In big NCAA basketball conference road tests, Kentucky and Purdue came out on top.
In the Busting Brackets Daily Wrap-Up, we go through the major games of the day with a few short summaries and articles to keep you up to date on the recent news in the college basketball world. This covers the biggest games of yesterday and today, as well as looking at major news stories from across the nation.
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We also go through each game of key importance in our “Games to Watch” section, which includes a Game of the Day and a Bubble Battle.
Here we go:
Mississippi State got off to a great start in SEC play, but it is hard to keep winning streaks going against Kentucky. Lamar Peters was the high man in the game with 25 points for the Bulldogs, but the combined effort of the Wildcats got the W. De’Aaron Fox led Kentucky with 21 points.
Led by Isaac Haas (24 points) and Caleb Swanigan (22 points), the big men of Purdue tore apart the Fighting Illini. Maverick Morgan added 15 for Illinois, but this was an opportunity that the team let slip from the tip. Illinois struggled to get anything going and Purdue handed them this blowout loss.
To put it simply, Texas A&M just can’t buy a win right now. The Aggies are now 1-5 in conference play, with their lone win coming against LSU. Admon Gilder had 16 for A&M in this low-scoring affair, but was unable to hit the game-tying shot.
Games to Watch on Wednesday, January 18th:
**Game of the Day** ^^Bubble Battle^^
No. 19 Florida Gators @ No. 24 South Carolina Gamecocks, 6:30 p.m. ET: With Kentucky on a night off, the SEC relies on a battle between their second and third best teams. If anyone is going to go contest the Wildcats for a conference title, these teams need to prove their might against each other.
**No. 15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ No. 10 Florida State Seminoles, 7:00 p.m. ET**: Two somewhat surprising top-15 teams out of the ACC, FSU has a big home opportunity to knock off another great opponent. Home games against this quality of an opponent are the kind of games that teams (and fans) live for.
TCU Horned Frogs @ Texas Tech Red Raiders, 7:30 p.m. ET: Although not marked as the Bubble Battle of the night, this game features two Big 12 teams sitting right on the cutline for the tournament. TCU could add a big road win while Tech is looking to hold serve at home.
^^Miami Hurricanes @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 8:00 p.m. ET^^: Wake Forest, although 1-4 in the ACC, is still looking to sneak their way into the tournament. Winning a home game against Miami would be a great start to move up.
Best of Yesterday from Busting Brackets:
Purdue Basketball: Five reasons why the Boilermakers can win it all: As one of the top teams in the country, the Purdue Boilermakers have high expectations for March. Michael Foy looks at how they can take home the title.
ACC Basketball: Roy Williams earns 800th win in beat down of ‘Cuse: Carmine Carcieri gives his recap of UNC-‘Cuse as well as looking at the milestone of Roy Williams.
Michigan Basketball: D.J. Wilson has molded into Michigan’s breakout star: Even though the Wolverines fell to Wisconsin on Tuesday night, Brian Rosen looks at how D.J. Wilson has evolved throughout the year.
Creighton Basketball: Maurice Watson Jr. finished for the season with torn ACL: In heartbreaking news yesterday, it was announced that guard Mo Watson Jr. would miss the rest of the year. Carmine Carcieri has the details.
Next: Five reasons why the Boilermakers can win it all
That ends today’s Daily Wrap-Up. Tune in tomorrow for another edition and have a great day!