College basketball is known for being where the unexpected is expected, and Saturday was no different. Nine different ranked teams lost, but six were of the upset variety. No. 7 Marquette, No. 12 BYU, No. 13 Colorado State, No. 17 FAU, No. 19 James Madison and No. 20 Texas went down on Saturday, some with more shocking losses than others. While the start to the week was a bit slow, it heated up in the end as we had a top-10 matchup on Friday, followed by a great Saturday of basketball. In total, nine ranked teams took a loss on Saturday, the most of any day so far this season. Some were upset, while others may have expected the loss, but nonetheless seeing this many top teams go down is always entertaining.
Ranked mid-majors No. 17 FAU, No. 19 James Madison lose in shocking conference upsets
The more surprising results came from FAU and James Madison, both mid-major programs who were seemingly firmly in the top 25, but after these losses maybe not so much. It was James Madison’s first loss of the year, ending their hopes of a perfect season. While their hopes of an at-large bid are not completely dashed, this loss certainly puts a blemish on their resume, as a defeat to seven-loss Southern Miss will not be kind to them. FAU’s loss was to another team who has seven defeats, Charlotte. FAU was almost dominated in the first half, a period where the Owls did not look like a top-25 team. Overall, this loss does hurt their resume, but with their strength on non-conference schedule they should still be in position to get a solid seed.
No. 12 BYU, No. 13 Colorado State lose to up and coming conference foes
BYU and Colorado State also suffered losses, although not as bad. The Cougars lost at the hands of Cincinnati, a new Big 12 opponent who has been looking very solid to start out this season. This was not a terrible loss by any means, but at home it’s not something many expected to see out of a top-15 team. BYU still has a good resume, but with this loss they may have more competition in the Big 12 than previously thought. Colorado State lost to another solid team, Utah State, this defeat being on the road. Like BYU’s loss, this one is not too detrimental as it’s to a good squad in Utah State. The Aggies are looking like a fringe top-25 team at this point and could make a tournament run. These losses by ranked, western schools may have been a surprise, but they weren’t all that embarrassing.
No. 7 Marquette, No. 20 Texas lose to sneaky underdogs in high-major conference matchups
Lastly, Marquette and Texas lost in upsets that some may not even consider as shocking. The Golden Eagles took the loss to Seton Hall on the road. The Pirates have looked very good as of late, with three ranked wins in Big East play so far. Because of this, Marquette’s defeat shouldn’t be looked at poorly. Winning on the road is always tough, especially in conference play, but because Marquette is the more talented team it’s considered an upset. Texas, on the other hand, lost at home, but to a very good Texas Tech team. The Longhorns looked almost awful and not like the team many say they are. This loss isn’t bad for the resume, but their performance certainly is. Going forward both these teams shouldn’t be terribly impacted by these losses, but if it becomes a pattern that's when trouble could come their way.
No. 2 Kansas just barely survives at home against TCU
Going into this one I’m sure very few people thought TCU could contend with Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse, but the Horned Frogs came to play. From start to finish the Frogs were looking like the better team, but a controversial call gave Kansas the lead with just seconds remaining. TCU couldn’t make the final shot, as they lost 83-81. Hunter Dickinson was the clear best player on the floor, with 30 points and 11 rebounds, but TCU had a couple stars of their own. Trenian Tennyson and Emmanuel Miller had 24 and 20 points, respectively, and looked like an outstanding duo. These two made the buckets when it counted, but the flagrant called late in the game ended up being a four point swing in favor of the Jayhawks. This put the nail in the coffin for TCU and gave Kansas the controversial victory.
No. 5 Tennessee hands No. 22 Ole Miss its first loss of the season
Ole Miss hadn’t been tested up until Saturday, but talking into Tennessee to face the Volunteers would certainly be a daunting first challenge. And daunting it was as the Rebels lost in blowout fashion, 90-64, showing why they were only the 22nd ranked team as an unbeaten. Tennessee, on the other hand, was a three-loss team coming into the game, but ranked significantly higher at No. 5, and for good reason. Jonas Aidoo led the scoring with 24 and also collected 11 rebounds for the Vols. As for the other side, Jaemyn Brakefield had 22 for the Rebels, but it wasn’t enough in the end. Tennessee took this one handily, showing that win/loss record accounts only for so much, and being tested early, even with losses, can pay off in the end.
No. 1 Purdue hangs on to defeat No. 9 Illinois in their top-10 showdown
In what was possibly the matchup of the week, Illinois traveled up to Purdue to take on the 1st-ranked Boilermakers. This one ended up being a very interesting result. Purdue’s Player of the Year Zach Edey only scored 10 points, yet the Boilermakers won 83-78. Trey Kaufman-Renn picked up the slack as he scored 23, a new career high for the sophomore. Marcus Domask was similarly good, but in the losing effort for the Illini, scoring 26 points. This game may have shown just how good Purdue is, not only because they beat a top-10 team, but because of how their role players stepped up. Their stars Edey, Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith did not have great games like they usually do, so winning despite that is all the more impressive. Purdue will continue to be the No. 1 team because of this, allowing more Big Ten teams to chase that illustrious win over the top team.
No. 16 Clemson suffers two losses: first to Miami, then to No. 8 UNC
On Wednesday, Clemson kicked off its big week with a game on the road at Miami. The Hurricanes took this one fairly easily, 95-82, showing that they may be severely underrated. Nijel Pack led the scoring with 26, with Norchad Omier and Matthew Cleveland both scoring 23. Having three players score over 20 is certainly impressive, but against a ranked team is even more promising. Clemson did not struggle to score, with Joseph Girard’s 18 and two others in double figures, but the Tigers couldn’t stop Miami’s shot making, leading to the Miami victory.
Next, Clemson hosted North Carolina, the team that has looked like the best squad in the ACC. They continued this trend, beating the Tigers 65-55. No Tar Heel was exceptional, but Armando Bacot led the offense, scoring 14 points. The UNC defense stopped Clemson on all fronts, holding them to their season low in points. Chase Hunter did manage 17 points as a high for Clemson, but with only two points being scored by the bench, it was hard for Clemson to keep up. These two losses were both to good teams, but getting two in a row always hurts teams. It’ll be interesting to see where Clemson goes from here with two early conference defeats.
Elms' Essentials: Week 12
