Alabama went down ot Creighton in the opening round, while Vanderbilt won one game before falling to Wisconsin in the sub-regional round of 32.

Through games of Friday, March 23

Conference W L
Atlantic-10 4 4
ACC 6 4
Big East 13 7
Big Ten 10 5
Big 12 8 5
Conf-USA 0 2
Missouri Valley 1 2
Mountain West 1 4
Ohio Valley 1 1
PAC-12 1 2
SEC 7 2
West Coast 2 3
All others 7 20

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Big Ten Completes Automatics as Michigan State Gains Big Ten Title

Big Ten Final: Michigan State 68 Ohio State 64 - Dramond Green's first bucket of the second half - a 3-pointer with 1:26 left to play - put Michigan State ahead, 67-62, and all but sealed the win for the Spartans. With the last of the conference tournaments in the books, it's on to the selections for the field of 68. Brandon Wood led all scorers with 21 points, including four 3-pointers.

The win may have pushed Michigan State into a #1 seed. We'll know shortly.

Tournament selections and seedings are just moments away, being broadcast live on CBS at 6:00 pm EDT.

The Madness is about to begin, bay-bay!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Conference Tournaments UPDATE, late afternoon games, 3/10/12

ACC: Florida State 62 Duke 59 - Florida State advanced to the ACC tourney final to face North Carolina Sunday afternoon. The Seminoles held on desperately as Seth Curry's potential game-tying heave at the buzzer clanged off the rim. The battle was a defensive one, with both teams shooting under 40% from the field. Michael Snaer led Florida State with 16 points on 7 of 12 shooting. Austin Rivers had 17 for the Blue Devils.

SEC: Vanderbilt 65 Mississippi 53 - The Commodores will play Kentucky Sunday in the SEC tourney final after handling Mississippi in the second semi-fianl of the day. John Jenkins led all scorers with 23 points and five three-pointers.

Big Ten: Ohio State 77 Michigan 55 - The Buckeyes romped to an early lead and never looked back, completely out-playing Michigan. Ohio State advances to the Big Ten final against Michigan State on Sunday. Jared Sullinger and DeShaun Thomas led the way for the Buckeyes with 24 and 22 points, respectively.

Lamar won the Southland conference tourney with a 70-49 win in the tournament championship over McNeese State and Xavier advanced to the A-10 final against St. Bonaventure Sunday with a solid 71-64 win over St. Louis in the semi-final.

Conference tournaments UPDATE, afternoon games, 3/10/12; Norfolk State Reaches first NCAA; Kentucky, Tar Heels Prevail

SEC: Kentucky 74 Florida 71 - It was a struggle for the #1 Wildcats, but they outlasted a determined Gator team to advance to the SEC tourney final. Kentucky will face the winner of the Mississippi-Vanderbilt semi-final game on Sunday.

ACC: North Carolina 69 North Carolina St. 67 - Playing without center/forward John Henson, North Carolina trailed early, built a six-point second half lead but gave it up down the stretch to the Wolf Pack, a team they've beaten 12 straight times. Kendall Marshall's banked shot with 10.2 seconds remaining provided the slim winning margin for the #4 Tar Heels who will face the winner of the today's Duke-Florida St. game on Sunday.

Mid-Eastern: Norfolk State 73 Bethune-Cookman 70 - Winning their way to the school's first ever NCAA tournament, Norfolk State's Spartans held on for a game win in the conference tourney final and get the automatic bid. Kyle O'Quinn led the way with 18 points and 7 boards.

Big Ten: Michigan State 65 Wisconsin 52 - Draymond Green scored 14 points and ripped down 16 rebounds to lead the Spartans to the Big Ten final. On Sunday afternoon, Michigan State will face the winner of today's Ohio State-Michigan semi-final.

In the Atlantic-10 semi-finals, St. Bonaventure held on against UMass for an 84-80 victory. They will face either Xavier or St. Louis in Sunday's championship game.

Friday, March 09, 2012

Conference tournaments UPDATE: late, late games, 3/9/12

Big 12: Baylor 81 Kansas 72 - #12 Baylor upset #3 Kansas to advance to the Big 12 final on Saturday to face the winner of Texas-Missouri. The Bears ut six players in double figures, throwing the Midwest and West NCAA #1 bids up for grabs.

