The Double Bonus

A quick look at what went on yesterday and what to look out for Monday.

Yesterday’s Action

While No. 14 Purdue and No. 20 Georgetown rode big second halves to easy wins Sunday, things weren’t so cut and dry for the likes of No. 10 Syracuse and No. 9 Florida.

The Orange eked out a 3-point victory over William & Mary at the Carrier Dome as Syracuse shot just 36.7 percent from the field. Florida, on the other hand, rolled out to a big first half lead only to see Morehead State come roaring back in the second half. The Gators pulled out a 61-55 victory in Gainesville but not before Kenneth Faried went off for 20 points and 18 rebounds against the Florida front court. It left Bill Donovan comparing Faried to Dennis Rodman.

And finally, North Carolina proved it’s not Top 10 worthy – or maybe even Top 25 worthy – after the Tar Heels dropped their second straight Sunday, this time falling to Vanderbilt, 72-65, in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, after losing to Minnesota the other night. The Tar Heels (2-2) are now off to their worst start in a decade.

Links

Connecticut kicks off the Maui Invitational with a tough matchup against Wichita State. [Conn Post]

And here’s a look at all the Maui matchups by Mike DeCourcy. [Sporting News]

If you missed it Friday, Bruce Pearl was handed a pretty lengthy suspension by the SEC. [ESPN.com]

An interesting character showed up at a George Mason team breakfast [Ballin' Is A Habit]

Tonight’s Must See Games

No. 12 Kentucky vs. Oklahoma
Location: Lahaina Civic Center, Maui
Line: -15
KenPom: Kentucky -12
TV: 5:30, ESPN2
The Maui Invitational is here once against as the young Wildcats look to top the equally young Sooners. These two teams went head to head over some recruits last season and guess who won that battle? Yep, John Calipari and the Wildcats as they nabbed Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb. Both teams are lightly tested so far this season so we’ll see how the young talent on both sides fare, especially Kentucky’s three big freshmen (Jones, Lamb and Brandon Knight).

No. 1 Duke vs. Marquette
Location: Sprint Center, Kansas City
Line: Duke -12
KenPom: Duke -13
TV: 7:30 pm, ESPN2
The Blue Devils face their first legit test of the early season considering they’ve won their first three games of the season by an average of 41 points per. Kyrie Irving, Duke’s impressive point guard, will get a stern defensive test as Marquette has already forced 69 turnovers in four games. The only question is will the Blue Devils get a stern offensive test from the Golden Eagles? Marquette has yet to distinguish itself on the offensive end. Duke hasn’t lost a November game since 2006 when the Blue Devils lost to, you guessed it, Marquette. That’s 25 straight games.

No. 3 Kansas State vs. No. 11 Gonzaga
Location: Sprint Center, Kansas City
Line: Kansas State -5
KenPom: Kansas State -5
TV: 9:30 pm, ESPN2
After a disappointing performance against Presbyterian, Frank Martin has had been critical of his team, saying they lack leadership. That falls on the shoulders of Jacob Pullen as the senior guard is the heart and soul of the Wildcats. Martin’s going to have to rely on Pullen until Curtis Kelly can find his way out of Martin’s doghouse. Kelly’s status for Monday night isn’t known. But Gonzaga will definitely have Elias Harris on the court after the starting power forward injured his Achilles in the Zag’s loss to San Diego State. The Bulldogs continue their tradition of playing tough non-conference games but could very easily be looking at a loss here. If they couldn’t out-rebound San Diego State last week how are they going to out-muscle the Wildcats?

No. 2 Michigan State vs. Chaminade
Location: Lahaina Civic Center, Maui
Line: N/A
KenPom: N/A
TV: 9:30 pm, ESPNU
Spartans get Div. II Chaminade in their customary spot as Maui Invitational host and doormat. This will get ugly, fast.

A quick look at what went on last night and what to look out for Tuesday.

