If the Duke vs. North Carolina top-10 ACC matchup needed an opening act, Georgetown, Florida and Syracuse fulfilled that need with flair. Then hours after UNC's toppling of the top team in the nation, San Diego State delivered an encore, knocking off No. 6 Nevada.
Wednesday night's series of games will certainly shake up the next round of AP rankings. Here are the other upsets you may have missed while your eyes were on the Tobacco Road Rivalry.
Georgetown races past No. 17 Villanova
The Georgetown Hoyas delivered the first upset of the night, handing No. 17 Villanova an 85-73 loss behind sharp-shooting from Jessie Govan and Matthew McClung, who each scored 21 points. McClung was 4-of-8 from 3-point range (including four straight makes) and Govan pulled down 11 rebounds for a double-double.
The Hoyas held a 10-point lead at halftime and never eased off the intensity, scoring 43 points in the second half to down the now 20-7 Wildcats. Georgetown moves to 16-10 overall and 6-7 in the conference and will face Creighton on Saturday with the goal of hitting .500 in the Big East.
Villanova is now 5-5 in conference play away from home.
Syracuse defense stifles No. 18 Louisville
The Syracuse Orange surged out to an early lead against No. 18 Louisville, only trailing once all game in a 69-49 win at the Carrier Dome.
Four Orange players finished with double-digit points, led by Elijah Hughes' 18. Hughes scored 12 of his 18 points from beyond the arc, finishing 4-of-10 from deep Wednesday. That almost matched Louisville's output alone, as the Cardinals finished just 6-of-28 on 3-point attempts.
🎥 @therealboeheim's press conference after the win vs. Louisville pic.twitter.com/xAWCsOaIrs
— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) February 21, 2019
Syracuse ended the first half ahead by 12 and grew that lead as the second 20 minutes wore on. With over six minutes to play, the Cardinals extended their advantage to 20, and then 21, and then 23. Sixty-five seconds remained in the game when Louisville's Khwan Fore notched a 3-pointer to bring the gap to 23 points.
Louisville returns home with an 18-9 record and fifth conference loss. The Orange, on the other hand, move to 18-8. Next up for Syracuse? A date with No. 1 Duke on Saturday at home. The Orange upset top-ranked Duke in their first matchup in January.
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No. 13 LSU loses OT heartbreaker to Florida
Over in the SEC, LSU suffered a heartbreaker to unranked Florida in much the same style that they delivered an upset loss to Kentucky just eight days ago. The game came down to the final few plays in overtime, but this time, the Tigers couldn't convert in an 82-77 defeat.
With the Gators leading 78-74 in overtime, Florida's KeVaughn Allen hit two fouls with 25 seconds left in the game to put the Gators ahead by six. Tremont Waters kept the Tigers alive with a 3, but another free throw, this time from Florida's Noah Locke extended the lead to four, a lead that they would hold and grow by one through the final seconds of the game.
Allen led the charge for the Gators with 21 points, while teammates Jalen Hudson and Locke each chipped in 15. Florida moved to 15-11 on the season and hand the Tigers their fourth loss on the year. The Gators, after losing three straight, are back on a three-game winning streak.
#GatorsWin 82-77 in OT at LSU! pic.twitter.com/RNbnszfPXz
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) February 21, 2019
The Tigers are 21-4 this season, losing to Florida State (in overtime), Oklahoma State, Houston and Arkansas. They beat beat Kentucky in an SEC at the buzzer to help them move to No. 13 in Monday's latest AP poll. It won't get easier for LSU now, who will host No. 5 Tennessee in a marquee SEC match on Saturday.
They’ll need to bounce back strong against the former No. 1 team in the nation.
TV SCHEDULE: Times and TV listings for this week's college basketball games
San Diego State tops No. 6 Nevada despite Wolf Pack comeback attempt
Not to be left out, the San Diego State Aztecs wrapped up a wild Wednesday night with perhaps the most surprising upset, beating No. 6 Nevada 65-57 at home.
The Aztecs, like Georgetown, Syracuse and Florida, took a comfortable lead heading into the halftime break, leading by nine. The true test, however, awaited them in the second half as Nevada launched a comeback effort that saw the Wolf Pack nearly double their first half scoring. Free throws by Cody Martin five minutes into the second half cut the Aztec lead to seven, but a 9-0 San Diego State put the game out of reach again.
DOWN GOES NEVADA!
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) February 21, 2019
San Diego State UPSETS the No. 6 Wolf Pack at home! @Aztec_MBB pic.twitter.com/5Xbo8PJFlz
The Wolf Pack wouldn't be in reach again until the final minutes when they made one last effort to tie the game. A layup from Trey Porter, a jumper from Jordan Caroline and a free throw from Porter brought the deficit back to five, just two plays away from overtime.
But San Diego State held on.
The Aztecs scored five of the next seven points to close out the upset and send Nevada home with only its second loss on the year. Cody Martin led the Wolf Pack with 20 points, the only player to score double digits, while Devin Watson and Jeremy Hemsley paced the Aztecs with 15 points each. Just like the UNC-Duke rivalry, the Aztecs and the Wolf Pack will play each other again on March 9, and there's no doubt that Nevada will be looking for redemption.
These four contests may just be the start of a series of wild conference games to come.
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