These are bad, bad men.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Let’s dive into the winners and losers from a historic Saturday slate.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Illinois’ Keaton Wagler, Houston’s Kingston Flemings are stars on historic day for freshmen<\/p>\n \n Isaac Trotter <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Winner: Illinois uses historic recipe to stun Purdue in Mackey Arena<\/p>\n Turnovers always seem to be the bugaboo when Purdue<\/a> loses a basketball game. Not Saturday. The Boilermakers coughed it up just three times, but Purdue had zero answers for Illinois freshman guard Keaton Wagler, who delivered an all-time performance with a record-breaking 46 points. That’s the type of showing it took for No. 11 Illinois to outlast No. 4 Purdue 88-82 without forcing turnovers. It’s the first time since Feb. 10, 2018 that the Boilermakers have lost a game while posting three or fewer giveaways.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wagler is the story, but he had help from an Illinois big-man corps that drilled some enormous 3-pointers down the stretch. Illinois’ four frontcourt players (Tomislav Ivisic<\/a>, Zvonimir Ivisic<\/a>, Ben Humrichous<\/a> and David Mirkovic<\/a>) combined for seven treys to complement the brilliant Wagler and give Illinois a statement victory. The Illini look every bit the part of the No. 1 offense in the country, and they are on pace to be the best team Brad Underwood has ever constructed.\u00a0<\/p>\n They did it all without stud guard Kylan Boswell<\/a>, who is sidelined for a month with a broken hand. \u2013 Isaac Trotter\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Winner: Texas Tech shows championship mettle in win over Houston<\/p>\n Texas Tech<\/a> scored 55 points on Houston in the first half. Sometimes, you’re fortunate to get 55 points in an entire game against Houston. Not in 20 minutes! In fact, it was the most points Houston allowed in any half in the last 10 years.<\/p>\n When you make history like that, you simply have to win that game.\u00a0<\/p>\n No. 12 Texas Tech did just enough, emerging with a 90-86 win over No. 6 Houston in one of the best games of the season. The two Big 12 titans left it all on the floor. JT Toppin<\/a> continued his special season with a 31-point, 12-rebound, three-assist display. Sharpshooters like Jaylen Petty<\/a> and Donovan Atwell<\/a> were locked and loaded to offset a quieter day for the usually brilliant Christian Anderson<\/a> who was blanketed by Milos Uzan<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Texas Tech (16-4, 6-1 Big 12) is also starting to get healthy. Forward Josiah Moseley<\/a> made his highly anticipated Texas Tech debut and splashed two 3-pointers and ripped down six boards in just 10 minutes. He’s going to help this thin, but talented, Texas Tech club in a major way.\u00a0<\/p>\n In some ways, Texas Tech used Houston’s recipe to beat the Cougars. Grant McCasland’s club eviscerated Houston for 21 offensive rebounds. Texas Tech’s 55% offensive-rebound rate is the highest mark against Houston in Sampson’s tenure, which dates back to 2014-15. \u2013 Trotter<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Winner: Auburn’s Steven Pearl notches best win of young career<\/p>\n Keyshawn Hall<\/a> erupted for 24 points and Auburn<\/a>‘s defense delivered its best showing of the season to help the Tigers rock No. 16\u00a0Florida<\/a>\u00a076-67 on the road. It’s just the third loss that Todd Golden has suffered since the 2023-24 campaign. It’s no coincidence that Auburn is starting to play its best basketball with a healthy KeShawn Murphy<\/a> at the helm. Murphy went toe-to-toe with Florida’s intimidating frontline and delivered a 16-point, nine-rebound performance. That’s exactly what the doctor ordered.