The new AP Polls were released in the college basketball world on Monday, with plenty of shakeups, and three teams earned quality wins Monday night to prove themselves to the voters. First, the now ninth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks overcame an upset loss to West Virginia by holding off No. 24 Iowa State at home, 80-76. Dedric Lawson led Kansas with a double-double of 29 points and 15 rebounds, while Marcus Garrett added 16 points in their 16th win of the season. The loss over the weekend for the Jayhawks was a stunner, seeing as that was the first conference win of the season for the Mountaineers, who had also dropped five games in a row. Devon Dotson helped his team avoid another upset on Monday, hitting clutch free throws with 5.9 seconds to play in regulation.
Lagerald Vick chipped in with 14 points, while Dotson put up 10 on the night, all to help hold off the Cyclones' comeback attempt. They cut their deficit down to one with under two minutes to play, but Lawson connected on a three-pointer with 22.3 seconds to play, which was a dagger for Iowa State. The visiting team was led by Marial Shayok's 26 points, while Talen Horten-Tucker had 16, and Michael Jacobson recorded 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Jayhawks' next test will be a top-10 matchup on the road against the eighth-ranked Kentucky Wildcats Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, the Cyclones will look to bounce back against the 20th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday.
Elsewhere, the sixth-ranked Michigan State Spartans used a complete effort, getting five players to score in double figures to beat No. 13 Maryland, 69-55. Cassius Winston and Kenny Goins led all scorers with 14 points apiece, leading the Spartans to their 12th straight victory, and giving them sole possession of first place in the Big Ten Conference. Dating back to last season, Michigan State has also won a school-record 20 consecutive Big Ten games, which is the longest such streak in the conference since Illinois won 25 in a row from the 2003-2004 season to the 2004-2005 campaign.
Mat McQuaid and Xavier Tillman added 10 points each for Michigan State, who is still ranked behind their in-state rivals and fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines, despite 17 victories. They will hope for another upset for the Wolverines, who host the Minnesota Gophers on Tuesday after falling to the Wisconsin Badgers over the weekend. The Terrapins saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end with just their second loss in conference play and fourth overall. They shot just 34.4 percent from the floor, which is tied for a season-low. Bruno Fernando had 12 points and 13 rebounds to lead Maryland, who will host the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday. The Spartans will hit the road on Thursday to visit the Iowa Hawkeyes.
And the 11th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels pulled off a minor upset, adding to the woes of the 10th-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies with a 103-82 blowout. The Tar Heels connected on a season-high 16 three-pointers at the Dean E. Smith Center, as Coby White led the charge with 27 points. It was the first time this season that North Carolina has scored 100 points against an ACC opponent, as Nassir Little added a season-high 23 points for the Tar Heels, who are now 5-1 in conference play. UNC did trail by as many as nine on the night and started 1-for-12 from three-point range. They would then go on a 20-0 run to end the first half and lead by a score of 45-31 at halftime.
Their 103 points are their most scored in a game since they equaled that total in a blowout home win over the fourth-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs in December. This comes after they dropped their worst home loss under Roy Williams on January 12th against the Louisville Cardinals, who are now found in the top 25. They shot 54 percent from the floor on Monday, connecting on 15 of their last 22 three-pointers and led the game by as many as 27 points. Ahmed Hill had 20 points to lead the Hokies, who were good on six of their first seven three-point attempts in a fast start, Although, they will look to recover from another loss when they host the Syracuse Orange on Saturday. The Tar Heels will enjoy over a week off before they visit Georgia Tech next Tuesday night.
Lagerald Vick chipped in with 14 points, while Dotson put up 10 on the night, all to help hold off the Cyclones' comeback attempt. They cut their deficit down to one with under two minutes to play, but Lawson connected on a three-pointer with 22.3 seconds to play, which was a dagger for Iowa State. The visiting team was led by Marial Shayok's 26 points, while Talen Horten-Tucker had 16, and Michael Jacobson recorded 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Jayhawks' next test will be a top-10 matchup on the road against the eighth-ranked Kentucky Wildcats Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, the Cyclones will look to bounce back against the 20th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday.
Elsewhere, the sixth-ranked Michigan State Spartans used a complete effort, getting five players to score in double figures to beat No. 13 Maryland, 69-55. Cassius Winston and Kenny Goins led all scorers with 14 points apiece, leading the Spartans to their 12th straight victory, and giving them sole possession of first place in the Big Ten Conference. Dating back to last season, Michigan State has also won a school-record 20 consecutive Big Ten games, which is the longest such streak in the conference since Illinois won 25 in a row from the 2003-2004 season to the 2004-2005 campaign.
Mat McQuaid and Xavier Tillman added 10 points each for Michigan State, who is still ranked behind their in-state rivals and fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines, despite 17 victories. They will hope for another upset for the Wolverines, who host the Minnesota Gophers on Tuesday after falling to the Wisconsin Badgers over the weekend. The Terrapins saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end with just their second loss in conference play and fourth overall. They shot just 34.4 percent from the floor, which is tied for a season-low. Bruno Fernando had 12 points and 13 rebounds to lead Maryland, who will host the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday. The Spartans will hit the road on Thursday to visit the Iowa Hawkeyes.
And the 11th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels pulled off a minor upset, adding to the woes of the 10th-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies with a 103-82 blowout. The Tar Heels connected on a season-high 16 three-pointers at the Dean E. Smith Center, as Coby White led the charge with 27 points. It was the first time this season that North Carolina has scored 100 points against an ACC opponent, as Nassir Little added a season-high 23 points for the Tar Heels, who are now 5-1 in conference play. UNC did trail by as many as nine on the night and started 1-for-12 from three-point range. They would then go on a 20-0 run to end the first half and lead by a score of 45-31 at halftime.
Their 103 points are their most scored in a game since they equaled that total in a blowout home win over the fourth-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs in December. This comes after they dropped their worst home loss under Roy Williams on January 12th against the Louisville Cardinals, who are now found in the top 25. They shot 54 percent from the floor on Monday, connecting on 15 of their last 22 three-pointers and led the game by as many as 27 points. Ahmed Hill had 20 points to lead the Hokies, who were good on six of their first seven three-point attempts in a fast start, Although, they will look to recover from another loss when they host the Syracuse Orange on Saturday. The Tar Heels will enjoy over a week off before they visit Georgia Tech next Tuesday night.