Last Night’s Action

Connecticut 83, No. 3 Villanova 74
The Huskies picked up their biggest win of the season, knocking off the Wildcats on the road thanks in large part to Kemba Walker’s career night. The sophomore point guard finished with 29 points, including a surprising 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. Walker, who was the only player to garner any praise from coach Jim Calhoun following that disappointing home loss to Cincinnati Saturday, was cool and calm down the stretch hitting 14-of-16 free throws, two less than Villanova made as a team. While the win revives UConn’s slim hopes of an NCAA Tournament berth, they still have a long ways to go. But Monday night was a step in the right direction, the first one UConn’s taken since the upset of Texas Jan. 23. As for Villanova, the Wildcats relinquished sole possession of first place in the Big East almost as quickly as they got it following Syracuse’s Sunday loss.

No. 1 Kansas 59, No. 24 Texas A&M 54
This wasn’t pretty for Kansas. In a decidedly defensive battle, the Aggies played the part of the better team for most of the game until the Jayhawks turned it on with about four minutes to go and squeaked out another close call on the road. No one made shots in this one  and in all honesty the Aggies let a big opportunity pass by them. This interesting quote from Kansas coach Bill Self after he bumped into A&M coach Mark Turgeon after the game tells you all you need to know. If A&M had shot better than 34 percent there’s no way they don’t win this game. Kansas was out-rebounded by a wide margin and hit just one 3-pointer. Kansas was lucky, very lucky, and they know it.

Links

In a make up game that was postponed last week because of the snow, Maryland routed Virginia. [AP]

Joe Lunardi gives us his latest bracket, with Marquette just sneaking into the dance. [ESPN.com]

The Bracketology 101 boys offer up their brand new bracket. [FoxSports.com]

Richmond is back in the Top 25 after a 25-year absence. [AP]

Speculation about John Calipari’s non-denial about interest in the Nets will only continue to grow. [CBSSports.com]

USF’s Dominique Jones made a very bold prediction the other day. [AOL Fanhouse]

Highly regarded prospect Josh Shelby has narrowed his choices to four very prominent schools. [SNY.tv]

Tonight’s Must See Games

No. 11 Michigan State at Indiana
Line: Michigan State -10.5
KenPom: Michigan State -9
TV: ESPN, 7 pm
Yes, the Spartans should beat the Hoosiers, especially with Kalin Lucas’ sprained ankle improving by the day. But Indiana has given a number of teams a hand full in Bloomington this season (Purdue, Illinois and Minnesota). That being said, Indiana has lost 13 in a row to ranked opponents. Michigan State has lost three of its last four conference road games after starting 9-0 and they need a win to jump Ohio State for first place in the Big Ten.

No. 23 Wake Forest at Virginia Tech
Line: Virginia Tech -5
KenPom: Virginia Tech -5
TV: ESPN2, 7 pm
Hokies and Demon Deacons come into this one having each won four straight and they’ve been getting it done with defense. Winner moves into sole possession of second place in the ACC. Key for the Hokies: Find a way to score more than 65 points. Wake Forest is 11-0 when teams score below that magic mark.

No. 2 Kentucky at Mississippi State
Line: Kentucky -3
KenPom: Kentucky -1
TV:  ESPN, 9 pm
I thought this was a perfect spot for Kentucky to lose a month ago when they were still undefeated. And even though they have that one loss I still think it sets up nicely for the Wildcats to go down. Mississippi State is probably on the outside looking in at an NCAA Tournament berth right now and what better way to get off the bubble than handing Kentucky a loss at home? It won’t help, however, that Kentucky big man DeMarcus Cousins has been getting bombarded with text messages from Bulldogs fans. Cousins is not a man you want mad at you on the court.

Others: William & Mary at George Mason, Cincinnati at South Florida, North Carolina at Georgia Tech, Creighton at Northern Iowa, Texas Tech at No. 22 Baylor

With rumors swirling that the NCAA is on the verge of expanding the NCAA Tournament from a nearly perfect 65 teams to a ridiculous 96 teams, the debate has raged. Media members and fans alike think its an absurd idea while many coaches think it’s great.

