NCAA Saturday: Busy slate of games

Oklahoma State shot 52.1 percent from the field to improve to 6-2 as a top-10 team against Colorado. The Cowboys have beaten the Buffaloes in 19 of their last 26 meetings. Saturday marked the first-ever meeting between the two schools in which both teams were ranked in the top 25.

Both Oklahoma State and Colorado are off the next week for Christmas, with the Buffaloes returning home to host Georgia on Dec. 28 and the Cowboys hosting Robert Morris on Dec. 30.

For a while, it looked like another unbeaten would fall on Saturday.

In the extra session, Dameyan Dotson put the Ducks ahead for good with a layup with 35 seconds left, then Moser hit the clinching free throws to make it a two-possession game with just 10.2 seconds left.

The final score made it look like a laugher, but it took a 17-0 late run from No. 24 San Diego State to propel the Aztecs to a 65-36 win over McNeese State on Saturday.

The Cowboys shot just 23 percent for the game, including 11 percent from three. They also scored just 18 points in each half.

A long, long time ago, Doug Gottlieb was the starting point guard as a freshman with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Nowadays he works for CBS, his college days in the rear-view mirror. Saturday he took aim at senior Fighting Irish center Garrick Sherman’s beard and he found a response... from Sherman himself:

Gottlieb was expelled from Notre Dame after 27 games. Why? He was charged with a felony for stealing his roommates’ credit cards and racking up over $1,000 in stolen goods. He sat out the remainder of his transfer year and eventually committed to Oklahoma State to play out the remainder of his collegiate career.

Goodwin did his damage on 10-of-12 shooting, keeping him on the list of the most efficient offensive players in college basketball.

Memphis came into the game off a four-point overtime loss to Florida earlier in the week at the Jimmy V Classic. Though the Tigers weren’t perfect on Saturday, they shot 50 percent from the field and forced 19 turnovers in a solid all-around game. The Redhawks won the rebounding battle, 39-31.

It was a comeback for the ages Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

The scoreboard will tell you No. 3 Ohio State beat Notre Dame, 64-61, in the BlackRock Gotham Classic to remain unbeaten. The game tape will tell you that it easily could have been a double-digit Notre Dame win.

Abrams was the star all day for Illinois, slashing his way to 22 points. His spin move in the lane on the final drive was brilliant, forcing the Tigers to send the junior to the line. The Illini’s leading scorer hit both shots, forcing a desperation shot from Missouri’s Tony Criswell that was unsuccessful.

Saturday was the Illini’s first win over a ranked opponent, having dropped last weekend’s game against the Oregon Ducks in their only other attempt.

Davidson last faced North Carolina in 2007, when Stephen Curry’s 24 points weren’t enough to topple the Tar Heels, who were the No. 1 team in the nation at the time.

• The First 68: North Carolina’s identity crisis

After a sluggish first half from both teams, the Gators turned it on behind Prather. Scottie Wilbekin finished with 11 points and six rebounds in his sixth game back from suspension. Senior forward Will Yeguette nearly notched a double-double, racking up nine points and 11 boards.

Florida will play their fourth and fifth straight home games to close out the non-conference season, hosting Savannah State and Richmond. The Gators will open SEC play at home as well, taking on South Carolina on Jan. 8.

Then Denzel Valentine and Dawson made this happen in transition:

The Spartans cruised from there, as Payne added to his scoring total from the free-throw line. The senior came into the game averaging 16.6 points and 7.9 rebounds, and has now scored in double digits in four straight games.

Kansas State has now won six straight games after stumbling early in the season against Northern Colorado, Charlotte and Georgetown. Gonzaga suffers their second loss of the season, having lost to Dayton in the Maui Invitational.

• The First 68: North Carolina’s identity crisis

The Jayhawks were able to get to the free throw line at will, hitting 31 of their 46 attempts. Embiid led the way with 12 trips to the line, sinking nine. Three Hoyas -- including Joshua Smith -- fouled out of the game, with two Georgetown players finishing the game with four fouls.

• The First 68: North Carolina’s identity crisis

When he went to the line to shoot his free throws, it didn’t go particularly well:

That’s a miss by roughly, what, two feet, off to the side of the rim. From a guy who typically shoots 76.7 percent from the line. And in case you didn’t get the gist of things, he points straight at his head afterwards, before being taken out for the remainder of the game (which, to be fair, was a blowout).

The Jayhawks didn’t get much from Wiggins -- he shot just 3-10 and scored 12 points -- but Black came in off the bench and dominated Georgetown’s big men. Black finished with 17 points on 5-5 shooting with six rebounds and two blocks. Embiid scored 17, shooting 4-4 from the field and 9-12 from the free throw line, but much of that came with the game already decided.

• The First 68: North Carolina’s identity crisis

Use your future commitment to do something you don’t want to do (or a lot of things you don’t want to do) during the week ahead as an excuse to do nothing but watch basketball today. You’re going to have earned it.

Georgetown at No. 18 Kansas (Noon/ESPN)