Late Afternoon Snacks: Stormy seas in the Big East

Jan 26, 2013, 5:55 PM EDT

Game of the Day

Villanova 75, No. 3 Syracuse 71 (OT): This is why I don’t think Villanova students should have stormed the floor when they beat Louisville earlier this week, and why they shouldn’t have today, either. It implies they didn’t think their team was good enough to compete against top teams in the Big East, when clearly they are. Darun Hilliard is shaping up to be a top playmaker, with 25 points and six assists in today’s game, and Maphtou Yarou is showing flashes of double-double ability in the post. With freshman Ryan Arcidiacono playing beyond his years – he calmly canned the game-sealing free throws in the extra period – this team is gelling nicely. ‘Cuse gave up way, way too many defensive boards in this one.

Meaningful Results

Georgetown 53, No. 5 Louisville 51: The Big East seems to be bound and determined to show us what we’ll be missing next season. Tough as nails from top to bottom once again, with no easy outs in league play. The Jekyll and Hyde act continued, as Good Georgetown showed up again, and Bad Louisville continued to inhabit KFC Yum! Luke Hancock finally showed up for the Cards, shooting 50% from the floor, but that was no panacea for the slump Peyton Siva is in; the senior guard scored zero points and handed out more turnovers than assists in a dismal performance. Otto Porter, on the other hand, is who we thought he was. His 17 points and 12 boards were big in this low-scoring game.

Wisconsin 45, No. 12 Minnesota 44: I’ll admit it. I doubted Bo Ryan’s ability to get it done with this year’s Badgers. It’s a mistake I’ll never make again. Ryan is likely to keep his record of making the NCAA tournament unblemished again this season, as he continues to grind out unlikely wins the way a dentist drills cavities. Look at the stat sheet, and you won’t see any individual heroes for the Badgers. But you will see that Gopher heroes Trevor Mbakwe (eight points, 10 boards) and Andre Hollins (20 points) got almost no help from their friends, who were locked out by Wisconsin defenders. The marquee wins are there for Bo Ryan again this season. A steady performance from here on out is pretty much a given.

Iowa State 73, No. 11 Kansas State 67: The Cyclones look like a team that will live or die by the outside shot – and indeed, they went 11 of 22 from behind the arc today – but that belies the hustle The Mayor has instilled in this team. ISU’s players fight hard for the long rebounds, as evidenced by Will Clyburn snatching ten rebounds to match forward Melvin Ejim for the game high in the category. Clyburn also scored 24, leading a team of complementary parts that just do what needs to be done at every turn. This was Bruce Weber’s first exposure to Hilton Magic. He understands now, I’m sure.

No. 1 Duke 84, Maryland 64: Freshman Amile Jefferson is still struggling a bit to fill Ryan Kelly’s shoes, but fellow first-year Rasheed Sulaimon had a great day for the Blue Devils, leading all scorers with 25 points on an absolutely torrid 6 of 8 from downtown. The Terrapins again looked like a collection of well-made gears that just aren’t quite meshing at an optimal level.

Games of the Night

Temple at No. 9 Butler, 6:00 pm ET (ESPN2)

North Carolina at N0. 18 NC State, 7:00 pm ET (ESPN)

USC at No. 6 Arizona, 7:00 pm ET (ESPNU)

No. 9 Florida at Mississippi State, 8:00 pm ET (ESPN2)

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