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I Slept On It: The Night That Was No. 5 And No. 8's Turn To Fall

Xavier and Michigan State both tasted defeat on the road, while UNC and Dayton got scares. Kansas, Kentucky, and Virginia won handily at home, just as the nation's new top-ranked team did on the road.

By ChrisDobbertean
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

ACC

Pittsburgh (17-6, 6-5) was unable to get the quality road win it needed, falling by a 65-63 score at No. 12 Miami (19-4, 8-3) thanks to the Angel Rodriguez tip-in with 1.4 left that was the result of this sequence.

Those were the final two of Rodriguez's game-leading 17 points.

No. 7 Virginia (20-4, 9-3) took down Virginia Tech (13-12, 5-7) 67-49 in Charlottesville, preventing the Hokies from sweeping the season series. Anthony Gill led the rising Cavaliers with 16, with Justin Robinson matching that total for the Hokies.

Maybe it's time to call UVa the new ACC favorite, considering how ninth-ranked North Carolina (20-4, 9-2) struggled to leave Boston College (7-17, 0-11) with a 68-65 win. The Eagles' Eli Carter led all scorers with 26, while the Heels' Marcus Paige scored 20. Roy Williams left the UNC bench and headed to the locker room early in the second half after fainting.

Big 12

No. 6 Kansas (20-4, 8-3) is now part of a three-way tie at the top of the conference after defeating No. 10 West Virginia (19-5, 8-3) 75-65, with Perry Ellis again leading the way. He had 21 for the Jayhawks, one of five double-figure scorers (and only six KU players actually put points on the board). The Jayhawks, Mountaineers, and Oklahoma all sit a game ahead of three four-loss teams.

Big East

No. 5 Xavier's (21-3, 9-3) stay on the top line of my projected bracket will be a short one, as Creighton (16-9, 7-5) took an early lead on the Musketeers that they never relinquished, winning 70-56 in Omaha. Maurice Watson Jr. scored 32 for the Bluejays, while Jalen Reynolds just missed a double-double for Xavier (17 points, 9 boards).

No. 1 Villanova (21-3, 11-1) moved two games up on the Musketeers in the conference title chase by boatracing DePaul (8-16, 2-10) 86-59 in Rosemont. Josh Hart led the Wildcats with 18 and Daniel Ochefu added 11, while grabbing six rebounds in his return from a concussion.

Big Ten

No. 18 Purdue (20-5, 8-4) defeated eighth-ranked Michigan State (20-5, 7-5) for the first time since sweeping the Spartans in 2011. But they needed OT to do it after blowing an early second half 18-point lead. In the extra session, a controversial foul on Denzel Valentine allowed Rapheal Davis (24 points) to hit the winning free throw for an 82-81 win.

Ohio State (15-10, 7-5) completed a season sweep of Northwestern (16-9, 4-8) with a required 71-63 victory. All five Buckeye starters scored at least 10, even though they struggled from the field as a team (41.1%).

Second-ranked Maryland (22-3, 10-2) handily defeated Bowie State (13-10, 6-5 CIAA) 93-62 in a game that was played for some reason.

SEC

Of the four games on the SEC slate on Tuesday, only one was competitive, as Florida (16-8, 7-4) won its ninth consecutive conference home game, 77-72 over Ole Miss (15-9, 5-6), completing a season sweep of the Rebels, who could have used another good win after stunning Vanderbilt on Saturday. Dorian Finney-Smith led the Gators with 16, while John Egbunu recorded a 14-point, 10-board double double. The Rebels' Stefan Moody, the SEC's leading scorer, managed 19, one less than Tomasz Gielo. Forward Sebastian Saiz returned after missing six games with a detached retina, scoring four for Ole Miss.

Georgia (13-9, 6-5) was held to just 11 field goals on its trip to Rupp Arena, while no. 22 Kentucky (18-6, 8-3) had 10 threes alone in an 82-48 rout of the Bulldogs.

In games involving teams out of the NCAA picture, Arkansas (12-12, 5-6) matched its worst conference loss as an SEC member, falling 78-46 at Mississippi State (10-13, 3-8), while Tennessee (12-12, 5-6) spanked visiting Auburn (9-14, 3-8) 71-45.

American Athletic

Cincinnati (18-7, 8-4) started slowly at UCF (11-11, 5-6), leading by just one at half, but the Bearcats turned it on in the second half to record a 69-51 road win. Kevin Johnson led four Bearcats in double figures with 13.

Atlantic 10

No. 19 Dayton (20-3, 10-1) won its 20th game but not before getting far more than it bargained for out of visiting Duquesne (15-9, 5-6). Micah Mason scored 27 for the Dukes and Derrick Colter added 21, but it wasn't enough as the Flyers escaped their clutches 76-74. Charles Cooke led the hosts with 22.

Elsewhere

Monmouth (20-5, 12-2) demolished host Marist (5-18, 2-12) 87-61 to win its 20th game and stay atop the MAAC.

No. 25 Wichita State (18-6, 12-1) rebounded from its first MVC loss by hammering Drake (6-19, 1-12) 74-48 in Des Moines.

New Mexico (14-10, 7-4) no longer has sole possession of second in the Mountain West. The Lobos dropped an 80-72 decision at Utah State (12-11, 4-8) to fall into a three-way tie with Boise State and Fresno State.

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