It’s not even the end of December and North Carolina badly needed a win.
The schedule was heavy and almost every test ended in defeat. The promise that accompanied a top 10 in the pre-season rankings was fading; and the Tar Heels were set to spend the remainder of the season in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament bubble.
But the Tar Heels finally managed to win against UCLA in New York.
What has hurt North Carolina for much of the season has followed the same pattern: slow starts that have generally been too difficult to overcome. It happened against an undefeated Florida team. UNC managed to lead in the second half before the Alligators rallied.
Against UCLA, it seemed like we were going the same way. The Bruins came out hot, and after the Tar Heels put up a fight, UCLA took the lead to 16 points with 12 minutes remaining. Then North Carolina stopped making mistakes. The baskets started to come in. Senior guard RJ Davis overcame some earlier mistakes by hitting the game-winning free throws to eliminate the Bruins.
Come tournament time, North Carolina will benefit from one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country. All five losses were to teams ranked in the top 20. Saturday’s win was the second Quad 1 victory for the Tar Heels. They will need more to justify their place on the field.
Still, there’s most of the ACC schedule left to play, and Hubert Davis’ team has some much-needed momentum heading into January, making North Carolina one of the biggest storylines this past weekend of hoops.
Auburn looks like the best team in the country
Yes, there is no number 1 next to the name Auburn. Nonetheless, the Tigers are playing like the best team in the country after another blowout win against a ranked team.
Purdue hung around for about eight minutes before Auburn went on a 16-2 run in seven minutes. It was the Tigers’ ninth double-digit victory and sixth against a Quad 1 opponent.
While Auburn looks like the best team in the country, its big man Johni Broome continues to look like the best player in the country. His 23-point, 11-rebound performance was his eighth double-double of the season, and he did it on a bad shoulder.
Ohio State plays big against Kentucky
What a Saturday it was in Columbus. Not only the football team win his first round game of the College Football Playoff on campus, but the men’s basketball team traveled to New York and topped Kentucky by 20 points. It was the most surprising result of the weekend given how good Kentucky looked under Mark Pope and how shaky Ohio State looked.
It was one of the worst shooting nights for one of Kentucky’s best offenses, but the Buckeyes deserve credit for taking advantage by controlling the paint and getting a career night from junior guard Bruce Thornton. A week before, Ohio State lost to Auburn by 38 and it didn’t feel like much. Seven days later, the Buckeyes appear capable of competing in a crowded Big Ten.
Connecticut back as a contender
Remember when the sky was falling on Storrs after Connecticut didn’t win a single game in Maui?
It seems like a long time ago as the Huskies haven’t wavered since then, reeling off six straight wins, including victories over Baylor, Texas and Gonzaga. The latest result came with UConn holding off a pesky Butler team on the road to improve to 2-0 in Big East play.
Mississippi State dominates Memphis
As if the SEC needed another solidified contender, Mississippi State earned the conference’s best win with a road thrashing of Memphis. The Bulldogs entered the FedEx Forum and quickly forced turnovers while knocking down their 3-pointers, and by the time Memphis realized what had happened, Mississippi State already had a solid command of the game.
The key to Mississippi State’s success has been taking care of the ball and generating steals. While the Bulldogs unusually turned the ball over more often on Saturday, they took the ball away from Memphis with 15 interceptions, the fourth time they have at least 10 in a game this season.
Dominant win over Memphis gives Mississippi State three Quad 1 wins. It’s a crowded SEC, but Mississippi State looks less like a bubble team and more like a team aiming for a top four seed in the tournament .
Creighton fights its way to a well-deserved victory
Before the season, Creighton was expected to be a team capable of dethroning UConn in the Big East. It didn’t seem like a great start to the season, but the Bluejays got a boost by beating Villanova.
Creighton lives and dies by 3-point shooting and they made 14 of them on Saturday. Although both teams could have used the win, the Bluejays needed it with an upcoming slate that included St. John’s and Marquette next and Connecticut in mid-January. This could be a list that determines whether Creighton is legit or not.
Rutgers is stunned and continues to fall
The arrival of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey has given Rutgers optimism to become a relevant basketball team. So far, it’s not working well.
The Scarlet Knights saw a victory snatched by Princeton in the last second for their fourth loss in six games. To be fair, Harper and Bailey were sensational and lived up to expectations. The problem has been the defense, which allows opponents to stay and capitalize late. It’s these mistakes that don’t currently have Rutgers on a trajectory toward the tournament, which would be a huge disappointment for Steve Pikiell given the talent he brought to the table.
This article was originally published on USA TODAY: College basketball winners and losers: North Carolina and Auburn on top