I, like so many others, wonder why the powers that be in college basketball want ruin a good thing? Some of the many reasons why increasing the number of teams in the NCAA Tournament is a bad idea:
* Why reward teams for mediocre seasons, like college football’s bowl system does?
* Why devalue the regular season when there are already complaints about its importance?
* It would zap the buzz around the conference tournaments.
* Who wants to fill out that gigantic bracket for their office pool?

And there are plenty more. But we all know the reason why things would change: $$$$$$$$. And it all depends on what the NCAA decides to do with the Tournament’s television contract that could be up for bidding this summer. If you’re not up to speed about the ongoings, check out the SportsBusiness Journal for the best rundown of the posturing.

But if you’re wondering what a 96-team NCAA Tournament would look like this year, you’re in luck. The boys at Rush The Court did a fine job putting together a bracket and a breakdown of all the second-tier teams that would make the Tournament if Selection Sunday were Wednesday. And the results are not pretty.

Ready to have a Tournament that features all 12 ACC teams? Thirteen teams from the Big East, four of which have sub-.500 conference records (Notre Dame, Providence, Seton Hall and UConn)? William & Mary that has four losses in CAA play? A Louisiana Tech team that has no wins against a Top 50 RPI program and a SOS of 324? Three – THREE?!?! – teams from the abysmal Pac-10?  

Yeah, can’t wait to see that. What a joke…

A quick look at what went on last night and what to look out for Wednesday.

Last Night’s Action

No. 4 Kentucky 85, Mississippi 75
Kentucky won by double digits like everyone expected. The Wildcats opened a 19-point lead in the first half and while the Rebels were able to whittle down the lead on several occasions, the game was always in Kentucky’s control. John Wall put that whole controversy with John Calipari behind him with 17 points and seven assists. Kentucky’s size was too much for Ole Miss as DeMarcus Cousins led the way with 18 points and 13 rebounds. But there were times when Mississippi’s zone defense gave Kentucky problems. That could be their kryptonite come March, besides their youth.

 No. 16 Wisconsin 67, No. 5 Michigan State 49
Wisconsin shot lights out and the Kohl Center continued to be a graveyard for Big Ten foes as the Badgers handed Michigan State its first conference loss of the season. But that wasn’t the biggest development of the game. That belonged to was the sprained ankle suffered by Kalin Lucas. The Michigan State PG went down mid-way through the second half and without their leader the Spartans were done. State just couldn’t find the basket once Lucas was taken back to he locker room and Wisconsin continued its torrid 3-point shooting.

Links

No. 3 Syracuse floored past Providence in the second half for an easy win at home. The Orange are off to their best start (22-1) in school history. [Post-Standard]

Unlike the Orange, it took No. 2 Villanova longer to put Seton Hall to bed. [Inquirer]

Northwestern picked up a big win for their NCAA Tournament hopes, topping Michigan. [Sun-Times]

 Pat Forde gives us 12 players worthy of Player of the Year consideration. [ESPN.com]

Rick Majerus isn’t happy at Saint Louis and he’s letting plenty of people know about it. [STLtoday.com]

Florida coach Billy Donovan likes the idea of a 96-team tournament. [Palm Beach Post]

For an expert take on every single BracketBuster game, you can find it right here. [Mid-Majority]

Fox is partnering with the boys at Bracketology 101. Here’s the latest bracket projections. [FoxSports.com]

Tonight’s Must See Games

No. 22 Pittsburgh at No. 6 West Virginia
Line: West Virginia -8.5
KenPom: West Virginia -8
TV: FSN, 7 pm
It’s a game between two ranked teams, but Pitt has played like anything but a ranked team lately, plummeting in the rankings the last two weeks. They’re hoping t avoid their fourth loss in five games when they head to Morgantown and that won’t be easy against a resurgent West Virginia team. Pittsburgh is hoping and praying Jermaine Dixon will be back in the lineup because without him they’ve been a very different team.

