Purdue/Arizona and UNC/Kentucky highlighted the action on Saturday, complemented by many other great games. While the matchups earlier in the week may have been subpar, the Saturday slate was one for the ages. So many close games and high-profile matchups made for a great day of basketball.
No. 3 Purdue’s guard play leads Boilermakers to victory over No. 1 Arizona
It’s not often you get to see a top-three matchup, much less in the non-conference, so this one was about as highly anticipated as one game could get. The game itself certainly proved why, as it was a great game from start to finish, including some great performances. On the winning side, guards Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith really shined. They had 27 and 26 points, respectively, and maintained control of the game for the Boilermakers. Zach Edey was his normal, stellar self, with 22 points and nine rebounds to his name.
This was the first time this season that this big tree all clicked and all had phenomenal games, resulting in this big win. If it happens more often, the rest of the Big Ten and the entire country should watch out. While Purdue did have an all-around great game, the same could be argued for Arizona as well. The Wildcats did not play poorly by any means and got great performances out of key players. Caleb Love had a game-high 29 points and looked lethal from any spot on the court, making four 3s. Keshad Johnson also had 24 points in a very solid showing. Both these guys gave it their all, but Purdue was just too much to handle. This gave the Wildcats their first loss on the season, though a very respectable one 92-84.
No. 14 Kentucky wins a thriller over No. 9 North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic
During and after the great game that was Purdue/Arizona, Kentucky was battling it out against UNC in Atlanta. This one was a part of the CBS Sports Classic and, just like previous Classic games, this one was about as exciting as you can get. It was close throughout, with Kentucky maintaining some control during the game, but UNC stormed back in the second half making it a very close game. Kentucky made several clutch free throws which, aided by a late UNC turnover, led to the Wildcats victory.
In the losing effort, R.J. Davis put together another sensational performance, scoring 27 points. This is his sixth straight game scoring more than 25, showing why he belongs in the National Player of the Year conversation. Kentucky’s mode of offense was more by committee, as four different players scored in double figures: Rob Dillingham, D.J. Wagner, Aaron Bradshaw and Reed Sheppard all having over 10 points. This all led to a slim Kentucky victory, but one that boosts its resume significantly with the final score of 87-83.
Michigan State throttles No. 6 Baylor in Detroit, gives the Bears their first loss
Coming into the game Baylor was the undefeated, top-10 team, and Michigan State was the one with five losses, but those teams played like opposites on Saturday, as MSU absolutely destroyed Baylor in Detroit. The Spartans had the game locked up basically in the first 10 minutes of the game, but the first half score of 45-17 really paints the picture of what happened during the first period. In the second half. MSU took its foot off the gas, but still finished with the blowout win.
Tyson Walker was the star for Michigan State, scoring 25 points and taking charge of the previously struggling Spartans. A.J. Hoggard and Tre Holloman also had good games, complimenting Walker very well. RayJ Dennis had the best performance for the Bears, scoring 11 points and tallying seven assists, though most of it coming after the game had already gotten out of hand. This gave Baylor its first loss of the season, while MSU got its first quality win of the year. Because of that, it will be interesting to see where these teams go after this lopsided result, one that favored the Spartans 88-64.
Indiana blows a double-digit lead to No. 2 Kansas, the Jayhawks avoid the upset on the road
In front of a raucous and packed Assembly Hall, Indiana jumped out to a big lead over the favored Kansas Jayhawks, making the crowd even louder and more excited than they already were. This wouldn’t last, though, as KU stormed back late in the second half and stole away a win from the Hoosiers.
These two premier programs put on quite the game, with great performances on both sides. For Indiana, Trey Galloway had a career game, scoring 28 points on 12-for-17 shooting. He truly was the star of the show, not getting too much help from his teammates, with Kel’el Ware having a poor offensive game and Mackenzie Mgbako being sidelined with foul trouble. Kansas was led by its big two of sorts, with Kevin McCullar Jr. scoring 21 and Hunter Dickinson having 17. McCullar’s key free throws down the stretch were the deciding factor in this one, although IU’s key mistakes in the second half certainly did not help its cause. Because of this their amazing first half was spoiled, as they fell short to the more talented Jayhawks 75-71.
No. 5 UConn plays a great offensive game, beats No. 10 Gonzaga handily in Seattle
Late Friday night, UConn put on a show against Gonzaga in Seattle, using a lights-out first half to power itself to victory. The Huskies made several 3s in the first, allowing them to take control early and be in the driver’s seat for the second half. Donovan Clingan had the best performance for UConn, scoring 21 and 8-for-11 from the field. Cam Spencer and Alex Karaban also had good games, getting key buckets that allowed the Huskies to maintain control of the game throughout.
For Gonzaga, Anton Watson had a great showing, putting up 20 points, the most for any Bulldog that day. Ryan Nembhard also had a solid game with 15 points of his own, but it just wasn’t enough to get the Zags the win. This gives Gonzaga three losses on the year going into the end of non-con play, while UConn just has its lone loss to Kansas. These are both solid groups, but the Huskies got the best of this one with the final 76-63.
No. 8 Creighton goes down to UNLV, No. 25 Northwestern is stunned by Chicago State
Two upsets occurred Wednesday night, both of the unexpected variety, First, Chicago State shocked Northwestern in its home arena. Chicago State has been the consensus worst team in Division I for the last several years and came into this one with a 3-9 record, but that did not faze the Cougars. They played with poise down the stretch and made several key buckets to win the game in comeback fashion. Wesley Cardet Jr. scored 30 points for CSU, a game and career high for him. This led to Northwestern, just several days after beating No. 1 Purdue, losing to the lowly Chicago State 75-73.
Later on, Creighton got upset at the hands of UNLV. This one was not particularly close, either as the Bluejays suffered their second big loss to a Mountain West team, the other being Colorado State. The Rebels played a great game from start to finish, with Kalib Boone scoring 25 points to lead them to victory. This is just Creighton’s second loss, both to the Mountain West teams mentioned here, but these are not losses a high-major team wants to have. This one was never really close, going final at 79-64 and showing just how unpredictable college basketball can be.
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