Virginia Falls to Virginia Tech in Overtime
The second-ranked Virginia Cavaliers were well on their way to being the top team in the country, that was until Saturday's in-state matchup. Kerry Blackshear Jr. had the game-winning putback with 5.8 seconds left to send Virginia Tech to a 61-60 upset win in overtime. Ty Jerome missed a jumper as time expired, sealing the loss for the Cavaliers, which snaps a 16-game home win streak, and prevents them from replacing Villanova as the No. 1 team in the AP polls for the first time since 1983. The Hokies split the season series with the Cavaliers after falling to them, 72-58, on January 3rd. Justin Robinson led Virginia Tech with 20 points and seven assists, and hit a clutch three-pointer down the stretch to pull the Hokies within one, before hitting a layup while being fouled to give his team the lead for good. Virginia suffered just their second loss of the season and first in conference play, as they move on to visit Miami, who also went down against Boston College, on Tuesday night. Virginia Tech will remain upset-minded when they visit No. 9 Duke on Wednesday night.
Bridges' Late Three Lifts Michigan State to Big Win
With both Villanova and Virginia going down in the past week, there will be a new top team in the country come Monday afternoon. The fourth-ranked Michigan State Spartans stated their case on Saturday afternoon, as Miles Bridges' late three-pointer gave them a 68-65 win over the third-ranked Purdue Boilermakers. Bridges' three went in with 2.7 seconds left, giving them their eighth straight win, led by Bridges' 20 points. This also improves their resume for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, as they move into a tie for second place in the Big Ten Conference with Purdue, both behind the Ohio State Buckeyes, who beat Iowa on Saturday. The Boilermakers have now dropped two in a row after a 19-game win streak came to an end against Ohio State earlier this week. They did lead by as many as 10 points in the first half and eight points in the second half, but Vincent Edwards missed the first shot of a one-and-one to end the Boilermakers' hopes. Isaac Haas led the Boilermakers down low with 25 points on 12-of-22 shooting, while Edwards added 14 in the loss. Cassius Winston chipped in a double-double of 10 points and 10 assists for the Spartans, who will most likely be No. 1 when they visit Minnesota on Tuesday. Purdue will fall, possibly out of the top 10, before they take on Wisconsin on Thursday.
Warriors Pull Away From Spurs at Home
The Golden State Warriors have been struggling as of late to make things interesting in the Western Conference with the Houston Rockets, but they took care of business on Saturday night. Klay Thompson had 25 points, including 10 points in the third quarter, in the Warriors' 122-105 rout of the San Antonio Spurs. Thompson's big night fueled a 33-point third quarter for Golden State, who scored at least 31 in each of the final three quarters. That helped them overcome a 10-point deficit after one quarter, as Steph Curry added 17 points and eight assists in what was head coach Steve Kerr's 250th career coaching win. Kerr reaches the mark in his 302nd game coached, which tops Phil Jackson as the quickest in NBA history to get there. Draymond Green has always played a big role in his coach's success, and had 17 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds in Saturday's win. The Splash Bros and Green helped the Warriors overcome Kevin Durant's tough night, as he had a season-low 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting. He did finish with six assists and six rebounds in the Warriors' 43rd win of the season. The Spurs fell to 13-16 away from home despite LaMarcus Aldridge and Kyle Anderson scoring 20 points apiece. They will stay on the road to visit the red hot Utah Jazz on Monday night. The Warriors will remain at home to host the Phoenix Suns that same night.
The second-ranked Virginia Cavaliers were well on their way to being the top team in the country, that was until Saturday's in-state matchup. Kerry Blackshear Jr. had the game-winning putback with 5.8 seconds left to send Virginia Tech to a 61-60 upset win in overtime. Ty Jerome missed a jumper as time expired, sealing the loss for the Cavaliers, which snaps a 16-game home win streak, and prevents them from replacing Villanova as the No. 1 team in the AP polls for the first time since 1983. The Hokies split the season series with the Cavaliers after falling to them, 72-58, on January 3rd. Justin Robinson led Virginia Tech with 20 points and seven assists, and hit a clutch three-pointer down the stretch to pull the Hokies within one, before hitting a layup while being fouled to give his team the lead for good. Virginia suffered just their second loss of the season and first in conference play, as they move on to visit Miami, who also went down against Boston College, on Tuesday night. Virginia Tech will remain upset-minded when they visit No. 9 Duke on Wednesday night.
Bridges' Late Three Lifts Michigan State to Big Win
With both Villanova and Virginia going down in the past week, there will be a new top team in the country come Monday afternoon. The fourth-ranked Michigan State Spartans stated their case on Saturday afternoon, as Miles Bridges' late three-pointer gave them a 68-65 win over the third-ranked Purdue Boilermakers. Bridges' three went in with 2.7 seconds left, giving them their eighth straight win, led by Bridges' 20 points. This also improves their resume for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, as they move into a tie for second place in the Big Ten Conference with Purdue, both behind the Ohio State Buckeyes, who beat Iowa on Saturday. The Boilermakers have now dropped two in a row after a 19-game win streak came to an end against Ohio State earlier this week. They did lead by as many as 10 points in the first half and eight points in the second half, but Vincent Edwards missed the first shot of a one-and-one to end the Boilermakers' hopes. Isaac Haas led the Boilermakers down low with 25 points on 12-of-22 shooting, while Edwards added 14 in the loss. Cassius Winston chipped in a double-double of 10 points and 10 assists for the Spartans, who will most likely be No. 1 when they visit Minnesota on Tuesday. Purdue will fall, possibly out of the top 10, before they take on Wisconsin on Thursday.
Warriors Pull Away From Spurs at Home
The Golden State Warriors have been struggling as of late to make things interesting in the Western Conference with the Houston Rockets, but they took care of business on Saturday night. Klay Thompson had 25 points, including 10 points in the third quarter, in the Warriors' 122-105 rout of the San Antonio Spurs. Thompson's big night fueled a 33-point third quarter for Golden State, who scored at least 31 in each of the final three quarters. That helped them overcome a 10-point deficit after one quarter, as Steph Curry added 17 points and eight assists in what was head coach Steve Kerr's 250th career coaching win. Kerr reaches the mark in his 302nd game coached, which tops Phil Jackson as the quickest in NBA history to get there. Draymond Green has always played a big role in his coach's success, and had 17 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds in Saturday's win. The Splash Bros and Green helped the Warriors overcome Kevin Durant's tough night, as he had a season-low 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting. He did finish with six assists and six rebounds in the Warriors' 43rd win of the season. The Spurs fell to 13-16 away from home despite LaMarcus Aldridge and Kyle Anderson scoring 20 points apiece. They will stay on the road to visit the red hot Utah Jazz on Monday night. The Warriors will remain at home to host the Phoenix Suns that same night.
