It was a weekend of chaos that resembled the madness of March. With non-conference play coming to a close, Saturday saw a string of Top 25 teams go down and narrowed the list of the remaining unbeatens. Despite its 99-65 win against Georgia Southern Tuesday night, Duke dropped to No. 15 after a 77-75 overtime loss against Utah, who re-entered the poll at No.24.
Iowa State and Purdue fall from the ranks of the unbeaten
After climbing to No. 5 in the AP poll last week, the previously unbeaten Cyclones fell to No.11 after a 81-79 loss to in-state opponent Northern Iowa. Iowa State found itself in a 41-30 deficit in the first half as the Panthers—who also stunned then-No. 1 North Carolina Nov. 21—hit 13 of their first 17 shots. The Cyclones narrowed the deficit to nine points by halftime and tied the game at 66-66 in the second period. But Iowa State found no answer on defense for Northern Iowa, which went 13 of 22 from beyond the arc to come away with the win.
The Boilermakers—which ranked 15th in offensive efficiency—struggled against Butler’s pesky defense, surrendering 18 turnovers and scoring 0.94 points per possession in a six-point defeat. The Bulldogs’ trio of guard Tyler Lewis, forward Roosevelt Jones and forward Andrew Chrabascz scored 52 of Butler’s 74 points. Purdue’s late push that narrowed the deficit from 16 points to 70-67 was not enough as the Bulldogs secured the win late at the free throw line. With its loss, the 11-1 Boilermakers dropped to No. 14, while the Bulldogs rose to No. 9.
North Carolina rebounds against UCLA
The Tar Heels displayed a fire and aggressiveness that it lacked in its loss to Texas last weekend. After the Bruins raced out to an early 11-point lead in the first half, North Carolina took advantage of UCLA’s turnovers and went on a 23-10 run to end the half at a 38-38 tie. In the second half, the Tar Heels relied on a 13-0 run to break the game open, en route to an 89-76 win. Forward Bryce Johnson led the Tar Heels with 27 points—hitting 11 of his 12 shots—and 9 rebounds, and guard Joel Berry II added a career-high 17 points. In the latest AP Poll, North Carolina moved to No. 7 while UCLA dropped out of this week's rankings.
Ohio State stuns Kentucky with convincing win
After dropping from No. 1 after a loss to UCLA Dec.4, Kentucky fell to No. 12 with a 74-67 loss to the Buckeyes. Despite guard Jamal Murray’s 33 points—27 of which came in the second half—the Wildcats season of offensive struggles continued as everyone other then Murray made just 12 of their 40 shots against Ohio State. Kentucky struggled from a lack of effort, losing the rebounding battle 42-40, and surrendered 13 second-chance points and committed 12 turnovers, which led to 16 Buckeye points.
Virginia cements status as a contender against Villanova
Throughout the past three seasons, the Cavaliers have had one of the nation’s stingiest defenses, but have often struggled to score. Although its defense is no different this year, Virginia has showcased an improved offense through its first ten games. Against the Wildcats, Virginia scored 1.41 points per possession, shot 26 of 46 from the field, 8 of 10 from beyond the arc and 26-of-30 at the free throw line. With the win, Virginia moved to No. 5 in the latest AP Poll, while the Wildcats dropped all the way to No.17.
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