This weekend’s men's basketball slate had significant NCAA tournament implications. Here's what you need to know.
No. 4 Kansas outlasts No. 13 Baylor in a high-profile Big 12 battle
In the game of the weekend, Baylor traveled to Allen Fieldhouse, where Kansas was undefeated before the game. The Jayhawks kept their streak alive, beating Baylor 64-61.
It was a defensive game but Kansas’s balanced offensive attack got it done, even without star guard Kevin McCullar Jr.
Hunter Dickinson was the team's leading scorer with 15 points.
Baylor forward Yves Missi had a game-high 21 points. However, Baylor couldn’t overcome Kansas's crowd. Kansas is one win ahead of Baylor in the Big 12 standings.
Gonzaga upsets No. 17 Kentucky in Rupp Arena for Wildcats' third straight home loss
After losing to Gonzaga on Saturday, Kentucky has now done something it had never done previously in its history: lose three straight games at Rupp Arena. The Wildcats lost their third in a row at home with an 89-85 loss to Gonzaga in a rare, high-profile non-conference game in the middle of February.
Gonzaga's Graham Ike was the top scorer with 23 points. Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard also had a good game with 21 points but Kentucky’s defense just couldn’t keep up with the Zags’ offense.
This game's result is very impactful for both teams. It was Gonzaga's first big win of the season, boosting its NCAA tournament resume that was rather weak before Saturday. Kentucky's recent defeats put its once-promising projected NCAA tournament seed line in question.
No. 10 Illinois loses close in lively Michigan State environment
Two of the Big Ten's top teams lost on the road on Saturday, including Michigan State beating Illinois 88-80.
The Illini were projected to lose this game according to some predictive metrics.
Michigan State starters A.J. Hoggard, Malik Hall and Tyson Walker each scored over 19 points in what was their best combined performance of the season.
This win will do wonders for the Spartans’ NCAA tournament resume. They look like a team that is poised to improve its standing off of the NCAA tournament bubble and solidly in the projected field.
Illinois's loss hurts its chances to win the Big Ten regular-season title.
Rutgers dominates No. 11 Wisconsin in fourth straight loss
Rutgers handed Wisconsin a lopsided defeat, 78-56. This game was in the Scarlet Knights’ favor for most of the game, but it got really out of hand in the second half, when the Badgers looked completely lost.
Rutgers's defense was the most pivotal factor, holding Wisconsin's offense to very little production while forcing 12 Badgers turnovers.
Jeremiah Williams scored a game-high 18 points for Rutgers.
It was the fourth loss in a row for the Badgers.
Texas A&M upsets No. 6 Tennessee
The Aggies controlled the vast majority of their game against the Volunteers. Tyrece Radford had an incredible performance, scoring 27 points. Teammate Wade Taylor IV had 25 points. Both these stars outplayed the Vols' big-time scorer, Dalton Knecht, who had 22 points, but who was overshadowed by A&M’s great scoring attack.
This win keeps the Aggies firmly in the projected field for the NCAA tournament and it keeps them in the top half of the SEC standings. Tennessee's loss seriously hurts its chances of winning the SEC regular-season title.
Florida crushes No. 12 Auburn
Florida dominated Auburn 81-65 after the Tigers were playing like one of the best teams in the SEC.
Florida's Riley Kugel and Walter Clayton Jr. both had great performances. Kugel came off the bench to score 22 points for the Gators. Auburn’s Johni Broome had a solid game offensively with 14 points, but the rest of the Tigers were mostly nonexistent offensively.
Auburn fell from a tie for first place in the SEC standings, while Florida moved closer to the top of the standings. It was Florida's second Quadrant 1 win, giving the Gators' resume a boost in their efforts to make the NCAA tournament.
No. 5 Houston, No. 14 Iowa State and No. 21 BYU all get wins
The Big 12 provides great games every week. Three of its ranked teams – Houston, Iowa State and BYU – each avoided upsets over the weekend.
Houston won close at Cincinnati in a game that was back-and-forth throughout. Houston won 78-73. J’Wan Roberts led the scoring for the Cougars with 20 points while Jamal Shead scored 16.
A win would have been huge for Cincinnati’s NCAA tournament hopes, but instead, Houston keeps its lead atop the Big 12 standings.
Iowa State beat TCU at home in fairly dominant fashion, 71-59. Tre King and Keshon Gilbert were the major factors for the Cyclones, scoring 15 and 13 points, respectively. The ISU defense was also top-notch against the Horned Frogs, limiting their offense throughout the game.
Lastly, BYU got a home win over Kansas State in a fairly close one, 72-66. The Cougars were very balanced offensively with five different players scoring in double figures. The leader was Fousseyni Traore, who came off the bench and scored 14 points.
No. 8 Arizona, No. 22 Utah State, UNLV get good wins
On Saturday night, Arizona, Utah State, and UNLV all won games against good teams, with UNLV getting an upset in a hostile road environment.
Arizona beat Colorado 99-79 on the road. Caleb Love and Pelle Larsson both played great, scoring 19 and 18 points for the Wildcats, respectively. The win solidified their Pac-12 lead and kept them in the race for a No. 1 seed.
In the Mountain West, Utah State got the better of another projected NCAA tournament team, Boise State, by a score of 80-61. Mason Falslev had a game-high 25 points. This win kept the Aggies atop the Mountain West standings.
Lastly, UNLV got a huge upset victory when it beat a ranked New Mexico squad on the road 80-77. This was a very unexpected result as it’s only the second time the Lobos have lost all season.
For UNLV, Dedan Thomas Jr. led the scoring with 25 points, while New Mexico had two players score 20 points each.
Elms' Essentials: Week 12
