Friday's Shootaround: Syracuse hangs on, Gonzaga, Cal, and Wisconsin don't

Syracuse 75, Georgetown 71: Syracuse looked like a Final Four contender for the first 28 minutes last night. Their zone was impenetrable, their offense efficient and unselfish. Behind big first halves from Andy Rautins and Wes Johnson, the Cuse were able to build a 44-31 halftime lead, a lead they pushed to 23 points midway through the second half. But the Hoyas weren't about to go away. As the Orange got complacent, the Hoyas started forcing turnovers and getting to the rim. Greg Monroe really began to assert himself in the paint, almost singe handedly fouling out both Rick Jackson and Arinze Onuaku. All told, the Hoyas put a 33-11 run on Syracuse, cutting that 23 point lead all the way down to 71-70 with possession of the ball.

But on the one and only possession that Georgetown had with a chance to take the lead, the Hoyas settled for a deep, albeit open, three from Jason Clark, which he clanged off the front of the rim. At the other end, Kris Joseph took advantage of a mismatch, taking Greg Monroe to the hole to score with just nine seconds left for a three point lead. The Orange fouled, Georgetown missed a free throw, and Andy Rautins sealed it.

Rautins was the high scorer for the game, finishing with 26 points on 6-11 shooting while knocking down five triples. Wes Johnson had 14 ofhis 16 points in the first half. But perhaps the most important offensive performance came from Joseph. Joseph had been struggling all game long, but in the final two minutes, he got to the rim three times, twice scoring and the third time drawing a foul. It was his ability to take advantage of his mismatch that kept the Orange ahead late.

Chris Wright, Austin Freeman, and Greg Monroe all went for at least 20, but there was no balance to the Hoya attack. Those three and Jason Clark scored all but two of Georgetown's 71 points.

We've already talked about what this game means for the Orange, but what about the Hoyas. A few weeks ago, this team seemingly had their destiny in their own hands, as they were all but a lock for a top four seed and the all-important double-bye in the Big East Tournament. But after losing two straight and four of seven, Georgetown has slid into sixth in the conference at 8-6 in league play. With a tough schedule to close out the year (@ Lou, ND, @ WVU, Cinci), the Hoyas aren't guaranteed anything.

Loyola Marymount 74, Gonzaga 66: LMU picked up their first win over a ranked opponent two weeks from the 20th anniversary of Hank Gathers' death. The last time LMU beat a ranked team? That same 1990 NCAA Tournament, when they beat Alabama to get to the Elite 8. The Zags jumped out to an early lead in this one, taking a 22-12 lead. But the second half was all Lions. They used a 14-4 run early to open up a 50-45 lead. After Gonzaga cut that to two points, LMU went on another 14-6 run to take a 66-56 lead with six minutes left in the game. Gonzaga would make a rally, but it would be too little too late as the Zags lost for the second time in league play. They still hold a one game lead over St. Mary's in the WCC thanks to the Gaels loss to Portland on Saturday.

Minnesota 68, Wisconsin 52: The Badgers may have just cost themselves a shot at the Big Ten title. Locked in a typical Big Ten battle, Wisconsin found themselves down 45-42 with 9:40 left after a Jason Bohannon three-ball. But the Badgers would miss a number of opportunities to score, allowing Minnesota to push the lead to 54-42 before they finally scored again with just two minutes left. Blake Hoffarber led the way with 16 points and 9 boards, while Trevon Hughes had 19 for the Badgers.

Bubble Watch

• Vanderbilt 82, Ole Miss 78: The Rebels had now answer for AJ Ogilvy inside, as the big Aussie went for 27 points and 8 boards. Vandy was able to withstand a couple different Ole Miss runs as the picked up an enormous win on the road. Ole Miss now looks like they are destined to be an NIT team with a 5-6 record in the SEC West.
• Pitt 58, Marquette 51: Pitt dominated the interior and slowed down Lazar Hayward just enough to eke out a close win on the road. Dante Taylor, Pitt's freshman big man, had three dunks in a 14-5 run that blew this game open. The win puts Pitt a game into the fourth doube-bye, while Marquette drops to 7-6 in the league. The Golden Eagles really needed this win, as they now head out on a three game road trip.
• Florida 78, Auburn 70: The Gators picked up an important win as they look to solidify their place in the tournament. Chandler Parsons had 17 and Erving Walker added 14. The Gators control their own tournament destiny, as they head to Ole Miss on Saturday and get Tennessee early next week.
• Dayton 68, La Salle 54: The Flyers got six of Marcus Johnson's 16 points in a 19-0 run late in the second half. Big win for the Flyers, who bounced back nicely from a bad 2OT loss to St. Louis just last week.
• St. Mary's 61, San Diego 49: The Gaels hung on to their slim tournament hopes by knocking off the Toreros and staying just a half game behind the Zags in the WCC. It may be too little to late for SMC, however, as their resume is just too thin.

Other notable scores

• Bryant 53, Wagner 51: Raphael Jordan hit two free throws with a second left on the clock as Bryant picked up their first win of the season.
• Oregon State 80, Cal 64: Look, I know this game was on the road, and I know Oregon State was supposed to be good this season, but Cal never showed up. And this is a tournament-worthy team? Cal still has a half game lead over USC and ASU in the standings.
  
• USC 67, Washington 64: Almost as bad: Washington is playing for their tournament lives, but manages to lose to a USC team on a postseason ban at home? Terrible.
• UCLA 71, Wazzu 51: The Bruins stayed relevant as they are just a game out of the Pac-10 lead with this win.
  

Thursday's Best

• AJ Ogilvy had 27 points and 8 boards as the 'Dores won on the road against Ole Miss.
• Robert Glenn had 29 and 5 dimes as IUPUI blew out UMKC.
• Mercer's Daniel Emerson had 20 and 18 boards in a win over North Florida.
• Jaytornah Wisseh went for 27 points, 6 boards, and 5 assists as Long Island knocked off FDU.
• AJ Slaughter went for 31 and 6 dimes in WKU's win over South Alabama.
• Mark Yelovich had the high point total of the day, going for 34 for SIU-Edwardsville in a win over North Dakota.