Unranked teams dominate NCAA men's hoops weekend
The GIST: Saturday belonged to the unranked fellas, with seven ranked teams falling to their AP number-less foes. Here’s who’s sippin’ good underdog juju heading into February.
Boom of redemption: The explosion you heard on Saturday? It came from Norman, Oklahoma, where the Sooners blew the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide out of the water 93–69. Senior guard Grant Sherfield posted a season-high 30 points, and forward Jalen Hill added 26 to hand the Tide their first L since December 17th. Dynamite.
Failing the uphill battle: There’s always gonna be another mountain for the No. 15 Auburn Tigers. This time, their climb was against West Virginia, whose guard Erik Stevenson scored 31 points as the Mountaineers led Auburn wire-to-wire. The Tigers outscored WVU in the second half but still dropped the game 80–77. Sometimes they’re gonna have to lose…again.
It’s a ’Dawg eat Frog world: Last weekend, the No. 11 TCU Horned Frogs were the upsetters, but this weekend, they were the upsettees. The Mississippi State Bulldogs, who’ve been toeing the big-win line, finally crossed it, snatching up a nailbiting 81–74 overtime (OT) dub on Saturday.
- The top ’dawg? Forward Tolu Smith, whose 27-point, 13-rebound double-double was a big reason Mississippi State feasted on Frog legs.
What to watch: Can the chaos continue in the ranked matchups? Tune into ESPN tonight at 9 p.m. ET to catch No. 17 Baylor take on No. 10 Texas, then mark tomorrow’s cal for an intrastate rivalry between No. 5 Kansas State and No. 9 Kansas at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