William & Mary at Old Dominion
Line: Old Dominion -11.5
KenPom: Old Dominion – 10
TV: Local, 7 pm
Critical matchup in the CAA. ODU sits one game behind conference leader George Mason while the Tribe hopes to hang onto its dwindling NCAA Tournament hopes. If William & Mary doesn’t out-rebound ODU then they’ll have no chance. The Monarchs are 14-3 when they grab more boards than their opponent.

Mississippi State at No. 18 Vanderbilt
Line: Vanderbilt -6
KenPom: Vanderbilt -7
TV: Local, 8 pm
If Vanderbilt wants to keep up with Kentucky then they’re going to have to hand the Bulldogs another loss. Thanks to last night’s win over Ole Miss, Kentucky is back atop the SEC East standings. The Commodores will look to add to their 16-game home winning streak against the leaders of the SEC West. Averaging 85.2 points and 53.3 percent shooting per contest in Nashville, Vandy is looking forward to a home game after back-to-back games against Tennessee and Kentucky on the road.

Wichita State at No. 24 Northern Iowa
Line: Northern Iowa -6.5
KenPom: Northern Iowa -6
TV: Local, 8:05 pm
UNI is 10-1 in MVC play, owners of a two-game lead over second place Wichita State. But we all remember who handed the Panthers their one and only conference loss back on Jan. 19, right? Yeah, it was the Shockers. 

Others: South Florida at No. 7 Georgetown, UAB at Memphis, Penn State at No. 13 Ohio State, No. 1 Kansas at Colorado, Texas A&M at Missouri

For Division I’s mid-major players, each year they anxiously await to hear which BracketBuster matchup they’ll have the honor of playing in come late February because, well, it’s kind of a big deal. In a mere 40 minutes, and just three weeks before the start of the NCAA Tournament, postseason hopes can be dashed in a game between non-conference foes who would normally never meet. This year’s matchups were announced Monday and feature some very intriguing games that will go a long way toward shaping this year’s bracket. While there are 11 games pitting 19 teams ranked in the top 100 of the RPI, here’s a quick look at the three everyone should catch.

Friday, Feb. 19

Old Dominion (RPI: 46, SOS: 92) at Northern Iowa (RPI: 17, SOS: 94)
Two teams that have at-large hopes should they not win their conference tournaments. Old Dominion sits behind George Mason and Northeastern in the CAA standings, but does have an impressive resume so far with wins over Georgetown and Charlotte on the road and William & Mary at home. UNI, on the other hand, doesn’t have the marquee win that ODU does. But they did beat Siena at home back in December and own five more wins against teams in the top 100 of the RPI, along with a perfect record on their own turf. If they don’t win the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament they’re still going to get an at-large bid anyway. That RPI is too strong for the Panthers to be left out. Old Dominion isn’t as clear cut. Should be a good defensive show in this matchup.

Saturday, Feb. 20

Butler's Gordon Hayward. (AP)

Siena (RPI: 44, SOS: 149) at Butler (RPI: 19, SOS: 50)
Siena doesn’t have the most impressive resume considering the Saints only have two wins over tp 100 RPI teams. But they do have a solid RPI thanks to a strong non-conference schedule that included games against Temple, UNI and Georgia Tech on the road. Many feel Butler will get into the NCAA Tournament no matter what happens to them in the Horizon Tournament. And considering their credentials, they’re probably right. Butler racked up wins over Xavier, Ohio State and Northwestern earlier in the season. And just like UNI, that RPI is too high to be left on the outside looking in. In terms of publicity, this game will top the other 10.

College of Charleston (RPI: 92, SOS: 172) at George Mason (RPI: 104, SOS: 182)
Both of these teams could really use another notable win. Everyone knows who George Mason is, but few know College of Charleston. All they did this year was knock off North Carolina at home. They also played Clemson, Tennessee and Western Carolina on the road – all teams with NCAA Tournament aspirations. Charleston leads the SoCon South Division with a 9-1 record. George Mason leads the CAA with 10-1 record, but doesn’t have a particularly great resume. Their best chance right now, just like Charleston, to get into the dance might be to win the conference tournament. The Patriots best win came over Old Dominion, but they have some good losses against Villanova, Georgia Tech, Dayton and Northeastern. Good coaching matchup in this one with Jim Larranaga battling Bobby Cremins.

