#6 Tennessee: 51 @ #1 Auburn: 53
The Auburn Tigers continued their dominant campaign on Saturday as they fought for a decisive victory over the Zakai Zeigler-led Tennessee Volunteers. The game started with a defensive struggle in the first half, but Bruce Pearl willed the Tigers to a hard-fought win. Johni Broome overcame injury to lead the Tigers with 16 points, 14 boards, and four blocks. Miles Kelly drained one of Auburn’s few three-pointers late to seal the victory. Chaz Lainer and Igor Milicic continued to struggle with just a combined 14 points, and Zakai Zeigler’s 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists were not enough for the Vols to emerge victorious from Neville Arena. Auburn continues to run the table in the SEC, and Tennessee will look to rebound from a concerning 3rd Conference loss, raising concerns about their ceiling.
#7 Houston: 92 @ #12 Kansas: 86
The Houston Cougars topped Kansas in two overtimes after come-from-behind heroics in the second half and first OT. Kansas was up 41-30 early in the second half before Houston went on a 17-2 run, but Kansas gained momentum, going on a 10-0 run to put the score at 52-48. Houston forced a turnover and scored a couple of buckets to force overtime, and then Emmanuel Sharp and Mylik Wilson hit two three-pointers in the final eight seconds of overtime to send the game to double overtime, where they sealed the game. J’wan Roberts willed the Cougars to victory, playing all but four minutes and netting 24 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. The Kansas Jayhawks were more balanced as four different players had over 15 points and five rebounds. Kansas continues to struggle in conference play and moved to just 5-3 in a weak Big 12. Houston continues their dominant streak with a 12-game win streak and will likely move up to a 2-seed in bracketology.
#8 Michigan State: 81 @ Rutgers: 74
Michigan State emerges as the most dominant team in Big 10 conference play with yet another victory, and the uber-talented Rutgers continues to underperform. Michigan State pulled ahead by just three points at the half and comfortably defeated Rutgers by 7 points in the end. The Spartans were led by Jaden Atkins, Jace Richardson, and Coen Carr who provided 46 of a very deep Michigan State team’s 81 points. Rutgers continued to struggle despite having Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper injured. Jordan Derkack and Ace Bailey accounted for 69% of Rutgers’s points. Michigan State continues their momentum as they gear up for the second half of conference play and Rutger’s only hope at an NCAA tournament bid is to win the Big 10 Tournament.
#15 Texas A&M: 69 @ Texas: 70
Texas got revenge on their bitter rival in East Texas as they made an improbable comeback, fueled by Freshman Tre Johnson. Texas A&M had a 99% chance to win when they were up 22 points in the second half, but Texas slowly came back to defeat the Aggies. Freshman Longhorn Tre Johnson scored an incredible 30 points, or 43% of Texas’s points and Texas A&M was more balanced as many different players scored. Both teams are currently on the bubble and this game could play a critical role in the tournament seeding.
