Monday's Shootaround: Weekend Recap - A couple classics, Kentucky beats down Louisville, and a late Xmas gift for Billy Donovan

SUNDAY'S GAMES

Wake Forest 96, Xavier 92 2OT: In arguably the best game of the young season, Wake Forest and Xavier we toe to toe for 50 minutes before the Demon Deacons finally pulled this one out. Wake finally opened up a lead midway through the second half, going up 60-52, before Xavier made their run. After a Jordan Crawford jumper, the Musketeers took a 76-72 lead. But Wake would score six straight points before a Terrell Holloway bucket with 58 seconds left forced overtime.

In the first OT, Wake took an early lead, but Xavier responded as Jamal McLean scored three points - a layup and a free throw - giving X an three point lead with under a minute to play. But Wake wasn't ready to die just yet. Ish Smith buried a three on their next possession, and Chas McFarland blocked a Holloway layup as time expired to force a second OT. In the final five minutes, Wake pulled away, taking a four point lead on a Smith bucket, followed up by Smith finding CJ Harris for a score as the Demon Deacons went up four and never looked back.

Wake Forest didn't have huge expectations this season after losing Jeff Teague and James Johnson, but after winning two overtime games this past week, they seem primed make a run in ACC play. Their two losses are to NCAA Tournament teams, and with wins over Richmond, Xavier, and at Gonzaga, Wake has put together a solid non-conference resume. Xavier, on the other hand, heads into A-10 play with just one quality win and an 8-5 record. The Musketeers are going to need to be great in league play in they want to ensure an at-large berth.

Ish Smith had 28 points and 9 assists in the win, while Al-Farouq Aminu added 26 points and 18 boards. Crawford led the Muskies with 30.

Florida 62, NC State 61: The Wolfpack forced overtime against Florida, and took an early lead in the extra frame. Up three in the closing seconds, NC State twice decided to foul. Florida hit all four free throws attempts, including one by Erving Walker that he tried to miss with 3.3 seconds left. NC State hit all of their attempts until Farand Degand missed the second of two with 2.6 seconds on the clock. Without a timeout, Chandler Parsons grabbed the rebound, took two dribbles, and fired from 70 feet, hitting the shot and winning the game for the Gators.

Duke 74, Clemson 53: Duke's defense was nothing short of stifling in the first half, as they held the Tigers to just 17% shooting and 12 points en route to a 30-12 lead at the break. Clemson made a run to open the half, cutting the Duke lead to eight at one point, but the Blue Devils, led by Jon Scheyer who scored 19 of his 22 after the break, found their offensive rhythm and wouldn't let the Tigers get any closer the rest of the way.

Michigan 73, Ohio State 64: Down 55-54 with 6:40 left in the game, DeShawn Sims scored a layup that sparked an 11-0 run that put away the Buckeyes. Sims and Manny Harris, who went for 28 points and 9 boards and 24 points and 5 assists respectively, scored all 11 points in the run.

Iowa State 82, Houston 75: Neither team led by more than six before the second overtime, and both teams scored in the final 10 seconds to tie the game - Houston on a Maurice McNeil putback with 1.7 seconds left in regulation and ISU on a Diante Garrett driving layup with 9.1 seconds left in the first OT. In the second OT, Marquis Gilstrap scored eight of his 17 points, and the Cyclones held on for the win as Houston, led by 28 points and 9 boards from Aubrey Coleman, the nation's leading scorer, lost for the third straight game.

Other notables scores:

• Kansas State 91, South Dakota 69: Jacob Pullen scored 23 points and Dominique Sutton added a double-double for the Wildcats.
• Georgetown 67, DePaul 50: Chris Wright led the Hoyas in scoring for the third straight game, dropping 18 last night to lead four players in double figures, as Georgetown held DePaul to just 39% shooting from the floor. Of concern - Georgetown has gotten just four points off their bench the last two games combined.
• Texas Tech 86, UTEP 78: The Red Raiders gave up an 11 point halftime lead, finding themselves trailing by six midway through the second half. But David Tairu scored 13 of his 15 after the break, and John Roberson added 18 points and 5 assists as Tech held on for the win. Derrick Caracter scored 21 points in the loss.
• Maryland 97, UNC-Greensboro 63: The Terps got 24 points from Greivis Vasquez to lead four players in double figures as the Terps bounced back from a loss at home to William & Mary.
• Wisconsin 63, Penn State 46: Trevon Hughes scored 18 points and added 7 assists as the Badgers stifled the Nittany Lions offensively, winning on the road despite a second straight disappointing outing from Jon Leuer.
• Northern Iowa 84, Missouri State 76: Jordan Eglseder scored 22 points and grabbed 13 boards and Adam Koch added 18 points as the Panthers used an 11-1 run late in the secod half to open up a nine point lead. The Panthers are now the only undefeated team left in the MVC.
• Wichita State 81, Bradley 69: The Shockers used a 10-0 run to open the second half and never allowed the Braves back into the game. JT Turley scored 19 to lead WSU.
• Illinois State 68, Southern Illinois 61: An 11-0 run opened up a 58-47 lead for the Redbirds as they outlasted the Salukis. Lloyd Phillips had 21 to lead ISU.
• Miami FL 86, Pepperdine 63: James Dews scored 23 points and hit five threes as the Canes knocked off Pepperdine.

