TOP 25 SCORES
College basketball scores: Iowa State eases by Arkansas, West Virginia suffers first loss
Two top 20 teams claimed victories on Thursday night, while two others weren’t so fortunate. The University of the Sciences also beat a Division-I team. You’ll want to read about it.
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
No. 13 San Diego State 57, San Diego 48
LSU 74, No. 16 West Virginia 73
No. 20 Iowa State 95, No. 18 Arkansas 77
GAME OF THE NIGHT: No. 20 Iowa State 95, No. 18 Arkansas 77
The Razorbacks have a reputation for being almost unbeatable at home and proportionately awful on the road, so I’m not sure why I expected something else when they went into Hilton Coliseum to face an Iowa State squad that is, well, also almost unbeatable at home.
Arkansas had shown a want to change by going to SMU and beating the Mustangs in a building where they only fell once last season, but Thursday night’s effort was a massive step back in the Hogs’ campaign to establish themselves as the biggest threat to Kentucky in the SEC.
Iowa State transfer du année Bryce Dejean-Jones spearheaded the rout with 27 points, while preseason All-American Georges Niang was right behind him with 26. Dejean-Jones, who arrived in Ames after a pair of seasons at UNLV, was 8-for-8 from the floor and 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.
From Royce White to Will Clyburn to DeAndre Kane and now to Dejean-Jones; Fred Hoiberg is really, really good at making coaches who used to be in charge of these guys feel really, really bad.
Arkansas entered the game ranked fourth in the nation in points per game (90.0), but couldn’t keep up with a Cyclone team that played the type of game Mike Anderson’s team wanted to, only much better. The Razorbacks still have not won a road game as a ranked team since 1999.
UPSET OF THE NIGHT: LSU 74, No. 16 West Virginia 73
“Best” might not be the right word, but I think what we saw from the Mountaineers and Tigers in Morgantown certainly deserves the title of “most conversation-worthy” game of Thursday night.
There was blood, there was a 14-point blown lead in the second half, there were inexplicable decisions made by both sides in the final minute, and ultimately there was a team knocked from the ranks of the unbeatens on an uncontested lay-up.
After a wild final 60 seconds that saw the lead shift hands three times and both sides commit mind-boggling fouls, LSU’s Josh Gray went right past his man to the basket for his easiest two points of the night to give the Tigers a 1-point lead with 7.6 seconds left. Juwan Staten’s shot just before the buzzer on the other end of the floor fell short.
LSU dealt West Virginia its first loss despite trailing by 14 in the second half and turning the ball over 24 times.
GOOD WIN: TCU 66, Ole Miss 54
Break up the Horned Frogs. Trent Johnson’s team, which has gone 2-34 in its first two seasons in the Big 12 (including an imperfect 0-18 last season), is 8-0 for the first time since 1997 after going into Oxford and leaving with a 12-point win.
Andy Kennedy, meanwhile, continues to sit on a seat hotter than Puddle of Mudd in 2002.
BAD LOSS: University of the Sciences 54, Drexel 52
The USciences Devils became the first non-Division-I team to knock off a Division-I foe at home in 227 tries this season thanks to this game-winner off the fingertips of Garret “Don’t You F---ing Dare Try to Add Another T” Kerr:
Science be praised.
MID-MAJOR FOCUS: Georgia State 72, Green Bay 48
This was one of the main mid-major game that most hoop heads had circled on their calendars before the start of the season, and it did not live up to the billing in pretty much any regard.
Green Bay star Keifer Sykes was the only member of the Phoenix who scored in double figures, and it took him 15 shots to net 16 points. Sykes was outclassed by opposing mid-major standout R.J. Hunter, who hit 10-of-12 from the stripe and dropped 26.
Georgia State, which led 42-18 at halftime, shot 53.1 percent from the field and limited their guests to just 28.8 percent shooting.
The Panthers came into the season with a lot of hype, but didn’t acquit themselves particularly well in double-digit losses at Colorado State and Iowa State in mid-November. This was more of what we expected to see from a team with one of the nation’s top backcourts.
In a bizarre, but sort of cool, scheduling move, the two teams will meet again in Green Bay on Dec. 27.
VIDEO OF THE NIGHT:
UAB students protesting the elimination of the Blazer football program dressed in black and then stormed the court after a 58-48 win over Morehead State.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT:
“You really can’t prepare, until you see it in person, particularly for your young players, and their length and the way they defend. I can’t emulate it in practice for our guys. We just don’t have that.” --San Diego coach Bill Grier on preparing his team for No. 13 San Diego State, which won the city rivalry game for a ninth straight year
TWEET OF THE NIGHT:
Drexel ain't shit
— ✈️ (@FckYaOpinion) December 5, 2014 I find it difficult to disagree with your opinion, sir, let alone curse it.
PLAYER OF THE NIGHT: Bryce Dejean-Jones, Iowa State
Scored 27 points and didn’t miss a shot in a blowout win over the No. 18 team in the country. That’ll do it.
ALL-THURSDAY TEAM:
Alan Williams, UCSB - The advanced statistics crush became UCSB's all-time leading rebounder by pulling down 12 in an 86-47 romp over Seattle. He also scored 16 points.
Garret Kerr, University of the Sciences - It wasn’t just that one shot. Kerr finished with 27 points (half his team’s final total) and 10 rebounds. He also checked in at No. 6 on SportsCenter’s Top Plays.
QJ Peterson, VMI - Scored an evening-high 28 points in an 88-66 win over Samford. It was the SoCon opener for both teams, and the Keydets first game in the conference since it left for the Big South back in 2003.
R.J. Hunter, Georgia State - Dropped 27 in the Panthers’ demolition of Green Bay. He is very, very good. Don’t be afraid tot tell your friends you heard that here.
Royce O’Neale, Baylor - Buried four 3-pointers, went 9-for-11 from the field and scored a team-high 22 points to lead the Bears to a 66-63 road win over Vanderbilt.
DID DEPAUL WIN?
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