\u00a0<\/p>\n Golden and Steven Pearl are close friends and former colleagues, so Pearl will savor this one for a minute. \u2013 Trotter<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Loser: Virginia’s defense craters vs. UNC<\/p>\n No. 14 Virginia<\/a>‘s defense cratered in an 85-80 home loss to No. 22 North Carolina<\/a>. The Tar Heels shot a blistering 63.3% from the floor in the second half and 49.2% for the game. No team has shot it better from the floor against the Cavaliers over the course of a 40-minute game this season. Furthermore, UNC turned it over just four times all game, leading to a 19-2 disparity in points in off turnovers. Virginia led\u00a0 by as much as 16 late in the first half. But it was all Tar Heels from there as UNC picked up a much-needed Quad 1 road win over one of the ACC’s top squads. \u2013 David Cobb<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Winner: UConn withstands Villanova’s upset bid to remain atop Big East<\/p>\n UConn<\/a>‘s offense is not quite the Death Star unit that it can be, but Solo Ball<\/a> looked like Solo Ball again with five treys and Silas Demary Jr<\/a>. made multiple winning plays in the final moments of regulation and into overtime to help UConn hold off Villanova<\/a>, 75-67. Ball finished with 24 points. Demary chipped in 10 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals.\t<\/p>\n Villanova was game for a fight, and Kevin Willard’s group had four players crack double figures. But UConn keeps finding ways to stack wins while not playing its best offensively. When it clicks, these Huskies could be gnarly. \u2013 Trotter<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Winner: Otega Oweh’s resurgence continues vs. Ole Miss<\/p>\n Otega Oweh<\/a> was named the SEC Preseason Player of the Year, but he sure didn’t fit the bill early this season. As of late, Kentucky<\/a>‘s senior guard is starting to look the part. Oweh turned in another strong performance in Kentucky’s 72-63 win over Ole Miss<\/a> as he scored 20 of his game-high 23 points in the second half. He’s reached 20 or more points in five of UK’s seven SEC games as the Wildcats (14-6, 5-2 SEC) have begun to figure things out amid a stretch of poor health.\u00a0<\/p>\n Oweh attempted a season-high 13 free throws in the win \u2014 a telltale sign that his signature aggression has returned \u2013\u00a0 and he didn’t leave the floor in the second half. This is the version of Oweh we often saw last season, and it’s the version Kentucky needs in order to continue its recent resurgence under second-year coach Mark Pope. \u2013 Cobb<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Winner: Nebraska keeps its perfect season alive<\/p>\n Fred Hoiberg and the No. 7 Cornhuskers kept their perfect season alive and extended their program-best start to a season to 20-0 Saturday with a 76-57 road win over Minnesota<\/a> in Minneapolis. Nebraska<\/a> was just a 4.5-point favorite but blew the game open with a 42-21 edge in the second half to erase an eight-point deficit. Pryce Sandfort<\/a> scored 20 of his 22 in the final 20 minutes of action in the come-from-behind win, and Jamarques Lawrence<\/a> also spearheaded the team’s 20th victory with 12 of his 14 points and three of his five assists coming in the second half. \u2013 Boone<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Winner: Vanderbilt rights the ship vs. Mississippi State<\/p>\n Breathe easy, Vanderbilt<\/a> fans. After a three-game slide that called the legitimacy of the Commodores’ sterling start into question, No. 15 Vandy got back on track in a big way by thrashing Mississippi State<\/a> 88-56. It took barely three minutes for the ‘Dores to build a 10-point lead, and they never looked back. Tyler Tanner<\/a> led the way with 24 points, and Duke Miles<\/a> added 17. Defensively, the Commodores frustrated Bulldogs star Josh Hubbard<\/a> by limiting him to just seven points on 2 of 10 shooting. At 16-3 (3-3 SEC), Vanderbilt has stopped the bleeding and restored some order to what’s still shaping up to be the program’s best season in at least 15 years. \u2013 Cobb<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Loser: Oklahoma State whiffs on big home opportunity<\/p>\n Facing a wobbly Iowa State<\/a> team that had lost two of its last three games, and in dire need of a signature win to play its way into the projected 2026 NCAA Tournament field, Oklahoma State<\/a> faceplanted in front of its home crowd with a wire-to-wire 84-71 loss that wasn’t even as close as the final score indicated.