Maquette Dumps Notre Dame with Barrage of Treys

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, January 10, 2011

Proving once again that playing in the Big East is not for the faint of heart, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame entered the Bradley Center in Milwaukee for a regional showdown with the Marquette Golden Eagles.

The Irish were sporting a #9 ranking in the AP poll, released earlier in the day, and a 14-2 record, their only losses at kentucky and Syracuse. By the time the Irish were through, they were 14-3, and wondering how they hit only three of 16 3-point shots while the Eagles were burying 12 of 17 from beyond the arc. The result was a 79-57 rout as a trio of Marquette shooters rained down threes all night long. From three-point range, Darius Johnson-Odom hit 3-of-5, scoring 13 points, Joe Crowder made 4-of-6 and tallied 18, but Dwight Buycks was the most deadly. He nailed 7-of-9 shots from the floor, including all five of his three-point attempts, for a game-high 21 points.

Maquette put the Irish away early in the second half and were never threatened after opening up a double-digit lead. The win was a key one for the Golden Eagles, 12-5, and on the fringe of the Big East conference and probably a bubble team come March.

Villanova Sends Cincinnati to First Loss as Fisher Scores 21

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, January 9, 2011

The number of undefeated teams shrank by one on Sunday when the Villanova Wildcats popped Cincinnati's balloon with a 72-61 win at the Pavilion.

The game was not in doubt after the Wildcats went on an 18-4 run to take a 39-23 lead into half time. Corey Fisher scored 20 of his game-high 21 points in the first half, helping extend Villanoa's home winning streak to 45 straight, a streak that began in January of 2007.

Fisher hit 3 of 5 three-pointers and was 4-for-8 overall, but nailed 10 of 11 free throws, grabbed five rebounds and dealt four assists. Fisher has scored in double figures in all but three of the #7 Wildcats' games. Villanova is now 14-1 and 3-0 in the Big East, while Cincinnati dropped to 15-1 and 2-1 in the conference.

8 Top 25 Teams Dropped; #23 Washington Wins 6th Straight

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, January 8, 2011

No fewer than eight teams ranked in the Top 25 - some close to the top of the list - were defeated on Saturday, making it one of the biggest upset days of the season.

Before venturing into that morass of missed opportunity, a number of ranked teams managed wins, notably in the Big East, where Syracuse, Pitt, Notre Dame and UConn all came away victorious, but the performance of the day was by 6'9" senior forward Matthew Bryan-Amaning, who scored 24 points to go with 15 rebounds for the 12-3 Washington Huskies in their 103-72 win over Oregon State, their sixth straight win and fourth in the PAC-10 without a loss.

Bryan-Amaning hit 11-of-14 shots from the field, mostly in the paint and around the rim, notching his fifth double-double and scoring in double figures for the 12th time this season. In the rebounding department, five of his were on the offensive glass.

As for the upsets, there were so many it was difficult to keep track. Early in the day, Colorado bumped off #9 Missouri, 89-76, West Virginia hammered #13 Georgetown, 65-59, and Georgia held court at home to down #10 Kentucky, 77-70.

As the afternoon wore on, many fans glued to the NFL playoff games, Houston bumped off #19 UCF, Oklahoma St. dumped #17 Kansas State and Penn State kicked #18 Michigan State.

Two overtime games capped the day's action, as South Carolina outscored #22 Vanderbilt, 11-3 in the extra session for an 83-75 win and #8 UConn survived a trip to the Lone Star State with an 82-81 OT win over the Longhorns.

The day added up to one which should provide significant movement in the rankings due out on Monday, and highlights the intense competitiveness operating in the college hoops sphere. No game is a gimmie now that January has arrived.

Sophomore Andrew Smith Leads Butler Blowout

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, January 7, 2011

The 2009-10 hoops season was a memorable one for the Butler Bulldogs, reaching the NCAA finals and finishing with a 33-5 record after losing, 61-59, to Duke.

This season has not been nearly as gratifying. The Bulldogs are currently unranked with an 11-5 record, uncharacteristic of the perennial Horizon League champions, though perhaps the schedule was a bit too optimistic.

An early loss at Louisville was amplified after the Bulldogs were beaten on their home court by Evansville, and then suffered back-to-back road losses to Duke and Xavier. That dropped them out of the Top 25, but on February 3rd, they suffered their worst loss of the season, a 76-52 beating dished out by 8-8 Wisconsin-Milwaukee, their first conference loss.

