For the first full Saturday of 2023, we’ve created a college basketball schedule featuring everything we love about the sport. There were explosions, thrilling finishes and spectacular upsets as conference play was in full swing across the country.
No. 7 Alabama provided the most eye-catching blowout Crush Kentucky 78-52No. 25 Iowa A thrilling finish with a 69-67 victory in 17th place TCUThere can be little question about a spectacular upset. State of Washington.
Cougars take fifth place Arizona 74-61 on road for the first road win in program history against a top 5 opponent. The win was also the Cougars’ first win against a top-5 team since 1983, and was especially surprising given the WSU’s poor start to the season.
Arizona (14-2, 3-2 Pac-12) shot just 31.7% from the floor, trailing by 18 in the second half and scoring just 2 points off the bench. Mouhamed Gueye led Washington State with 24 points, including 13 in the second half, as the Cougars improved to his 7-10 (2-4).
Such an unexpected result confirmed that few teams are truly dominant in college basketball this season.The top six teams in the AP Top 25 lost four games this week. I was. Because with the advent of the new calendar year, turmoil began to engulf sports.
Let’s dig a little deeper into Saturday’s action by finding out who the winners and losers were from across the country.
winner: U Conn back to the winner’s circle
The Lotta people abandoned the UConn ship and swam thousands of miles in opposite directions after dropping two consecutive games. Xavier after that providence Closing out 2022 and welcoming a new year. Well, those people look pretty dumb now. No. 4 Huskies handled business to trendy competitors clayton 69-60 to end the two-game skid in a not-so-close game. Both teams traded punches in the second half, but UConn took control midway through the final frame and ballooned their lead to 12 before scoring a 9-point home win at home.
After two league losses in a row, UConn needed not just a win, but one against a good team that would help re-energize the mix of regular season races. Limiting the Blue Jays, his third-best 3-point shooting in the Big East, to his terrifying 2-of-16 shooting from his range at 3-points, did just that. It was his third time since Greg McDermott took over his program in 2010-11 that Clayton has made two or fewer three in a conference game as a regular in his season.
“Our identity is elite defense, top five defense,” said UConn coach Dan Hurley. “What makes the team special is when they are very efficient on both ends of the court and on defense.”
Loser: Kentucky flattens out on the road again
Kentucky suffered its second-biggest loss against an SEC foe since John Calipari’s arrival in Lexington on Saturday. This doubled as the Crimson’s biggest win over the Wildcats for his Tide and broke his 25-point record that had been held since 1990.
“It’s something I don’t know if I want to see the tape,” Calipari later said. 3 of the starters we count on to make the basket.The ball.Everyone caught it and bounced first.You have to give [Alabama] credit. “
It was Kentucky’s third road loss of the season after falling in a semi-away environment (not necessarily a neutral court, not a kennel). Gonzaga on November 20th Missouri just before the new year. Combined, Great Britain led by a total of 23 seconds on both of these losses, never leading against both Gonzaga and Alabama.
winner: Michiganyo-yo ride is trending up
It’s still early January and Michigan feels like it’s already experienced a season’s worth of volatility. The Spartans once ranked him as high as 12th, but after two ugly losses, this past month he’s been living outside the polls. Notre Dame When Northwest Since then, the Spartans have won six in a row.A handful of them came up against moderate opposition, but the Spartans won comfortably, playing a solid defense. Michigan On Saturday, the Spartans held the Wolverines to just 34.5% shooting. The win wasn’t a work of art, but Michigan State improved to his 11-4 record (3-1 Big Ten), which might be enough to see his Sparty ranked again on Monday. Hmm.
Winner: Jerome Tan Wins Best Mentor
For 19 years, Jerome Tan helped develop a champion side by side with Scott Drew. actual champion! –Bailor. That changed last offseason when Tan finally spread his wings and landed his first head coaching job at Kansas State.
Score check: 1-0, tan.
K-State entered Waco on Saturday and stunned Baylor 97-95 in OT behind Markquis Nowell’s 32 points and 14 rebounds. His Keyontae Johnson, who moved to Florida, added his 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting and helped the home-bound Bears duel.
“I love Scott,” Tan said after the game.
Losers: TCU’s Home Court Advantage
TCU suffered their second loss of the entire season, dropping to 13-2 as Iowa State marched into Fort Worth and won 69-67. Sparse at best and completely empty.
Of course, TCU fans may be thinking otherwise – the Horned Frogs will play in the College Football Playoffs National Championship on Monday, interrupting their dream season – and yet the 13-1 team (currently 13 wins 2 losses) is uncomfortable to watch. Implementation of this type of home attendance.
