Game Recaps

Many expected the matchup between #12 Missouri and #13 Texas A&M to be a thriller and it most certainly didn't disappoint, requiring an extra five minutes before rendering a verdict. Khris Middleton was outstanding for the Aggies, scoring 28 points and grabbing seven rebounds as Mark Turgeon's team remained undefeated in Big 12 play with a 91-89 overtime victory. Five A&M players reached double figures but it was Middleton who made the difference, scoring 11 points in the extra session to lead the way.

Minnesota went into Thursday night's game against #8 Purdue in need of a victory and thanks to Blake Hoffarber and some solid late-game defense the mission was accomplished. Hoffarber's 26 points led the way offensively and the Golden Gophers managed to hold the Boilermakers without a field goal for the last nine minutes in a 70-67 victory in Minneapolis. JaJaun Johnson led all scorers with 29 points to go with 11 rebounds while Lewis Jackson added 15, but Purdue was unable to overcome the rough shooting night of E'Twaun Moore.

Derwin Kitchen played arguably his best game as a Seminole and as a result Florida State picked up a win that serves as a good counter to that horrific loss at Auburn. Kitchen scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while Chris Singleton added 18 points and played solid defense on Kyle Singler before getting into foul trouble in the second half in a 66-61 FSU victory. Kyle Singler led Duke with 20 points, 18 of those coming in the second half.

Down nine after a pair of Jordan Taylor free throws with 2:37 remaining, Michigan State was in danger of picking up their second ACC loss of the young campaign is someone didn't step up and make some plays. You look to your seniors for leadership and that's exactly what Kalin Lucas and Draymond Green provided down the stretch, and a Korie Lucious three with 48 seconds remaining capped a 9-0 run that got the game into overtime.

Before the start of action on Saturday few had any idea that the day would end up being as wild as it was. Seven ranked teams fell to unranked opponents on a day that will have a drastic impact on Monday's polls, providing a reminder that the madness doesn't always wait until March to get going. Those results were as follows:

"I try to make him earn everything he gets. Like I said, he's got all of those accolades, but he's gotta come in and prove it."

- UNLV guard Tre'Von Willis on BYU's Jimmer Fredette in Tuesday's Las Vegas Sun

Notre Dame knew that they had to make Kemba Walker work for his points if they were going to beat Connecticut on Tuesday. And thanks in large part to Ben Hansbrough, who also scored 21 points they were able to do just that in beating the Huskies 73-70 to move to 2-1 in Big East play. Walker scored 19 points but had to attempt 23 field goals to do that, making just eight while outside of Shabazz Napier (4-6 FG, 18 points) and Roscoe Smith (11 points) his teammates struggled offensively.

It's been quite some time since St. John's was able to enjoy a true home court advantage at Madison Square Garden, as more successful programs with hearty fan bases in the area (Connecticut and Syracuse come to mind) would take over the building when playing the Red Storm. But Monday night may have been as close to a beginning to the end of that as Steve Lavin's troops beat Georgetown 61-58 to move to 3-0 in Big East play. The win, their fifth straight, also ended a 14-game losing streak to ranked teams for the Red Storm who have to deal with ranked teams in their next seven games as well.

If Notre Dame can play defensively against Syracuse and Connecticut the same way they did last night, Mike Brey's team will be situated well within the Top 10 at the end of a rough slate to begin Big East play. Georgetown, one of the nation's best three point shooting teams, made just four of eighteen in a 69-55 loss in South Bend. Tim Abromaitis led Notre Dame with 20 points and Tyrone Nash added a double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds) in a game that the Irish controlled for most of the way thanks to their defense.

If there was one area of concern for Wisconsin going into their game against Minnesota on Tuesday night it would have been rebounding given the Golden Gophers' size up front. And sure enough Minnesota won the battle convincingly, out-rebounding the Badgers 42-24 and scoring 16 second-chance points (34-12 edge in points in the paint) on the night. But the Gophers also shot just 39% from the field, and with Wisconsin turning the ball over just two times (and going 17-18 from the foul line) it proved to be too much for the visitors at the Kohl Center.