It’s that time of year. College Football is over and the NFL season is coming to a close. Sports fans across the country are starting to shift their attention to College Basketball. Today, I’m going to update you on some recent action.
Up 17 points early, a dominant Auburn team continued their win streak after escaping Georgia with a win at the buzzer against a streaky Georgia Bulldogs team. Tahaad Pettiford led the Tigers off the bench with a 24-piece and led the Auburn Tigers in the absence of Wooden Award contender, Johni Broome. The Tigers will look to run the table in the SEC, a feat considered nearly impossible in one of the strongest and deepest conferences in history. Georgia will fall out of the Top 25 after 2 losses to quality opponents, but they still remain in position to contend for a tournament bid.
The Mountaineer fans stormed the court in Morgantown to the tune of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” on a day the school celebrated the life of NBA great Jerry West. Jayvon Young, the leading scorer in the Big 12, willed West Virginia with 27 of their 64 points in a massive upset over the Iowa State Cyclones. The Mountaineer’s physical intensity stifled the dynamic Iowa State offensive efforts, holding them to just one three-pointer and 14 turnovers. West Virginia enters the AP poll and sets itself up nicely for a lighter back stretch of the season. Iowa State remains in very good contention for a 1 seed as they fall to third in the nation.
In another SEC battle, neither Alabama nor Kentucky intended to slow down or even play defense as the two combined for nearly 200 points in an offensive shootout. Tournament legends Mark Sears and Grant Nelson tallied 49 combined points as Alabama pulled away late in Lexington. Alabama will look to ride their offensive firepower to a 1 seed and a win next week against a hot Vanderbilt team. Kentucky has to answer serious questions about their ability to win when they are not knocking down three-pointers as they suffer their fourth loss this season.
The Tennessee Volunteers suffered a loss at the hands of the Vanderbilt Commodores, who achieved one of their biggest wins in years. Jason Edwards led the way for the Commodores, scoring 18 points while the Volunteers were led by Chaz Lanier with 17 points, needing just one more at the line late to send the game to Overtime. This loss is consequential for Tennessee, which will drop in the rankings and needs an answer. It is now 1-2 on the road in SEC play. Vanderbilt, currently on the bubble, may rely on this win late in the season to get into the NCAA tournament.
The Xavier Musketeers scored a massive victory over the talented Marquette Golden Eagles, 59-57. Xavier was led by Zach Freemantle, who dropped 14 points and 10 rebounds to defeat Marquette. Marquette went down by 19 points and never led throughout the game, obviously suffering from limited production by star Kam Jones, who scored just 10 points. Despite the loss, Marquette is still in prime position to win the Big East, especially considering UConn’s woes. Xavier will look to turn this win into some positive momentum, having struggled all year.
Ole Miss battled Mississippi State in Starkville, the overtime thriller was one of the games of the year so far. Ole Miss battled back from down 73-69 in the final minute and tied the game at 74-74 on Matthew Murrell‘s 3-pointer with nine seconds left. Mississippi State star Riley Kugel, who led all scorers with 21 off the bench, missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer and the game went to overtime. Ole Miss suffered their first conference loss, but remain a top contender for a good seed in the NCAA tournament. Meanwhile, Mississippi State continued their up and down campaign with a big ranked win.
