College basketball scores: Creighton’s upset and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s dunk highlight Wednesday’s action

TOP 25 SCORES

No. 2 Arizona 71, UC Irvine 54
No. 3 Wisconsin 84, Green Bay 60
No. 13 Gonzaga 94, Saint Joseph’s 42
Creighton 65, No. 18 Oklahoma 63

GAME/UPSET OF THE NIGHT: Creighton 65, No. 18 Oklahoma 63

The Sooners led by as many as 18 before Creighton mounted a furious second half rally to score the biggest win of the post-Doug McDermott era. The Jays, who were picked to finish 9th in the Big East this season, may have lost both the national Player of the Year and sharpshooter Ethan Wragge, but they still showcased the same type of quick-strike ability on offense that led them to a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament a season ago. Toby Hegner, Isaiah Zierden and Austin Chatman all hit multiple 3-pointers and scored in double figures for Greg McDermott’s team, which won on its home floor despite Oklahoma getting 21 points from star guard Buddy Hield.

3 TEAMS THAT WON IT BEST

1. Wisconsin

Green Bay is good, so good that I think they can dominate the Horizon League, roll into the NCAA Tournament and win at least one game when they get there. Despite having that ability, the Phoenix still aren’t anywhere near the class of Wisconsin, which out-rebounded UWGB by 14 and got strong performances from its three-headed monster of Sam Dekker, Nigel Hayes and Frank Kaminsky on its way to an 84-60 rout. What the Badgers did won’t be a talking point on national radio today like Kentucky and Duke’s wins were on Wednesday, but they were scary good.

2. Gonzaga

Saint Joseph’s made the 2,543 mile trip to Spokane in order to suffer the most embarrassing defeat of the Phil Martelli era. Gonzaga held the Hawks to just 3 of 28 shooting in the first half, and led by a score of 48-10 at the break. The Zags finished the game with 21 assists as opposed to just four for St. Joe’s, and won by an unreal looking final score of 94-42.

I realize the Hawks lost five seniors, but this is still a team that won the A-10 tournament and had eventual national champion Connecticut beat in the round of 64 just eight months ago. For Gonzaga to be able to humiliate them like this has me giddy over the prospect of watching this team womp on fools in the 11 p.m. slot from now until March.

3. Arkansas

Many people believe Arkansas has the ability to step up and become the SEC’s third “elite” team to go with Kentucky and Florida. The Hogs showcased that kind of talent on Wednesday when they routed visiting Wake Forest 83-53 to earn their 45th straight home win over an unranked non-conference opponent. The relentless Razorback defense forced Danny Manning’s team into 20 turnovers and just 1-of-18 shooting from beyond the arc.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT

At 7’6, UC Irvine’s Mamadou N’Diaye is the tallest player in both college and professional basketball. He was still not tall enough to keep Rondae Hollis-Jefferson from cramming Wednesday night.

Keifer Sykes’ missed dunk, TaShawn Thomas’ successful dunk, and Kaza Keane’s 70-footer earn honorable mention.

MID-MAJOR SPOTLIGHT

Florida Gulf Coast has the chance to be a national story again this year, and they gave a glimpse of that potential during a 79-62 throttling of Ohio on Wednesday. One of the standouts from the 2013 Sweet 16 team, Bernard Thompson, dropped 34 points for the Eagles, while another, Brett Comer, became the Atlantic Sun Conference career assist leader with 641. FGCU, which also had high-profile transfers Jamail Jones (Marquette) and Demetris Morant (UNLV) to go with the stars of the team from two seasons ago, is off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2005.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

“If that was in a park, they probably wouldn’t have let us on the court. That was a special performance. I said to Mark (Few), I apologized because we really didn’t make them do anything.” --Saint Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli

COACH OF THE NIGHT

Sean Miller. Both because he rallied Arizona to a win over a UC Irvine team that’s probably going to make the NCAA Tournament, and because he actually tried to play in the game.

ALL-WEDNESDAY TEAM

Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin - Big Fupps dropped 20 and 15 to spearhead Wisconsin’s impressive win over Green Bay.

Bernard Thompson, Florida Gulf Coast - Drilled 14 of 20 field goal attempts on his way to dropping 34 points on Ohio.

Obi Emegano, Oral Roberts - Scored 30 points in ORU’s 78-64 loss to Missouri.

Andell Cumberbatch, Saint Bonaventure - Scored 24 points and snagged 11 rebounds, but the Bonnies lost to Siena by three.

Tommie McCune, Oakland - On the night Oakland honored McCune’s mother, who recently lost her battle with cancer, the junior guard connected on all three of his 3-point attempts and finished with a game-high 27 points.