NCAA Basketball: Monmouth, Tennessee State stunned on a Mid-Major Monday
In addition to “Mid-Major Monday,” the Daily Wrap-Up will look forward to what should be a sensational Tuesday in NCAA basketball.
On the Busting Brackets Daily Wrap-Up, we go through the major games of the day with a few short summaries. We also provide you with articles to keep you up to date on the recent news in the college basketball world. This covers the major games of yesterday and today, as well as looking at major news stories from across the nation.
Related Story: Minnesota shocks Purdue on the road
We also go through each game of major importance in our “Games to Watch” section, which includes a Game of the Day and a Bubble Watch game.
Here we go:
Recaps from Monday, January 2nd:
Down by one with just 1.2 seconds on the clock, it was William & Mary’s Daniel Dixon who buried a three at the buzzer to give the Tribe a big win, moving them over the .500 mark for the season. Dixon led the Tribe with 25 points, while Omar Prewitt added 21. Four players scored in double figures for Hofstra, but it was Justin Wright-Foreman who tossed in 30 points off the bench, despite the loss.
The Monmouth Hawks entered this game at 10-4, and were not expecting to leave as the losers in this battle. The six-point underdog, Saint Peter’s, had different plans, as they knocked off the Hawks by 10. The Peacocks shot 43.5 percent from three and got 20 points from Trevis Wyche. Micah Seaborn added 19 points for Monmouth.
Despite Tennessee State’s great start to the season (they’ve played a tough schedule), they cannot afford to lose games like this one. Kendrick Ray had 20 points for Kennesaw State, while Tahjere McCall dropped 25 for Tennessee State in the loss. A poor performance from three-point land (4-of-14, 28.6 percent) is what came back to bite the Tigers in the end. They missed a game-tying attempt at the buzzer.
Darren Payen (21 points) and Kurt Steidl (17 points) led the way for the Catamounts, as they took a victory away from Harvard. After starting 1-5, Harvard had been on a five-game winning streak before dropping this outing to Vermont. Bryce Aiken and Chris Lewis added 16 for the Crimson.
Games to Watch on Tuesday, January 3rd:
**No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers @ No. 25 Indiana Hoosiers, 7:00 p.m. ET**: Indiana has felt the burden of some losses lately, losing back-to-back and now three straight against major conference opponents. Wisconsin, on the other hand, is riding an eight-game winning streak and looks to knock off the Hoosiers in Assembly Hall.
No. 9 North Carolina Tar Heels @ Clemson Tigers, 7:00 p.m. ET: Duke, North Carolina and Virginia might be the heavy favorites in the ACC, but they need to watch out for road games like this one. Jaron Blossomgame and Co. are 7-0 at home and could really use a marquee victory or two to solidify their place in the tournament.
Texas A&M Aggies @ No. 6 Kentucky Wildcats, 9:00 p.m. ET: Two of the stronger teams in the SEC will meet on Tuesday. It will be a tall order for the Aggies to waltz into Lexington and defeat the Wildcats. TAMU is coming off a miserable 10-point loss to Tennessee, but this might not be the place to try and turn things around.
Kansas State Wildcats @ No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks, 9:00 p.m. ET: Allen Fieldhouse is one of the toughest places to play in the country, but rival Kansas State enters this game with an 12-1 record. K-State and KU are both on win streaks, seven and 12 respectively, so one will have to come to an end Tuesday. K-State prides itself on defense this year, where they’re seventh in the nation in points allowed. The Wildcats will need to stifle the Jayhawks and their crowd.
^^No. 11 West Virginia Mountaineers @ Texas Tech Red Raiders, 9:15 p.m. ET^^: Another nice battle in the Big 12, Texas Tech has home court advantage against one of the top teams in the country in West Virginia. These are the kind of games that a bubble team can really use to boost its resume. Texas Tech has a major opportunity here.
Best of Yesterday from Busting Brackets:
Bracketology: The field as it stands and the rise of the Pac-12: As per usual, Lukas Harkins is here with another Bracketology update. In this one, he goes through the potential of the Pac-12 as well as giving another projected bracket through January 1.
Oregon Basketball: Five reasons why the Ducks will win it all: After a strong start to conference play for Oregon, Carmine Carcieri gives his thoughts on how they can compete to win the National Championship this season.
Duke Basketball: Are the Blue Devils in crisis mode?: First, Duke lost Grayson Allen to suspension. Then, some chemistry issues arose. And now, Coach K will be missing the next month or so. Carmine Carcieri takes a look at how the Blue Devils could be entering a time of panic.
Duke Basketball: Why the Blue Devils are still set to thrive in March: Taking the other end of the Duke argument, Carmine Carcieri looks at the reasons behind why the Blue Devils remain one of the top teams in the country.
Next: Is Josh Hart the leader in the clubhouse for Player of the Year?
That ends today’s Daily Wrap-Up. Tune in tomorrow for another edition and have a great day!