Did we all make it through the Saturday slate of games? There were a lot of close games and a lot of carnage. Auburn beat South Carolina, but may have lost Johni Broome for an extended period. A loss to Broome would be devastating for Auburn. Iowa State survived a good Texas Tech team in overtime. Duke blew out Notre Dame, and Houston blew out Kansas State. Iowa blew out Indiana at Carver, and Alabama beat Texas A&M. That does it for the expected results of the day.
Where does the carnage come in? USC traveled to Champaign and dominated Illinois. That game was very surprising because Illinois looked out of sorts all day long. New Mexico blew out San Diego State. That means the Aztecs are going to have a lot of work to do to win the Mountain West.
Cincinnati fell to 0-4 in the Big 12. The Bearcats were expected to finish in the top half of that league. That can still happen but it is going to be a large uphill climb for Cincinnati now. The latest game against Kansas was a huge opportunity for Cincinnati to get a huge feel-good win. Will the Bearcats possibly play themselves out of the NCAA tournament? It is possible. Georgetown lost at home to UConn. The Hoyas have shown well this year but desperately needed a big-time win. Today, the Hoyas missed an opportunity.
The mid-majors were not going to be forgotten today. The best game of the day may have just been the game between UC Irvine and UC San Diego for supremacy in the Big West. The Anteaters lost the game to move to 5-0 in the Big West and have a two-game lead with the tiebreaker. UC San Diego fell to 14-3 on the year but likely doesn’t have much path to an at large with that loss. Alcorn State finally won a game as they beat Alabama A&M in a conference game. Finally, St. Thomas joined Omaha as the only two undefeated teams in the Summit League.
After a Saturday with almost 150 games, the Sunday schedule has only 21 games, and a lot of them have huge implications in power conferences. The Big Ten has games every day, and their games are going to dominate the schedule on Sunday. Outside of the Big Ten games, the Southern Conference, MAAC, NEC, American, and the Horizon League have conference games. Picks for day 66, January 12, 2025, are below.
Winner | Loser |
|---|---|
Purdue | Nebraska |
Michigan State | Northwestern |
Chattanooga | VMI |
Rider | Niagara |
Fairleigh Dickinson | St. Francis |
Central Connecticut | Long Island |
Iona | Quinnipiac |
Saint Peter's | Canisius |
Michigan | Washington |
Le Moyne | Mercyhurst |
Chicago State | Stonehill |
Robert Morris | Wright State |
Marist | Fairfield |
Merrimack | Manhattan |
Mount St. Mary's | Sacred Heart |
West Virginia | Colorado |
Tulsa | Charlotte |
Mercer | Western Carolina |
Penn State | Oregon |
Little Rock | Southern Indiana |
FAU | UAB |
The Big Ten is the highlight of the day. Purdue and Nebraska start the day, and Nebraska is looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss to Iowa just a few days ago. The Huskers blew a 15-point lead midway through the second half before losing in overtime. Purdue is at home, and it is almost impossible for a visiting team to win at Mackey Arena. Nebraska has their work cut out for them.
Another huge Big Ten game takes place in State College, PA. The Penn State Nittany Lions host the Oregon Ducks. The Ducks make the cross-country trek to take on a Penn State team desperate for a huge win. Oregon has been a huge surprise this season, but it is a tough ask for any team to make a cross-country trip to play a basketball game. Enjoy the Hoops!