As we inch closer to conference tournament play, the drama keeps mounting in college basketball with numerous upsets and exciting late-game finishes. Here's a breakdown of all the action.
No. 17 Indiana outruns No. 5 Purdue for season sweep
The Hoosiers rode the hot shooting night of Jalen Hood-Schifino and his game-high — and career-high — 35 points to beat the Boilermakers for the second time this season, completing a season sweep of their bitter in-state rivals for the first time in 10 years. Indiana shot 51% from the field as a team while Purdue hit just 35% of its shots en route to its third loss in four games.
The win snapped a seven-game losing streak for IU at Mackey Arena (and coach Mike Woodson won his first game in West Lafayette after never doing so as a player).
So where does that leave the Big Ten standings, with just one week left to go in the regular season? The Hoosiers move into third place, just two games behind the Boilermakers — who remain in first but only one game ahead in the loss column over Northwestern.
UNC routs No. 6 Virginia
North Carolina earned a massive ACC win over No. 6 Virginia on Saturday night, defeating the Cavaliers 71-63 in Chapel Hill.
The Tarheels were led in points by Pete Nance, who tallied 22 on the night. R.J. Davis came up big for the UNC too, recording a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
The game started close, but a 13-3 run late in the first half gave North Carolina the upper hand at the break. UNC kept its foot on the gas throughout the final 20 minutes of play and never gave up the lead in the second half.
Virginia will now head home to play their final two regular season games against Clemson and Louisville. UNC will hit the road to face Florida State and then return to Chapel Hill for a March 4th senior night contest against Duke.
Arizona State shocks No. 7 Arizona with beyond half-court heave
No. 7 Arizona seemed set to outlast Arizona State in a Saturday afternoon clash, taking another step toward the top of the Pac-12 men's hoops standings.
Enter, Desmond Cambridge Jr, who threw up a half-court Hail Mary to win the game at the buzzer. Cambridge tallied 19 points to lead his team, as the Sun Devils defeated the Wildcats for the first time in three years and the first in Tucson since 2019. Arizona State shot 54% from the field as a team en route to a win that maintains their position in fourth place of the Pac-12 standings.
MORE: Watch Cambridge's magical shot
For Arizona, the loss makes it much harder to catch No. 4 UCLA at the top of the conference, even with the season finale clash between the two on March 4 in Los Angeles.
Florida State upsets No. 13 Miami
No. 13 Miami fell at home to in-state rival Florida State in an intense down-to-the-wire ACC match-up. At the half, the Hurricanes had a 23-point lead over the Seminoles and seemed to be in complete control. But Florida State came back with a gutsy second half effort.
The Seminoles outscored Miami 54 to 30 in the final 20 minutes of play. Nine of the Hurricanes' 12 turnovers came in the second half. Three came within a minute of each other with 8:26 left in the game.
Florida State took the lead with 5:56 remaining. From there, it was a back-and-forth fight to the end. In the last three minutes of the contest there were five lead changes.
With six seconds on the clock, Miami's Jordan Miller knocked down a three-pointer to put the Canes up 84-82. Florida State responded as time expired with Matthew Cleveland tossing a three-pointer to give the Seminoles an 85-84 win.
No. 22 San Diego State survives New Mexico on buzzer-beater
The Aztecs were just seconds away from their third conference loss of the season, down one with seconds remaining. Lamont Butler took the ball on the inbound and ran the length of the court before pulling up for the winner from the top of the key.
And it's not even March yet 🤷♂️#TheTimeIsNow pic.twitter.com/eNvpt83C5Q
— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 26, 2023
The last-second heroics means San Diego State retains its two-game lead at the top of the Mountain West and can clinch the conference's regular season title with a win at second-place Boise State on Tuesday.
Villanova takes down Big East foe, No. 19 Creighton
Villanova defeated No. 19 Creighton, 79-67 in a Big East battle on its home turf. The Wildcats dominated from the opening tip, only trailing for 22 seconds, and by just two points, during the entire outing. Nova’s leading scorer guard Eric Dixon was electric, dropping a game-high 31 points; he joined forward Cam Whitmore, who had 17 points and five boards, in double figures.
The Wildcats can thank their efficient shooting for the victory, as they shot 50% from the field and 41% from three, as well as Creighton’s inefficient shooting, as the Bluejays shot just 39% from the floor and went 5-26 from three. Despite the loss, Creighton managed to finish three players in double figures, forward Arthur Kaluma, who had 19 points, seven-foot center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who scored 18 points, and guard Baylor Scheierman who had 10 points.
The victory came as Villanova’s second-straight ranked win, as they took down No. 16 Xavier earlier this week.
Oklahoma men's basketball handles No. 23 Iowa State
The Oklahoma Sooners went on the road and beat a ranked opponent on Saturday, defeating the No. 23 Iowa State Cyclones 61-50 in a Big-12 conference showdown.
The Sooners didn't start off hot, trailing by as many as 11 points in the first 20 minutes of play. Thanks to a strong first-half finish though, Oklahoma narrowed the gap to a five-point deficit by halftime, giving them a chance to rally.
To kick off the second half, Oklahoma was on fire from beyond the arc. The Sooners nailed seven three-pointers and put themselves on top 48-37 with ten minutes remaining. From there, it was tough for the Cyclones to catch up and the Sooners never lost their lead after the sixteen-minute mark.
The Groves brothers helped lead the Sooners to a win. Jacob Groves had a team-high 16 points off the bench, and his brother Tanner led the way in rebounds, recording 13 in the victory. The loss for Iowa State is only its second home loss of the season.
Mississippi State takes down No. 25 Texas A&M
Mississippi State led the entire first half and held on strong in the second to earn a 69-62 win over No. 25 Texas A&M.
The game remained close throughout, especially in the final minute of play when the Aggies pulled back within four of the Bulldogs. Mississippi State remained composed at the line though, going four-for-five in free throws in the last 60 seconds to clinch the upset.
Tolu Smith racked up 17 points for the Bulldogs. Shakeel Moore and Cameron Matthews also scored in double figures, tallying 14 and 11 points, respectively.
The Aggies were plagued by 16 turnovers, and despite a 21-point day from Texas A&M's Wade Taylor IV, the Bulldogs fought to the finish to improve to 7-9 in SEC play.
