Baylor Wins in OT While North Carolina Grabs Seventh Straight Win

Monday night’s slew of games did not include any from the top 25 but it didn’t stop good ones from still taking place.

The Big 12 again stole headlines with the 70-64 overtime win by Baylor (17-9, 5-8) over Oklahoma State (16-10, 4-9).

At the buzzer in regulation, Brady Heslip of Baylor hit a 3-pointer to force the game into overtime. This was nothing new for him as he did the same in Saturday’s game against Kansas State. A win also ensued.

Corey Jefferson

For the night, Corey Jefferson scored 25 points for Baylor with Isaiah Austin added 12 points with 12 rebounds. The Bears have now won four of its last six games. This came after its previous win over Oklahoma State on Feb. 1, ending a five-game losing streak.

Looking ahead for Baylor, it will play West Virginia (15-11, 7-6) on Saturday; it sits at 200/1 to win the 2014 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State is feeling it own losing pain as it’s on a seven-game skid. With its rash of losses, the Cowboys are in the second to last spot for the Big 12 conference. This week, they will get Marcus Smart back on Saturday for the Texas Tech game after his three-game suspension. The Cowboys hope he’ll help turn things around as they had once been ranked No. 6 and now are looking at March Madness as a bubble team.

In Smart’s absence on Monday, Markel Brown and Phil Forte III stepped up as Brown contributed 26 points while Forte scored 20 points.

Brown said of Smart’s impending return via the Associated Press, “We’ve been playing tough the last two games, and Marcus is a tough guy and he’s ready to get back on this court. He’s been watching the games on TV. He’s been seeing how hard we’ve been working. I’m sure he’s wanting to come back and join us.”

Also on Monday, North Carolina (18-7, 8-4) defeated Florida State (15-11, 6-8), 81-75. With the win, the Tar Heels have won seven straight games and coach Roy Williams grabbed his 300th win with the program. The victory also come without North Carolina’s top player, James Michael McAdoo, going scoreless and fouling out after only playing for 13 minutes.

Roy Williams

But the win didn’t come easily as North Carolina never had a lead until the last 10 minutes of the game. This came as Nate Britt hit a jumper to give his team a 57-55 advantage and then held on for the win.

Britt had six points for the night while Kennedy Meeks led in scoring with 23 points while Marcus Paige added 20 points.

The Tar Heels sit in the fourth spot for the ACC. On Thursday, they’ll host rival No. 5 Duke (20-5, 9-3) for their first meeting of the season after the Feb. 12 game had been postponed.

North Carolina sits at 50/1 while Duke is 9/1 to win the 2014 Men’s NCAA Championship.

Tuesday’s top 25 Games…

No. 15 Iowa (-3, 144 o/u) at Indiana: A tough week for the Hawkeyes as their second game is against the surging Badgers.
No. 5 Duke (-11) at Georgia Tech: Duke also has a busy week: UNC and Syracuse are also on its docket.
Utah State at No. 6 San Diego State (-9.5, 129.5 o/u): After ending their 20-game win streak on Saturday, the Aztecwill look to turn things around.
No. 8 Kansas (-8) at Texas Tech: Can the Jayhawks get a ninth consecutive win over the Red Raiders?
No. 9 Villanova (-4.5, 141 o/u) at Providence: The Wildcats need to immediately put Sunday’s spanking behind them.
South Florida at No. 11 Louisville (-22.5, 139.5 o/u): The Cardinals have their eyes on a fifth straight win.
No. 14 Virginia (-11.5) at Virginia Tech: The Cavaliers will again look to defense for another win.
No. 19 Texas at No. 17 Iowa State (-5, 153.5 o/u):  The Cyclones have revenge on their minds from their January loss.
No. 18 Kentucky (-4.5, 146 o/u) at Ole Miss: Road games have been a challenge for the Wildcats.