It was an awesome night for NCAA Basketball, as many games yielded surprising results.
On 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 major 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 major importance in our “Games to Watch” section, which includes a Game of the Day and a Bubble Watch game.
Here we go:
For a more in-depth look at this game, Lukas Harkins has you covered with his recap and five key takeaways here.
For a more in-depth look at this game, Stuart Gill has you covered here.
For a more in-depth look at this game, Doug Winkey has you covered here.
For a more in-depth look at this game, Carmine Carcieri has you covered here.
After defeating Duke in their last game and climbing into the top-25, the Virginia Tech Hokies suffered a very tough loss at the hands of NC State last night. Freshman phenom Dennis Smith Jr. lit up the scoreboard for the Wolfpack, as he recorded a massive triple-double of 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. This was a special night from a very special player. Ahmed Hill led the way for Virginia Tech with 17 points.
Now 0-2 in conference (with a victory over Indiana in between), it hasn’t been an ideal start to ACC play for Louisville. They were led by Donovan Mitchell, who had 20 points, but it was not enough on the road. With this win, Notre Dame is now 2-0 in conference play and will likely see a jump in their ranking if they keep playing at this high of a level. Bonzie Colson added another double-double (18 points, 14 rebounds) and was joined at the top of stat sheet by Steve Vasturia (24 points) and Matt Farrell (22 points).
Just another upset in the ACC. The Pittsburgh Panthers played an excellent overtime period to take a 12-point victory. Five Cavaliers scored in double figures, including three off the bench, but the combined power of the Pitt starting lineup was too much to handle. Four of Pittsburgh’s starters combined to score 75 of the team’s 88 points and were remarkable throughout. Leading the group was Jamel Artis, who contributed 24 points.
For a more in-depth look at this game, Andrew Nostvick has you covered here.
Games to Watch on Thursday, January 5th:
No. 20 Purdue Boilermakers @ Ohio State Buckeyes, 7:00 p.m. ET: Coming off of a tough loss to Minnesota, you can expect that Caleb Swanigan and the Purdue Boilermakers will be 100 percent ready to battle with Ohio State. For OSU to make the tournament, this home win would be monumental.
^^Minnesota Golden Gophers @ Northwestern Wildcats, 9:00 p.m. ET^^: In the Bubble Battle of the day, both of these Big Ten teams have had surprising seasons. Playing at home will give Northwestern the advantage, but this will be a huge game for both teams moving forward in the conference season.
**Utah Utes @ No. 17 Arizona Wildcats, 10:00 p.m. ET**: Like usual, Arizona seems like a sure thing for the tournament. Utah, on the other hand, is far from a sure thing, as they currently sit on the outside looking in. A road victory over the Wildcats, though, could change things. This is a big opportunity for the Utes in our Game of the Day.
BYU Cougars @ No. 19 Saint Mary’s, 11:00 p.m. ET: For those of you still awake at the conclusion of the game above, this would be a huge win for BYU, despite playing on the road. Plus, there are not that many opportunities in which you can watch Saint Mary’s play. So if you aren’t tired, it is worth it. The Gaels trot out an intriguing roster that ranks among the top-25 of the country.
Best of Yesterday from Busting Brackets:
Georgia Basketball: Frazier, Maten need help for UGA to make Big Dance: J.J. Frazier and Yante Maten are excellent players, but Carmine Carcieri explains in this article that the team needs a lot more than just those two if they want to make the NCAA tournament.
Duke Basketball: Allen back after just one game: The indefinite suspension of Grayson Allen ended Wednesday night as he suited up against Georgia Tech. The suspension lasted just one game. Stuart Gill takes a look at the story and what it means.
Indiana Basketball: What is wrong with the Indiana Hoosiers: Now losers of three in a row, Tom Crean’s team is struggling. Michael Foy looks at the problems and what can be done to fix them.
NCAA Basketball: Five takeaways from thrilling Tuesday evening: Following what was an outstanding night of basketball two days ago, Carmine Carcieri writes about his key takeaways from the night.
Next: Five reasons why the Ducks will win it all
That ends today’s Daily Wrap-Up. Tune in tomorrow for another edition and have a great day!