It’s another full two days of conference showdowns with a few non-conference games to keep an eye on. Here’s our breakdown of Saturday’s and Sunday’s can’t miss contests.

Saturday

Georgetown's Greg Monroe. (AP)

No. 8 Duke at No. 7 Georgetown
KenPom: Duke -4
TV: CBS, 1 pm
Duke finally won a true road game last weekend, knocking off Clemson. Then they pounded Florida State. Georgetown, meanwhile, comes off a spanking at the hands of Syracuse Monday. But don’t count out the Hoyas. Georgetown should be a lively underdog in this one. Their size underneath, mainly Greg Monroe, should give the Blue Devils problems.

No. 21 Vanderbilt at No. 1 Kentucky
KenPom: Kentucky -6
TV: ESPN, 4 pm
You know who leads the SEC East? It’s the Commodores, and not the Wildcats. Kentucky’s first loss earlier this week, and Vandy’s win over Tennessee, vaulted the under the radar ‘Dores into first place in the division. But they haven’t been tested like they will against John Wall and company. Look for Kentucky to bounce back after South Carolina sprang the upset Tuesday. They’re too talented and with the pressure of that No. 1 ranking gone they should revert to their old ways. Plus, they’re 131-43 all-time against Vandy.

No. 24 Baylor at No. 6 Texas
KenPom: Texas -8
TV: ESPN Full Court, 4 pm
Texas will be happy to face a ranked team at home after last week’s two-game losing streak on the road. This should be a good matchup between teams with big frontlines. If Baylor can effectively rebound then they’ll have a good chance of springing the upset. Damion James maybe the all-time leader in double-doubles in the Big 12, but he hasn’t played his best in the Longhorns biggest games. Another loss by Texas and they would drop two behind Kansas.

Old Dominion at Northeastern
KenPom: Old Dominion -1
TV: CSN, 4 pm
ODU sits atop the Colonial Athletic Association at 9-1 while Northeastern, which just had its 11-game winning streak snapped Wednesday, is just one game behind the Monarchs in the standings. These two are the top defensive teams in the conference. First one to 60 wins.

No. 2 Kansas at No. 11 Kansas State
KenPom: Kansas -5
TV: ESPN, 7 pm
Kansas is rolling again, dismissing teams left and right. But this game comes on the road and we know that Kansas State has no problem getting pumped up for a matchup with one of the nation’s top teams. Head coach Frank Martin is imploring fans to cram Bramlage Coliseum for the College GameDay crew, who will be in Manhattan broadcasting. K-State is coming off a hard fought win over Baylor, but they’re going to have their hands full with the array of Kansas athletes. They better crash the boards if they want to upset another ranked team.

Harvard's Jeremy Lin. (AP)

Harvard at Cornell
KenPom: Cornell -6
TV: Regional, 7 pm
Both teams sit atop the Ivy League standings with 2-0 records. But this game is magnified, of course, because the Ivy League is the only conference that doesn’t host a postseason tournament. So the regular season’s importance is off the charts, just like this matchup. Winner will sit in the driver’s seat to earn the conference’s automatic bid. While there’s potential that the Ivy League could also garner an at-large NCAA Tournament, neither the Big Red or Crimson wants to chance it.

Northwestern at No. 5 Michigan State
KenPom: Michigan State -11
TV: Big Ten Network, 7 pm
Northwestern desperately needs another noteworthy win if the Wildcats are really going to make a run at their first NCAA Tournament bid. But considering they’re going up against the Spartans, off to their best ever start in the Big Ten, in the Breslin Center, I’d say the chances aren’t very good.

