Morning Recaps

I Slept On It: Creighton Passes Test; Wisconsin Drops Minnesota

On the way to their big Sunday showdown with Villanova, the Bluejays were tested in Indianapolis. In the Big Ten, Michigan State rolled, while Wisconsin handed Minnesota a potentially costly loss. Elsewhere, Mizzou won a key SEC matchup, St. John's survived its trip across the Hudson, and UCLA looked impressive in taking apart Colorado.

By ChrisDobbertean@ChrisDobbertean Feb 14, 2014, 8:19am EST

"I Slept On It" is Blogging the Bracket's nearly daily roundup of the previous night's college basketball action, with a bracketology focus.

Big East

Doug McDermott scored 25, including a three with 50 seconds left to push Creighton (20-4, 10-2) past host Butler (12-12, 2-10), 68-63. That's sets up a rematch with Villanova for the Big East lead on Sunday afternoon in Omaha.
St. John's (16-9, 6-6) escaped Seton Hall (13-11, 4-7) with a win and, less importantly, a place in my Friday bracket, thanks to a Chris Obekpa block of an inbounds pass with 1.3 seconds left on the clock. That's four wins in a row for the Red Storm and seven victories in their last eight outings.

Big Ten

Adreian Payne seems to be getting back into a groove for Michigan State (21-4, 10-2). The senior forward netted 20 and grabbed 14 boards for Sparty, as it knocked off Northwestern (12-13, 5-7) in Evanston. The Wildcats have now dropped two in a row, after winning four of five to get into the hunt for a bye at the Big Ten Tournament. That dream is nearly over now. Wisconsin (20-5, 7-5) held off a furious, three-point-fueled Minnesota (16-9, 5-7) rally to prevail 78-70. As a result, the Badgers will be back among the Top 16 protected seeds in Friday's bracket, while the Golden Gophers will move ever closer to the cut line.

Pac-12

Colorado (18-7, 7-5) looked sharp early at UCLA (19-5, 8-3), but the Bruins composed themselves and put on an offensive clinic to defeat the Buffaloes, 92-74. The Bruins had 25 assists on 35 field goal makes, with Kyle Anderson dishing out 11 of those, along with 22 points. Colorado is still in good shape for selection, but seeding will be a significant issue if the Buffs cannot pick up some road wins late. Across, L.A., Utah (17-7, 6-6) got itself to .500 in the Pac-12 with an eight-point win over hapless USC (10-14, 1-10).

SEC

Arkansas (15-9, 4-7) almost won its second consecutive SEC road game in Columbia last night, emphasis on "almost." Missouri (17-7, 5-6), however, got the 86-85 victory, thanks to a Jabari Brown jumper with 14 seconds left. Therefore, the Tigers remain well ahead of the Razorbacks in the bid pecking order.

Elsewhere

Green Bay (20-5, 10-2 Horizon) won at Youngstown State (13-13, 4-7) by 31 to remain in first place in the Horizon League. Stephen F. Austin (23-2, 12-0 Southland) won its 20th-straight game, winning at Lamar (3-21, 2-10) by nine.
Southern (21-4, 8-2 C-USA) was blasted by UAB (15-9, 4-6), but the Golden Eagles will remain in Friday's bracket, as UTEP (18-7, 8-2) lost at home to FAU (10-15, 5-5), thanks to a Marquan Botley three with three seconds left.
In the WCC, leaders Gonzaga (22-4, 12-1) overcame a slow start to defeat Pepperdine (14-12, 7-7) by 15 in Spokane, St. Mary's (19-7, 9-4) took care of San Diego (13-14, 4-10), and BYU (17-10, 9-5) lost at Pacific (14-10, 5-8). That result will knock the Cougars out of Friday's bracket.

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