College Hoops: Weekend Recap

C.J. Fair and Syracuse defeated Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Another wild weekend of college basketball action will come to a close with the announcement of this week’s AP Top 25 later today.

Before we get to that though, BettingSports.com brings you a digest of the big stories coming out of this weekend’s action, beginning with a look at the Atlantic Coast Conference.

ACC Roundup

No. 2 Syracuse (18-0, 5-0 ACC) continued its unbeaten start to the season, knocking off No. 22 Pittsburgh (16-2, 4-1 ACC) as the two sides brought their Big East rivalry to the ACC.

The Orange’s 59-54 win at the Carrier Dome was by no means plain sailing. The Panthers managed to fight back from a 10-point deficit before taking a three-point lead with just over four minutes left on the clock. Jim Boeheim’s side proved resilient though and emerged victorious.

Elsewhere in the conference, No. 23 Duke (14-4, 3-2 ACC) tallied a second straight win, crushing North Carolina State (11-7, 1-4 ACC) 91-60 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The real test for the Blue Devils will be their trip to Miami (10-7, 2-3 ACC) on Thursday; Duke has yet to win in a true road game this season.

Meanwhile, North Carolina (11-6, 1-3 ACC) avoided a 0-4 start to conference play by dispatching Boston College (5-13, 1-4 ACC) 82-71 in Chapel Hill. Roy Williams will now hope his side can keep the winning momentum rolling.

Big 12 Roundup

The AP rankings meant little to the Big 12 is this weekend’s round of play, with two lower-ranked sides edging higher-ranked teams and one ranked side losing to unranked opposition.

The young roster of No. 15 Kansas (13-4, 4-0 Big 12) continued to turn the corner Saturday, defeating No. 9 Oklahoma State (15-3, 3-2 Big 12) in a close game at Allen Fieldhouse.

The Jayhawks jumped out to a 47-30 lead at the half but the Cowboys fought back to bring the game within one point with 5.7 seconds left on the clock. Kansas managed to hold on for the final seconds to pick up a fourth straight win and remain unbeaten in conference play.

Like Oklahoma State, No. 12 Baylor (13-4, 1-3 Big 12) also fell to lower-ranked opposition, in the form of No. 25 Oklahoma (14-4, 3-2 Big 12). The Sooners’ 66-64 win in Waco, Texas, snapped Baylor’s 13-game home winning streak, and sent the Bears to a third loss in four conference games. With a loss to Texas Tech earlier in the week, Baylor looks set to tumble down the AP Top 25 poll when it released later today.

No. 8 Iowa State (14-3, 2-3 Big 12), the Big 12’s highest ranked side, fell for a third straight game, this time losing 86-76 to Texas (14-4, 3-2 Big 12). The improving Longhorns forced 18 turnovers and blocked nine shots en route to victory in Austin, leaving the Cyclones once more on the losing end.

Big Ten Roundup

After losing to Indiana on Tuesday, No. 3 Wisconsin (16-2, 3-2 Big Ten) saw its AP stock fall even further Saturday, losing 77-70 to unranked Michigan (13-4, 5-0 Big Ten).

The defeat marked the first time since February 1999 that the Badgers had lost to the Wolverines at home, a streak that had lasted 12 games. It also marked only Michigan’s second win in 14 games against Wisconsin.

For Wisconsin, the defeat will prove costly, potentially seeing the side drop out of the top 10.

There was no such slipups for No. 4 Michigan State (17-1, 6-0 Big Ten), who will in all likelihood take the Badgers’ No. 3 spot later today.

The Spartans remained undefeated in Big Ten play with a 78-62 drubbing of Illinois (13-6, 2-4 Big Ten) in Champaign, Ill. Tom Izzo will now prepare his side for home games against Indiana (Tue.) and Michigan (Sat.).

No. 11 Ohio State (15-3, 2-3 Big Ten) was idle this weekend, which won’t have helped the side’s standing. Losers of three straight, the Buckeyes travel to Lincoln, Neb., on Monday to face a Nebraska (8-8, 0-4 Big Ten) side struggling to pick up wins.

BettingSports.com has all of the odds and trends you’ll need for this game.

Around the Country

No. 1 Arizona (18-0, 5-0 Pac-12) was idle this weekend and will next see action this Thursday against No. 21 Colorado (15-4, 4-2 Pac-12). The Buffaloes’ ranked status may have been removed by the time the sides take to the floor, after the side suffered a defeat earlier in the week but a 21-point win over USC (9-9, 0-5 SEC) on Saturday may see the side hang around.

No. 13 Kentucky (13-4, 3-1 SEC) emerged victorious from its rivalry game against Tennessee (11-6, 2-2 SEC) on Saturday. The Wildcats defeated the Volunteers 74-66 to remain hot on the heels of No. 7 Florida (15-2, 4-0 SEC), winners over Auburn (8-7, 0-4 SEC) this past weekend.

No. 5 Wichita State (19-0, 6-0 MVC) remained unbeaten on the season with a 68-48 win over Indiana State (14-4, 5-1 MVC).

Elsewhere, No. 10 San Diego State (16-1, 5-0 MWC), Cincinnati (17-2, 6-0 American), Gonzaga (16-3, 6-1 WCC), Saint Louis (17-2, 4-0 A10) and Villanova (16-1, 5-0 Big East) all remained at the top of their respective conferences following weekend wins.

Aaron Gordon and Arizona return to action Thursday against Colorado.

NCAA College Basketball Standings

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