Winner: Providence Is Red
Providence improved to 6-0 in Big East play for the first time in show history, but they weren’t without drama. The monks, led at one point, held on desperately to the end with an 83-80 victory. St. John’sThe Flyers were picked 5th in the league, but had an even better start after overdoing it in a similar fashion last season. The Flyers were selected as he finished 7th in the Big East in 2021-22 but ultimately won the league. The veteran of his coach, Ed Cooley, lost five of his top six scorers on that team, but once again proved himself to be a transfer portal magician. Providence had all five starters achieve his double-digit numbers against the Reds in his Storm, who are off to a 1-5 start in league play.
loser: Villanova miss the chance to win quality
Xavier could be counted as a winner of the weekend or in the same category as his Big East opponent Providence, but I would argue that victory is not as important and impactful a picture as Villanova’s defeat. To do. At home he lost 88-80 and in conference play he lost 2-3 and at home he lost a golden opportunity to claim a Quad 1 win on the court. The Wildcats had their ups and downs throughout their first year season under new coach Kyle Neptune. A week into the calendar year is too early to write teams off, but it feels like we’re getting closer and closer to NIT—teams than NCAA Tournament teams. Over the course of the season, they have only won once against a team projected onto the field. Jerry Palm’s latest bracket: Oklahoma, which barely projects onto a field of 68. Nova must come back to life and rack up wins in Big East play.
loser: Wisconsin miss the chance to win the big ten
Illinois Traveling to No. 14 Wisconsin, they got off to a 0-3 start in the Big Ten play and lost key freshman guard Skye Clarke, who left the program for personal reasons. Wisconsin is off to his 3–0 start in the league and had a chance to emerge from the day as the only team in Big His Ten remains undefeated in conference play. The Badgers squandered chances on a hole-riddled defense as the Illini scored his 79–69 win with 49 second half points. Wisconsin came in and the opponent was just 3 points out of his range. He shot only 30.8%, but Illinois crossed the arc and he drilled 10 of 19 shots, giving the Badgers their first league loss. brought
Alabama made the biggest statement of the day at the SEC by annihilating Kentucky. But if they scored an “impressive” victory over lower-ranking South Carolina, eighth-ranked Tennessee found it. Volunteers smashed Gamecocks 85-42 on the road he improved to 3-0 in the SEC. The Volunteers held South Carolina to his mark with his laughable 25% shooting and kept star freshman GG Jackson scoreless. His two of Tennessee’s conference wins were by more than 30 points.
loser: duke need luck at the end
No. 16 Duke wins 65-64 boston college By making only one of his last 14 attempts from the field. The Blue Devils led 52-38 in the second half, but almost gave up the game in the closing stages. Luckily, Duke hit 17 of his 19 free-throw attempts, and the Blues overcame his 15 turnovers and his 29.2% second-half shooting percentage. It helped me to A win is a win, especially on the street.However, shortly after losing 84-60 north carolina On Wednesday, there was nothing particularly exciting about the way Duke was playing.
winner: FAUMore 13 consecutive wins
Florida Atlantic nearly blew a 20-point lead Charlotte, however, the Owls held on for a 71–67 win, extending their winning streak to 13 games. Owl finished his 12th place in his NET. While it’s yet to get the respect from the AP Top 25 voters, there’s no question that something special is brewing in Boca Raton. The winning streak is the longest in show history, and if it continues, the Owls may consider bidding for his second NCAA Tournament in show history.
Loser: Arkansas gets cold on the streets
No. 13 Arkansas are officially ice cold on the road after making just two of their 16 attempts from the three-point range in a 72-59 loss at Auburn. He made just four of his 25 long-range tries to start the league run with the Razorbacks in a road loss at LSU. At 12-3 (1-2 seconds), the Razorbacks will face off at home against No. 7 Alabama. In the friendly area of the Bud Walton Arena, you’ll need a much better shot to battle the red-hot Crimson his Tide.
Winner: Clemson is ACC’s last undefeated player
Clemson had their best ever start in the ACC by winning 75-74 against a pitted team that went 4-0 in the conference game and improving to 5-0 in league play. The Tigers trailed 67-59 with 5:30 remaining, but used a 13-2 run from there to dominate the road. Four players have reached his double figures, led by Chase Hunter’s 17. This junior guard set the pace for the Tigers, the last undefeated team in the ACC, as he tallied 13 in the second half. A road game at Duke is scheduled for next Wednesday, but the Tigers are suddenly looking formidable after his 1-3 start to the season.
