It may not be the first weekend of April yet, but we’re already down to four.
Louisville And Indiana Stumble, Leaving Just Four Unbeatens In College Basketball
It’s not even 2012 yet, but we already have a final four. Syracuse, Baylor, Missouri and Murray State are the only teams in college basketball without a loss.
Syracuse, Missouri, Baylor and Murray State are now the only teams in college basketball yet to taste defeat after No. 4 Louisville and No. 13 Indiana both opened conference play with a loss on Wednesday night.
A look at what went down with the nation’s unbeatens:
Georgetown 71, Louisville 68
The fourth-ranked Cardinals, who have made late-game comebacks their thing this season, went on an 11-0 run in the game’s final minutes to tie the score at 63 but were outplayed from that point on and fell to visiting Georgetown, 71-68 in the Big East opener for both teams.
The Hoyas buried 7-of-11 three-point tries and got a monster performance from Markel Starks, who scored 16 of his career-high 20 points in the second half. Freshman Otto Porter also came up big with his first career double-double (14 and 14).
U of L’s loss provides sweet vindication for the many folks who have been claiming for weeks that the Cardinals were undeserving of their lofty ranking. Still, the talk of Louisville being “exposed” or a “fraud” feels more than a bit premature. Georgetown is a legitimate top 15 team and one that appears fully capable of winning the Big East. Toss in the fact that the Hoyas had an especially hot shooting night and Louisville even having a chance to win in the game’s final minute is borderline impressive.
Louisville is not a top five team right now, but I don't buy the notion that they're closer to No. 20 than they are to No. 1. Freshman Wayne Blackshear (torn labrum) was cleared to start practicing yesterday, and if he can get healthy and become the offensive threat many thought he would be before the season then this is a team fully capable of ending its season in New Orleans.
The bigger story, perhaps, is the Hoyas, who were predicted to finish 10th in the Big East before the season and are now on the verge of a top ten national ranking. Georgetown may not end its season the way Connecticut did a year ago, but their stories thus far are eerily similar.
Michigan State 80, Indiana 65
The Hoosiers used a 25-2 blitz to erase an 18-point first half deficit but then allowed the Spartans to go on a 20-0 surge of their own to put the game out of reach.
Point guard Keith Appling's career-high 25 points - to go with six rebounds and seven assists - led the way for Michigan State, which improved to 12-2. Appling's performance is an overwhelmingly positive sign for a Spartan team whose lack of a proven floor general has been its most commonly listed weakness for months.
From a physicality standpoint, I think everyone knew Indiana was up against it Wednesday night. Still, it had to have been disappointing for Hoosier fans to watch Cody Zeller get absolutely manhandled in the post. The freshman was consistently forced to catch the ball 10-15 feet away from the basket and was almost never able to successfully create space for himself in the paint.
Zeller simply cannot have these types of nights if Indiana is going to build on its early success, especially in a league like the Big Ten. Guys like Jordan Hulls can struggle against a good, physical defense, and Indiana can be OK. The same can't be said for Zeller. These are the types of situations where he's going to have to learn to step up big and take some pressure off of the Hoosier guards.
Things don't get any easier for Zeller or IU, which faces No. 2 Ohio State and Jared Sullinger on Saturday.
Baylor 54, Mississippi State 52
The Bears solidified both their No. 7 ranking and the best start in program history (13-0) with a dramatic 54-52 victory over No. 14 Mississippi State at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas Wednesday night.
Baylor trailed for nearly the entire second half before Pierre Jackson - who finished with a team-high 14 points - blew past Dee Bost and made what proved to be a game-winning lay-up with 22 seconds remaining. The Bears then refused to let Bost touch the ball on State's final possession and blocked freshman Rodney Hood's shot in the lane.
Scott Drew's team also caught a huge break in the final minutes when oft-troubled Bulldog big man Renardo Sidney was whistled for a technical foul after arguing a call. The technical sent Sidney to the bench with five fouls and allowed Baylor to tie the game at 52 from the free-throw line.
Baylor should be thrilled to be 13-0, but I think they also must realize that playing the way they did Wednesday night isn't going to win the Big 12 or guide the to the Final Four. Jackson is a fine player, but the Bears aren't going anywhere if Perry Jones is only putting up eight and six and Quincy Miller - who finished with 12 points - is looking like a lost freshman during key stretches. If Jones doesn't emerge as a legitimate Big 12 Player of the Year candidate and Miller doesn't win Big 12 Freshman of the Year, then I don't see any way the Bears knock Kansas from the league's summit.
Syracuse 75, Seton Hall 49
The Orange gave what head coach Jim Boeheim deemed “an incredible defensive effort” in a 26-point thrashing of previously once-beaten Seton Hall.
Syracuse center Fab Melo led the way with a school-record ten blocks. SU finished the night with 15 blocks to go with 17 steals and 23 forced turnovers. The Pirates shot just 5-of-27 in the first half and went into the break with only 15 points. The Orange (14-0) now lead the nation in steals.
You can argue that Syracuse isn’t the best team in the country right now, but there’s no question that the Orange are deserving of their No. 1 ranking. No one is playing better overall basketball right now.
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