It was the night of huge clutch shots. There were huge shots everywhere last night, and all of them gave their team the lead in the closing seconds. Desmond Claude hit a huge three in USC’s win in Lincoln over Nebraska. The Huskers have now lost 5 in a row and look lost on both ends of the floor. The Huskers just need to hope to make the Big Ten tournament now instead of the NCAA tournament.
Florida beat South Carolina with a 14-point comeback and a made layup with 5 seconds left. Manny Obaseki hit a three with 13 seconds left to give Texas A&M the win at Ole Miss. St. John’s came back from a 16-point deficit in the second half to beat Xavier in Overtime. The Red Storm are the current leaders in the Big East. Northwestern got blistering hot from three in the second half to beat Indiana. Arkansas and head coach John Calipari are finally on the board in the SEC. They overcome a 15-point deficit to get a win at home.
In the Big 12, Houston broke the will of Utah and cruised to a victory. The Cougars are not as good this season, but that defense is still legitimate and when it is rolling it is impossible to score on the Cougars. The Cougars have won 11 in a row. Kansas beat TCU. The Jayhawks started the game out down by 14 points before rallying in the second half to win by 13 points. Kansas is not the team we all thought they would be, but they are still getting the job done.
Welcome to mid-major Thursday. There is only one power conference game on the schedule today: in the Big 10. The rest of the games in the mid-majors have huge conference implications and potential NCAA tournament implications. The Summit League has the two undefeated teams playing each other. The top two teams in the Big West are in action, and the top two teams in the WCC play each other. If you like competitive basketball, today is the day for you. Picks for day 77, January 23, 2025, are below.
Winner | Loser |
|---|---|
Georgia Southern | Coastal Carolina |
Texas State | Louisiana |
William & Mary | Hampton |
UMass Lowell | Maine |
Albany | UMBC |
Florida Gulf Coast | Bellarmine |
Marist | Niagara |
Memphis | Wichita State |
Bryant | New Hampshire |
Vermont | NJIT |
Marshall | Georgia State |
Charleston | UNC Wilmington |
Campbell | Stony Brook |
Towson | North Carolina A&T |
Hofstra | Delaware |
Northeastern | Drexel |
Elon | Monmouth |
Queens | North Florida |
North Alabama | Lipscomb |
Jacksonville | West Georgia |
Eastern Kentucky | Stetson |
Samford | Chattanooga |
Siena | Mount St. Mary's |
Merrimack | Saint Peter's |
Rider | Iona |
Sacred Heart | Canisius |
Manhattan | Fairfield |
Louisiana Tech | Western Kentucky |
Austin Peay | Central Arkansas |
Middle Tennessee | Sam Houston |
Abilene Christian | Tarleton State |
UT Arlington | Seattle |
North Dakota | South Dakota |
Kansas City | South Dakota State |
Oral Roberts | Denver |
Omaha | St. Thomas |
Grand Canyon | Southern Utah |
Tennessee State | Tennessee Tech |
SIU Edwardsville | Southern Indiana |
Little Rock | Western Illinois |
Lindenwood | SEMO |
Illinois | Maryland |
Northen Colorado | Idaho |
Eastern Washington | Northern Arizona |
Arkansas State | App State |
UC Davis | Hawaii |
Saint Mary's | San Francisco |
Morehead State | Eastern Illinois |
New Mexico State | Kennesaw State |
UTEP | Jacksonville State |
Oregon State | Pepperdine |
Idaho State | Sacramento State |
Portland State | Weber State |
UC San Diego | Santa Barbara |
Bakersfield | Fullerton |
UC Irvine | Riverside |
Northridge | Long Beach |
Portland | San Diego |
LMU | Pacific |
Santa Clara | Washington State |
Utah Valley | Cal Baptist |
The clear top game is the power conference game between Illinois and Maryland, but I don’t want to talk about that game. Let’s give some love to the mid-major teams. Omaha and St. Thomas is going to be a fantastic game. Those two teams come into the game undefeated in Summit League play, and both are looking for their first conference titles and NCAA tournament appearances.
The Mavericks are the home team, but the Tommies will not be scared heading into Baxter Arena. Marquel Sutton for Omaha and Miles Barnstable for St. Thomas are two of the better low-major players in the country. Enjoy the Hoops!