The Bulldogs regained some of their confidence Friday night with a convincing, 79-56, win over Cleveland State, shooting 48% as a team and forcing the Vikings into 18 turnovers. High scoring honors went to sophomore center Andrew Smith, who recorded a career high with 22 points on 7-for-9 shooting and hitting all eight of his free throws.

Smith, a 6'11" native of Indianapolis, also hit the glass with gusto, wiping off five offensive and five defensive rebounds for his first collegiate double-double.

Butler is 11-5 and into the heart of their conference play. A January 16 date at Wright State looms large.

Yancy Gates Has 25 and 14 as Bearcats Claw Xavier

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, January 6, 2011

The widely-anticipated showdown between crosstown rivals Xavier and Cincinnati quickly became a runaway for one team and a showcase for the enormous talents of enormous Yancy Gates.

After Xavier raced out to a 10-4 lead, Gates led a 22-5 Bearcat run that ended all argument over which was the best team in the Queen City. Gates, a powerfully-built Cincinnati native at 6'9", 260 pounds, led all participants with a game high 22 points and 14 rebounds, both season-high totals for the big man. Cincinnati won in a rout, 66-46, holding Tu Holloway, the Musketeers' leading scorers and one of the top point-producers in the nation, to a season-low five points.

Prior to last week, the Bearcats - despite being undefeated - were unranked in the national polls. Now at 15-0, some pollsters and even casual watchers have raised an eyebrow and given the Bearcats the nod of approval, spotting them at #24 in Monday's poll. Xavier slumped to 8-5.

Notable: #20 Illinois shot 70% from the field and absolutely swamped Northwestern, 88-63 to win their third straight Big Ten win without a loss, improving to 13-3 overall. A litmus test for the Fighting Illini comes in another week when they play at Wisconsin on the 15th of January, then return home to face Michigan State and Ohio State on the 18th and 22nd.

Duke Rolls to 14-0 As Nolan Smith Dazzles with Career High 33 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, January 5, 2011

The top-ranked and undefeated Duke Blue Devils rolled to their 14th straight win with an 85-64 blowout over UAB.

Leading the Devils and all players in scoring was senior Nolan Smith, who tallied a career-high 33 points, also dishing five assists and bringing down seven rebounds, four on the offensive end.

When Smith wasn't beating multiple defenders to the hoop on slashing drives, he was ringing it up from the outside, hitting 2-of-5 three-pointers while going 11-for-22 from the field. Smith also went 9-for-10 from the foul line and was aided by fellow senior Kyle Singler's 15 points, which pushed his career point total over 2,000, making him the 11th Duke player to achieve that lofty goal. The all-time record for a Duke player is 2,769 points, set by J.J. Redick, who has since moved on to the NBA. Singler is sure to follow in those footsteps.

Smith has been on a tear for the Blue Devils of late, scoring at least 22 points in each of Duke's last five games. He leads the team in scoring and assists, at 19.6 points and 5.6 assists per game, respectively.

Notable: Jimmer Fredette lit up the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas as the #15 BYU Cougars went on the road to knock off #25 UNLV, 89-77. A season high for Fredette in scoring, he tickled the twine on 12-for-25 shooting from the field, including 7-for-13 on three-pointers and added 8 of ten free throws.

Other Top 25 winners included #3 Kansas, #6 San Diego State, #9 Missouri, #11 Purdue and #19 UCF. Memphis, ranked #21, fell to unranked Tennessee, 104-84.

Baylor Cruises as Dunn Hangs 43 on Morgan State

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Last season, the Baylor Bears compiled an impressive 28-8 record, making its way to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tourney, where they were knocked off by eventual nation champion, Duke, in the third round, 76-71.

After that kind of performance, much was expected of the Bears this season, led by shooting star LaceDarius Dunn. The Baylor bandwagon was derailed in December with three losses in a four-game stretch after a 7-0 start.

Beaten by Gonzaga, Washington State and Florida State, the Bears were looking more like bubble babies than bracket busters, but since rebounded with wins over Texas Southern and, on Tuesday, Morgan State, topping the Golden Bears, 89-72.

