Texas Tech 99, Washington 92 OT: Maybe the most exciting game of the year thus far in the season. Washington and Texas Tech were tied with 4.8 seconds left after Elston Turner missed two free throws. Mike Singletary grabbed the rebound, dribbled the length of the court, and hit a 20 foot runner at the buzzer for what looked like a last second win. The fans stormed the court, but after further review, Singletary didn't get the shot off in time.
Texas Tech fans stormed the court twice last night.(photo credit: Examiner)
In the first half, Texas Tech opened up a nine point lead as Washington looked bad defensively. They struggled rotating, they were getting beat off the dribble, and they were allowing open jumpers. The second half was a different story, as the Huskies locked down a little more on the defensive end. After a 10-2 run tied the game at 60, the two teams basically traded baskets until there was under a minute left in the overtime period. After Venoy Overton fell asleep defensively, allowing Nick Okorie to cut back door for a lob, Tech went up 91-89. On the ensuing possession, John Roberson (who finished the game with 25 points) stole the ball and went the distance for a lay-up to take a 93-89 lead with 45 seconds left. After Thomas airballed a three, this one was all but over.
While this looks like a disastrous loss for Washington and the Pac-10, keep in mind that this Texas Tech team is still undefeated, and they have the look of a team that can at least make a run at an at-large bid. Roberson is solid at the point, and last night was no different as he went for 25 points and 7 assists. He made a number of big plays down the stretch, including hitting all 13 of his free throws. He severely outplayed U-Dub's duo of Isaiah Thomas and Abdul Gaddy. Mike Singletary is a scorer. He's not really a post player, not really a wing, but he can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim or finish in the mid range. But Singletary, who finished with 16 points and 12 boards, also showed the ability to mix it up under the rim. Combine those two with a couple big bodies, a couple of athletic wings, and a shooter off the bench in Brad Reese, and you have yourself a team.
Quincy Pondexter had 31 points to lead the Huskies.
Baylor 64, Arizona State 61: Tweety Carter took over late for the Bears. He scored 12 in a 13-0 Baylor run that gave the Bears a 52-47 lead with just under six minutes left. Rihard Kuksiks responded by scoring 11 straight ASU points to tie the game at 58. But Epke Udoh found Quincy Acy for a dunk with 49 seconds left, and 35 seconds later Carter hit two free for a 62-58 lead. Ty Abbott hit a three to cut it to one, but Udoh found LaceDarius Dunn for a lay-up for the final score. Carter finished with 27 points for the second straight game, hitting 7-9 from deep.
Texas 69, USC 50: Texas is still looking to put it together offensively, but the Longhorns still can play defense. They held USC into a 30% shooting night as they beat the Trojans in underwhelming fashion. Texas missed a number of easy looks (the one that comes to mind is seeing Dexter Pittman get "sprited" on dunk attempt where he didn't get an inch on the ground) and went 19-34 from the free throw line. Damion James had 19 points and 9 boards, while Dexter Pittman had 7 blocks for the Longhorns.
So in case you didn't notice, the Pac-10 went 0-3 tonight in the Big XII/Pac-10 Series, making them 0-4 on the season (which doesn't include Texas Tech's win over Oregon State earlier in the year). Everywhere you go on the blogs today, you are going to read about the Pac-10's struggles, and as we have already written about it, I'm not going to go into too much depth. But the one thing that intrigues me the most was brought up by Mike DeCourcy: how many first round picks are in that league? Klay Thompson will probably end up being a first round pick, but he needs to improve his strength and his all-around game to be a lottery pick. Malcolm Lee has really disappointed. Abdul Gaddy hasn't played up to his potential yet. Nic Wise, Jerome Randle, and Isaiah Thomas are all diminutive point guards. Maybe Quincy Pondexter or Derrick Williams? Coaching will only get you so far in college hoops. Talent is the great difference maker. Until Pac 10 coaches start recruiting better and bring more NBA level talent into the league, this could only be the start of the fall for the Pac-10.
One other notable score:
- Seton Hall 89, Hartford 56
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