If I had one word to describe the past week of college basketball, it would be spectacular. Once again, the men’s college basketball rankings have been shaken up after several shocking upsets from across the board. We’re halfway through the season now, so the next couple of weeks are undeniably crucial for teams vying for an appearance in San Antonio. With all said and done, you know the drill: here are some of the greatest upsets, top performances and must-see matchups for this week in NCAA Men’s College Basketball.
Greatest Upsets
No. 25 UConn 77, No. 9 Marquette 69
UConn’s most recent upset win is extraordinary for a number of reasons. Despite committing 25 total turnovers, the No. 25 Huskies waltzed into Wisconsin and pulled off a stunning road upset win over the ninth-ranked Golden Eagles. Phenom guard Solo Ball continued his breakout season for the Huskies, scoring 25 points while snagging 11 rebounds. What’s most impressive is that Ball shot seven-for-nine from the three-point line, being merely automatic. His draft stock is sure to shoot up, which makes it exciting to see how he’ll perform the rest of the season.
Arkansas 89, No. 12 Kentucky 79
Arkansas Head Coach John Calipari knew his return to Kentucky’s Rupp Arena would be emotional, especially coaching against the dominant program he built in Lexington for over a decade. However, it was Calipari that got the best of his former team on Saturday night, defeating the No. 12 Wildcats in upset fashion. Arkansas’ Adou Thiero, who followed his head coach from Kentucky to Arkansas for this season, led the charge for the Razorbacks. Thiero accounted for 21 points and eight rebounds, contributing immensely to the Razorbacks’ statement win.
Kansas State 80, No. 3 Iowa State 61
Once again, Kansas State finds itself on Lato’s Lens after another impressive upset win. After knocking off No. 23 West Virginia in the previous week, the Wildcats stunned yet another ranked team, knocking off No. 3 Iowa State in blowout fashion. Star junior guard Dug McDaniel recorded an impressive 20 points, five assists and two rebounds for the Wildcats, while Coleman Hawkins, Max Jones, David N’Guessan and David Housen also recorded double-digit point totals. On the other hand, Iowa State has another crack at beating the Wildcats in their last regular-season game in early March.
Top Performances
Blake Harper, Howard
Despite Howard’s 80-79 overtime loss to Hampton, freshman guard Blake Harper delivered a sensational performance. Harper scored a whopping 35 points and complemented his point total with three rebounds and three assists. Though 35 points is very impressive, the fashion in which Harper did so is rather remarkable. He hit 20 of 22 free throws, accounting for nearly two-thirds of his point total.
Ace Bailey, Rutgers
Five-star high school prospect Ace Bailey shocked the nation last year when he announced his commitment to Rutgers, a school that isn’t necessarily known as a college basketball powerhouse. With that being said, the things that Bailey did during his freshman campaign at Rutgers have been incredible. In the Scarlett Knights’ 79-72 win over Northwestern, Bailey lit up the scorer’s book, dropping 37 points, knocking down five of his eight three-pointers taken. He also grabbed six rebounds and blocked three shots, terrorizing Northwestern the whole game.
Brice Williams, Nebraska
In the unranked Nebraska Cornhuskers’ second ranked win in a row, Brice Williams proved yet again why he’s one of the best players in the Big 10 after scoring 28 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Williams helped the Huskers improve to 14-8 on the season after the win against the No. 16 Oregon Ducks, making a case for a birth in the NCAA Tournament come March. Williams is certainly a player to keep an eye out for in the remainder of the season, averaging 19 points, four rebounds and 2.7 assists.
Must-See Matchups
No. 12 St. John’s at No. 19 UConn: Friday at 8:00 p.m.
All I can say is what a night for Big East basketball! In an instant classic, the No. 12 St. John’s Red Storm will venture eastward for a ranked in-conference matchup against the No.19 UConn Huskies. After a rough first season under the helm of Head Coach Rick Pitino, the Johnnies have risen from the ashes this season, leading the Big East with a 10-1 conference record. With rumors that star freshman Liam McNeeley may return for the Huskies, there’s another major stipulation for this week’s matchup: it’ll be two-dollar beer night in Storrs, which will play right into the hand of Dan Hurley’s squad.
No. 6 Florida at No. 1 Auburn: Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
The SEC has been a college basketball powerhouse lately, accounting for nine of the top 25 spots in the current AP poll. In this matchup of SEC heavyweights, the No. 1 Auburn Tigers are looking to keep the train rolling against the No. 6 Florida Gators. Although Auburn has been dominating the competition, they will have to prepare for Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr., who is averaging 17.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists thus far this season. Defending their first-place ranking will be no easy task for the Tigers.
No. 20 Arizona at No. 13 Texas Tech: Saturday at 10:00 p.m.
Star NBA prospect Caleb Love has catapulted the Arizona Wildcats back into the top 25 after several explosive performances last week, scoring 27 in their win over rival Arizona State and 22 in their upset over No. 3 Iowa State. It’s no joke that the Wildcats will be serious contenders come tournament time. On the other hand, Texas Tech has had a huge season themselves, boasting a 17-4 record with several blowout wins, including a 70-54 romp of Arizona earlier this season. Everyone knows that it’s not easy to beat the same team twice, especially Arizona with a red-hot Caleb Love.