The game was an eyeful for all manner of Bears, golden or otherwise, as Dunn erupted for career-highs in scoring, with 43 points, and three-pointers, canning 10 of 18. Baylor took a 42-40 lead into the half, but blew out their opponents, outscoring them 47-32 in the second half, fueled by Dunn's hot hand. He finished with a stat line which included 13-of-22 from the field, 7-for-7 from the foul line, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in 37 minutes.

While Dun is among the nation's leading scorers at 23.4 points per game, the jury is still out on Baylor as the team heads into conference play January 8 at Texas Tech. The Bears may remain a mystery until later in the month, when they face Kansas at home on the 17th and travel to Kansas State on the 24th.

NOTABLE: It was a rough night for the Razorbacks. Not only did their football team fall to Ohio State, 31-26, in the Sugar Bowl, but 12th-ranked Texas Longhorns blitzed them on the hardwoods, 79-46.

#2 Ohio State battled to a 73-68 win at Iowa, getting 24 points from freshman Jared Sullinger.

In the Big East, #5 Pitt toughed out an 83-79 win at Providence, while Notre Dame kicked Georgetown, 73-70, handing the Hoyas their second loss in three Big East Games. Pitt beat them in their conference opener on Dec. 27, 78-63.

Pullen Returns, Scores 24 in K-State Victory

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, January 3, 2011

Jacob Pullen returned to the Kansas State lineup after a three-game suspension and lit up little Savannah State for 24 points on Monday night, leading the Wildcats to a 92-61 rout and their 12th victory against three losses.

The 17th-ranked Wildcats felt Pullen's absence in the first game he missed, a 63-59 loss to UNLV, but rebounded with easy wins over the University of Missouri Kansas City Kangaroos and North Florida.

Pullen, seemingly no worse off for the time he missed, nailed 9-of-11 shots, including 4-of-6 three-pointers, grabbed 3 rebounds and handed off 5 assists.

Pullen and teammate Curtis Kelly were suspended for recieving free clothing from a local store. Kelly is still suspended and not eligible to return until January 15.

A 6'8" senior, Kelly was averaging 10.3 points and 4 rebounds per contest, numbers that the Wildcats hope to replace with other players, but they were happy to have Pullen, their leading scorer, back in time for the start of Big 12 play, which begins - for the Wildcats - on January 8 at Oklahoma State. Kansas State hosts Colorado on the 12th and Texas Tech on the 15th, when Kelly is expected to return.

NOTABLE: Dick Vitale has been a vocal supporter of "the Johnnies," St. John's Red Storm, and that faith was validated with a 61-58 victory over #13 Georgetown Monday night. The Red Storm's Dwight Hardy led the way with 20 points. St. John's is 3-0 against Big East foes and 10-3 overall.

The Big East has seven teams in the most recent AP poll, as unbeaten Cincinnati replaced Louisville near the bottom of the Top 25, at #22. The Cardinals fell out after dropping a 78-63 decision to Kentucky on New Year's Eve.

Freshman Barton Pours in 24 for 11-2 Memphis

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, January 2, 2011

With December losses to Kansas and Georgetown, the Memphis Tigers may not be as good a team as some which have come before, but at 11-2, they are getting the notice of the pollsters at least, who have installed them at #21 in the national rankings.

The Tigers have some good, young talent, including freshman guard Antonio Barton, who pumped in a career-high 24 points as the Tigers outshot Tennessee State Sunday, by a 91-86 score.

Barton, a 6'2" recruit out of Notre Dame Prep in Baltimore, was money from everywhere on the court, hitting 6-of-8 from the field, including 5-of-6 three-pointers. He also made 7-of-9 free throws. Barton has scored in double figures in only five of Memphis' 13 games this season, but if the Tigers' offense can get him open looks, he may emerge as a deadly shooter as teams solidify their lineups heading for the NCAA tournament. He's hitting 53% from the field and 57% from beyond the arc.

Crowder's 29 Lifts Golden Eagles over West Virginia

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, January 1, 2011

Kicking into the new year, most of the important action was within the Big East, where #5 Syracuse improved to 15-0 on the strength of a 70-58 home win over #15 Notre Dame and #9 Georgetown cemented their #9 ranking with an 86-75 throttling of DePaul. The Hoyas are 12-2.

The best performance of the night came out of a game between two overlooked teams that will likely vie for the 8th or 9th Big East spot in the NCAA tournament come March. Marquette held serve at home with a 79-74 win over pesky West Virginia, getting a game-high 29 points from junior forward Jae Crowder.