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Cyclones jumped out to a 23-4 lead seven minutes into the game and the Cowboys’ deficit was so big they could never get close to digging out of it. It’s the second consecutive loss for OSU and fourth in its last five outings as it dropped to 2-5 in Big 12 play.<\/p>\n Its season began with much promise under second-year coach Steve Lutz \u2013 OSU started 12-1 with wins over Northwestern<\/a> and Texas A&M<\/a>, among others. But Big 12 play has been unkind to the Pokes, who now have their backs against the wall to make the Big Dance and are likely to be underdogs in at least three of their next four games.<\/p>\n “Mentally, you have to be ready to play. Everybody has to be locked in and ready to play,” OSU coach Steve Lutz said postgame lamenting his team’s slow start. “You have to have an edge about you, and you have to be locked in and ready to compete.”<\/p>\n OSU faces Utah<\/a> on the road next Saturday before facing No. 13 BYU and No. 1 Arizona<\/a> to kick off the month of February. \u2013 Kyle Boone<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Winner: Miami gets off the mat in win vs. Syracuse<\/p>\n The 3-point gods had not been very kind to Miami<\/a> lately. The ‘Canes shot 25% from downtown in losses to Florida State<\/a> and Clemson<\/a>, while their opponents were well over 35% both times. It’s hard to win ballgames that way!<\/p>\n That flipped against reeling Syracuse<\/a>. Behind 20 points from Malik Reneau<\/a> and 16 from Tre Donaldson<\/a> (off the bench), Miami cruised to an 85-76 road victory. It never trailed to improve to 5-2 in ACC play and get the resume back on track. Remember, road wins are vital for Wins Above Bubble. Miami earned +0.55 WAB for the win over the Orange. That’ll play all day, every day. \u2013 Trotter\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Loser: Oklahoma loses sixth straight as season slips away<\/p>\n OU gave up two buzzer-beaters Saturday in a gutting 88-87 road loss to Missouri <\/a>\u2013 one at the final horn of regulation and another at the final horn of overtime \u2013 as its season on the brink continued to slip away. It marked the sixth consecutive loss for the Sooners, who sit last in the SEC standings. The scorching hot seat for coach Porter Moser isn’t likely to cool off after yet another choke job by his Sooners \u2014 and things could get worse in Norman. KenPom projects OU to likely be underdogs in its next nine games and 10 of its final 11 games to close out the regular season. \u2013 Boone<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Winner: Arkansas remains perfect at home with win vs. LSU<\/p>\n This John Calipari-coached Razorbacks team has its share of warts \u2013 look no further than its inconsistent defense \u2013 but Arkansas remained perfect on the season at home with an 85-81 win over LSU<\/a> Saturday. It’s the second consecutive win for Arkansas after falling at Georgia<\/a> last Saturday and the 12th inside Bud Walton Arena in as many tries on the season. That makes Calipari 25-4 in his two seasons at Arkansas when coaching in front of the home crowd. \u2013 Boone<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Loser: Maryland suffers (another) lopsided loss<\/p>\n Losses to Gonzaga<\/a> and Alabama<\/a> by 39 and 33 points in November, respectively, paled in comparison to the final margin of Maryland<\/a>‘s latest stinker. The Terps (8-12, 1-8 Big Ten) fell 91-48 at Michigan State \u2013 their largest loss by margin since 1944 and the fourth-largest loss in program history.<\/p>\n Ouch.