Big Ten: Ohio State 88 Purdue 71 - #7 Ohio State had few problems eliminating Purdue from the Big Ten tourney. Jared Sullinger's 30 points and 12 rebounds led five Buckeyes in double figures. Ohio State faces Michigan in a semi-final match-up Saturday.

Big East: Louisville 64 Notre Dame 50 - Peyton Siva continued to shine for the Cardinals, scoring 13 points with 9 assists and 8 rebounds, leading Louisville to the Big East final Saturday night against Cincinnati.

ACC: Florida State 82 Miami 71 - Florida State led the entire game, ousting Miami from the ACC tourney and setting up a semi-final showdown Saturday with #6 Duke.

Conference tournaments UPDATE, late games, 3/9/12, Cincy Upsets Syracuse

Big East: Cincinnati 71 Syracuse 68 - Cincinnati turned in the biggest upset of championship week, knocking off #2 Syracuse, handing the Orange just their second loss of the season. The Bearcats built a big, early lead and held on in the final minute against a furious Syracuse rally which cut the lead to one, but a run-out off a made Dion Waiters free throw sealed the victory. Waiters led all scorers with 28 points, but Yancy Gates and Sean Kilpatrick each had 18 for the Bearcats, who will play in the tournament final against the winner of tonight's Louisville - Notre Dame game.

Big Ten: Michigan 73 Minnesota 69 OT - Michigan outlasted Minnesota in overtime to advance in the Big Ten tourney. Minnesota's chances of making the NCAA's field will be in the hands of the selection committee. Wolverine freshman guard Trey Burke paced all scorers with a career high 30 points on 11 of 14 shooting with three trifectas. Michigan is looking like a 3 or 4 seed in Sunday's selection process.

Conference USA: Marshall 73 Southern Miss. 62 - Continuing to thunder though Conference USA, the Herd used Damier Pitts' 24 points and five rebounds to advance to Saturday's conference tourney final against regular season champion Memphis, which reached the final with an 83-52 rout of UCF.

In the ACC, Duke advanced against Virginia Tech with a 60-56 win.


Conference Tournaments UPDATE afternoon games, 3/9/12

Big Ten: Wisconsin 79 Indiana 71 - The 14th-ranked Badgers took an early lead and were never headed, advancing to a Big Ten semi-final meeting with Michigan State on Saturday. Wisconsin got a career high 30 points from senior Rob Wilson, who was on fire from beyond the arc, making seven of 10 three-pointers. Indiana's Verdell Jones, who left Thursday's game with a knee injury originally described as a sprain by the Hoosier staff, has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.

ACC: North Carolina State 67 Virginia 64 - Taking a 36-33 lead into the half, NC State played Virginia even in the second stanza to advance in the ACC tourney. The Wolf Pack will face #1 seed North Carolina on Saturday. CJ Leslie led the way with 19 points and 13 boards. The win may be just enough to get NC State into the big dance. Virginia is virtually assured of a spot in the tournament.

Atlantic-10: St. Bonaventure 71 St. Joseph's 68 - Upsets seem to be the order of the day in the A-10, as the Bonnies advance to a semi-final match-up with Massachusetts, Saturday afternoon. 20-13 St. Joseph's may be on the outside looking in, in terms of an NCAA bid.

SEC: Kentucky 60 LSU 51 - The Wildcats were hardly impressive, beating LSU in their first tournament action of the month, though Kentucky did manage to hold the Tigers to 29% shooting. The top-ranked Wildcats were just 1 of 9 from 3-point range and committed 18 turnovers.

Conference Tournaments UPDATE early games 3/9/12

Big Ten: Michigan State 92 Iowa 75 - Shooting 70%, the Spartans led by as many as 19 in the first half, and 28 in the second half, easily dispatching the Hawkeyes in a Big Ten quarterfinal contest. Draymond Green had his usual all-around game, leading the scoring column with 21 points and hauling in nine rebounds.

Atlantic 10: Massachusetts 77 Temple 71 - UMass erased a five point halftime deficit with an early second half burst and outplayed the Owls down the stretch, pulling off one of the bigger upsets of the conference tourney week. Jesse Morgan led the scoring parade with 21 points, while Chas Williams had 20 points and 10 assists for the 22-10 Minutemen. After going 9-7 in A-10 play during the regular season UMass advances to the tourney semi-final . Temple, which won the conference with a 13-3 record (24-6 overall), probably will still get an NCAA bid, but they'll be on pins and needles until shortly after 6:00 pm ET Sunday.

