Welcome back all! Well, I have to say I managed to nail last night's Gonzaga-Pepperdine game (prediction: Zags by 12; Final Score: Gonzaga 89-77)! In addition to that late-night affair, was a very busy Saturday in general in the world of college hoops where several ranked teams fell victim to the upset bug. Among the victims were #5 Louisville, who were handled in surprising fashion by Clemson, #19 Butler fell at home to Georgetown, and #10 Seton Hall went down at Providence after a terrible start.
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(5) LOUISVILLE 62 CLEMSON 77
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We start in the ACC where #5 Louisville made it a second straight surprising loss in league play. Three days after losing at 12-13 Georgia Tech, 64-58, the Cardinals were looking to bounce-back against a Clemson team that was just 3-5 in their last 8, and 12-12 overall going into yesterday's showdown.
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The Tigers handled the Cardinals with surprising ease in the first 20 minutes, holding them to just 14 points, while building a 31-14 halftime lead. Louisville's offense came alive in the second half, as they poured in 48, but it still wasn't nearly enough as they fell 77-62, in a game that they were never surprisingly in.
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Star Louisville F Jordan Nwora, struggled mightily, as he could only manage 5 points over 30 minutes of action. He did grab a team-high 9 rebounds. With the back-to-back to losses, however, some cracks in the armor are starting to appear for the Cardinals. They only managed 60.0 points per game against a pair of teams who have a combined record of just 26-24 in those two losses.
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GEORGETOWN 73 (19) BUTLER 66
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#19 Butler dropped another Big East home game to an unranked opponent after falling to Georgetown yesterday, 73-66. They also lost to Providence College on their home floor back on February 1st. The loss dropped the Bulldogs to just 7-6 in league play, despite the 19-7 overall record.
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For the Hoyas, it was their biggest win of the season, as they improved to 5-7 in Big East play & 15-10 overall. It also marks their 3rd win in the last 4 games, with each game being decided by single-digits. Patrick Ewing's bunch may be starting to learn how to win in league play, but do they have enough left for a late-season run?
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Guard Terrell Allen led the way for the Hoyas, with a game-high 22 points. Jahvon Blair had 16, while freshman center Qudus Wahab had 11 points & 7 boards. Jamorko Pickett also chipped in 12 points & 6 rebounds. Butler was led by Kamar Baldwin's 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Sean McDermott chipped in 12 points & 7 boards, and Jordan Tucker added 16 points & 5 rebounds for the Bulldogs in the loss.
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(10) SETON HALL 71 PROVIDENCE 74
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In other Big East action, Providence College bounced-back from a road loss to Xavier, with a massive 74-71 upset of #10 Seton Hall - making it three victories in their past 4 - all against ranked teams (@ Butler, vs Creighton, vs Seton Hall). The Friars are trying to make a late postseason run, and they certainly came out with an intense sense of urgency. They jumped all-over the Pirates, racing out to a 34-9 lead with just under 7 minutes to play in the first half.
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From there, the Hall eventually worked their way back into the game, getting the lead down to 14 at 41-27 at the half, but the early massive hole proved too deep to work out of. Myles Powell got back to scoring as he led the Pirates with 27. Big man Romario Gill caused all sorts of problems for the Friars in the first matchup between these two, but was held to 4 points and 8 rebounds in 34 minutes. Quincy McKnight also chipped in 14 points & 4 assists for the Pirates in the loss.
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The Friars owned a big rebounding advantage, out-working the Pirates 47-35 on the boards, that also included a 20-11 advantage in offensive rebounds. Alpha Diallo was certainly an 'Alpha' for PC, as he turned in a career day with 35 points, including 5 3-pointers & 10 rebounds - making it 9 double-doubles on the season for the senior guard out of New York.
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After an excillerating 20-2 start, that saw Diallo hit 4 - 3's in the first 10 minutes, Powell and the Pirates started to play, but the damage from the painfully slow start was already done. Luwane Pipkins chipped in 13 points and 5 rebounds for PC as the Friars will take to the road for a showdown with Georgetown on Wednesday. If the Friars can manage to win that one, their "bubble" hopes may very well be alive & well.
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Chris Elgersma
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You can find me on IG & YouTube @sportsguychris
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I'll be providing weekly top 25 rankings, NCAA tournament projections, and "bubble" assessments as we get closer to the Big Dance. Be sure to check back for plenty of college hoops coverage & everything else in the world of sports!
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