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Late Night Snacks: Miami takes bad loss, A-10 proves to be entertaining

Kenny Kadji

Game of the Day: Georgia Tech 71, No. 6 Miami 69

Sometimes the outcome of a game can be as easy as who boxes out and who doesn’t. On Georgia Tech’s final possession, Miami was the team that did not get a body on every available Yellow Jacket, allowing Marcus Georges-Hunt to get free for a tip-in as time expired. Miami’s hopes for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament took a hit with the loss, especially considering the four bad losses they’ve amassed over the course of the season.

Important Outcomes

1. Villanova 67, No. 5 Georgetown 57

Villanova solidified its spot in the NCAA tournament by notching its third win of the season over a Top 5 team. With good RPI and SOS numbers, the Wildcats’ resume compares favorably to other bubble teams, especially those that have registered bad losses in the past few weeks.

2. Xavier 77, No. 16 Saint Louis 66 (OT)

The final score does not speak to how closely contested this game was. Xavier led by seven points with 4:40 remaining, but Saint Louis clawed back to force overtime. The Xavier wins kept the Billikens from claiming at least a share of the A-10 title Wednesday night and opens up a more interesting race for the top. La Salle and VCU are still in contention.

3. Iowa State 87, No. 13 Oklahoma State 76

In the same way that Villanova needed a big win Wednesday, Iowa State did too and it capitalized. The Cyclones are difficult to beat at home and now add this OSU win to wins over Kansas State and Oklahoma.

Starred

1. Trey Burke, Michigan (26 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds)

If there was another night on the schedule where Trey Burke was to prove that he was worthy of a National Player of the Year award, this was it. He started out cold and Michigan’s offense followed suit, but he began to pick it up in the second half and ultimately led the Wolverines to victory in a tough road environment.

2. Travis Taylor, Xavier (19 points, 19 rebounds)

Xavier could continue to pick up steam and get stronger as we get closer to the conference tournament. For that reason and considering what we saw today from Taylor in a win over Saint Louis, I think Barclays Center is going to play host to one of the best tournaments in the country next week.

3. Will Clyburn, Iowa State (20 points, 7-of-10 FG)

Iowa State needed a win badly to help to solidify its NCAA tournament resume and Clyburn helped to that end. He was 2-of-4 from three-point range as well in the victory.

Struggled

1. Reggie Johnson, Miami (2 points, 1-of-4 FG, 3 TOs)

Johnson has been out of his groove over the past two games, following up an 0-of-5 shooting game against Duke with another subpar performance Wednesday. He needs to be an interior presence for the Hurricanes if they want to make noise in the ACC tournament and make a run in March.

2. Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA (4-of-19 FG, 2-of-11 3pt FG)

Muhammad still managed to pull together 14 points, but he struggled to find his stroke from the field. He was part of a larger UCLA attack that was stagnant Wednesday night in a loss to Washington State.

3. Rob Loe, Saint Louis (0 points, 0-of-3 FG, Fouled Out)

Loe typically averages over seven points per game on the year, but was ineffective Wednesday night. His Saint Louis team was able to push the game to overtime, but he and three other teammates eventually fouled out and the Billikens took the loss.

Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_