Three Top-5 Teams Fall
Outside of the top-ranked, undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs, there are no truly dominant teams taking over their conference, posing as a legitimate top seed in the NCAA Tournament. Three of the top five teams in the country went down on Saturday, including No. 2 Baylor dropping their second straight, 56-54, against Kansas State. The Wildcats handed the Bears their first home loss of the year, as they snapped a three-game losing streak behind Kamau Stokes' 15 points. Baylor was coming off a tough 73-68 loss to Kansas earlier in the week, and is now 7-3 in conference play. After Kansas State shot 50 percent from the field in the first half, they lead by as many as 19 in the game. The Wildcats improved to 16-7 overall on the year, but just at .500 in Big 12 play at 5-5.
Meanwhile, No. 3 Kansas could not bring the momentum from their big win over the Bears into their game against Iowa State, as they had their 51-game home win streak snapped in overtime, 92-89. The Cyclones made a school-record 18 three-pointers on the night, handing the Jayhawks their second conference loss. Deonte Burton had seven of those three-pointers, finishing with 29 points, while Monte Morris added 25 for ISU, who rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit. The Cyclones got it done on the defensive side of the ball as well, forcing Kansas into 21 turnovers. They were also able to overcome a career-high 32 points from Frank Mason III, who shot 9-of-11 from the field in the loss.
And No. 5 Arizona never had a shot in their road test against No. 11 Oregon, who shot 16-of-25 from three in an 85-58 rout of the Wildcats on Saturday night. Tyler Dorsey had six of those three-pointers, posting 23 points to help his Ducks snap Arizona's 15-game winning streak. Dillon Brooks contributed four three's and 18 points, as Oregon extended their home win streak to 40 games. Their 16 three-pointers as a team were the most since 2011 for the program. The long-range shooting helped them to a dominant 20-point halftime lead, as their defense held Arizona to just 18 points in the first 20 minutes. It was the worst loss for the Wildcats under Sean Miller since falling by 33 points against BYU in 2009.
Popovich Moves Past Sloan With Spurs' Win
The San Antonio Spurs helped their legendary coach, Gregg Popovich, set an NBA record, as they blew past the Denver Nuggets, 121-97. The win gives Popovich 1,128 wins, which moves him past Jerry Sloan of the Utah Jazz for most wins for a coach with one franchise. Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker had 18 points apiece in the win, as those two players have been a part of 639 of those wins. Ginobili shot 4-of-5 from three, setting a season-high in points, despite sitting out the entire second half. Parker shot a perfect 8-for-8 from the field, as San Antonio came out on fire, leading to a 30-point first quarter. Kawhi Leonard led the way with 19 points in the Spurs' final home game before a long eight-game road trip.
Falcons' Matt Ryan Named NFL MVP
On the eve of his Super Bowl 51 matchup with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons quarterback, Matt Ryan, was awarded the NFL MVP Award on Saturday night. The 31-year-old received 25 votes, beating out the likes of Brady, Dak Prescott, Derek Carr, and Ezekiel Elliott. Ryan led his team to an 11-5 record, their first playoff berth since 2012, as well as postseason wins over the Seahawks and Packers en route to a trip to Houston Sunday night. It is the second straight year that an NFC South quarterback has won the award, as Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton took home the honors last year. The four-time Pro Bowler set franchise single-season records in passing yards, touchdowns, completion percentage, and passer rating for Atlanta. He also added a single-game record with 503 passing yards in a 48-33 win over the Panthers. "Matty Ice" also beat out Green Bay Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, for the Offensive Player of the Year award.
Outside of the top-ranked, undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs, there are no truly dominant teams taking over their conference, posing as a legitimate top seed in the NCAA Tournament. Three of the top five teams in the country went down on Saturday, including No. 2 Baylor dropping their second straight, 56-54, against Kansas State. The Wildcats handed the Bears their first home loss of the year, as they snapped a three-game losing streak behind Kamau Stokes' 15 points. Baylor was coming off a tough 73-68 loss to Kansas earlier in the week, and is now 7-3 in conference play. After Kansas State shot 50 percent from the field in the first half, they lead by as many as 19 in the game. The Wildcats improved to 16-7 overall on the year, but just at .500 in Big 12 play at 5-5.
Meanwhile, No. 3 Kansas could not bring the momentum from their big win over the Bears into their game against Iowa State, as they had their 51-game home win streak snapped in overtime, 92-89. The Cyclones made a school-record 18 three-pointers on the night, handing the Jayhawks their second conference loss. Deonte Burton had seven of those three-pointers, finishing with 29 points, while Monte Morris added 25 for ISU, who rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit. The Cyclones got it done on the defensive side of the ball as well, forcing Kansas into 21 turnovers. They were also able to overcome a career-high 32 points from Frank Mason III, who shot 9-of-11 from the field in the loss.
And No. 5 Arizona never had a shot in their road test against No. 11 Oregon, who shot 16-of-25 from three in an 85-58 rout of the Wildcats on Saturday night. Tyler Dorsey had six of those three-pointers, posting 23 points to help his Ducks snap Arizona's 15-game winning streak. Dillon Brooks contributed four three's and 18 points, as Oregon extended their home win streak to 40 games. Their 16 three-pointers as a team were the most since 2011 for the program. The long-range shooting helped them to a dominant 20-point halftime lead, as their defense held Arizona to just 18 points in the first 20 minutes. It was the worst loss for the Wildcats under Sean Miller since falling by 33 points against BYU in 2009.
Popovich Moves Past Sloan With Spurs' Win
The San Antonio Spurs helped their legendary coach, Gregg Popovich, set an NBA record, as they blew past the Denver Nuggets, 121-97. The win gives Popovich 1,128 wins, which moves him past Jerry Sloan of the Utah Jazz for most wins for a coach with one franchise. Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker had 18 points apiece in the win, as those two players have been a part of 639 of those wins. Ginobili shot 4-of-5 from three, setting a season-high in points, despite sitting out the entire second half. Parker shot a perfect 8-for-8 from the field, as San Antonio came out on fire, leading to a 30-point first quarter. Kawhi Leonard led the way with 19 points in the Spurs' final home game before a long eight-game road trip.
Falcons' Matt Ryan Named NFL MVP
On the eve of his Super Bowl 51 matchup with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons quarterback, Matt Ryan, was awarded the NFL MVP Award on Saturday night. The 31-year-old received 25 votes, beating out the likes of Brady, Dak Prescott, Derek Carr, and Ezekiel Elliott. Ryan led his team to an 11-5 record, their first playoff berth since 2012, as well as postseason wins over the Seahawks and Packers en route to a trip to Houston Sunday night. It is the second straight year that an NFC South quarterback has won the award, as Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton took home the honors last year. The four-time Pro Bowler set franchise single-season records in passing yards, touchdowns, completion percentage, and passer rating for Atlanta. He also added a single-game record with 503 passing yards in a 48-33 win over the Panthers. "Matty Ice" also beat out Green Bay Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, for the Offensive Player of the Year award.
