Six games involved Top 25 teams last night, including games where Top 25 teams faced off. In late February, ranked versus ranked matchups go very far in determining NCAA Tournament seeding as well as conference titles. These games also give the opportunity for Top 10 teams to fall. For the third straight night, Top 10 teams did fall in conference and there will be huge implications from their loss. This is the recap of games played Feb. 24.
Let’s get to the games:
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Texas Longhorns | 64 | (17-10) |
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(20) West Virginia Mountaineers | 71 | (21-6) |
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In another tough Big 12 matchup, West Virginia outlasted Texas at home on Tuesday night. West Virginia’s balanced offense was led by Daxter Miles Jr’s 12 points, five steals, four rebounds, and three assists, as he was one of four Mountaineers in double digit points. The Longhorns shot 52.5% from the field, but were unefficient at the free throw line (16-23) and only had two players in double digit points, led by DeMarcus Holland with 14 points. Texas will move their focus to Kansas while West Virginia will look to stay hot in a pivotal matchup with Baylor.
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(5) Wisconsin Badgers | 53 | (25-3) |
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(14) Maryland Terrapins | 59 | (23-5) |
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In a matchup of Top 15 teams, Wisconsin could not come up with a critical road win at Maryland, missing an opportunity to all but end the race for the Big 10 regular season championship. Dez Wells dominated the game, scoring 26 points and grabbing seven rebounds to pace the Terrapins. Frank Kaminski, with 18 points and eight rebounds, and Sam Dekker, with 14 points and nine rebounds, tried to keep the Badgers in the game, but their 38.5% shooting was not enough to beat a tough Maryland team. Wisconsin will get another opportunity to close off the Big Ten race against Michigan State as Maryland turns their focus to Michigan.
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(25) Providence Friars | 61 | (19-9) |
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(6) Villanova Wildcats | 89 | (26-2) |
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In the other ranked matchup of the night, Villanova steamrolled Providence to further assert their position in the Big East. Villanova’s offensive outburst was lead by Darrun Hillard II’s 24 points and 13 three pointers as a team. Villanova may have run away in the second half, but Providence still had three players in double digit points, led by Tyler Harris with 18, and shot a respectable 44.8% from the field. Providence looks to rebound against Marquette while Villanova looks to extend their Big East lead against Xavier.
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North Carolina State Wolfpack | 58 | (17-11) |
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(15) North Carolina Tar Heels | 46 | (19-9) |
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In-state rivalries are not the best of affairs for the North Carolina Tar Heels these days, as the North Carolina State Wolfpack left Dean E. Smith Center victorious over North Carolina. The Wolfpack held the fast paced Tar Heel offense to only 18 points in the first half and were led by their successful backcourt of Anthony Barber, 15 points, Ralston Turner, 14 points, and Trevor Lacey, 14 points. The Tar Heels fought to get within four points in the second half, but three of 12 shooting from three point range and only shooting nine free throws, with only five made free throws, was pivotal. The Tar Heels were led by Justin Jackson’s game high 16 points. North Carolina looks to rebound against Miami and North Carolina State looks to solidify their spot on NCAA tournament bubble against Boston College.
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Syracuse Orange | 65 | (18-10) |
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(9) Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 60 | (24-5) |
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In the second Top 10 upset of the evening, Syracuse went on the road to Notre Dame, pulling out a gutty victory. Syracuse relied on backup forward BJ Johnson’s 19 points and got a double-double from Rakeem Christmas, pulling down 12 rebounds to go with his 14 points. Notre Dame only shot 34.7% from the floor, even though they had four players in double digit points, led by Bonzie Colson with 16 points. Notre Dame has to focus on their tough test against Louisville while Syracuse turns their focus to the second place team in the ACC, Duke.
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Texas A&M Aggies | 75 | (19-8) |
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(18) Arkansas Razorbacks | 81 | (23-5) |
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In a matchup of the second and third best teams in the SEC, Arkansas made a statement thatthe conference is more than just Kentucky, jumping out to a big lead and then holding on against Texas A&M. Arkansas shot a stellar 50.9% from the field and was led by Bobby Portis’ 22 points and three steals. Texas A&M, who fought back from a 25 point deficit, was led by a game high 28 points from Danuel House. Texas A&M looks to rebound against Auburn as Arkansas has the most difficult task in the nation, beating the undefeated, and SEC leading, Kentucky Wildcats.