College basketball delivered in a huge way Wednesday, providing us with an Instant Classic in Alabama’s double-overtime win over Arkansas, a stunning upset in Storrs where Creighton knocked off UConn and other wild results in the SEC and other parts of the country. Let’s hit on a bunch of the highlights.
-UConn (24-3 straight up, 9-18 against the spread) continued to be a money maker for gamblers consistently fading Dan Hurley’s squad. The Huskies fell 91-84 to Creighton (14-13 SU, 9-18 ATS) as 15.5-point home favorites.
Barring an improbable run at the Big East Tournament, the Bluejays are most likely going to miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. They sure looked like a Tournament team last night, though, hooking up their money-line supporters with a remarkable +900 payout.
Creighton guard Josh Dix led the way with 21 points and eight rebounds, while Nik Graves finished with 18 points and five assists. UConn freshman Braylon Mullins had a game-high 25 points in the losing effort, and Silas Demary had 17 points, nine assists and three steals.
UConn dropped to #10 in the NET rankings, while Creighton moved up 10 spots to #73.
-Missouri (18-8 SU, 11-15 ATS) nearly blew a 21-point lead with less than nine minutes remaining in its 81-80 win over Vanderbilt. Trailing 81-77, Vandy’s Tyler Nickel buried a 3-ball with 1.8 seconds remaining to make it a one-point game.
Missouri’s Mark Mitchell attempted a long inbounds pass, but it was intercepted by Vandy’s Tyler Tanner, who immediately hoisted up a halfcourt shot at the buzzer that would’ve counted but went in and out.
In Joe Lunardi’s latest edition of ‘Bracketology’ released on Tuesday, the Tigers were his First Team Out of the 68-team field. However, three of the teams in his Last Four In – UCLA, TCU and San Diego St. – lost by double-digit margins Tuesday night.
Therefore, it’s safe to assume that Missouri will be on the right side of the bubble in Lunardi’s next update Friday morning.
Vandy’s Duke Miles missed his sixth straight game.
-Kansas won 81-69 at Oklahoma St., but that wasn’t the story coming out of Stillwater, where Darryn Peterson once again raised eyebrows by pulling himself out of another game due to “cramps.” Before asking out, Peterson produced 23 points in 19 minutes of playing time, hitting 7-of-12 field-goal attempts and 6-of-10 launches from downtown.
If Peterson’s chronic cramps and cases of the sniffles that are consistently keeping him off the court is his way of attempting to stay healthy and secure that he’ll be the #1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, then I’ve got some news for the youngster. You’re doing this wrong.
If anything, you’re raising red flags galore about your commitment and love for basketball. Furthermore, your toughness is being questioned, and I’m talking about NBA folks and your teammates at Kansas having those questions.
Finally, Bill Self belatedly acknowledged what’s clearly going on after KU’s spread-covering victory as a 6.5-point road favorite.
“It’s a concern,” Self told reporters after the game. “I thought we were past it, but obviously we’re not. It’s certainly a concern.
“You get into the NCAA tournament, you’re playing a team just as good as you and you need to have all your best players available, so to speak. All it takes is for one day like that to derail not only a game, but a season. It’s concerning, but I do think we’re making progress with it.”
Progress? Oh, hell no!
Self should’ve left that part out, but at least he’s finally mentioning the obvious publicly. He owes that to the rest of his players.
-Texas A&M (18-8 SU 15-11 ATS) hosted Ole Miss in hopes of ending its four-game losing streak, but Bucky McMillan’s team found itself trailing by 13 points with less than 12 minutes remaining. However, the Aggies finished the game on a 20-4 run to rally for an 80-77 win.
The Rebels still covered the number as 9.5-point road underdogs. They’ll try to end their eight-game losing streak Saturday at home vs. Florida. The ‘over’ has hit in five consecutive games for Ole Miss, as last night’s 157 combined points went ‘over’ the 155.5-point total.
Texas A&M plays Saturday at Oklahoma.
-Bubble teams like Auburn, West Virginia and Seton Hall suffered crucial defeats last night. Auburn (14-12 SU, 12-14 ATS) has now lost five games in a row and is on a 0-6 ATS slide. The Tigers allowed Mississippi St. star guard Josh Hubbard to score 35 points in the first half, as they fell behind the Bulldogs by a 49-33 count at the break.
My first thought at that point was, I need to get on Auburn at halftime. I immediately took Auburn -6.5 in the second half (+9.5 adjusted).
Auburn stormed back with a furious rally in the second half. In fact, the Tigers moved ahead and had an 80-73 advantage with 3:50 remaining. But the Bulldogs would respond with an 18-5 run to collect a 91-85 win as five-point home underdogs.
Hubbard finished with 46 points, nine rebounds, two steals and three assists without a turnover. He buried 15-of-27 FGAs and 10-of-16 from 3-point range.
Hubbard enjoyed himself, too, barking at former teammate KeShawn Murphy, who transferred from Mississippi St. to Auburn after last season, that, “You don’t leave State! You don’t leave State!”
Auburn’s Keyshawn Hall had 29 points and 10 rebounds in defeat, while Tahaad Pettiford finished with 21 points, four boards and four assists. Murphy was limited to seven points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots against his former school.
-Seton Hall (18-9 SU, 16-11 ATS) dropped a 69-57 decision to DePaul as a seven-point home favorite. That’s a crippling defeat for one of the nation’s biggest surprises. The Pirates have the lowest NIL budget in the Big East – by far. They’re going to need a strong finish that includes a win at UConn or at home vs. St. John’s. Seton Hall hosts Georgetown on Saturday.
-West Virginia (16-10 SU, 13-13 ATS) lost a 61-56 decision vs. Utah as a 10.5-point home ‘chalk.’ The 117 combined points dipped ‘under’ the 134.5-point total. The ‘under’ has cashed at a 12-2 clip for WVU in its last 14 contests.
-Pitt guard Brandin Cummings is out for the rest of the season due to an ankle injury. Cummings was averaging 12.5 points per game for the Panthers.