ACC: North Carolina 85 Maryland 69 - The #4 Tar Heels had little trouble taking out Maryland, but got a bit of a scare when forward John Henson landed hard and suffered a wrist injury to his non-shooting hand. Henson returned for a bit, but played only seven minutes overall, though the injury did not appear to be serious. Kendall Marshall went for 13 points and 15 assists, breaking the all-time ACC single season assist record in the process.

Thursday, March 08, 2012

Conference Tourneys UPDATE: Key LATE games, 3/8/2012

Big Ten: Minnesota 75 Northwestern 68 OT - With both teams fighting for their NCAA tournament lives, it was Minnesota prevailing in overtime, in an opening round Big Ten tourney tilt. Even though Minnesota advances and can pad its resume with another win, they are still in doubt for the big dance due to their sub-par 6-12 conference record. Northwestern can now only sit and wait for selection Sunday to see if the committee deems their 8-10 conference resume as sufficient to make the field of 68. Could Northwestern or Minnesota end up in a play-in game? Stranger things have happened. Minnesota's Andre Hollins led all scorers with 25 points, making 10 of 18 shots, including five of 10 from 3-point range.

Conference USA: Marshall 105 Tulsa 100 3OT - The 20-12 Thundering Herd kept its slim tournament hopes alive with a triple overtime victory in the conference tournament quarterfinals. Though the Herd is still not guaranteed anything, the win over Tulsa probably got them on a short list for the NIT, but they can now aim higher, with a Friday meeting with Southern Miss, with whom they split a pair of games during the regular season. DeAndre Kane went 15-35, for a career high 40 points to pace Marshall.

Big East: Louisville 84 Marquette 71 - In one of the more stunning upsets thus far, Louisville upset #9 Marquette in a Big East quarterfinal game, leading all the way, getting 18 points, 8 assists and 8 rebounds from point guard Peyton Siva. Kyle Kuric led the Cardinals with 20 points, despite a 7-for-19 shooting effort. Louisville led the entire game and dominated the glass, with 48 rebounds to Marquette's 35.

Big 12: Missouri 88 Oklahoma St. 70 - Kim English scored a game high 27 points and Marcus Denman poured in 24 as the #5 Missouri Tigers advanced to the semi-finals of the Big 12 tournament. The Tigers will face the winner of the Texas-Iowa State game with an eye toward playing Kansas in the tourney final and possibly earning a #1 overall seed in the NCAAs. The Jayhawks and Tigers split a pair of regular season games, each team winning on their home court.

Conference Tourneys UPDATE: Key games, 3/8/2012

Big Ten: Indiana 75 Penn State 58 - While the Hoosiers won this one easily, it was not all fun and games as senior guard Verdell Jones crashed to the floor, screaming and clutching his right knee with 5:45 left in the first half. Team officials say Jones suffered a sprained knee, but it sure looked worse than that. Will update as better information becomes available.

Big 12: Kansas 83 Texas A&M 66 - The #4 Jayhawks got 26 points from Elijah Johnson, built a 12-point lead at the half and expanded it in the second. The Jayhawks, ranked 3rd nationally, will face #12 Baylor on Friday at 7:30 pm ET.

Big East: Cincinnati 72 Georgetown 70 - Yancy Gates led all scorers with 23 points and had eight rebounds as the Bearcats eliminated the #13 Hoyas and will face #2 Syracuse in a semi-final game at 7:00 pm ET Friday.

Mountain West: San Diego State 65 Boise State 62 - The #18 Azetcs weren't supposed to be tested in the opening round of their conference tournament, but they managed to squeak past Boise St. on Jamaal Franklin's buzzer beating three-pointer as time expired. Franklin finished with 19 points. Teammate Chase Tapley led all scorers with 20, on 8 of 14 shooting with four threes. San Diego State shot 51% to Boise's 43%, but were out-rebounded 31-22.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Boilermakers are Big Ten Champs

Purdue 65, Ohio State 61

After a 40-40 second half tie, Purdue used a 12-3 run to establish a solid lead and went on to capture the Big Ten tournament championship, besting a game Ohio State squad in the final.

The Buckeyes had knocked off two of the best in the conference - Wisconsin and Michigan State - to reach the final, but found Purdue too much to handle down the stretch. At 22-11, the Buckeyes look like a good bet to reach the field of 65.

