A weekend that was expected to be one of the best of the men's basketball season certainly lived up to the hype. Four top-10 matchups made last weekend one to remember.
No. 2 Purdue beats No. 6 Wisconsin in a Big Ten showdown
This was the only one of the weekend's top-10 matchups that took place on Sunday and it was a good one to have last. Purdue controlled most of the game but Wisconsin kept it close throughout.
Whenever Wisconsin seemed to come back, the Boilermakers hit a big shot to silence the rowdy Badgers crowd. This is what may set Purdue apart from its team last year.
The Boilermakers won 75-69 for their seventh straight victory. Zach Edey had 18 points and 13 rebounds for a very solid game. Lance Jones and Braden Smith supported him with 20 and 19 points, respectively.
For the Badgers, Tyler Wahl was great with 20 points.
No. 3 North Carolina overpowers No. 7 Duke
North Carolina won in front of its amazing home crowd, 93-84. While Duke played a solid game, the Tar Heels were simply better.
Harrison Ingram and Armando Bacot led the way, scoring 21 and 25 points, respectively. Ingram hit a career-high five threes, sending the crowd into a frenzy with each one. Bacot dominated down low, giving the Tar Heels the upper hand throughout the game.
For Duke, Jared McCain led the way with 23 points. Kyle Filipowski was just behind him with 22 points.
No. 8 Kansas plays a near-perfect game to defeat No. 4 Houston easily
The Jayhawk faithful were truly rocking, proving again that Allen Fieldhouse is one of the toughest places to play in the entire country.
The Jayhawks played a phenomenal game from the get-go. They used a dominant first half to propel them to victory, 78-65. Hunter Dickinson led Kansas with 20 points. Kevin McCullar and Johnny Furphy each scored 17 points.
Houston, which is known for its usually incredible defense, couldn't sustain anything defensively. Kansas got its way for the vast majority of the game. Kansas was dominant from start to finish and it looked like the best team in the Big 12 while doing so.
No. 5 Tennessee defeats No. 10 Kentucky in a high-scoring affair on the road
This game was close with Tennessee having a slight lead for the majority of the action. Tenensee eventually pulled away and won 103-92.
It was Kentucky's second straight loss. Both losses were at home in games in which the Wildcats were favored.
Zakai Ziegler and Josiah-Jordan James were great for the Volunteers. They both scored 26 points in a winning effort. Dalton Knecht didn't score as many points as normal, but Tennesee was still incredible offensively, showing how deep it is on that end of the floor.
Kentucky lost despite Rob Dillingham’s 35 points off the bench.
Cincinnati, No. 18 Baylor win close Big 12 games
Cincinnati picked up a much-needed win on the road against Texas Tech, 75-72.
Simas Lukosius hit the game-winning jumper and led the scoring for the Bearcats with 16 points. He hit four threes.
Texas Tech's Pop Isaacs scored a game-high 22 points.
Baylor had control for most of the game against Iowa State but the Cyclones stormed back late. The Bears hung on to win 70-68. Iowa State had a buzzer-beating three that was fractions of a second too late, nullifying the potential game-winner and giving Baylor the victory.
No. 23 Oklahoma, No. 17 Utah State fall
Oklahoma lost in surprising fashion to UCF, 74-63. UCF dominated this game for most of the contest, limiting the Sooners offensively. Jaylin Sellers was the star for the Knights, scoring 20 points, 13 of which came from the free throw line.
UCF neutralized Oklahoma star Javian McCollum.
San Diego State was the better team against Utah State on Saturday, winning 81-67. Jaedon LeDee scored 16 points for the Aztecs. Great Osobor was the scoring leader for the Aggies once again, scoring a game-high 17 points.
Indiana State, Saint Mary’s win against rivals
Indiana State and Drake met in a battle of the two best Missouri Valley Conference teams. Indiana State's home court was rocking and it was a sensational game. The Sycamores won 75-67.
They made more plays and they now sit comfortably alone atop the MVC. Robbie Avila was the key player for Indiana State, as he scored 20 points.
Indiana State is setting itself up to potentially be in the NCAA tournament even if it fails to win the conference tournament.
On the West Coast, Saint Mary’s beat rival Gonzaga 64-62. Aidan Mahaney led all scorers with 20 points, including four threes to lead his Gaels to victory.
For the Zags, Ryan Nembhard scored 18 points and Graham Ike had 16, but their offense was mostly dormant besides that. A controversial call at the end of the game led to a Gaels three and it resulted in Gonzaga students throwing trash onto the floor.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few had to get on the P.A. system to tell the fans to stop. Soon after that, the game ended in favor of Saint Mary's. This win was huge for its NCAA tournament hopes as the Gaels may not have to rely on the WCC tournament to get in, Meanwhile, the Zags may be desperate to get wins over Kentucky and Saint Mary’s to potentially get in the tournament without an automatic bid.
Elms' Essentials: Week 12
