Welcome to “The Daily Scoop”, an article to bring you up to date with the latest news from college basketball and a preview of the day ahead.
Daily Headlines
#1 UConn records largest ever margin of victory in an in-conference AP Top 5 matchup
#4 Marquette and #1 UConn met on Saturday with both teams coming in on long win streaks, but it was only ever UConn’s that looked like it would extend. UConn took a 16-point lead into the halftime break, and never looked back. The sheer number of different weapons that UConn has in its arsenal showed on Saturday, with Alex Karaban and Stephon Castle struggling, Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton, and Cam Spencer all stepped up with big games. The Huskies limited Tyler Kolek to seven points and three assists in 35 minutes, while dominating the boards 45-27 as a team. UConn also grabbed 18 offensive rebounds, five of which came from Donovan Clingan. The #1 team in the country’s 14 game winning streak will face its toughest matchup yet when it plays on the road Tuesday against Creighton. UConn continues to look dangerous, and when you beat the #4 team 81-53, the shouts for back-to-back national championships will be even louder.
#22 Kentucky hands #13 Auburn its first home loss of the season, winning 90-79
Kentucky’s defense caused problems for the first time in SEC play, and Auburn was shut down in the Jungle for the first time all season. The 13th ranked Tigers were held to 30.9% from the field and 18.2% from three. The Wildcats held Johni Broome to 14 points on 5-13 shooting, and no other Tiger made more than three field goals. Kentucky’s offense came from Antonio Reeves, who finished with 22 points on 8-20 shooting. This was a game the Wildcats needed to have after losing three of five, and a win that will stand next to their neutral court win over UNC in the eyes of the selection committee. Kentucky will still play Alabama and Tennessee over the final few weeks of the regular season, with two more chances at elite level wins. If the defense stays at the level it was at today, this Kentucky team will be dangerous. Auburn will travel to Knoxville on February 28th, as the Tigers continue to look for a quality win away from home.
#11 South Carolina continues fall with heartbreaking home loss to LSU
Coming into this week, South Carolina was one of the hottest teams in the country, but after two losses, have fallen off the rails. On Wednesday, it was a 40-point loss at Auburn, and on Saturday, it was a loss at home in the final seconds to LSU. The Gamecocks had been 13-0 at home, including a dominant win over Kentucky, but collapsed in the second half vs LSU. Early in the second half, South Carolina took a 41-25 lead and the Tigers looked dead and buried. That wasn’t quite the case, as Tyrell Ward lead a comeback that finished with a pair of Jordan Wright free throws with five seconds left to give them a 64-63 lead, which held as the final score. South Carolina finishes the regular season with a five-game gauntlet and will likely have to win one or two to cement their place in the NCAA Tournament – something that could be more difficult than what was thought a week ago.
Other Things to Note:
- #10 Iowa State holds firm vs Texas Tech behind Keshon Gilbert’s 24 points
- #15 Alabama dominates Texas A&M from start to finish
- Wake Forest falls at #21 Virginia, still await first Quad 1 win
- Baylor Scheierman scores 27 as #17 Creighton dominates Butler
- #3 Houston dominates Texas at home
- #20 Wisconsin continues free fall with OT loss at Iowa
- #19 BYU suffers loss at Oklahoma State
- #6 Kansas gets back on track with win at #25 Oklahoma
- Colorado State dominates Utah State in big Mountain West matchup
- NC State wins at Clemson to keep at-large bid alive
- 30 points from KJ Simpson leads Colorado to comeback 2OT win at USC
- Nevada wins at UNLV using second half comeback
- #2 Purdue visits struggling Ohio State (1:00 ET, CBS)
- Seton Hall faces St. John’s in possible elimination game (5:00 ET, FS1)
- Rutgers visits Minnesota riding four-game winning streak (6:30 ET, BTN)