Late Afternoon Snacks: Miami’s vices exposed; Bracket Busters takes a bow

Feb 23, 2013, 4:50 PM EDT

Game of the Day

Wake Forest 80, No. 2 Miami 65: That Miami finally lost an ACC game is not surprising – it’s a tough league. That they lost to Wake Forest, a team below .500 overall and in ACC play, is a head-scratcher. According to Kenpom, the Hurricanes have the fifth-best defense in the nation. Wake Forest’s is 99th. On offense, the Deacs are even worse, falling well below the median in offensive efficiency. This won’t keep Miami out of the tournament, or even a No. 1 seed, but it points to something that must be fixed if they hope to capitalize on that lofty position.

Meaningful Results

No. 21 Memphis 89, Southern Miss 73: Memphis hasn’t lost a game in 2013. Their 13-0 run through C-USA thus far was enough to hand them the league title today, as they put down a serious challenger in the Golden Eagles. We’re all pretty fond of pointing out that Josh Pastner hasn’t exactly been a John Calipari at Memphis, but this year, his efforts have him on a more solid road to the NCAA tournament than his mentor has managed in Lexington.

No. 10 Louisville 79, Seton Hall 61: Gorgui Dieng (23 points) showing his offensive prowess in February is a very good sign for the Cards. Paired with his defense and rebounding, that makes Dieng the sort of player who can push Louisville deep into the tournament, which has been a less-than-certain outcome for the on/off Cards. Louisville has to go to Syracuse in March, and they’ll need all the scoring options they can find for that one.

No. 24 VCU 75, Xavier 71: The Rams are on everyone’s permanent Cinderella list, but as a team, they’re likely looking to move beyond that label and into the rarified air pioneered by No. 3 Gonzaga – the perennial favorite. Taking down Xavier, another contender for that kind of step up, is a good sign for Shaka Smart and his crew in their first season in the A-10.

No. 14 Oklahoma State 73, West Virginia 57: After the 2 OT loss to Kansas, the Cowboys are looking to run the table from here on out. Standing just .5 games back of league leaders KU and K-State, Oklahoma State can still hope for a Kansas stumble, and they’ll have their own takedown shot at the Wildcats in their final regular-season game, at home, on March 9.

LSU 97, Alabama 94 (3 OT): Alabama was a very quiet second-place in the SEC (and still is, by the way), but this loss to a mediocre LSU team isn’t going to help their weak tournament resume in the least.

Games of the Night

6:00 Creighton at St. Mary’s (ESPN)

6:00 No. 17 Marquette at Villanova (ESPN2)

6:00 Nevada at San Diego State (NBCSN)

7:00 San Diego at N0. 3 Gonzaga (ROOT)

7:00 Arkansas at N0. 5 Florida (ESPNU)

8:00 N0. 13 Kansas State at Texas (Longhorn)

8:00 Stanford at N0. 23 Oregon (Pac-12)

8:00 Harvard at Yale (CBS Sports)

8:00 South Dakota State at Murray State (ESPN2)

9:00 Missouri at Kentucky (ESPN)

10:00 Ohio at Belmont (ESPN2)