College Basketball Saturday: Winners and Losers
It was another wild Saturday in the world of college basketball right before Christmas break. Here are the winners and losers from all of the action:
WINNERS
KENTUCKY’S HEALTH — There were a lot of things to be excited about from Saturday if you are a Kentucky fan. Otega Oweh scored 20 points and was aggressive getting downhill. Kam Williams made a couple of threes during a game-changing 16-2 run. There was a level of effort that permeated through the entire roster.
But more than anything else, the single most important thing that came from Saturday’s win is the health of Kentucky’s two most indispensible players. Jayden Quaintance is back. He played 17 minutes in his first game action of the season, finished with 10 points, eight boards and two blocks, including a pair of offensive rebounds that led to dunks was Kentucky pulled away in the second half. Jaland Lowe, on the other hand, had his Willis Reed moment, returning after injuring his shoulder seven seconds into his first time on the court. Lowe had 13 points and three assists in the second half, sparking an offensive surge that flipped the game on its head.
Is Kentucky back now?
TEXAS TECH’S RESUME — The Red Raiders were a preseason top-10 team and expect to be competing for a protected seed in the NCAA Tournament. Before Saturday, Texas Tech’s resume was very lackluster, dropping marquee games to Illinois, Purdue and Arkansas. Grant McCasland’s group finally has a big win, defeating Duke 82-81 in Madison Square Garden despite a depleted frontcourt to injury, losing two players to foul outs and having JT Toppin in foul trouble all game long. This was a MASSIVE win, and Christian Anderson (27 points, 3 steals) completely took over. The Red Raiders were down 17 points, but Anderson’s 23 points in the second half pushed Tech over the top.
NORTH CAROLINA’S FRONTCOURT— Henri Veesaar had the game-winning dunk, and Caleb Wilson followed with the game-sealing block to defeat Ohio State, 71-70, in the second game of the CBS Sports Classic. Veesaar and Wilson combined for 37 points and 25 rebounds, once again leading the 11-1 Tar Heels to victory. North Carolina’s frontcourt duo continues to prove its one of, if not THE best pairing in college hoops. Seth Trimble’s return to the lineup was also a positive for Hubert Davis‘ group, and the senior scored 17 points with three triples. The Tar Heels are off to its best start since 2008-09, a year in which Tyler Hansbrough led them to a national title.
HOUSTON’S BACKCOURT — There may not be a player in America who can stay in front of freshman guard Kingston Flemings. His ability to get downhill with ease not only creates opportunities for himself at the rim, but for Houston’s shooters on the perimeter. Emanuel Sharp might just be the biggest beneficiary to Flemings’ emergence alongside Milos Uzan. He’s never had more open shots in his life, and on Saturday he finished with 22 points and three triples to lead the Cougs. Flemings followed with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists to defeat Arkansas, 94-85 in Newark. The Razorbacks’ freshman point guard Darius Acuff (27 points, 7 assists) looked the part of a top draft pick as well despite the loss.
BRADEN SMITH’S DISTRIBUTING — It was the 30th time in Smith’s career with 10+ assists, and his season-high 14 in Purdue’s 88-60 rout over Auburn was one more assist than Auburn’s entire team. Since the embarrassing loss to Iowa State at home on Dec. 6, the Boilermakers (11-1) have defeated three-straight power five opponents by an average of 25.3 points. This team still has everything it needs to win a title.
BUTLER FORWARD MICHAEL AJAYI — Sometime’s a little change of scenery is all you need as a player, and Ajayi’s transfer from Gonzaga to Butler has payed off not just for him, but for Indiana’s Bulldogs. The senior dropped 19 points and 20 rebounds on Saturday, including a crucial layup late in the game, to beat Northwestern 61-58 and continue Butler’s impressive 9-3 start to the season. He’s averaging a double-double and has one in all but three games.
RUTGERS — The Scarlet Knights hold serve at home and beat Penn thanks to this ridiculous shot from Tariq Francis.
LOSERS
THE ST. JOHN’S PG SITUATION — Rick Pitino admitted so postgame: the Johnnies don’t have an elite point guard and will have to find a way to win games without one. Pitino said St. John’s missed out on several of its top targets this past offseason, and he expected Dylan Darling to be the backup. He’s now relying on Darling in a big role and Ian Jackson, more of an off-guard, to get it done. It hasn’t quite worked out for St. John’s at 7-4 with its best win being Baylor.
COLORADO STATE — The Rams had a chance to justify what was a promising start to their season by kicking off conference play with a trip up to Logan to take on Utah State. The only way it could have gone worse would have been if the Rams collective got diarrhea mid-game. Colorado State lost 100-58. They were down 12-0 at the first TV timeout. They were down 37-11. They were down by as many as 45 points in the second half. And to add injury to insult, Colorado State’s leading scorer and star big man, Kyle Jorgensen, had to be carried off the floor after hurting his leg. It was a catastrophe.
SANTA CLARA — Not too long ago, Santa Clara was 8-1 and a top-50 team on Kenpom. Since then, the Broncos have lost three of four games, including Saturday’s 80-78 loss to Loyola Chicago (4-9), dropping Santa Clara down over 30 spots to the 80s.
MEMPHIS — The Tigers (4-7) now have two separate three plus game losing streaks to start the season. Mississippi State guards Jayden Epps and Josh Hubbard combined for 36 points to beat Memphis at home. Penny Hardaway will need his team to have a good week at the American conference tournament to make the Big Dance.
AUBURN — Point guard Tahaad Pettiford limped off the court with an apparent ankle injury in Auburn’s loss to Purdue. He left at the 11:10-mark second half and did not return. Steven Pearl did not have an update on his status postgame, saying he hadn’t talked to the trainer yet. Auburn will certainly need its leader healthy with SEC play on the horizon.
ED COOLEY — In the closing moments of Georgetown’s 80-77 loss to Xavier at home, head coach Ed Cooley threw a water bottle into the crowd in frustration, and it ended up hitting a kid. Not a good look at all.
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