Game of the Day
Temple 83, No. 3 Syracuse 79: Typically, it takes great shooting to beat the Syracuse zone. Temple, as a team, shot just 39% from the floor. So where did this upset happen? At the line. Owl Khalif Wyatt led all scorers with 33, and hit all fifteen of his free throws. Anthony Lee was second on the Temple team with 21 points, and he nailed 11-14 from the stripe. The Orange, on the other hand, were 19-34 from the line. Michael Carter-Williams took the heat, saying afterward “If I hit free throws, we win the game.”
Meaningful Outcomes
South Dakota State 70, No. 16 New Mexico 65: Basketball hipsters rejoice. You knew Nate Wolters had this in him before he became popular. The Jackrabbit point guard scored 28 points and dished out seven assists as his Summit League team handed the Lobos their first loss of the season, and did it in the Pit. Wolters’ passes found ready and willing accomplices, as three other Jacks broke into double figures. The visiting team led for 37 minutes straight and held onto the unlikely lead until the end.
Mercer 66, Alabama 59: Sound collision alarms, the U.S.S. Alabama is going down. Forced to play a four-guard set due to injuries on his front line, Anthony Grant watched his Tide fall to lightly regarded in-state foe Mercer in Tuscaloosa. 6'10" Bear Daniel Coursey scored 20 points to lead four bears in double figures.
Wofford 56, Xavier 55: On the same day that Temple showed how great the A-10 can be, Xavier dropped the pumpkin. Wofford came into the Cintas Center with a 5-6 record and outlasted the Musketeers. The difference came at the charity stripe, where the Terriers were 15-17 from the line, while the homestanding Muskies hit just half of their attempts. Guard Carl Cochran led Wofford with 20 points, and Xavier is left looking for its mouthguard with a trip to Knoxville looming.
Games to Watch
No. 12 Missouri vs. No. 10 Illinois, 6:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 8 Florida at Kansas State, 8:00 pm, ESPN2