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West Virginia takes down Iowa State, Vanderbilt stuns Tennessee and Alabama tops Kentucky — all on an exciting Saturday of men’s college basketball.
Here’s a closer look at some of the most exciting games:
West Virginia shocks No. 2 Iowa State
West Virginia knocked off No. 2 Iowa State 64-57, handing the Cyclones their first conferences loss of the season.
Javon Small dropped an astounding 27 points on 56 percent shooting from the field as the Mountaineers led by as many as 10 points.
Defensively, West Virginia only allowed one three pointer, holding Iowa State to 1-17 shooting from deep. While three Cylcones scored in double figures, they only got six points from the bench. The ball movement wasn’t good either as Iowa State had just four assists to 14 turnovers.
It all led to West Virginia’s third win over a top-10 team this season and a court storming in Morgantown.
Look what @small_javon just did 😮💨
📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/nADt9aSVmH
— WVU Men’s Basketball (@WVUhoops) January 18, 2025
Vanderbilt topples No. 6 Tennessee
Vanderbilt has taken down the Volunteers for just the second time in their last 15 matchups 76-75.
Historically, the program improves to 6-2 against a top-10-ranked Tennessee team in Memorial Gymnasium.
Vandy led 41-35 at the half, going on a 7-0 run late in the first and getting the home crowd involved against its instate rival. The Commodores jumped out to a 53-40 lead in the first four minutes of the second half behind four consecutive threes.
Vanderbilt extended its lead to 16 at the midway point of the second half, in full control of the sixth-ranked Volunteers. But Rick Barnes’ team battled back, going on a 14-4 run in the final seven minutes to cut the Vols deficit to 76-74 with 45 seconds to play.
Tennessee inbounded the ball with 11 seconds to play down two when Chaz Lanier drove to the rim looking for an easy basket. However, Vandy’s Chris Manon trailed Lanier perfectly, elevating to pin Lanier’s layup against the glass.
CHRISSSSSSSSS 🤯 pic.twitter.com/7x5KEpKN13
— Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball (@VandyMBB) January 18, 2025
The Vols fouled, sending the Commodores to the line for a one-and-one to extend the lead. But Vandy missed the first free throw before fouling Lanier and sending Tennessee to the line with a chance to tie the game.
Lanier drilled his first free throw with two seconds to play, but he could not cash in on his second as the ball bounced off the rim to end the game.
Vanderbilt guard Jason Edwards led the game with 18 points, shooting an efficient 60% from the field. Lanier paced the Vols with 17, going 4-6 from beyond the arc.
Tennessee drops its second SEC matchup in its past four games, falling to 16-2 (3-2 SEC) on the season.
The Commodores improve to 15-3 (3-2 SEC) before heading to Tuscaloosa to take on No. 4 Alabama on Tuesday.
No. 4 Alabama tops No. 8 Kentucky in SEC Showdown
No. 4 Alabama (15-3, 4-1 SEC) earned its fourth conference win of the season in a thrilling, back-and-forth battle at Rupp Arena, taking down No. 8 Kentucky (14-4, 3-2 SEC), 102-97. The victory handed the Wildcats their second conference loss of the year and marked Alabama’s first road win over a top-10 Kentucky team since Jan. 26, 2002.
Early in the game, Alabama posted an explosive 11-0 run, but Kentucky quickly responded with a 10-2 spurt to seize the lead. From that point on, the two teams traded punches, with neither side able to pull away for long. Alabama entered the break with a narrow two-point lead, the first time Kentucky had trailed at halftime at home this season.
A major contributor to the Tide’s first-half success was Grant Nelson, who poured in 19 points, tying the most points by an individual in any half this season. His offensive firepower helped set the tone, but the team’s collective effort in the second half sealed the win.
Both teams posted similar statistics, but Alabama’s 55 points in the second half proved to be just enough to hold off Kentucky’s 52, giving the Tide a five-point victory.
Mark Sears was a key factor in the second half, scoring 16 points to keep Alabama in control. Nelson finished with a double-double, totaling 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Sears added 24 points to help power the Tide’s offense.
Head coach Nate Oats earned his 24th win at Alabama over a top-25 opponent, moving one victory shy of tying Winfrey “Wimp” Sanderson for the program record.
On Feb. 22, a highly anticipated rematch will take place in Tuscaloosa.
Xavier upsets No. 7 Marquette at home
No. 7 Marquette lost its first conference game of the season, 59-57, at home to Xavier. The Musketeers controlled the upset win from start to finish, never trailing against a top-10 team.
It’s Xavier’s first win at Marquette in eight years and first ever in the Fiserv Forum. Moreover, the Musketeers landed their first Quad 1 win of the season.
Xavier’s Zach Freemantle and Daily Swain scored 14 and 12 points, respectively, with Freemantle landing a double-double thanks to 10 rebounds.
However, it was defense that won the Musketeers the game at the end. After falling behind by as many as 19 points in the second half, Marquette rallied late to make it a two-point game on the final possession. Good hands from Swain defensively stopped the scoring attempt and landed Xavier the win.
Zach Freemantle leads the Musketeers with 14 points and Dailyn Swain adds 12 as Xavier takes the 59-57 win over No. 7 Marquette in Milwaukee!#LetsGoX | ALL IN
Presented by @RumpkeNews pic.twitter.com/OvXGCT0pbN
— Xavier Basketball (@XavierMBB) January 18, 2025
Creighton stuns No. 14 UConn on the road
Creighton upset No. 14 UConn on the road, winning 68-63, to jump ahead of the Huskies (13-5, 5-2 Big East) in Big East standings and pick up its second ranked win of the season and conference play.