UTEP at No. 25 UAB
KenPom: UAB -3
TV: Local Broadcast, 8 pm
At 6-0, the Blazers lead Conference USA. But UTEP – and Tulsa and Memphis – sit right behind them in the standings. So this one is kind of important. Many feel the Miners have the better talent in this one, but UAB has played a tougher schedule so far.

Sunday

Florida at No. 14 Tennessee
KenPom: Tennessee -8
TV: CBS, 1 pm
Tennessee needs a win badly. They’ve dropped two straight to Vandy and Georgia and are in danger of falling out of the SEC East race if they don’t shape up. Wayne Chism’s injury hasn’t helped matters, but the Vols should be happy to welcome the Gators. Florida’s not exactly an SEC power these days and they take as many bad shots as any other team in the country.

Maryland at Clemson
KenPom: Clemson -1
TV: FSN, 5:30 pm
Speaking of another team badly in need of a win. Clemson is dying to end its three game losing streak. It doesn’t help that point guard Demontez Sitt’s bum foot has kept him on the sidelines. Maryland surprisingly leads the ACC and Clemson’s suddenly sinking NCAA Tournament hopes would get a huge lift with a win.

Virginia at North Carolina
KenPom: North Carolina -6
TV: FSN, 7:45 pm
Virginia was leading the ACC before it started dropping games. How do they bounce back from an OT loss to rival Virginia Tech at home? Won’t be easy against the Tar Heels on the road.

A quick look at what went on last night and what to look out for Thursday.

Last Night’s Action

No. 21 Vanderbilt 85, No. 14 Tennessee 76
The Vols dropped their second straight, Vanderbilt won its 10th in a row as the Commodores picked up a big win after many had questioned their Top 25 credentials. Jermaine Beal had 25 for Vandy which won in Knoxville for the first time in its last five games. Vanderbilt is now off to its best start since 1966 and they firmly sit atop the SEC East standings with a trip to Lexington to meet Kentucky looming this weekend. It wasn’t a pretty game – the refs were quick with the whistle – but Vandy took advantage hitting 21-of-29 free throws.

No. 8 Duke 70, Florida State 56
Florida State did not rebound well and missed a number of easy baskets – and those little mistakes added up to a 14-point loss in Cameron. The Seminoles got it close in the second half, and played pretty good defense, holding Duke to 43 percent shooting. But Duke’s pressure defense forced 22 FSU turnovers as they cruised to another easy home victory. The Blue Devils, at 5-2 , sit atop the win column in ACC play.

No. 23 New Mexico 76, No. 12 BYU 72
The MWC got some attention last night when its two ranked teams squared off and the Lobos put an end to the Cougars’ 15-game winning streak, the longest in the nation. Dairese Gray was the star, pouring in a career-high 25 and out-playing BYU’s top threat, Jimmer Fredette. Fredette may have finished with 27, but Gray scored nine points over the final 1:30 to close out the game and pull into a tie for second place in the conference, one game behind BYU in the loss column.

Providence 81, No. 19 Connecticut 66 
Will the real Huskies please stand up? Four days after taking down then-No. 1 Texas, UConn layed an egg in the second half, squandering multiple leads as they dropped another game on the road. UConn is now 0-4 in true road games and shockingly sits behind Providence in the Big East standings. The Huskies are just 3-4 in conference play, good enough for 11th place in the league. I’m sorry, but a Top 20 team can not be sitting in the bottom half of their league. Making only two field goals the final nine minutes of the game, the Huskies ruined all the good vibes from last weekend’s win.

Charlotte 74, No. 15 Temple 64
Charlotte handed the Owls their first conference loss of the season, thus creating a muddled mess atop the Atlantic 10 standings. Three teams (Temple, Charlotte and Xavier) are all 5-1 in league play. The 49ers did it with defense. The 2-3 zone gave the Owls fits – not surprising considering they’re not a very good shooting team.

