Wednesday night offered an appetizing buffet of hoops, with the No. 1 and No. 2 teams falling away from home and the two-time defending national champions bouncing back after a rough stretch. Here’s what you need to know:
Creighton stuns No. 1 Kansas, 76-63
The unranked Bluejays hand No. 1 Kansas its first loss of the season, 76-63.
This is the second consecutive season Creighton has knocked off a No. 1 team at home, taking down Dan Hurley’s Huskies last season in Omaha.
After a tough 0-3 stretch in late November, Creighton found itself outside the top 25. But Greg McDermott’s squad was ready for the Jayhawks to come to town, securing a 13-point win over Bill Self’s unbeaten team.
The Bluejay’s home crowd was rocking as Creighton rolled to a 41-31 lead at halftime. Kansas stormed back into the game early after the break, going on a 9-0 run to open the second half and pulling within one point of the home team. However, this knot was untied quickly as Creighton went on an 11-0 run, catapulting ahead 51-40 over the next 90 seconds.
“HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF” 🕰️
For the second year in a row, a No. 1-ranked team comes to Creighton and leaves with a loss 🤯 @BluejayMBB pic.twitter.com/MU5W7Z8gBL
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) December 5, 2024
The Bluejays kept the Jayhawks at arm’s length for the remainder of the game, eventually leading by 16 at the three-minute mark before closing out the win.
Kansas only turned the ball over five times to Creighton’s fifteen, but the Jayhawks were unable to capitalize, only scoring 12 points off the double-digit turnovers.
Creighton was on fire beyond the arc, shooting 41%, including six threes from Bluejays guard Pop Isaacs who led the game in scoring with 27 points.
Kansas standout Hunter Dickinson was surprisingly uninvolved in this matchup, recording six points on just four shots in the loss.
Kansas will look to get back on track against Missouri on Sunday, and Creighton will try to carry this momentum into a matchup with UNLV on Saturday.
No. 9 Duke holds on to hand No. 2 Auburn its first loss, 84-78
Duke earns its first top-five win of the year, handing Auburn its first loss of the season.
The Blue Devils led 43-36 at the break of this top-10 matchup and did not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the game. Duke led by as much as 12 early in the second half, but the Tigers clawed their way back into the game, pulling within two at the seven-minute mark. The Blue Devils quickly responded with a three-pointer, igniting the Cameron Crazies as Cooper Flagg and company closed out the final few minutes comfortably.
Auburn’s offense went ice cold late in the second half, going 4-16 from the field in the final seven minutes. The Tigers did not make a shot from the four-minute mark to the 45-second mark outside of the charity stripe.
The Blue Devils ramped up the pace against Auburn, recording 16 fast break points to the Tiger’s zero on the night.
Flagg once again led Duke in scoring, tallying 22 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Auburn center Johni Broome matched Flagg’s double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds of his own in the loss.
Cooper Flagg was a PROBLEM tonight in @DukeMBB‘s biggest win so far this season 👏
22 PTS | 11 REB | 4 AST pic.twitter.com/7BVywbH4iS
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) December 5, 2024
Duke will open ACC play with Louisville on Sunday, and Auburn will travel back home to take on Richmond as the Tigers look to get back on track.
No. 6 Iowa State hands No. 5 Marquette its first loss of the season, 81-70
Iowa State remains undefeated at home, taking down Marquette 81-70.
The Cyclones jumped out to a 46-37 lead at the break, and it was able to hold off the Golden Eagles in the final 20 minutes. Marquette made a push midway through the second half, going on a 12-3 run to tie the top-10 matchup 61-61 with nine minutes to play. But Iowa State immediately responded, going on a 14-0 run over the next six minutes to secure the win.
Iowa State’s efficient offense was too much for the Golden Eagles, shooting 51% from the field compared to Marquette’s 39% mark. Cyclones’ Keshon Gilbert paced his team in scoring, tallying 24 points and eight assists on the night.
Marquette star Kam Jones struggled from the field in his team’s first loss, going 6-21, including 1-5 from beyond the arc.
The Golden Eagles will look to bounce back at home against No. 11 Wisconsin on Saturday, while the Cyclones will face Jackson State on Sunday.
No. 25 UConn outlasts No. 15 Baylor, 76-72
The UConn Huskies secured a much-needed win over the Bears, improving to 6-0 at home on the year.
UConn plummeted in the rankings after suffering three losses in four days in the Maui Invitational, but Dan Hurley’s squad bounced back on Wednesday night against No. 15 Baylor.
The Huskies trailed by double-digits in the first half but were able to pull within one point by the break. The final 20 minutes were much tighter, with neither team able to put the other away. However, UConn was able to capitalize on the Bear’s mistakes, scoring 21 points off 10 turnovers.
UConn also outpaced Baylor from the charity stripe, recording 26 points from the line to the Bears 12.
The Huskies were led offensively by freshman Liam McNeeley who dropped 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in the win. Baylor was led by guard Robert Wright who went an impressive 9-15 from the field with four assists.
Hurley’s squad will try to build on this big win as it faces Texas, No. 7 Gonzaga and Xavier in its next three matchups.
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