Wednesday's Shootaround: Roadies are risky, as Georgia Tech and New Mexico

San Diego State 74, New Mexico 64: We have known that there is excellent basketball being played in the Mountain West Conference, but it seems like this season we could end up with as many as four teams in the dance thanks to the Aztecs win last night. SDSU was 11-3 coming into the game, but had just one decent win (Arizona).

Billy White, SDSU's leading scorer, sprained an ankle near the end of the first half and was on crutches before the game, but Malcolm Thomas was there to step up. He went for 18 points and grabbed 15 boards, including a stretch of seven consecutive points that helped the Aztecs push the lead to double digits.

The most important run came midway through the second half. With the score tied at 46, Kelvin Davis sparked a 9-1 run with a jumper he banked in. The run was capped by an emphatic dunk from Thomas.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the game for SDSU was on the defensive end, as they held the Lobo's two leading scorers (Darington Hobson and Roman Martinez) to off-nights, as the two combined for 22 points.

Georgia 73, Georgia Tech 66: Maybe Mark Fox knows a thing or two about coaching. After leaving Nevada for a stuck-in-the-mud Bulldog program, Fox has notched hit second notable win this season (they beat Illinois earlier) as Georgia knocked off the Yellow Jackets last night. Georgia was ahead for most of this game, using a 10-1 run, sparked by Georgia's uber-athletic wing Travis Leslis, early in the first half to take the lead and closing the half on a 6-0 spurt for a 31-26 advantage at the break.

Tech would claw their way back into the game, drawing within one point at 53-52, but Trey Thompkins, who finished with 20 points and six boards, finished an and-one inside then knocked down two free throws on the next possession to extend the lead to six. After a Tech bucket, Ricky McPhee, who scored 16 points, all but sealed the win with a three.

Gani Lawal had 21 points for Tech, but Derrick Favors scored just 8 points and grabbed just 8 boards in the loss.

Texas 96, Arkansas 85: For the second straight season, Texas struggled in Fayetteville against the Razorbacks. And if Courtney Fortson hadn't started to cramp up in the second half, it may have been their second straight loss.

The usually stingy Texas perimeter defense struggled in the first half, as Fortson was able to get to the rim and carve up the Horns via the pick and roll. Rotnei Clarke was hot as well. He hit a couple threes in the first half, but he, too, was getting to the rim as he finished three and-ones in the first 20 minutes. In the second half, the Longhorn's size started to take over. Texas pounded the ball in to Dexter Pittman, who finished with 21 points and 10 boards. He attacked the glass, and given that he was roughly twice the size of anyone Arkansas had on the floor, he was able to do just about whatever he wanted on the block. Damion James had a great second half as well. He was riddled with foul trouble all game long, playing just 17 minutes, but he made a number of big baskets down the stretch and finished with 20 points and 9 boards. Throw in Gary Johnson's 16 and 7 off the bench, and the Horns got 57 points and 26 boards from their top three bigs.

Arkansas, if they can keep their heads on straight, will make some noise in the SEC. Fortson is a dynamic playmaker, and while he doesn't make the best decisions at times, his presence is exactly what Arkansas in missing. Combine him with Clarke, Michael Washington, Marshon Powell, and Stefan Walsh, and you got yourself a pretty good starting five.

Purdue 79, Minnesota 60: Once again, Purdue's defense took over in this one. Minnesota didn't play terrible basketball last night. They pressed Purdue, and forced 17 turnovers. They grabbed 19 offensive boards. The problem was that they could just not get any good looks at the rim. Purdue held the Gophers to just 30% shooting from the field (a number that was much, much lower in the second half) and pulled away, extending a 35-28 halftime lead to double digits early in the second half.

That's what a great defense will do for you. You can struggle in certain areas of the game, but as long as the other team isn't scoring, you're not in trouble. JaJuan Johnson had 16 points, 10 boards, and 4 blocks while Chris Kramer added a season-high 15 points.

Other notable games

• Ole Miss 84, UCF 56: Chris Warren, Eniel Polynice, and Terrico White combined for 51 points as the Rebels ran all over UCF.
• Illinois 59, Iowa 42: DJ Richardson scored 17 points, but this time he was coming off the bench as Bruce Pearl started Jeffery Jordan. It worked out well, as the Illini used an early 20-1 run and never looked back.
• Rhode Island 68, Akron 63: Rhode Island was down 48-39, but Delroy James scored 11 of his 19 points in a 17-6 run as the Rams took control of this one, hanging for a good win on the road against the favorite in the MAC.
• Notre Dame 74, South Florida 73: Luke Harangody scored 36 points, including a free throw with 1.9 seconds left that gave the Irish the lead after Mike Mercer had tied the game with a tip-in. Dominique Jones scored 26 for USF, who is still without Gus Gilchrist or Anthony Crater.
• South Carolina 88, Longwood 58: Devan Downey scored 17 points in the first half has the Gamecocks ran away with this one early.
• Oklahoma State 79, Coppin State 61: James Anderson had 26 points and Keiton Page added 20 as the Cowboys won without Marshal Moses, who was suspended for the game after being arrested.
• Texas A&M 82, North Dakota 41: Donald Sloan scored 19 points, and Texas A&M never looked back after jumping out to a 14-0 lead.
• Dayton 59, Ball State 35: The Flyers held Ball State to just 12-43 shooting on the night, their best defensive performance on the year.
  

Tuesday's Best:

• Luke Harangody scored 36 points, including the game-winning free throw, as the Irish knocked off the Bulls.
• CJ McCollum scored 31 points and added 6 boards and 5 assists as Lehigh knocked off Yale.
• Aamir McClearly had 18 points and 10 dimes, but SIU-Edwardsville lost to Milwaukee by 10.
• Marquez Haynes went for 23 points, 8 boads, and 6 assists as UT-Arlington beat Utah Valley State in OT.