 Links

 Northeastern‘s 11-game winning streak came to an end thanks to Drexel. [Boston Herald]

Some are starting to make the case that Villanova should be the new No. 1. [Daily News]

 Stewart Mandel – back writing about college hoops – wonders what happened to the dynasties? [SI.com]

Eight-point play? It pretty much happened for Hofstra‘s Chris Jenkins Wednesday. [GoHofstra.com]

The Kentucky faithful got a little ahead of itself with these t-shirts. Bad timing. [Deadspin.com]

Tonight’s Must See Games

No. 16 Wisconsin at No. 10 Purdue
Line: Purdue -8.5
KenPom: Purdue -2
TV: ESPN, 7 pm
Two Big Ten powers will clash in West Lafayette and the Boilermakers would surely like to return the favor after the Badgers handed them a loss in Madison a few weeks back, starting Purdue’s unexpected three-game slide. Wisconsin has never had it easy in Mackey Arena where they’re a paltry 2-35. Expect your typical low scoring game in this one. Purdue has been playing better defensively over the past week and Wisconsin has labored to put up points.

Wake Forest at No. 22 Georgia Tech
Line: Georgia Tech -5
KenPom: Georgia Tech -4
TV: 7 pm
The Yellow Jackets turn the ball over a lot. And considering some of the speed that Wake Forest posseses – most especially Ishmael Smith – Tech will get hammered tonight if they don’t take care of the ball. This young and very talented Jackets team has been much better at home than on the road. But as good as Tech has been in their friendly confines, Wake has been pretty good on the road, going 2-2 this season against Top 25 teams away from home.

Others: St. John’s at No. 17 Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech at Virgina,

Huge would be a good way to describe it after UConn hooked No. 1 Texas.

With no NCAA Tournament worthy wins on their resume, the Huskies came into Saturday’s showdown with top-ranked Texas knowing fully well the opportunity that lay in front of them.

And they capitalized big time with an 88-74 victory in Gampel Pavilion that should squash any talk of the Huskies being a bubble team for the time being. Check out Neill Ostrout’s coverage from Storrs here.

Forward Gavin Edwards dunks during UConn's 88-74 win over No. 1 Texas. (AP)

While it was a struggle in the first half, when the Huskies turned the ball over an astounding 16 times, things came together in the second half rather quickly and brilliantly for a considerable stretch. All of the sudden the Huskies played up to their potential; defending, rebounding and running their fast break offense with precision. 

And it was led by the embattled backcourt. Jerome Dyson had himself a career gameand Kemba Walker played polar opposite halves. The first 20 minutes were a struggle for the sophomore PG and the second half was his 2010 coming out party.

It’s been a tough season for Walker after he played the role of A.J. Price’s backup last year during UConn’s Final Four run. He hasn’t stepped up like many had expected he would this year. His offense has been inconsistent, his decision puzzling at times. But that wasn’t the case Saturday. At least not in the second half.

And just as importantly as the Huskies’ backcourt play, the team as a whole showed plenty of heart and perseverance playing their second game without coach Jim Calhoun and coming up big in a big spot.  Texas’ inability to take full advantage of the Huskies many first half turnovers was a help, but UConn got what nearly amounted to a must-win. 

That being said, I have a feeling there’s going to be a tendency for UConn fans to overreact after the game. Sure it’s a great win for the Huskies and certainly will mask many of their flaws, but they’re still a team that doesn’t take care of the ball enough and still is basically inept in the half court set. They’re lack of a pure, knock down shooter wasn’t needed in this one – Dyson finally hit some outside shots – but that defincency will be exposed plenty the rest of the way out.  Saturday’s second half played out perfectly for the Huskies: They defended and ran right to the basket for easy points. We haven’t seen that from UConn – against a quality opponent – since the first half of that devastating loss to Georgetown.

As for Texas, the Longhorns are smarting after two straight losses. Clearly they have issues with teams that don’t mind banging with them and can get out in transition. The Longhorns are going to drop in the polls – possibly as far down as 7th or 8th. But they’ve got too much talent not to continue to be among the nation’s best. Don’t dismiss the Longhorns. That would be a big mistake.

