The upsets started early on another busy Saturday in men's college basketball. Here's what you need to know from a packed day of action.
No. 21 Indiana topples No. 1 Purdue
No. 21 Indiana knocked off its rival No. 1 Purdue 79-74 in the 216th meeting between these two programs.
The Hoosiers held off Purdue for most of the game taking their largest lead of 16 late in the first half. The Boilermakers stormed back outscoring Indiana 39-29 in the second cutting the deficit to one. The Hoosiers waived off the comeback behind some clutch defense.
Tracye Jackson-Davis paced Indiana with 25 points and seven rebounds. Jalen Hood-Schifino added 16 points, four assists and two steals.
Zach Edey topped all with a game-high 33 points and 18 rebounds (10 offensive). Though, Edey also committed five turnovers which led to the Boilermakers’ demise.
Purdue turned it over 16 times — 11 in the first half — converting into 20 points for the Hoosiers.
The Boilermakers fall to 22-2 (11-2 Big Ten). The Hoosiers improve to 16-7 (7-5 Big Ten) picking up the biggest win of their season.
It's over.
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 4, 2023
No. 21 @IndianaMBB upsets rival and No. 1 Purdue. pic.twitter.com/5WnHoGLuS3
No. 6 Virginia shocked by Virginia Tech's efficient offense
No. 6 Virginia became the first top-10 team to fall on Saturday in a 74-68 loss to rival Virginia Tech in the latest edition of the Commonwealth Clash.
Sean Padulla, Virginia Tech's leading scorer this season, poured in a game-high 22 points, though he was bolstered by three other teammates in double figures. The Hokies shot well all game, finishing over 50% from the field thanks to red-hot shooting in the second half. All against a UVA defense that entered as the ACC's best scoring defense (60.2 points allowed per game).
Nothing better than singing 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗻 after beating UVA 😏 pic.twitter.com/gKonOCfY7V
— HokieSports (@hokiesports) February 4, 2023
The Hokies have now won three straight against their in-state foes in the friendly confines of Cassell Coliseum. The win was Tech’s eighth all-time against a ranked Virginia team.
It’s the Cavaliers’ first loss in just over a month since falling to Pitt on Jan. 3 — the end of a seven-game winning streak that included a previous victory over these same Hokies in Charlottesville.
Duke knocks off rival North Carolina
It was close throughout the game with neither Duke nor UNC leading by more than six at any given point.
Neither side was particularly hot shooting the ball with the Tar Heels going 24-for-70 (34.3) percent from the field and 7-for-27 (25.9 percent) from three-point range. Duke was sharper, going 24-for-61 (39.3 percent) from the field and 4-for-11 (36.4) from beyond the arch. UNC struggled to get to the free throw line with just three attempts (2-for-3) for the entire game, while the Blue Devils got to the line 15 times, making 11.
The Tar Heels got balanced scoring from their starters with four players hitting double digits, including double-doubles for Armando Bacot (14-10) and Leaky Black (13-10), but the bench produced just five points. For Duke, Jeremy Roach led the way with 20 points and seven boards, and Kyle Filipowski had 14 points and seven rebounds. Derek Lively II cleaned up on the glass with 14 rebounds as well.
UNC tied it, 57-57, with 3:57 to go, but Lively II threw one down with 1:35 left before Roach's jumper with 23 seconds on the clock added insurance. He hit both free throws with nine seconds left to seal the 63-57 final.
No.13 Iowa State runs over No. 8 Kansas
From the opening tip, No. 13 Iowa State dominated against No. 8 Kansas on its way to a triumphant 68-53 win.
The Jayhawks struggled in just about every facet of the game, committing double the turnovers of their opponent (20 to 10), shooting 38.6% from the field and 26.1% from 3, and had only one player finish in double figures. Jalen Wilson had a game-high 26 points and nine rebounds — meaning Wilson accounted for almost half his team points — as the next leading scorer among the starters for Kansas had just 7 points.
There goes the roof again!@TaminLipsey ➡️ @3BallJay#Cyclones | #C5C pic.twitter.com/2Ey9FRz20G
— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) February 4, 2023
Iowa State led by as many as 19 thanks to an 18-5 run in the second half. The Cyclones played excellent team basketball with 19 assists on the day, as three finished in double figures: Jaren Holmes (15), Osun Osunniyi (13) and Tre King (10).
This victory was Iowa State’s fourth against a top-10 team this year, the most in a single season in program history.
No. 18 Saint Mary's storms back to beat No. 12 Gonzaga in OT
The Gaels have taken another step toward a WCC regular-season title with their win over the Bulldogs, but it took some grit to pull it out. Down by as many as 11 in the first half, Saint Mary's clawed its way back into the game and grabbed the lead for good in overtime to open up a two-game lead in the conference standings over Gonzaga.
Aiden Mahaney got over a slow first half to steal the show in the second. As the game wore on, he seemed to only get better. He scored two-game tying layups in the final moments to cap off a run in which he scored or assisted on 19 of the Gaels' final 21 points in regulation. Mahaney also hit a dagger three-pointer in overtime to cement his performance in this game.
Saint Mary's improved to 21-4 and remains a perfect 10-0 in WCC play, while Gonzaga drops to 19-5 with an 8-2 in-conference record. These teams will meet again in Spokane, Washington on Feb. 25 to finish the regular season.
