NCAA Basketball: FSU, South Carolina outlast quality opponents
Wednesday brought about several great NCAA basketball games, including a few awesome finishes.
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.
Related Story: Baylor falls in latest top 25 rankings
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:
In this low-scoring affair between the second and third best teams in the SEC, South Carolina came out on top, thanks in large part to Florida shooting 0-of-17 from three. Sindarius Thornwell had 20 points for the Gamecocks and Canyon Barry led the Gators with 13 on a poor overall night from Florida.
For the first time in a while, Bonzie Colson did not record a double-double and did not even crack double digits in either scoring or rebounding. This is the first time all season he has not reached double digits in either category. Steve Vasturia had 18 for the Irish and Jonathan Isaac added a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds for FSU.
With Texas Tech’s win in this game, both teams are now at 3-3 in conference play this season. Vlad Brodziansky added 22 points for TCU, but it was not enough to stop the well-balanced attack of the Red Raiders, who were led by 20 points from Keenan Evans. Both teams are sitting right on the bubble and this game could have huge implications later in the year.
Wake Forest hasn’t gotten off the best start in conference play, but for a team sitting on the bubble, this is a great win. Davon Reed had 22 points for Miami, but he was one of only two players to reach double-digits. As for WF, John Collins shot 9-of-11 from the field and dropped in 27 points.
Games to Watch on Thursday, January 19th:
^^Richmond Spiders @ Dayton Flyers, 7:00 p.m. ET^^: Richmond has been surprising so far in conference play, notching a 5-0 record. Yet, if the Spiders want to be seriously considered to be a team to fear in the conference, they need to grab a road win against Dayton.
Clemson Tigers @ No. 12 Louisville Cardinals, 9:00 p.m. ET: Clemson is, despite having a good start to the year, sitting on the bubble. With this situation, every quality win counts, especially on the road. This game would be just that for the Tigers.
California Golden Bears @ No. 11 Oregon Ducks, 9:00 p.m. ET: California has steadily been rising up the Pac-12 standings over this recent stretch. A road win over Oregon would firmly plant them among bubble contenders. Oregon, on the other hand, is trying to work their way back into the top-10.
**No. 14 Arizona Wildcats @ USC Trojans, 9:00 p.m. ET**: In our Game of the Night, Arizona has to travel to play against a team that has just left the top-25 in USC. Still, without Allonzo Trier, can the Wildcats grab another big win on the road?
Best of Yesterday from Busting Brackets:
Bracketology: Five best midseason resumes across the nation: With several teams looking to add quality wins to their resume at this point in the year, Lukas Harkins looks at which teams have the best resumes right now.
NCAA Basketball: Player of the Year power rankings (Edition Eight): With another week down, Carmine Carcieri is back with his power rankings for National POY. Is Frank Mason III still number one? Check it out.
NCAA Basketball: Is it March yet? Wednesday produces game winners galore: After an extremely exciting night of hoops, Carmine Carcieri has the run-down.
MAAC Basketball: The oddity of the mid-major conference: Carmine Carcieri looks at the MAAC and how deep the conference is.
UCF Basketball: Fall, defense vital to Knights’ solid AAC start: Sophomore Tacko Fall is an excellent player. Andrew Nostvick checks in on how UCF has gotten off to a hot start in conference play.
St. John’s Basketball: St. John’s release Zach Brown from Letter of Intent: After getting arrested earlier this month, Zach Brown has been released from his Letter of Intent to play at St. John’s. Drew Dinnhaupt has the details.
Indiana Basketball: OG Anunoby suffers leg injury: OG Anunoby went down with another injury against Penn State on Wednesday night. Michael Foy looks at the play and what OG means to IU.
Next: Player of the Year power rankings (Edition Eight)
That ends today’s Daily Wrap-Up. Tune in tomorrow for another edition and have a great day!