Late Night Snacks: Kansas rolls, Hoyas take hold in the Big East

A decent slate of games was highlighted by two Top 25 battles in both the Big East and Big 12. The SWAC and MEAC were in full effect and Quinnipiac/Central Connecticut State and Bryant/Sacred Heart were postponed after the winter storm that hit the northeast over the weekend. As far as news, we got word that team trainers better watch out for right foot, fifth metatarsal injuries. It’s Late Night Snacks.

Game of the night

No. 14 Kansas 83, No. 10 Kansas State 62 – This one had all the makings for a great game. Intrastate rivalry. A pair of Top 15 teams. A crazy atmosphere. Instead, Kansas snapped their three-game losing streak in a big way, taking control of the game midway through the first half and cruising. Ben McLemore gave himself a heck of a birthday present for no. 20.

Games of note

No. 15 Georgetown 63, No. 18 Marquette 55 - Otto Porter continues to do everything the pundits expected him to do this season. The sophomore dropped in 21 points and pulled down seven rebounds in a game that the Hoyas took control of midway through the second half.

Oklahoma 75, TCU 48 – In the “Hey, We Just Beat Kansas, Too!” Classic, Oklahoma showed their victory over the Jayhawks may have been a bit more legitimate. Romero Osby has 11 points and seven rebound and Amath M’Baye had 12 points in the win.

Norfolk State 85, Maryland-Eastern Shore 63 – On a night when much of the attention was given to the Big East and Big 12, the Spartans are showing their not just a one-year wonder in the MEAC. Coach Anthony Evans deserves respect with NSU going 11-0 in the MEAC and 16-10 overall. They’ll battle North Carolina Central (10-0) for the conference title, but the two teams don’t play. Weird.

Starred

Ben McLemore, Kansas – Not sure anyone had a better birthday than the Kansas redshirt freshman. He got Kansas State for 30 points on 9-for-13 shooting, 6-for-10 from three.

Otto Porter, Georgetown – It’s just another night at the office for Porter, who punished Marquette for 21 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Adrien Coleman, Bethune-Cookman – MEAC love tonight for a pair of 30-point performances. Coleman had his way in a loss to N.C. Central with 31 points, 10 rebounds and four assists on 13-for-17 shooting overall.

Jeremy Ingram, Maryland-Eastern Shore – The second MEAC monster tonight also came with a big game in a loss. Ingram had 32 points and five rebounds, shooting 6-for-12 from the field and 17-for-20 from the free throw line in loss. The best player on a bad, bad, one-win Hawks team.

Struggled

Rodney McGruder, Kansas State – Ignore the stat sheet. McGruder had 20, but 12 of that was in garbage time. The 6-4 senior had eight points on 3-of-11 shooting at 12-minute mark  with the Wildcats down 63-45.

Vander Blue, Marquette – We touched on this earlier, but Blue needs good offensive nights for the Golden Eagles to win big games. Monday night wasn’t one of those nights. He finished with seven points on 3-of-9 shooting in the loss to Georgetown.

Stuffing the stat sheet

Jeff Withey, Kansas – He’s a frequent visitor to this part of LNS, and tonight he earned it. The fifth-year senior complimented McLemore’s big night with 17 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in the win at home over K-State. The nation’s best shot blocker is back at it.

Follow David Harten on Twitter at @David_Harten.