E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson led the Boilermakers with 17 and 16 points, respectively. Purdue gets the automatic bid from the selection committee and should fall into a 4-5 seed.

With conference tournaments wrapped up, the field will be announced at 6:00 pm, live on CBS.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Big Ten: Buckeyes Slam Spartans;

Ohio State 82, Michigan State 70

Ohio State figured they needed to make a good showing in the Big Ten tourney and by knocking off Michigan State, their message has been sent. Ohio state shot 52% for the game, took a lead early on and kept the Spartans at bay the rest of the game. Michigan State shot just 38% and hit just 3 of 28 3-pointers. Ohio State took their first lead just 6 1/2 minutes into the game and never gave it back, stretching it to as many as 16 points in the second half.

By reaching the finals tomorrow against Purdue, Ohio State has virtually assured themselves a spot in the NCAA field.

Purdue 66, Illinois 56

Purdue shot just 38%, but Illinois shot only 35%, and the Boilermakers used a 20-point half time edge to coast to a semifinal win in the Big Ten tourney. JaJuan Johnson scored 20 and Robbie Hummel had 19 to lead Purdue, who will face upset-minded Ohio State Sunday in the tournament final.

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Michigan State Big Ten Champs

#9 Michigan St. 64, Indiana 59

Capped by Raymar Morgan's offensive rebound and subsequent dunk with 35 seconds left, the Michigan State Spartans captured the Big Ten regular season title with a road win at Indiana. The stellar board work by the Spartan forward gave the Spartans a four-point lead, too much for the Hoosiers to overcome.

Morgan finished with a game-high 16 points, followed closely by Kalin Lucas, who tallied 15.

At 14-3, the Spartans can relax in their season finale against Purdue on Sunday. It will be a celebration for coach Tom Izzo's seniors, Goran Suton and Travis Walton, and a suitable prep for the upcoming conference tournament. Purdue has been chasing the Spartans all season, but at 11-5, they cannot hope to catch them, despite having mauled them, 72-54, at Purdue, back on February 17.

Sunday, March 01, 2009

Big Ten: Spartans Clamp Down on Illini

#9 Michigan St. 74, #20 Illinois 66

The Fighting Illini trailed the entire game - by as many as 11 points - against the visiting Spartans, who came in with a 1 1/2 game lead in the Big Ten.

The son of an Illinois legend, Jeff Jordan's (yeah, that Jordan) steal and layup at 7:14 in the second half capped a furious Illinois rally and the first tie in the game since the opening tip.

It was the last field goal the Fighting Illini would score until Chester Frazier dropped in a three with 34 seconds left. By then it was too late as the Spartans clinched at worst a tie for the Big Ten title.

Kalin Lucas had an exceptional game with 18 points. Michigan State's backcourt is as solid as there is in the nation, bestowed with exceptional quickness and ball-handling skills important in post-season play. Spartans' coach Tom Izzo has his troops ready.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Winning Ugly: #6 Michigan State Downs Wisconsin, 61-50

The brand of basketball coming out of the Big 10 these days is no thing of beauty, but the Michigan State Spartans have taken the defense-first approach to new levels ths season.

The Spartans broke open a close game in the final minutes, dispatching Wisconsin, 61-50 on Sunday afternoon in East Lansing.

Wisconsin shot a pathetic 31% for the game, but hit 7 of 21 3-pointers while Michigan St. missed on 7 of 9 attempts from beyond the arc. The Spartans' first long-range hit was timely, a Chris Allen 24-footer which gave the them a 52-47 lead with 2:40 left to play, followed by a Kalin Lucas trey at 1:57 which kept Michigan State safely ahead down the stretch.

Lucas led the way with 17 points, followed by Goran Suton with 16.

Michigan State's win ended a five-game Badger winning streak, which commenced after they had lost six in a row. Wisconsin (8-7, 17-10) hasn't beaten a ranked foe outside their conference, which puts their invitation to the field of 65 on very shaky ground.

The Spartans improved their Big 10 lead to a full game over 10-4 Purdue, as they improved to 11-3 and 21-5 overall.

While Michigan St., Purdue and Illinois all seems sure to go to the NCAA tourney, Ohio St., Penn St., Wisconsin and Minnesota are all vying for he 4th and maybe 5th invite for the Big 10.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Spartan Defense Clamps Down on Wolverines, 54-42

Michigan State improved to 10-2 in the Big 10 and 20-4 overall, holding Michigan to 35% shooting in a 54-42 road win.

