Wednesday provides a little bit of a breather, after Monday night and Tuesday that were a basketball junkie’s dream. The 32-plus hours of continuous basketball that wrapped up early this morning on the East Coast featured many of the most significant moments in this very young season.
- A John Wall buzzer-beater to give No. 4 Kentucky a win over Miami (Ohio) in his debut.
- Cal State Fullerton earning their first win over UCLA in double overtime.
- The first games ever scheduled for 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. local time.
- No. 19 Georgetown edging Temple in a slugfest.
- No. 2 Michigan State’s veterans earning a win over Gonzaga’s youngsters.
- And finally, No. 1 Kansas surviving a scare from a Memphis club who only played seven guys all night.
With all of that action crammed into a little more than a day, it’s no surprise that the following evening is relatively quiet. And while Wednesday can’t match Tuesday in terms of marquee matchups, there are still a few games of note.
- No. 11 Butler visits Northwestern. Laugh now, but a few weeks ago this looked like it was going to actually be an entertaining matchup. It still could be, but the Wildcats face an uphill battle, as they’ll be without seniors Kevin Coble and Jeff Ryan, who are out for the season due to injury.
- No. 3 Texas looks for their second dominating performance in a row as Western Carolina visits Austin as part of the CBE Classic.
- The Mountain West and WAC go head-to-head in two in-state rivalries. WAC favorite Utah State travels to rebuilding Utah, while Nevada visits UNLV in a matchup of two teams who should challenge in their respective conferences.
You can follow all four of these contests here on SB Nation.
No. 11 Butler at Northwestern (8 p.m. ET)
Game discussion at Sippin On Purple
FINAL: Butler defeated Northwestern, 67-54
The Bulldogs led the entire way as they handled a shorthanded Wildcat squad.
Utah State at Utah (8 p.m. ET)
Game discussion at Block U
Game discussion at Mountain West Connection
FINAL: Utah squeaked by Utah State, 68-67
The Utes defeat the Aggies in a close one at the Huntsman Center.
Western Carolina at No. 3 Texas (9 p.m. ET)
Game discussion at Burnt Orange Nation
FINAL: Texas blew out Western Carolina, 73-41
Damion James scored 18 to lead the Longhorns to a second straight easy win.
Nevada at UNLV (10:30 p.m. ET)
Game discussion at Mountain West Connection
FINAL: UNLV cruised past Nevada, 88-75
The Rebels completed a Mountain West sweep in a night of rivalry games, thanks to 22 points from Oscar Bellfield.
While these are the highlights, there are a few other games on television tonight, which you can read about over at Blogging the Bracket.
Northwestern Fans Bemoan Their Role Players
Over at Sippin on Purple, SB Nation’s Northwestern blog, Wildcat fans are worried that the poor performance of some of their role players is a sign of things to come this season.
Those seven players combined for just 24 points last night. Obviously, that’s not going to get it done down the road if Northwestern wants to be a player in the Big 10 this year.
Read Article >Take A Breather: No. 11 Butler’s Trip To Northwestern Highlights Quiet Wednesday
Links and recaps to get you caught up on all the college hoops happenings from Wednesday night:
No. 11 Butler at Northwestern (8 p.m. ET)
Game discussion at Sippin On Purple
FINAL: Butler defeated Northwestern, 67-54
The Bulldogs led the entire way as they handled a shorthanded Wildcat squad.
Read Article >
