Going in, we knew it was going to be a tremendous Saturday of college basketball, and boy did it deliver. The day started out with Tennessee hosting Florida. The Volunteers were looking for revenge for their 30-point loss earlier in January. Tennessee got it and blasted Florida by 20, and they did it without starting point guard Zakai Ziegler. The SEC had key games up and down the lineup but two notable results from that league were Auburn staying undefeated against a good Ole Miss team. The Tigers will remain number 1 for another week. The other big game was Missouri and Mississippi State. The Tigers beat the Bulldogs at the Hump for the second straight loss for Mississippi State.
There are now zero undefeated teams left in the Big Ten. Michigan State had their cross-country trip and lost to USC. Wisconsin needed a late comeback to beat Northwestern in Evanston. I mentioned two other games in my storylines yesterday, and one of those was the Tobacco Road rivalry. Duke blew out North Carolina which I figured may happen given the talent level of both teams currently. In something that will be talked about for the rest of the year, Arkansas, led by coach John Calipari, went into Rupp Arena and beat Kentucky by 10. The Razorbacks are a long way from the NCAA tournament bubble, but that is a feel-good win for coach Cal.
The last game of the night may have been the best game. Saint Mary’s held on to beat Gonzaga. The Bulldogs now have three losses in the West Coast conference, which I thought wasn’t allowed. Gonzaga has struggled this year without a player who they can rely on to get a basket when they need one. They have plenty of options, but no one is consistent enough. Saint Mary’s moves to 10-0 in the WCC and has a full three-game lead over Gonzaga. It will be the second straight season that the Bulldogs don’t win at least a share of the conference title.
Happy Sunday! there are 19 games on the schedule, including some in the Big East and the Big Ten. Three ranked teams play today, and again, all three of them could lose. There are huge postseason tournament implications with most of the games today, especially in the ones in the Big Ten. Picks for February 2nd are below.
Winner | Loser |
|---|---|
Illinois | Ohio State |
Iona | Fairfield |
Cincinnati | West Virginia |
Tulane | Tulsa |
Florida Atlantic | South Florida |
Wright State | Robert Morris |
Furman | ETSU |
Sacred Heart | Manhattan |
Saint Peter's | Mount St. Mary's |
Quinnipiac | Siena |
Memphis | Rice |
Belmont | Evansville |
Milwaukee | Fort Wayne |
TCU | Colorado |
Bradley | Northern Iowa |
St Thomas | North Dakota State |
Rider | Merrimack |
DePaul | Seton Hall |
Nebraska | Oregon |
There are two huge games in the Big Ten today. Ohio State travels to Illinois to take on an Illinois team that is fresh off a loss to Nebraska in Lincoln. The Illini didn’t play very well for the majority of the game, especially on defense, and are upset that they lost to Nebraska. Ohio State is a bubble team that could use another huge Big Ten road win. Illinois is the better team and has more to prove.
The other colossal game is Nebraska and Oregon. The Huskers have not initiated their cross country travel to Eugene Oregon to take on a Ducks team who is struggling right now. Oregon is having a heck of a time shooting and a heck of a time stopping teams from lighting them up shooting. Nebraska has the same problem but found their defensive identity and intensity in a win over Illinois. Nebraska has to win a road game in the Big Ten, and Eugene is a tough place to get a win, but crazier things have happened. Enjoy the hoops!