SATURDAY'S GAMES (we're just going to do a quick recap of Saturday's action as there were 116 games, most of which I'm sure you've heard or read about already):

Kentucky 71, Louisville 62: The Wildcats overcame a chippy start, completely shutting down the Louisville offense for the first 15 minutes of this game. The problem? As Louisville started the game 1-19, Kentucky wasn't much better, opening just an 18-5 lead. The Cardinals came all the way back, pulling ahead 42-41 midway through the second half, but then John Wall took over. He made all the plays in a quick 8-0 run that gave Kentucky the lead back for good. Wall struggled, finishing with a quiet 17 points and 4 assists, but DeMarcus Cousins went for 18 and 18 in the win.

Pitt 82, Syracuse 72: Pitt was 10-24 on threes, six of which came from Ashton Gibbs (24 points on the day), as they carved up the Syracuse zone in the second half, getting any open look they wanted. It didn't help that the Orange were off on Saturday (1-13 from deep). Jermaine Dixon added 21 big points, as he has finally gotten healthy. This may be Jamie Dixon's best defensive team, and if Pitt can get consistent scoring out of Dixon and Gibbs, they just might be able to make some noise in the Big East. This loss was Syracuse's first of the season, and might have exposed a weakness in the Orange's zone - can they stop a talented back court when it gets hot? Think back to the Florida game - Kenny Boynkins and Erving Walker were the two guys that kept the game interesting.

Villanova 74, Marquette 72: The Golden Eagles lost another heartbreaker, this time as Scottie Reynolds split a double team in incredible fashion (if you haven't seen the play, he through the ball between his legs from back to front) before hitting a jumper and drawing a foul to give Villanova the lead with just 18 seconds left. Reynolds scored 16 of his 23 points in the second half, and Maalik Wayns added a career-high 16.

Gonzaga 85, Illinois 83 OT: The Zags blew a 21 points first half lead, but the Illini blew a late eight point lead before a Dominique Keller three forced OT. Matt Bouldin tied it in the extra frame with a triple of his own before Elias Harris scored on a tough shot in the lane with 12 seconds left. Harris, who scored 19 points and added 16 boards on the game, has thrust himself in potentially being a first round pick come June. He is strong and athletic, crashes the glass hard, has shown a nice perimeter game, and has a developed back to the basket game.

Maine 52, BC 51: Sean McNally scored 15 points for the Black Bears and his two free throws with 1:10 left on the clock as Maine knocked of BC. With other losses to Harvard, URI, St. Joe's, and Northern Iowa this season, the Eagles have almost assured themselves of an NIT trip if they don't win the ACC tourney

Other notable scores:

• Kansas 84, Temple 52: You should take this as more "Kansas is really good" than "Temple is overrated."
• Texas 76, Texas A&M-CC 70: Likewise, this is more "Texas had an off night" than "Texas is overrated." J'Covan Brown, Damion James, and Avery Bradley combined to go 6-34 from the floor.
• UConn 82, Notre Dame 70: UConn bounces back from a tough loss at Cincinnati on the backs of Stanley Robinson (22 and 16 boards), Jerome Dyson (20 and 10 dimes), and Kemba Walker (11 and 10 dimes).
• Michigan State 91, Northwestern 70: Kalin Lucas scored 15 of his 21 after the break, and Durrell Summers and Raymar Morgan each added 17 as the Spartans used superior speed and athleticism to overwhelm NW on the break.
• Oregon 90, Washington 79: The Ducks, now healthy with Michael Dunigan and TaJuan Porter back in the line-up, are now 2-0 in the Pac-10 after sweeping the Washington schools on the road.
• Georgia Tech 76, Charlotte 67: Gani Lawal scored 29 points as he helped keep the Jackets from blowing a 15 point second half lead.
• Butler 80, Milwaukee 67: Shelvin Mack had 25, and Gordon Hayward added 16 and 10, but the Bulldogs only got 8 points, 5 boards, and 4 fouls from Matt Howard.
• Baylor 85, South Carolina 74: LaceDarius Dunn had 21, Tweety Carter had 16 and 7 assists, and Ekpe Udoh had 12 points and 20 boards as the Bears won their second straight road contest against SEC competition.
• Rhode Island 63, Oklahoma State 59: The Rams picked up another nice non-conference win. Are they the best team in the A-10 right now? Temple may be the only team with an argument.
• William & Mary 48, Hofstra 47: The Tribe remained undefeated in the CAA thanks to a three point play from Kendrix Brown with 17 seconds left.
• Minnesota 86, Iowa 74: The final score was much closer than the rest of the game. Blake Hoffarber, who may be the best shooter in the Big Ten, had 24 points.
• Virginia Tech 103, Seton Hall 94 OT: Its official - Seton Hall wasn't worth the hype. The Pirates lost to a Hokie team missing Malcolm Delaney. Dorenzo Hudson went for 41 in the win.
• USC 47, Arizona State 37: Still don't believe USC's defense is good? Arizona State isn't exactly Kansas, but they were still held to 11-45 shooting from the field. USC wasn't much better (15-42), but a win is a win.
  
• George Mason 71, Old Dominion 55
• Texas A&M 89, Northwestern State 63
• Arizona 77, UCLA 63
• Richmond 59, Bucknell 50
• VCU 91, UNC-Wilmington 57
• Tulsa 84, Colorado 59
• Vanderbilt 82, Southern Miss 46
• Missouri 89, Georgia 61
• Harvard 92, Seattle 71
• Cal 92, Stanford 66
• Wazzu 65, Oregon State 60
• Siena 79, Mt. St. Mary's 76 OT
• Cinci 65, Rutgers 58