Editor's note: The Sports Network scoreboard over at SB Nation wasn't working correctly last night, and the problem is persisting. Therefore, recaps and boxscores may be missing for certain games.
Wednesday was the final night of action before the holiday, so there were a lot of matchups that looked like early holiday presents for the ranked teams involved. But things are not always what they seem before a holiday break.
- Long Beach State gave No. 3 Kentucky a battle for 30 minutes, but the Wildcats picked up an 86-73 win that was far closer than the score indicates.
- No. 6 West Virginia topped 15th-ranked Ole Miss, 76-66.
- No. 13 New Mexico lost their first game of the season, 75-66, to Oral Roberts, on what wasn't a great shooting night for either team.
However, the three other ranked teams in action Wednesday got the easy wins they wanted.
- No. 8 Villanova stomped Delaware, 97-63.
- No. 14 Georgetown didn't let Harvard pick up another big win. The Hoyas prevailed 86-70.
- North Carolina A&T provided little competition for No. 16 Tennessee. The Vols got an easy 99-78 win.
After the jump, I'll take a look at Wednesday's tournament action and games outside of the top 25. There will be no televised action on Christmas Eve, and only two games from Hawai'i on Christmas night. I'll talk about those on the other side.
The second day of the Diamond Head Classic featured a surprise semifinal performance and a controversial victory in the consolation bracket.
- In the consolation bracket, Western Michigan had little trouble with Northeastern, prevailing 75-60. The Broncos will play College of Charleston Friday for fifth place. The Cougars topped SMU, 72-71, on a controversial shot by Donovan Monroe with 1.1 seconds left. The Mustangs will face the Huskies for seventh. Neither consolation game will be televised.
- Kevin O'Neill may be on to something in Los Angeles. USC held the nation's 8th best scoring offense, St. Mary's, to 23 points in the first half, en route to a 60-49 semifinal win. The Trojans will meet UNLV in the final (Friday, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN2). The Rebels routed hosts Hawai'i, 77-53. The Warriors will play the Gaels for third (Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
- In the low-major bracket, of the Las Vegas Classic, Jackson State defeated Eastern Washington, 72-67, to finish third. Chicago State finished first, thanks to a 78-63 win over Wagner.
- In the championship bracket, are we so sure we want to still call Tulsa the C-USA favorite? Nevada blew away the Golden Hurricane, 99-68, in the third place game. BYU claimed the crown with an easy 88-66 win over Nebraska, making it a memorable two days in Vegas for Cougar fans.
- At the Utah State tournament, Morehead State finished third in the round-robin after they knocked off Cal State Fullerton, 69-62.
- The host Aggies rolled over in-state rival Weber State, 85-73, to claim the title.
In Wednesday's other non-tournament action
- Arizona won another thriller at the McKale Center, topping NC State, 76-74.
- Boise State survived Montana State, 58-56.
- Boston College knocked off Massachusetts, 79-67.
- Houston blasted TCU, 105-81.
- Louisville had little trouble with Louisiana-Lafayette, winning 84-69.
- Miami (OH) got in another close one they could close out. The Redhawks fell to Xavier, 70-67.
- Missouri won the Braggin' Rights game for the first time since '99, topping Illinois, 81-68, in St. Louis.
- Northern Iowa used a big second half to beat Wyoming, 72-54, in the MVC/MWC Challenge.
- Old Dominion obliterated Charlotte in what, in my opinion, is the most surprising scoreline of the week, 81-48.
- Oregon State beat Fresno State in Corvallis, 73-65.
- Siena picked up a HUGE MAAC win, blowing out Rider, 84-62.
- Since Utah football won their bowl game, perhaps their fans didn't notice that the basketball team fell 76-64 to Pepperdine.
- Wisconsin couldn't beat Green Bay, but they did get a 68-58 home win against Milwaukee.
If you don't see your team's score, click any of the score links. You'll find a full rundown on the right side of the page.
For more on Wednesday's action, visit Searching for Billy Edelin and SB Nation.
Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Festivus. My next post will come on December 26.