Crowder put on quite the shooting clinic, hitting 12 of 14 shots from the field, including 2-of-4 on three-pointers, helping the Golden Eagles improve to a respectable 10-4. He also hit the boards hard for 8 rebounds, handed out 5 assists and made 4 steals in 39 minutes, the most he's played all season. His 29 points was a career high for the 6'6" native of Georgia.

Knight, Harrellson Provide Spark for Wildcats in Win over Louisville

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, December 31, 2010

Getting together for their annual contest to determine bragging rights for the state of Kentucky, Louisville coach Rick Pitino and his troops welcomed John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats into KFC Yum! Arena (sorry, that's what they're calling it these days) for a New Year's Eve celebration between the 11th (Kentucky) and 22nd-ranked teams in the nation.

It didn't take long for the Wildcats to feel perfectly at home in Louisville's venue, however, as the Wildcats raced to a 35-24 lead at the half and rode easy layups by Josh Harrellson and expert shooting by Brandon Knight to a 78-63 triumph.

Harrellson, conveniently left open near the basket on far too many occasions, dipped in 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting and snagged 14 rebounds as the Wildcats used their superior size and passing skills to dominate in the paint. The Wildcats outrebounded the Cardinals 36-24, and when Harrellson wasn't collecting easy entry passes, freshman Brandon Knight was making hay from the perimeter. Knight nailed 4-of-6 three-pointers en route to a game-high 25 points. Both Knight and Harrellson recorded career highs in scoring for the 'Cats.

Both Louisville and Kentucky have compiled 11-2 records thus far in the season.

Notable: There's still no love from the pollsters for the Cincinnati Bearcats, who went to 14-0 with a blowout, 70-53, win over Seton Hall. The Bearcats are also 2-0 in the Big East, and while they've beaten only DePaul and Seton Hall, they've been by huge margins. Come on, Man! 14-0 has to count for something.

An unbeaten team that hasn't escaped the purview of the polls is #7 San Diego State, now 15-0 thanks to a 93-50 bombing of Occidental. The Aztecs have never been ranked so high.

After losing their Big East opener to Pitt earlier in the week, #4 Connecticut had to go into overtime to down the upstart Bulls from South Florida, 68-61. Kemba Walker, still leading the nation in scoring at 26.7 points per game, had 24 for the Huskies, now 11-1.

Stanford Ends UConn Gals Streak at 90; Jordan Leads UCF to 13-0

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, December 30, 2010

All good things must come to an end, so the saying goes, and that includes record winning streaks like the NCAA basketball record 90-game variety that the University of Connecticut women took into Stanford's Maple's Pavilion Thursday night.

The last time UConn had tasted defeat was nearly 1000 days before, and it was the Stanford women who beat them, 82-73, in a 2008 semi-final game of the Final Four. This night, led by inspired play from senior guard Jeanette Pohlen's 31 points, nine boards and six assists, the Stanford women led the entire game, finishing with a resounding, 71-59 win on a night that the Huskies' Maya Moore was fronted, covered and never given any room for comfort.

Moore finished with just 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting, the team, being held in check by Stanford's swarming defense, shot just 33% for the game, hitting just 20-of-61 from the field.

On the men's side, #19 UCF captured the final of the UCF Holiday Tournament with a 68-62 victory over Princeton.

Son of Michael Jordan, Marcus Jordan scored 22 of his game-high 26 points in the second half to rally the Knights past the Tigers, who led 37-29 at the break. Jordan, the only UCF player in double figures, hit 7-of-12 shots from the field and converted 11-of-13 free throws.

Jordan, just a sophomore, has scored in double figures in all but two of UCF's 13 wins this season. The Knights have yet to lose a game as they ready for Conference-USA play. They begin on January 5th with a home game against the Thundering Herd of Marshall.

780 Wins for Coach K as Singler and Smith Tally 53 Combined

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, December 29, 2010

After freshman sensation Kyrie Irving went down with a potential season-ending injury a few weeks back, the college basketball community began to re-evaluate the Duke Blue Devils, some even believing that the reigning national champs might come back to earth a little with their star guard on the mend.

It's still a bit early to tell, but the Blue Devils still appear to be the team to beat. In four games since Irving's injury - suffered late in Duke's win over Butler - the Blue Devils have dispatched their overmatched opponents by an average of 43.5 points, including Wednesday's 108-62 pounding of NC-Greensboro.