 * Michigan State had no business beating Minnesota Saturday at The Barn. Down double digits for what seemed most of the game, the Spartans, underdogs to an undermanned Minnesota team they had beat just a few weeks earlier, road the coattails of Kalin Lucas as he closed out the Gophers, 65-64. Thanks to Lucas’ 22 points – none bigger than his go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:27 left – Michigan State escaped with a perfect 7-0 in the Big Ten, having won eight straight – 10 of its last 11 on the road - off to their best start since the days of Magic Johnson.

They’re definitely not the most athletic or the most explosive and they usually don’t shoot lights out. But the Spartans showed a ton fo savvy Saturday. They crashed the boards hard, stuck it to the Gophers defensively and Lucas showed you how important it is to have a veteran point guard running the show. When the Spartans easily could have folded, Lucas took the team on his back.

“It was the best Lucas has been all year,” Michigan State coach Tim Izzo said after the it was over.

* Minnesota wasn’t the only Big Ten team to suffer a painful loss Saturday. No. 21 Ohio State met No. 11 West Virginiain Morgantown and promptly looked like a Top 5 team in the first half, taking a 12 point lead into halftime. It was all downhill after that.

Evan Turner could only do so much for the Buckeyes who failed to get their revenge after last year’s beatdown at the hands of West Virginia. He may be Player of the Year material, but the Mountaineers didn’t let Turner go crazy, “limiting” him to 18 points. West Virginia’s slow start was nothing but a distant memory in the game’s final seconds as they held Ohio State to just one field goal over the final eight minutes. The Mountaineers dominated the boards in the second half and held Turner to just five points after halftime.

It was an important win for the Mountaineers who had been struggling with unimpressive wins against lesser opponents and high profile losses to the likes of Purdue and Syracuse. Maybe this will get West Virignia back on track, but more importantly for the Mountaineers is going to be a way to figure out their inconsistent guard play.

* It’s easy analysis, but it’s amazing how good some teams look when they play a little defense and take care of the ball. That was the case with No. 4 Villanova against St. John’sat in the Garden. Villanova opened up an early lead only to watch St. John’s jump out to a double digit lead before the Storm entered halftime up a point. The second half wasn’t much of a fight as the Wildcats began to bear down, force turnovers and not throw away the ball. Scottie Reynolds had himself another stellar game. He’s Big East and National Player of the Year material. But I worry against better opponents if Villanova is going to rely too heavily on Reynolds. There are times when it seems like Reynolds just dribbles until he get himself enough room to fire off a shot. I was very impressed by what I saw out of Maalik Wayns. Only a freshman, he’s going to be a player for Nova.

* Poor Arkansas. They walked into a buzzsaw in Rupp Arena. The Razorbacks limped into the locker room at halftime with a 30 point deficit staring them in the face. Ladies and gentlemen, you’re new No. 1: Kentucky.

* Tennessee hit the road to visit Georgia, but the true dogs Saturday were the Vols. They were absolutely dominated by Georgia on their way to an embarrassing 15 point loss. Talk about not showing up. Georgia now has wins against the Vols, Georgia Tech and Ilinois. They’ve got more impressive wins than a number of ranked teams.

* The good vibes from Monday’s upset of No. 1 Texas didn’t last very long for No. 10 Kansas State who fell to Oklahoma State at home. Talk about a letdown. Coach Frank Martin was the toast of the college world for a few days earlier this week. Now he and the Wildcats look like a bunch of chumps.

* Kansas did not waste much time dismissing Iowa Stateon the road. Cole Aldrich had himself a big game with 19 and 11. That should quiet some of his critics who had been dogging Aldrich for some less then stellar performances over the Jayhawks past few games.

* Who has the nation’s third longest winning streak at 11? How about Northeastern. The Huskies took down VCU at home Saturday and sit atop the CAA standings right now. You’re going to hear a lot more from Northeastern over the next month.