Freshman Delvon Roe scored 14 points and had 10 boards in a season-high effort. Kalin Lucas led the Spartans with 15 points.

It was Michigan State's third straight win and also the third straight game in which their opponent has tallied 47 or fewer points. The Spartans are a perfect 18-0 when holding their opponent to 67 points or less.

Michigan St. leads Ohio State and Illinois by 2 1/2 games in the conference, seeking its first Big 10 title since 2001.

Elsewhere, #25 Florida St. shot a blistering 71% in a 48-point second half, cruising past Virginia, 58-67. #12 Clemson rolled past Boston College, 87-77.

Jodie Meeks hit a pair of free throws in the final minute and banged home a three-pointer with 9.8 seconds remaining to give Kentucky a 68-65 win over the Florida Gators in a key SEC matchup. Florida's Nick Calathes poured in 33 points but misfired on all three potentially game-tying free throws with 1 second left. Meeks led the Wildcats with 23.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Big Ten Mash-up: Purdue, Wisconsin on Top

Wisconsin 68 Indiana 66
Following Tuesday's surprisingly easy win by Purdue over Michigan State, the Big Ten produced another upset as the Wisconsin Badgers upended Indiana in Bloomington, 68-66, handing the Hoosiers their second conference loss and third overall.

Down 66-65, Wisconsin senior Brian Butch hit a three-point shot with 4.5 remaining to propel the Badgers to their second victory over the Hoosiers this season and into sole possession of second place in the Big Ten standings at 10-2. Both of Wisconsin's losses have been to Purdue.

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Purdue leads the Big Ten with a 10-1 record, Indiana is third at 9-2, followed by 8-3 Michigan State.

Butch's big three-pointer capped a 13-point effort, including 9 of the Badgers' final 12 points. Michael Flowers had 15 and Jason Bohannon led the way with 18, but it was Butch's work at the rim that kept the Badgers in the game late, converting misses by Flowers and Bohannon into scores.

Indiana was led by Eric Gordon and D.J. White, who had 23 and 17, respectively.

The game itself was partially overshadowed by a NCAA report which took Hoosier head coach Kelvin Sampson to task for violating previously-imposed recruiting sanctions from his tenure at Oklahoma.

While Sampson defended his actions, penalties are likely, but not until the off-season, as Indiana has 90 days in which to appeal the charges that Sampson participated in recruiting phone calls and three-way calls which the NCAA had specifically prohibited him from making.

Texas Tech 84 Kansas State 75
Pat Knight's first win as a head coach was a big one, knocking K-State out of first place in the Big 12 and sending the conference into a February frenzy.

Knight, who took over the coaching reins when his father, Bob, abruptly retired on Monday of last week, got a career-high 30 points from Alan Voskuil and a big boost in job security.

Voskuil hit 5 of 6 3-pointers and canned 7 of 9 from the charity stripe in the Red Raiders' biggest upset of the season. The loss sends 7-2 Kansas State into a second-place tie with Texas, behind 8-2 Kansas. 6-3 Texas A&M and 5-4 Baylor remain in the mix, as the conference heads down the stretch to determine a regular season champion.

All of the contending teams have either 5 or 7 games remaining of the 16-game slate.

Around the Nation
17th-ranked UConn downed Notre Dame, 84-78, for its 8th straight win and an 8-3 record in the Big East. Georgetown leads the conference at 10-2, with Louisville second at 9-3. Notre Dame shares third with the Huskies at 8-3.

Three of the top four teams in the nation were in action on Wednesday. #1 Memphis rolled to 24-0, handling Houston, 68-59; #2 Duke held off Maryland, 77-65, and #4 Tennessee crushed Arkansas, 93-71.

In a story that didn't get as much coverage as it should have, #24 Vanderbilt pounded Kentucky, 93-52 on Tuesday night, the worst SEC loss ever for the Wildcats.

Kentucky, which shot 33% for the game, scored just 11 points in the first half while the Commodores piled up 41. The Wildcats hit only 1 of 10 3-pointers and committed 25 personal fouls and 15 turnovers.

It was a rout of historic proportions, unfortunately for first-year coach Billy Gillespie, who took over after Tubby Smith left the program in shambles. Smith is now head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who are 15-8 overall, but just 5-6 in the Big Ten.