Tuesday's Shootaround: Kentucky survives, Virginia Tech gets a huge win

Kentucky 81, Mississippi State 75 OT: The Bulldogs put up a hell of a fight, but it wasn't enough as John Wall and company took over late. Mississippi State was playing without suspended Ravern Johnson and played the majority of the second half with Jarvis Varnado on the bench, but they still managed to take a 67-60 lead with just over three minutes left in the game. Kentucky would rally back, as Patrick Patterson tied the game at 67 with a 15 foot baseline jumper.

In the overtime, it was John Wall that made the big play. He split the defense, got into the lane, and hit a little 10 foot floater with drawing a foul. He would hit the free throw, and hit another free throw on the next possession, giving Kentucky a four point cushion. Wall finished with 18 points, 10 boards, 8 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks, and just 3 turnovers. DeMarcus Cousins (19 points, 14 boards) and Patrick Patterson (19 points, 10 boards) both added double-doubles as well.

Virginia Tech 87, Wake Forest 83: The Hokies pick up a huge win at home as they move into sole possession of second place in the ACC. Al-Farouq Aminu dominated the first half scoring 21 of his 25 points as the Demon Deacons took control of this game early. They were up by double digits for much of the second half before Va Tech made a run. The 15-4 surge that tied the game a 65 was sparked in large part by a dunk that Dorenzo Hudson had on a fast break.

With the game close down the stretch, Malcolm Delaney took over. He scored 10 points in the last seven minutes, including a three that gave Va Tech their first lead at 70-69 and five straight points that pushed the margin to 78-74. He would finished with 31 points, 9 boards, and 3 assists.

The victory was huge for Tech because they had just a 1-2 record against the RPI top 50. Wake was 11th in the RPI coming into this one, an its a marquee win that the Hokies desperately needed. That said, they still have a difficult schedule left down the stretch, as they go to Duke, BC, and Georgia Tech while hosting Maryland and NC State.

Bubble Watch

• South Florida 65, Cincinnati 57: Big win for the Bulls, as they used a 23-6 run to open up a 47-29 lead to start the second half. Dominique Jones scored 19 of his 26 points in the second half. All in all, it was a good road trip for the Bearcats as they split with USF and UConn.
• Northern Iowa 70, Creighton 52: Northern Iowa clinched the MVC title as they knocked off Creighton in convincing fashion at home without Jordan Eglseder. Ali Faroukmanesh and Jonny Moran both had 17 points.
• San Diego State 68, TCU 51: The Aztecs shot 61% from the field and scored 48 points in the paint as they overpowered TCU and kept their at-large hopes alive. Kawhi Leonard had 18 points in the win.
  

Other notable scores

• Michigan State 72, Indiana 58: The Spartans moved back into sole possession of first place in the Big Ten as they scored 23 off of turnovers, scored 40 points in the paint in knocking off the Hoosiers, and held IU to just 34.9% shooting.
• Baylor 88, Texas Tech 70: LaceDarius Dunn was held scoreless for the first 15 minutes of this game, but he caught fire, scoring eight straight points and 22 points in a 39-16 run that put the game away. He finished with 30. Ekpe Udoh added 13 points, 11 boards, and 9 blocks.
• Georgia Tech 68, UNC 51: Derrick Favors scored 13 points as the Heels scored their fewest number of points in the Roy Williams era.
• CAA: With last night's results, Old Dominion and Northeastern are now in a tie atop the CAA standings with a two game lead over both W&M and George Mason.
  • Northeastern 65, UNC-Wilmington 56
  • Old Dominion 78, Towson 67
  • Williams & Mary 63, George Mason 60

Tuesday's Best:

• Larry Sanders had 29 points, 13 boards, and 5 blocks as VCU beat Drexel.
• Malcolm Delaney's 31 points and 9 boards helped lead Va Tech to a much-needed win over Wake Forest.
• Who didn't have a big game for Baylor - LaceDarius Dunn went for 30, Ekpe Udoh had 13 points, 11 boards, and 9 blocks, and Tweety Carter had 12 points and 11 assists.
• Austin Kenon scored 38 points as VMI knocked off High Point.
• Muhammed El-Amin had 26 points for Stony Brook as they knocked off UMBC and stayed in first in the America East.