Proving they still have plenty of firepower, the Blue Devils were led by two seniors, forward Kyle Singler, who poured in a game-high 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting, and Nolan Smith, who threw down a season-high 26 points, hitting 8-of-12 from the field, including 3 of 4 three-pointers, while gathering in 6 rebounds and distributing 9 assists.

Duke moved to 12-0, remaining atop the college hoops rankings, and putting coach Mike Krzyzewski aline in second place with his 780th career win, one more than North Carolina's Dean Smith and closing fast on Bobby Knight's record 802 wins.

Fans and upcoming opponents may get a better feel for just how good the Blue Devils really are when they begin ACC play next week, starting with home games against Miami (FL) on January 2nd and Maryland, January 9th. In between, Duke hosts UAB, a non-conference foe, December 5th.

#5 Orangemen Rise to 14-0 on Kris Joseph's 27 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, December 28, 2010

With five Big East teams in the Top 10 nationally, it looks to be another season dominated by the biggest - and baddest - conference in the college hoops universe.

After #6 Pitt dealt 4th-ranked UConn their first loss of the season Monday night, the #5 Syracuse Orangemen found themselves in a position to keep pace with the Panthers when they hosted the Providence Friars at the Carrier Dome. Thanks to an early burst that netted a 10-point lead at the half and a career-high 27 points from junior forward Kris Joseph, the Orange emerged with an 81-74 victory.

Joseph, who spent much of the past two seasons coming off the bench, has been heavily involved in shaping much of SU's 14-0 record to start the campaign. He's scored in double figures in 10 of those contests, scored 25 last week against Drexel and found his range against Providence, hitting 8-of-13 shots from the field, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. The 6'7" Montreal native also added five rebounds and four assists in Syracuse's first Big East win.

Following the troika of UConn, Syracuse and Pitt at 4, 5 and 6 in the polls are Villanova and Georgetown, at 8 and 9, respectively. The 11-1 Hoyas open their conference schedule at #15 Notre Dame Wednesday night. The Wildcats play Temple Thursday and begin Big East contests hosting Rutgers on January 2nd. At #22, 11-1 Louisville completes the seven Big East representatives in the AP Top 25. 13-0 Cincinnati did not make the rankings.

Cardinals Flying High as Knowles, Kuric Combine for 56 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, December 27, 2010

Big East play got underway Monday night with a premier match-up in Pittsburgh, as the #6 Panthers handed Connecticut its first loss of the season, 78-63, despite 31 points from the nation's scoring leader, Kemba Walker.

Out in Kentucky, the Louisville Cardinals were getting in a final pre-conference tune-up, thrashing Morgan State, 104-74, with Preston Knowles going for a career-high 31 points and junior guard Kyle Kuric scoring 25 on 9-for-13 shooting, hitting 7 of 10 three-point shots.

Knowles canned 9-of-14 shots from the field, including 6 of 9 from three-point range as the Cardinals topped the century mark for the third time this season and upped their record to an impressive 11-1. Louisville scorched the nets on a 59% shooting night, nailing 37 of 63 shots and were even more incredible from beyond the arc, knocking down 17 of 23 treys, a 74% performance.

Notable: Will Buford scored 23 points to lead #2 Ohio State to a 100-40 victory over hopelessly-outgunned Tennessee-Martin, extending the Buckeyes' winning streak to 13 straight. The 13-0 mark is the 4th-best start in Ohio State's 112 years of basketball history. Ohio State opens Big Ten play at Indiana on New Year's Eve.

Harper's 25 Points Lead Richmond over Seton Hall

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, December 26, 2010

There was only one college basketball game played on Sunday, and the Richmond Spiders made sure to get their name on the map, winning, 69-61, at Seton Hall.

Seton Hall had no answers for the inside-outside game of junior Justin Harper. The 6'10" forward dominated from the three-point line, scoring a game-high 25 points, hitting 6-of-8 from beyond the arc and 9-of-17 overall. He also added 8 rebounds to help the Spiders improve to 10-3.

Seton Hall fell to 6-6, with Big East play beginning this week. The Pirates host South Florida on Tuesday, December 28.

Mack Howard Lead Butler to Diamond Head Championship

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, December 25, 2010

Shelvin Mack led all scorers with 20 points, pacing Butler to an 84-68 victory over Washington State in the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic, Saturday night.

