In a week that was supposed to be highlighted by major ACC/SEC Challenge matchups, upsets were the focal point as many top programs were knocked off over the weekend. It’s these types of upsets that make college basketball so great, which is why this may have been the best week of basketball so far this season.
No. 7 Duke, No. 12 Kentucky and No. 18 Villanova all get upset during a wild Saturday
On a Saturday that most people assumed would be dominated by the college football conference championship games, basketball arguably had the more exciting day. While the football games did impress, no one expected three of the nation’s top programs to all go down to heavy underdogs.
First, Duke fell in its ACC opener to Georgia Tech, a team picked to finish towards the bottom of the conference. Naye Ndongo led the Yellow Jackets, scoring 21 in what ended up being a 72-68 win for GT. This gave Duke its third loss on the season, each of which it was projected to win.
Later on in the day, Villanova took a loss to Drexel, a three-loss squad from the CAA. The Dragons won this one with stifling defense, allowing the Wildcats to score just 55 points and securing the win for Drexel 57-55. This was Villanova’s third straight loss in the Big Five Classic, the annual tournament where all the Philadelphia area schools play each other in non-conference play, where all of Villanova’s losses have been to double-digit underdogs.
To round out the day of upsets, Kentucky was stunned by UNC Wilmington. Coming off a top-10 win over Miami, almost no one expected a Kentucky loss to the two-loss Seahawks, but with Trazarien White scoring 27, UNCW shocked the Wildcats, who lost their second game of the season, 80-73.
No. 15 Creighton, Wisconsin prevail in their respective Big East/Big Ten rivalry games
While not seen as top-tier rivalries, Marquette-Wisconsin and Creighton-Nebraska are some of the most heated in-state matchups in basketball. Both of these games were played over the weekend, starting with MU and UW on Saturday. No. 3 Marquette, coming off an impressive run to the Maui Invitational finals, was looking like one of the best teams in the country, but going into Madison was no easy task.
The Badgers got off to a fast start, leading the game by 10 early on in the first half. The Golden Eagles mounted a comeback in the second half, but the Badgers hung tough and pulled away late to win the game. Max Klesmit led Wisconsin with 21 points, with Steven Crowl following him up with 16. These two performances, along with all the other Badgers, propelled them to the upset victory 75-64, this loss giving Marquette its second on the season.
The second of these midwestern rivalries occurred on Sunday, when Creighton made the trip out to Lincoln to face unbeaten Nebraska. While the Huskers may have thought they could pull off the upsets, the Blue Jays played great from the tip to the buzzer, including an outstanding performance from Baylor Scheierman, who scored 24 points. Creighton, who was previously upset by Colorado State, avoided this one in rout fashion, beating previously unbeaten Nebraska 89-60.
Boo Buie shines, Northwestern knocks off previously unbeaten No. 1 Purdue
In a season already filled with upsets, Purdue had looked like one of the few teams that was too strong to get knocked out. Although that seemed true, it ended up being far from it as the Boilermakers went down on the road vs. Northwestern. Boo Buie highlighted the Wildcats’ scoring, tallying 31 points, including several critical buckets down the stretch. Zach Edey also had a phenomenal game, scoring 35 points, two of which beat the buzzer to send the game to overtime.
In overtime, though, Northwestern was the better team, using great defense to deny Edey from taking over the extra period. All this ended with Northwestern getting the win 92-88 and defeating No. 1 Purdue for the second year in a row —both wins resulting in a court storm at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston.
No. 5 Kansas defeats No. 4 UConn in a highly anticipated showdown from Allen Fieldhouse
It’s not too often you get to see two blue-blood, top-five teams battle it out on someone’s home floor, but thanks to the Big 12/Big East Battle, that's exactly what happened on Friday night. This highly anticipated matchup lived up to the hype, as it was a nailbiter all the way until the final buzzer, a buzzer that marked Kansas home victory.
The home fans might have been the deciding factor, but as for players on the floor, Tristen Newton and Kevin McCullar Jr. were the stars. Newton scored 31 in the losing effort, while McCullar Jr. had 21 points and was complemented by K.J. Adams Jr. who had 18. This game almost had it all. From the incredible crowd to the great performances, to the tight finish, it was a Final Four-caliber game in December, which is certainly something to be grateful for. Someone had to lose, though, and that someone ended up being UConn, with Kansas getting the victory 69-65.
No. 17 UNC wins, but No. 7 Duke loses in two exciting ACC/SEC Challenge battles
Both in-state rivals UNC and Duke were a part of the ACC/SEC Challenge action on Wednesday night. First, the Tar Heels hosted No. 10 Tennessee in front of a raucous crowd at the Dean Smith Center. R.J. Davis led the scoring for North Carolina, putting up 27 points. Davis wasn’t even the star of the game, as that title belongs to Dalton Knecht. He tallied 37 points on 13-for-17 shooting in yet another great performance on this young season.
Similar to Tennessee’s final two games in Maui, Knecht’s efforts were not enough as UNC prevailed 100-92. After that outburst of offense, Duke battled Arkansas on the Razorbacks’ home floor. This sold-out crowd was intense, rattling the Blue Devils and leading to an Arkansas victory. The Hogs got out to a big lead in the second half, but Duke battled back and made it a game with just a few minutes to go. Khalif Battle provided the deciding offense, scoring 21 points, along with five rebounds and assists. Kyle Filipowski also had a standout performance, but it was not enough as the Razorbacks got the win on their home floor 80-75.
No. 12 Kentucky pulls away and wins big over 2023 Final Four participant No. 8 Miami
The first big matchup of the week featured two of the top teams, Kentucky and Miami, facing off at Rupp Arena. This one was tabbed to be great from start to finish, and it looked like it would be that way until Kentucky pulled away to win big in the end. Reed Sheppard made five 3s, leading to his game-high 21 points for the Wildcats.
Wooga Poplar and Norchad Omier also scored over 20 points, although on Miami’s losing side. These two kept it close during the first half, in what seemed like could be a great finish. Down the stretch in the second half though, UK dominated both sides of the ball, resulting in a dominant victory for the ‘Cats 95-73.
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