A team that has arguably been unbeatable at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, the Bluejays’ (12-6, 5-2 Big East) road win marks UConn’s first loss at home in nearly two years.
Neither team gave the other an inch of space in the first half, trading blows that resulted in no lead bigger than five points until the final moments before the break. Creighton led 35-28 at the break.
The Huskies erased the Bluejays lead in the first five minutes of the second half, tying it at 41 apiece. However, they were unable to make it over the hump and take the lead once — tying it twice more before the final buzzer.
UConn’s lack of consistency and ability to string together multiple baskets kept Creighton in the driver’s seat throughout the half, so much so that the Bluejays didn’t make a field goal in the last three minutes of the matchup.
Creighton finished with four players in double figures, including guard Jamiya Neal’s season-high 24 points. Although the Huskies had three players in double digits, no one dropped over 15 points.
No. 15 Mississippi State edges No. 21 Ole Miss in OT thriller
It wasn’t easy, but Mississippi State ends its two-game losing streak and hands Ole Miss its first SEC loss, 84-81.
Mississippi State came out red hot in the first half with an 11-0 run, and it held onto the lead for most of the game.
That was until a missed free throw with 24.1 seconds left in regulation gave the Rebels a chance to tie it with a three-pointer. And they did. Ole Miss drew up a play with 14.1 seconds left, and Matthew Murrel drilled a three to tie the game for the first time since tip-off, sending the instate rivalry to overtime.
The Rebels took their first lead of the night when a Jaemyn Brakefield dunk put Ole Miss up two early in overtime.
The Bulldogs tied it up, then retook the lead after a chase-down block by RJ Melendez led to a corner three from Riley Kugel to go up by two.
THIS SEQUENCE >>> https://t.co/uLiORIgYlF pic.twitter.com/wyYm8mkOrt
— Mississippi State Men’s Basketball (@HailStateMBK) January 19, 2025
Then came a big mistake: Mississippi State’s Shawn Jones Jr. was called for a flagrant foul with 4.4 seconds left, giving the Rebels a chance at a five-point play to tie the game. Ole Miss made both free throws and got the ball on the baseline with 4.4 seconds left, down three points.
But Brakefield missed the final three-point shot, and Melendez held onto the rebound to run out the clock as the Bulldog faithful let out a sigh of relief.
No. 17 Purdue stifles No. 13 Oregon in road win
No. 17 Purdue relied on a gritty defensive effort to defeat No. 13 Oregon 65-58 in Eugene. Trey Kaufman-Renn led the way for the Boilermakers with a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Braden Smith added 15 points and seven assists.
Purdue (15-4, 7-1 Big Ten) overcame shooting struggles, hitting just 34% from the field and 17% from three-point range, but made up for it with timely free throws, going 25-of-30 from the line. Kaufman-Renn scored 12 points in the second half.
Oregon (15-3, 4-3 Pac-12) started strong, taking a 31-30 lead into halftime behind Nate Bittle; he ended the game with 18 points and six blocks. However, scoring droughts hurt the Ducks in the second half, including a 1-for-14 stretch from the field that allowed Purdue to pull ahead. Jackson Shelstad chipped in 15 points for Oregon, but the Ducks shot just 24% from beyond the arc and couldn’t capitalize.
The Boilermakers out-rebounded Oregon 37-32, including 12 offensive boards that led to 14 second-chance points. Purdue also forced 16 turnovers, turning them into 15 points, and held Oregon to 36% shooting overall.
The win marked Purdue’s seventh straight victory.
No. 10 Houston escapes UCF
Six lead changes or ties in the final 2:30. There were two lead changes in the final 10 seconds, with the go-ahead basket not coming until one second remained. That’s how wild Houston and UCF’s Big 12 clash was on Saturday afternoon.
Forward J’Wan Roberts made a move in the post with 1.1 seconds left to score the final basket of his game-high 21 points. No one else in the Houston starting lineup reached double figures. Ja’Vier Francis scored 16 points off the bench.
J’WAN ROBERTS. CLUTCH!!!@UHCougarMBK takes the lead with 1.1 left! pic.twitter.com/8LXG34DzVm
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) January 18, 2025
Roberts’ bucket spoiled the effort of Keyshawn Hall who scored to put UCF up by one point with 9.8 seconds to play. In a losing effort, Moustapha Thiam scored 18 points, Jordan Ivy-Curry scored 14 points and Darius Johnson scored 13 points.
KEYSHAWN HALL FOR THE LEAD!!!@UCF_MBB takes the lead with 3.2 seconds left! pic.twitter.com/tHyd2B4VVJ
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) January 18, 2025
Stanford defeats UNC on last-second jumper
Stanford took down North Carolina for the first time in program history, 72-71.
The Cardinal were 0-6 heading into the matchup in Chapel Hill before Jaylen Blakes put Stanford on top with less than a second remaining.
Blakes inbounded the ball, immediately got it back and pushed the length of the floor before pulling up a fadeaway midrange to win the game.
Blakes. Onions.#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/kcwL7712np
— Stanford Men’s Basketball (@StanfordMBB) January 18, 2025
It was a close game throughout, with the Tar Heels holding a 36-35 lead at the break. Neither team led by more than five in a second half that featured five lead changes and four ties.
Stanford forward Maxime Raynaud paced the game in scoring, dropping 25 points for his 11th 20-point game of the season. North Carolina’s star point guard, RJ Davis, tallied 19 points in the loss, going 6 of 15 from the field.
The Tar Heels had won four straight ACC matchups before the game, falling to 5-2 in the conference and 12-7 overall for a team that opened the season ranked ninth in the AP poll.
The Cardinal improve to 4-3 in conference play (12-6 overall), bouncing back after a 13-point loss to Wake Forest on Wednesday.