Tuesday's Shootaround: UK2K, a Nic Wise buzzer beater, and more struggles in Norman

UTEP 89, Oklahoma 74: The Miners started the game on fire hitting six of their first nine threes and eventually opened up a 19 point first half lead. Oklahoma would cut the lead to ten twice, but would never get an closer. Willie Warren had 26 points, which is much better than the four point performance he had against Northern Colorado, but he still seems to be on a different page than Jeff Capel.

If you didn't believe us before, maybe you will now: UTEP is for real. Randy Culpepper, who had 27 points last night, is one of the most dynamic scoring guards in the country, Derrick Caracter and Arnett Moultrie are a nice combination for each other on the front line, 6'7" Julyan Stone is Evan Turner v2.0, and guys like Christian Polk and Jeremy Williams are excellent role players. Polk had 17 last night. It is going to be fun to see UTEP and Tulsa battle for the C-USA title.

Kentucky 88, Drexel 44: Kentucky did it. They became the first team to win 2,000 games. Now, personally, I don't think it is that big of a deal. Does becoming the first to 2,000 wins really mean that much? Does it say anything about the current UK program? The two teams right behind the Wildcats, Kansas and UNC, have won the last two national titles and three combined this decade. Kentucky hasn't even reached a final four since '98.



That said, for fans of the blue bloods, the argument always is who's program, who's team, is the best of all-time. Having the most wins is a compelling way to argue that. UCLA has the overwhelming lead in national titles, but that really all came from one decade of success. The most wins is a sign that your program has consistently been the best.

Enough about UK2K. Last night, the '09-'10 Wildcats looked the best that they have all season. For the first time, they dominated and overwhelmed an inferior opponent for 40 minutes. Are the Wildcats finally starting to put it all together? That's a scary thought for SEC teams. Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins both scored 18 points to lead the Wildcats.

Arizona 83, Lipscomb 82 OT: Lipscomb led for the majority of this game, but Arizona took a three point lead late before Brian Wright hit a triple with 1.5 seconds left to force the overtime. The game was back and forth in OT, with Lipscomb taking a two point lead late. Adnan Hodzic missed the second of two free throws with just 4.7 seconds on the cock, setting up an exciting finish. You tell me if the ball is still in his hands:



Cornell 71, St. John's 66: The Big Red got 19 points, 11 boards, and 5 blocks out of Jeff Foote and 20 points from Jon Jacques as they went into the Garden and knocked off the Johnnies. With about two minutes left in the game, Foote scored in the paint to break a 60-all tie, and a minute later Jacques knocked down his fifth three of the game to give Cornell a 67-62 lead. Dwight Hardy led St. John's with 19 points.

Kansas State 90, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 76: The Wildcats looked a step slow as they slogged their way to a 14 point win over winless UAPB. Jacob Pullen led the way with 18 points.

Oklahoma State 77, La Salle 62: The Pokes got 28 points from James Anderson and 18 points from Marshall Moses as they led the entire game. La Salle got 22 points from Rodney Green, but never really threatened OK State.

South Carolina 81, Furman 57: Devan Downey led four players in double figures and flirted with a triple double, going for 16 points, 8 assists, and 7 steals, as the Gamecocks won. The news wasn't all good today, as it was announced that Dominique Archie will be undergoing season ending knee surgery.

Arizona State 69, UCSB 42: Rihard Kuksiks had 24 points on eight threes and Derek Glasser became the Sun Devils all time assists leader.

Dayton 65, Appalachian State 49: The Flyers continue to struggle on the offenive end as they shot just 38.6% from the floor. Chris Wright had 14 points, however, as Dayton pulled away down the stretch.

Miami 80, North Carolina A&T 59: The Hurricanes got 14 points of out Malcolm Grant to lead five players in double figures in a blowout win.

Vanderbilt 99, Mercer 59: Vandy looks like they are starting to play some defense. For the second straight game, they held their opponent to 25 first half points. An 18-2 run during the first half broke this one open. Freshman John Jenkins led the way with 17 points.

Wichita State 69, North Dakota State 57: The Shockers used a 13-0 run to start the game, and kept the lead at double digits throughout. Toure Murry led the way with 15 points.

Monday's Best:

• Jacksonville's Ben Smith scored 32 points and hit 7 threes, but the Dolphins fell to East Tennessee State.
  
• Providence's Greedy Peterson had 25 points and 13 boards in PC's win over Yale, but Alex Zampier of the Bulldogs kept them close with 25 of his own.
• Lipscomb's Adnan Hodzic may have missed a free throw that eventually cost them the game, but his 34 points and 13 boards were the biggest reason the Bison had a chance to win.
• Jamarco Warren of Charleston Southern had 37 points and 6 steals in a win over Southeastern University.
• Long Beach State's TJ Robinson had 22 points and 18 boards in a loss.