Thursday Morning Shootaround

Crazy night for college basketball as three ranked teams were upset, including two top ten squads. Perhaps the most ridiculous score of the night was in the Miami FL-Wake Forest game, where the Hurricanes won 79-52. Yes, the #6 team in the country, who was #1 not two weeks ago, lost by 27 to Miami. It seems like teams are starting to figure out what you need to do to beat Wake - pack in your defense, let everyone except Jeff Teague shoot from the perimeter, then make sure you crash the boards. Miami did just that, settling back into a zone that Wake never could figure out. The Hurricanes held them to just 32% shooting and 3-20 from deep. Miami took control at the start of the second half, going on a 25-8 run to blow open a three point game. Jeff Teague had 19 for Wake, but was 0-5 from three and had just one assist. James Johnson was the only other guy to crack double figures, hitting for 11. Jack McClinton busted out of what seems like a season long slump with 32 points, hitting 6-10 from deep.

The rest of the night's games:

• Clemson 74, Duke 47: The story of this game was Clemson's defense. The Tigers held the Duke to 31% shooting (3-13 from deep), and forced as many turnovers (16) as field goals they allowed. With the score tied 13-13, Clemson used a 20-8 surge to end the first half with a 12 points lead. The continued that surge at the start of the second period, eventually building a 29 point lead. Trevor Booker went for 21 points and 8 boards while Terrence Oglesby added 17, hitting five three's.
  
  If you want to get a sense of how poorly Duke played, watch these two clips. In the first one, watch the Duke defense breakdown. Booker roles off a screen where both defenders went at the man with ball, then gets a free run at the rim because no Blue Devils come over on helpside. Result? Singler and Zoubek get put on a poster.
  
  
  
  This one is even worse. Watch Nolan Smith and the rest of the Dukies half-ass it back on defense, where Greg Paulus tries to take a charge, but instead gets yammed on by Jerai Grant. If any of the Devils are hustling back on D, the trailer (Grant) probably isn't open for the drop-off.
  
  
  
  
• Missouri 69, Texas 65: The Longhorns built a ten point lead early in the first half on the strength (literally) of Dexter Pittman inside. The big fella had 14 of his 25 points in the first 20 minutes. But Missouri rallied at the end of the half, and was just too much down the stretch. Eight times in the last five minutes of the game, there was a tie or a lead change. After a Pittman bucket gave Texas a 62-60 lead, Leo Lyons scored on two straight possessions (both when he blew by Pittman on the perimeter) to give Missouri the lead. Texas tied it at 65, but Zaire Taylor made an and-one lay-up with 5.5 seconds left, and DeMarre Carroll iced the game 2 seconds later with a free throw after a Texas turnover. Taylor led Mizzou with 17.
• Syracuse 74, West Virginia 61: The Mountaineers couldn't stay in front of Eric Devendorf and Jonny Flynn. Both guards finished with 22 points (on a number of drives to the rim), and the Orange overcame Arinze Onuaku being slowed by knee tendonitis. Syracuse went on an 11-2 run near the end of the first half to break the game open, then put WVU away with a 10-0 run that gave the Orange a 20 point lead.
• Villanova 94, Providence 91: Providence can put up points with the best of them, but they can't stop anyone - this was the fourth straight game they've given up 90+. Villanova built a 15 point halftime lead that they pushed to 20, but the Friars caught fire in the second half, hitting 11 three's (17 on the game). Weyinmi Efejuku hit a three to cut the lead to 92-91 with two seconds left, but two Wildcat free throws and a deflected in bounds pass sealed up the win. Scottie Reynolds had 31 for Villanova.
• Oklahom 77, Texas A&M 71: Oklahoma blew a 15 point first half lead and found themselves down 68-59 with just over six minutes to play. But Juan Patillo had two blocks to spark a 8-0 run, and Taylor Griffin hit the go-ahead lay-up with 46 seconds left as Oklahoma held on to win. Blake Griffin led the Sooners with 16 points and 14 boards.
• Michigan State 76, Minnesota 47: The Spartans jumped all over the Gophers from teh tip, opening up a 13-1 lead en route to a 42-16 halftime score. Minnesota could not hit anything, as they shot just 17% in the first half.
• UCLA 76, USC 60: The Bruins opened up a 20 point first half lead, forcing USC into turnovers and turning those into easy baskets. It was the third straight blow out win for UCLA, who seem to finally be hitting their stride. Josh Shipp had 19 to lead the Bruins.
  
• Memphis 79, SMU 66
• Indiana 68, Iowa 60: First Big Ten win for Tom Crean.
• Boston College 80, Virginia 70
• Dayton 63, La Salle 61
• St. Joe's 66, George Washington 58
• UNC-Wilmington 81, VCU 72
• William & Mary 68, Northeastern 63
• LSU 80, Georgia 62
• Cincinnati 93, Notre Dame 83: How far have the Irish fallen? Right now it is going to take a miracle for them to make it to the NCAA's.
• Utah 62, TCU 54
• Mississippi 78, Auburn 59
• Tennessee 74, Arkansas 72: Bobby Maze hit a floater with 5.4 seconds left to give the Vols a much needed win.
• Oklahoma State 81, Texas Tech 80: Byron Eaton capped a career-high 29 point performance by hitting the game-winner with 29 seconds left as the Cowboys oversame a 12 point halftime deficit.