Here are the most extreme things to happen in college basketball between Friday, January 30th and Thursday, February 5th\u2026<\/p>\n
Biggest upsets<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n 3) #342 Chicago State 56, #255 Grand Canyon 55<\/a> (9%), Saturday.<\/strong> I don\u2019t talk much about the WAC around here for obvious reasons. But it\u2019s important to remember that the conference used to be an integral part of Big Monday<\/a>. Chicago State is mildly interesting because Tracy Dildy trots out a different starting lineup every other game. The one that suited up against Grand Canyon was his 17th of the season, and you\u2019d think based on the result that this one might stick. But no, Dildy changed it up for Thursday night\u2019s game against New Mexico State (probably due to an injury and\/or suspension) which resulted in an eight-point loss.<\/p>\n 2) #125 Creighton 79, #20 Xavier 72 (OT)<\/a> (9%), Wednesday.<\/strong> Teams like Creighton and Georgia Tech are a curse to their conference brethren. Both are at the bottom of their respective league tables and yet both have been competitive in most of their losses. So even the top teams in the league can\u2019t take the game for granted. Don\u2019t get me wrong, this is still a bad loss for Xavier, especially coming at home, but the Bluejays were eventually going to get a decent win or two.<\/p>\n 1) #324 Marist 75, #135 Canisius 67<\/a> (6%), Sunday.<\/strong> Marist started the season 1-18 but have now won three in a row. They did lose two starters in their first two games of the season, and those two guys have recently returned, so Marist probably is a better team than their rating shows. Continuing to do things like winning at Canisius will make me research the best conference records after starting 0-9. <\/p>\n Least likely comebacks<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n 3) #8 Duke over #2 Virginia<\/a> (1.9%), Saturday.<\/strong> Virginia was up 45-34 with the ball and 9:56 remaining. But then Duke would convert on 15 of its next 16 possessions, scoring 35 points in the process. It was a phenomenal run that included only one free throw. <\/p>\n 2) #342 Chicago State over #255 Grand Canyon<\/a> (0.9%), Saturday.<\/strong> The Cougars put the WAC in wacky by overcoming a 50-37 deficit with 9:07 left.<\/p>\n 1) #126 Eastern Washington over #239 Idaho<\/a> (0.7%), Saturday.<\/strong> EWU overcame a 17-point deficit with 8:29 left to force overtime and eventually earn a 98-95 win. The Eagles somehow did most of this without the nation\u2019s leading points-per-gamer Tyler Harvey, who left the game for good at the 7:31 mark after suffering a quad contusion.<\/p>\n #ShootersClub<\/a><\/strong> It wasn\u2019t the prettiest week for the club, but after going 11-for-33 the fivesome remains at a more-than-respectable 40.4 percent on the season. They will not stop under any circumstances.<\/p>\n Fastest game: Northwestern State 110, Central Arkansas 108<\/a> [87 possessions], Tuesday.<\/strong> Oh yeah, if we were ever going to have a non-VMI game in this spot, you knew it would be from the Southland, where even a game involving an 0-19 team can be interesting. Central Arkansas was on its way to its first win, leading by 12 with 12 minutes to go, but couldn\u2019t protect the lead partly because there were still about 30 possessions of hoops left.<\/p>\n Slowest game: Wofford 49, Mercer 46 [49], Saturday.<\/a><\/strong> On the other end of the speed spectrum was this key game in the SoCon where the game\u2019s leading scorer was Wofford\u2019s Spencer Collins with 11. Mercer went the last 6:30 without scoring. <\/p>\n Highest-scoring game: Northwestern State 110, Central Arkansas 108 [87]<\/a>, Tuesday.<\/strong> No overtime necessary in the Southland. <\/p>\n
\nMy five-man #ShootersClub of Micah Mason, Brett Olson, Michael Frazier II, Seth Hinrichs, and Devante Wallace is barnstorming the country this season, spreading goodwill and providing inspiration that you, too, can make three-point shots with enough practice.<\/i> <\/p>\n