Mack hit 8-of-13 shots from the field, including 3-of-6 three-pointers and had six rebounds for the 9-4 Bulldogs. Matt Howard added 14 points and 11 rebounds. It was his 5th double-double of the season.

Rams Take Cancun, Travis Franklin Unstoppable

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, December 24, 2010

As holiday hoops tournaments go, the Cancun Governor's Cup (who is the Governor of Cancun, anyhow?) isn't very popular. watching the final on ESPN, it wasn't hard to notice the almost empty gym where Colorado State bumped off Southern Miss Friday night, 63-58.

Empty seats didn't seem to bother Rams' forward Travis Franklin, who was an unstoppable force in the three games of the tourney, scoring 21 in each of the first two Colorado State wins and then posting a career-high 25 points in the final.

A 6'7" senior forward, Franklin spent a lot of time in the lane and at the foul line during his trip to Mexico, hitting 31 of 40 free throws over the three-game span. In Friday's final, he went 9 for 12 from the line and was 8-for-12 from the field, in addition to pulling down nine boards.

The Rams improved to 8-3 overall, after going 16-16 last season.

Fredette Leads BYU to 12-1; Bearcats: Undefeated and Unranked

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, December 23, 2010

With an 89-68 thumping of UTEP, the 18th-ranked BYU Cougars improved their record to 12-1, as Jimmer Fredette led all scorers with 25 points.

While Fredette, the 5th-highest scorer in the nation (24.2 ppg), was torching the Miners with four of seven bombs from three=point range, he also dished out nine assists and snatched eight rebounds, completing his best all-around performance of the season. The 6'2" senior guard has tallied in double figures every game this season.

Notable: Yancy Gates came off the bench for Cincinnati to score 18 points with six rebounds, three assists and four steals to propel the Bearcats to their 12st straight win without a loss, beating the flashless Red Flash of St. Francis, 94-58.

The Bearcats play in the rugged Big East, so their streak is likely to end once conference play gets underway next week, but 12-0 is still 12-0, yet the Bearcats haven't even had a sniff of the Top 25 this season.

Longhorns Bounce Spartans, 67-55, as Hamilton, Thompson Star

College Hoops Player of the Day for DAY, Month, 2010

The 19th-ranked Texas Longhorns stormed into East Lansing, Michigan and upended the #12 Spartans by a 67-55 score that had Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo shaking his head as he walked off the court.

The Longhorns' win was the first by a non-conference opponent on the Spartans' home floor since 2003, when Duke took their measure. Texas unceremoniously ended a 52-game streak with tenacious defense - holding the Spartans to 29% shooting and forcing 16 turnovers, very uncharacteristic of a team that's practically been a fixture in the final four under Izzo.

Team high-scorer Jordan Hamilton led the onslaught with 21 points, eight boards, three assists and three steals, and freshman Tristan Thompson had his best game of the season, scoring 17 points and wiping the glass for a game-high 15 rebounds. A 6'8" forward, Thompson recorded his third double-double of his budding career as the Longhorns upped their record to 10-2.

Michigan State slumped to 8-4, though all of the losses have come against ranked teams - Connecticut, Duke, Syracuse - and now Texas. It's a concern for the Spartans as they have no more games in which to prepare for Big Ten play, which commences on January 31 when #17 Minnesota comes calling.

Notable: There have been a spate of losses this week by ranked teams. In addition to the Spartans with four losses, there are four other teams with three losses that were raned in the top 25 this past Monday. On Tuesday, #11 Kansas State lost to UNLV, 63-59, which ironically was excused from the rankings last week. The Wildcats are now 9-3 after top scorer Jacob Pullen and senior starter Curtis Kelly were suspended for allegedly receiving some free duds from a local clothing store.

#21 Illinois was dumped by #9 Missouri, 75-64, after the Tigers blew open a close game in the closing minutes. The Fighting Illini are also 9-3. #18 Tennessee is just 7-3 after losing three straight games and #20 Florida is 9-3, all of which raises the question, what do the pollsters have against 11-0 Cincinnati and 10-1 Louisville? Maybe the fact that there are already six Big East teams in the rankings swayed some of the votes to lesser teams.

At the end of the season, watch how many Big East teams get invited to the NCAA tournament. It sill likely be at least eight and maybe as many as 10.