BYU Ends Gonzaga's Perfect Season
The Gonzaga Bulldogs have had their troubles with BYU in the past few seasons, and that trend continued on Saturday night. Eric Mika had 29 points to lead the Cougars in a 79-71 upset of No. 1 Gonzaga in the regular season finale, handing them their first loss of the season. Mika shot 10 of 14 from the floor, making 9 of 13 free throws, and leading BYU to their first ever win over a top-ranked team. Many people knew something wasn't right with the No. 1 team in the country when they trailed in the second half for the first time in 15 games. The Cougars scored 44 points in that second half, including nine three-pointers, while holding Gonzaga to just three of them. The Bulldogs led by six at the break, but was outscored by 14 after halftime. They were looking to become the first team since Kansas in 2014-15 to end the regular season unbeaten. Nigel Williams-Goss had 19 points in the stunning loss for Gonzaga.
UCLA Gets Past Arizona in Rematch
The UCLA Bruins suffered a tough home loss earlier this season against Arizona, but on Saturday night, they returned the favor. Thomas Welsh had a big second half, scoring 12 of his 14 points then, leading UCLA past Arizona, 77-72. The win is their seventh in a row overall, as the Bruins also snapped the Wildcats' 21-game home win streak. Arizona got a 96-85 win over the Bruins in California on January 21st, but Lonzo Ball had 11 points, eight assists, and five rebounds on Saturday to prevent a second loss against their conference rival. The Bruins had five players score in double figures, while also recording 19 second-chance points in the win. Allonzo Trier had a career-high 28 points for the Wildcats in the loss, as they fall into a first-place tie with Oregon in the Pac-12 standings. At 13-3 in conference play, UCLA sits a game and a half out of the top spot.
Baylor, Duke Continue to Struggle
The Baylor Bears and Duke Blue Devils both sit in the top 10 of the AP polls, but that will soon change due to their recent struggles. Those issues continued on Saturday, first with ninth-ranked Baylor, who suffered their third loss in four games, 72-69, against Iowa State. Deonte Burton had 22 points, including a huge three-pointer with 1:17 left to seal the upset, which was the Cyclones' fifth straight victory. Monte Morris added 17 points, as ISU is on their longest win streak in conference play since winning seven in a row in 2005. Jonathan Motley had 27 points and 11 rebounds in the loss, as the Bears' defense gave up 58 percent shooting for the Cyclones.
Meanwhile, No. 10 Duke suffered their second straight defeat, this at the hands of Miami, 55-50 on Saturday night. Bruce Brown scored 25 points to lead the Hurricanes, who held the Blue Devils 32 points below their season average. Brown shot 11 of 18 from the floor as the only offensive threat for Miami in the win, as the rest of the team shot 11 of 40 combined. Duke was without Grayson Allen, who sat out with an ankle injury, but they did get 16 points apiece from Frank Jackson and Luke Kennard. Both of these consecutive losses have been against unranked teams, as they also fell to Syracuse last Wednesday.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs have had their troubles with BYU in the past few seasons, and that trend continued on Saturday night. Eric Mika had 29 points to lead the Cougars in a 79-71 upset of No. 1 Gonzaga in the regular season finale, handing them their first loss of the season. Mika shot 10 of 14 from the floor, making 9 of 13 free throws, and leading BYU to their first ever win over a top-ranked team. Many people knew something wasn't right with the No. 1 team in the country when they trailed in the second half for the first time in 15 games. The Cougars scored 44 points in that second half, including nine three-pointers, while holding Gonzaga to just three of them. The Bulldogs led by six at the break, but was outscored by 14 after halftime. They were looking to become the first team since Kansas in 2014-15 to end the regular season unbeaten. Nigel Williams-Goss had 19 points in the stunning loss for Gonzaga.
UCLA Gets Past Arizona in Rematch
The UCLA Bruins suffered a tough home loss earlier this season against Arizona, but on Saturday night, they returned the favor. Thomas Welsh had a big second half, scoring 12 of his 14 points then, leading UCLA past Arizona, 77-72. The win is their seventh in a row overall, as the Bruins also snapped the Wildcats' 21-game home win streak. Arizona got a 96-85 win over the Bruins in California on January 21st, but Lonzo Ball had 11 points, eight assists, and five rebounds on Saturday to prevent a second loss against their conference rival. The Bruins had five players score in double figures, while also recording 19 second-chance points in the win. Allonzo Trier had a career-high 28 points for the Wildcats in the loss, as they fall into a first-place tie with Oregon in the Pac-12 standings. At 13-3 in conference play, UCLA sits a game and a half out of the top spot.
Baylor, Duke Continue to Struggle
The Baylor Bears and Duke Blue Devils both sit in the top 10 of the AP polls, but that will soon change due to their recent struggles. Those issues continued on Saturday, first with ninth-ranked Baylor, who suffered their third loss in four games, 72-69, against Iowa State. Deonte Burton had 22 points, including a huge three-pointer with 1:17 left to seal the upset, which was the Cyclones' fifth straight victory. Monte Morris added 17 points, as ISU is on their longest win streak in conference play since winning seven in a row in 2005. Jonathan Motley had 27 points and 11 rebounds in the loss, as the Bears' defense gave up 58 percent shooting for the Cyclones.
Meanwhile, No. 10 Duke suffered their second straight defeat, this at the hands of Miami, 55-50 on Saturday night. Bruce Brown scored 25 points to lead the Hurricanes, who held the Blue Devils 32 points below their season average. Brown shot 11 of 18 from the floor as the only offensive threat for Miami in the win, as the rest of the team shot 11 of 40 combined. Duke was without Grayson Allen, who sat out with an ankle injury, but they did get 16 points apiece from Frank Jackson and Luke Kennard. Both of these consecutive losses have been against unranked teams, as they also fell to Syracuse last Wednesday.