<\/p>\n “I’m not going to keep a secret: We have a long, long \u2014 millions of miles to go in every possible way,” Williams said via The Diamondback<\/a>. “On the floor, off the floor. I am grateful for the 97 years of experience of our staff. They’re continuing to find the right words \u2026 we’ve got to continue to make growth.”<\/p>\n Saturday marked the sixth loss for Maryland in its last seven outings and the 11th loss in its last 14 games after starting the season 5-1. All but one of those losses in that stretch \u2013 an 80-72 road defeat at Virginia \u2013 have come by double figures. \u2013 Boone<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Winner: Rick Pitino earns 900th win in father-son bout<\/p>\n The Pitino Family Business was center stage in the Xavier-St. John’s battle. Richard Pitino’s Musketeers’ club gave St. John’s<\/a> everything it could handle, but the Johnnies were not going to be denied. St. John’s erased a 16-point, second-half hole with some clutch plays from Dylan Darling<\/a> (11 points, three assists) off the bench to give Rick Pitino his 900th career victory.<\/p>\n Don’t look now, but St. John’s is 8-1 in the Big East and looks every bit the part of a top-20 club after some November shenanigans. \u2013 Trotter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It is deeply ironic that in the middle of the “get old, stay old” era, featuring NBA G…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":137159,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[14862,778,2698,2747,2746,58188,794,14864,19642,10527,2692,4855,44360,58183,14852,4857,58180,14823,2745,773,782,4861,2742,763,4860,58187,42837,2774,58178,14855,58181,538,2754,2771,26195,14831,786,58186,14865,774,3125,2705,2750,787,776,9819,775,772,9820,797,2752,58184,791,40655,41453,4858,9818,27,260,29,28,415,58185,2708,58182,780,796,26073,762,58179],"class_list":{"0":"post-137158","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-texas","8":"tag-aj-dybantsa","9":"tag-alabama-crimson-tide","10":"tag-arizona-wildcats","11":"tag-arkansas-razorbacks","12":"tag-auburn-tigers","13":"tag-ben-humrichous","14":"tag-byu-cougars","15":"tag-cameron-boozer","16":"tag-christian-anderson","17":"tag-clemson-tigers","18":"tag-college-basketball","19":"tag-connecticut-huskies","20":"tag-darius-acuff-jr","21":"tag-david-mirkovic","22":"tag-donovan-atwell","23":"tag-duke-blue-devils","24":"tag-duke-miles","25":"tag-dylan-darling","26":"tag-florida-gators","27":"tag-florida-state-seminoles","28":"tag-georgia-bulldogs","29":"tag-gonzaga-bulldogs","30":"tag-houston-cougars","31":"tag-illinois-fighting-illini","32":"tag-iowa-state-cyclones","33":"tag-jamarques-lawrence","34":"tag-jaylen-petty","35":"tag-josh-hubbard","36":"tag-josiah-moseley","37":"tag-jt-toppin","38":"tag-keaton-wagler","39":"tag-kentucky-wildcats","40":"tag-keshawn-murphy","41":"tag-keyshawn-hall","42":"tag-kingston-flemings","43":"tag-kylan-boswell","44":"tag-lsu-tigers","45":"tag-malik-reneau","46":"tag-maryland-terrapins","47":"tag-miami-fla-hurricanes","48":"tag-milos-uzan","49":"tag-minnesota-golden-gophers","50":"tag-mississippi-state-bulldogs","51":"tag-missouri-tigers","52":"tag-nebraska-cornhuskers","53":"tag-north-carolina-tar-heels","54":"tag-northwestern-wildcats","55":"tag-oklahoma-sooners","56":"tag-oklahoma-state-cowboys","57":"tag-ole-miss-rebels","58":"tag-otega-oweh","59":"tag-pryce-sandfort","60":"tag-purdue-boilermakers","61":"tag-silas-demary-jr","62":"tag-solo-ball","63":"tag-st-johns-red-storm","64":"tag-syracuse-orange","65":"tag-texas","66":"tag-texas-am-aggies","67":"tag-texas-headlines","68":"tag-texas-news","69":"tag-texas-tech-red-raiders","70":"tag-tomislav-ivisic","71":"tag-tre-donaldson","72":"tag-tyler-tanner","73":"tag-utah-utes","74":"tag-vanderbilt-commodores","75":"tag-villanova-wildcats","76":"tag-virginia-cavaliers","77":"tag-zvonimir-ivisic"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137158\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"BYU's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/usatsi-28080193-1.jpg\")
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