College Basketball: Down Goes Duke and 12 More Ranked Teams

It was a weekend of change in College Basketball. After 11 ranked teams fell on Saturday, #3 Duke got crushed by St. John’s in Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Al Dannity looks back at the carnage.

Blue day for Duke
The Red Storm sold out Madison Square Garden for the first time since 2003 and they didn’t disappoint a rabid home crowd. With almost a quarter of the game still remaining, Steve Lavin started flapping his hands in the air to make their already boisterous support even louder. The coach, who was criticised for failing to make the most of the talent at his disposal with UCLA, has earned rave reviews for the speed at which he is turning things around in Brooklyn. The Red Storm dominated Duke en route to a 93-78 victory.

It was a night Coach K will want to forget but also one he will remind his players of constantly for the rest of the season. Playing in a weak ACC, the Blue Devils haven’t been tested the way a contender needs to be. That soft schedule, one that is no fault of Duke’s, came back to bite them last night as a battle-hardened St. John’s beat them up. The dearth of quality teams on Duke’s resume could continue to affect their preparation in the run-up to March Madness.

Jimmer-mania slows in the Pit
Jimmer Fredette had another 30+ point night but this time it wasn’t enough to deliver a win for #9 BYU. Jimmer had 32 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds as the Cougars lost 86-77 at New Mexico. The win is a huge boost to the Lobos’ at-large chances. Despite being just 3-4 in Mountain West play, New Mexico’s schedule is strong enough for them to play their way into the NCAA Tournament.

College Basketball betting fans were stunned by another 10 big defeats for ranked teams. There was some cannibalism of ranked foes. #8 Texas cruised past #13 Missouri, #12 Purdue beat Minnesota, #5 UConn lost at home to #19 Louisville while #20 Georgetown recorded a stunning road win over #7 Villanova but the bulk of the losses by big teams came as upsets.

Nebraska stunned #11 Texas A&M, Marquette extended #10 Syracuse’s losing streak to four, Penn State knocked off #15 Wisconsin, Portland brought #24 St. Mary’s back down to earth, and Washington State beat #17 Washington 87-80.

It could have been crazier
The top two ranked teams in the nation had narrow escapes on Saturday. Unbeaten #1 Ohio State needed a late field goal to finish off Northwestern while #2 Pitt laboured to a 65-62 win at Rutgers. The Buckeyes and Panthers will be favored to win their next games this week, home match-ups with Michigan and Cincinnati respectively, but both showed vulnerabilities on Saturday that could get exploited.

For the best College Basketball odds check out Sports Interaction’s online sportsbook.