By: William Smythe

Whew, what a day. Flipping through the channels, I landed on the last minutes of the Arizona-Arizona State matchup in Tucson – a classic, no doubt. After a late foul against the Wildcats extended the lead to 88-86, the Sun Devils’ Devan Cambridge took the inbound, put the ball on the deck and launched a prayer with nearly two seconds to play (not sure why he shot it so early). A perfect buzzer-beater secured a massive win for Bobby Hurley’s unit – a team firmly on the bubble.

But wait, what about Florida State? I tuned in to the ACC matchup after seeing that the Seminoles had clawed back from a 25-point deficit in the second half. Just as he did last season against Virginia, sophomore sensation Matthew Cleveland heaved it from just behind the three-point line to sink the ‘Canes hopes of an easy path to an ACC title (after Miami’s Jordan Miller made a three with 4.9 seconds left).

Madness! 

Nine top-25 teams fell yesterday – a normal Saturday. What transpired as we head closer and closer into the jaws of conference tournaments?

An overlooked Gonzaga could prove dangerous in March

We all forgot about the no. 12 ranked ‘Zags. Three early season non-conference defeats – including two double-digit ones to Purdue and Texas – shifted the attention away from Coach Mark Few’s team. After all, who really cares about the West Coast Conference anyways? Well, it’s time to give the Bulldogs the attention they deserve.

Gonzaga has strung together six straight wins after suffering an away loss to then-no. 18 Saint Mary’s. Last night, the ‘Zags avenged their second WCC loss by dominating the fifteenth-ranked Gaels in Spokane – coming away with a 77-68 victory which gave them a share of the regular-season title. This team can fill up the stat sheet – with their 77 points the most allowed by Saint Mary’s this season (they only give up 59.3 ppg). 

The “ultimate glue guy” – senior forward Anton Watson – stepped up in a big way with 17 points and eight rebounds in the win. Complementing America’s most polarizing player in forward Drew Timme (19 pts, 6 rebs), Watson catalyzed the ‘Zags’ win in one of his most impressive performances of the season.

The depth for the Bulldogs is finally there, with the bevy of scoring options beyond Timme, Watson and junior guard Julian Strawther (15.4 ppg) contributing to the nation’s second-highest scoring offense. 

Fear an underrated Gonzaga. Despite their years of disappointment, Coach Few and company might be more motivated than ever heading into March – now eyeing a three or even two-seed. 

No. 6 Virginia looks unrecognizable, may fall to outside of the top-20

What has happened to the Cavaliers? The past four games – including two consecutive losses to Boston College and North Carolina – also witnessed Virginia (13-5 ACC) struggle immensely against Louisville and Notre Dame – the bottom two teams in the conference. A chance to right the ship on the road against the Tar Heels fell flat, with Virginia going eight-of-25 from around the rim and once again putting together an abysmal offensive performance. 

The only bright spot for Virginia has been fifth-year forward Jayden Gardner – who has tallied 35 total points in the Cavaliers’ last two games. The “small-ball” experiment with Gardner and graduate transfer Ben Vander Plas has largely failed as of late, with Gardner carrying much of the load amidst the latter and the backcourt’s struggles.

Senior center Kadin Shedrick (1 pt against North Carolina) and freshman forward Ryan Dunn (0 pts) haven’t played considerable minutes at all in Virginia’s slump.

The panic button is firmly in play. The Cavaliers are playing their worst basketball of the season at the worst point in the season. An ACC regular-season title is almost out of the question with Pitt and Miami both carrying better records; that, however, isn’t the chief concern. 

Virginia must win their last two games of the year – against Clemson and Louisville – to carry some momentum into the ACC Tournament. An early loss there could bode extremely poorly for both seeding and outcome in March. 

Purdue cascading as Indiana rolls in Mackey

Mackey Arena is no longer a place of refuge for the Boilermakers. Indiana waltzed into West Lafayette and stole a 79-71 win over Purdue – their first “sweep” against their in-state rival in ten years.

The key for the Hoosiers? Not senior center Trayce Jackson-Davis, but freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino.

The freshman’s 35-point performance – good for second all-time by an Indiana rookie – sent shockwaves all throughout the Big Ten. Hood-Schifino only made one three in the win, yet a 14-of-24 clip from the field and a 23-point tally in the first half gave the Hoosiers life in the most hostile arena in the conference.

Once again, we have to wonder how limited Purdue is by their inexperienced backcourt. Their starting guards – Ethan Morton, Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith – combined for 23 points, while no one on the court could contain the Hoosiers’ star freshman. 

No. 5 Purdue has now lost three of their last four. The Hoosiers have lost two of their last four, but the win in Mackey may compensate for defeats against Michigan State and Northwestern. 

The Purdue train is slowing down faster than we expected. Like Virginia, the Boilermakers are playing their worst ball late into the season – a trend no one wants to see. The backcourt – who looked so promising early in non-conference play – has put an even greater burden on Zach Edey’s shoulders to score and will his team to a top seed in March. 

Two tricky games to end the season – at Wisconsin and at home against Illinois – will be crucial for the Boilermakers as they look to turn things around.

Other Notes:

• Kentucky has won four straight, trounced Auburn by 32 and swept no. 10 Tennessee
  • The Wildcats are an incredibly dangerous NCAA Tournament team
• Houston takes the AAC, looks to be a surefire no. 1 overall seed barring any losses
• Villanova’s record (15-14, 9-9 Big East) is not a good indication of their talent level
  • The Wildcats just beat no. 19 Creighton by 12 and no. 13 Xavier by one
• No. 23 Iowa State has struggled mightily as of late, loses by 11 to Oklahoma at home
• No. 9 Baylor takes down no. 8 Texas despite an injury to freshman Keyonte George
• No. 10 Marquette clinches a share of the Big East (Shaka Magic!)