NCAA basketball schedule: Creighton scorches the nets vs. Villanova

Maryland is going through one long, protracted final season in the ACC. It’s been awkward, ever since the time the ACC’s mascots gallivanted around New York while the Terp was forced to awkwardly tag along and butt into the side of photos. The Terrapins would obviously much rather be in the Big Ten immediately, but there’s still papers saying they have to play in the ACC this year -- and of course, an enormous lawsuit between the school and the ACC about whether they have to pay to leave.

Monday, NC State kicked the tar out of the turtles in Raleigh, outscoring the Terrapins 45-27 in the second half en route to a 65-56 win. The Wolfpack fans mocked Maryland’s predicament with a righteous “A-C-C!” chant in the game’s closing seconds:

In what was one of the more impressive offensive performances in college basketball history, Creighton went on the road and blew out No. 4 Villanova, 96-68, on Monday night. That’s right ... the Bluejays beat the fourth-ranked team in the country on the road by 28 points.

Creighton made its first nine three-point attempts, taking a 30-12 lead about seven minutes into the first half. It would lead by as many as 40 points midway through the second half. The Bluejays finished the night 21-for-35 (60 percent) from behind the arc and shot 57 percent overall. Their 21 three-pointers set a new Big East record.

Via Sportscenter

A great dunk is worth 1,000 points. Not really, but this was pretty cool.

Creighton’s matchup against Villanova was our pick for the Onions! Game of the Night -- Doug McDermott going up against the No. 4 team in the country on the road, with Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery on the call? Yeah, we’ll watch. But from the moment the ball was tipped, Creighton began absolutely drilling threes.

No, really, drilling them:

Before conference play began, Baylor’s trip to Lawrence was seen as a measuring stick for a Bears team that was trying to stop a nine-year run of Big 12 dominance by Kansas. But after starting conference play with a 1-3 record, Monday’s game has become a must-win if Scott Drew’s team is going to unseat Bill Self and the Jayhawks.

Until further notice, the Big 12 Conference still belongs to Bill Self and the Jayhawks. The game airs on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET.