Upsets owned the weekend in the men’s college basketball space

The GIST: You get an upset, you get an upset, everybody gets an upset! It was that kind of weekend in men’s basketball, where the underdogs took control on Saturday. With March Madness rapidly approaching, resume-boosting wins are all the more important. Here’s what you missed:

🐯 Clemson tops No. 2 Duke: Freshman phenom Cooper Flagg scored 18 points, but Clemson’s senior star got the last laugh: Center Viktor Lakhin dropped 22 to carry his Tigers past the Blue Devils for a 77–71 win, the weekend’s most surprising takedown. The victory also led to one of the game’s most iconic forms of celebration: A good, old-fashioned court storming.

🐊 No. 6 Florida deals No. 1 Auburn first conference L: After a month atop the AP Poll, the top-ranked Tigers might be saying “later, Gator” to that No. 1 ranking following their 90–81 loss to No. 6 Florida. The Gators had five players score in double-figures for a balanced effort, led by senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. with 19 points, to stay competitive in the cutthroat SEC.

🐦 Creighton adds another upset to resume: With upsets over then–No. 1 Kansas and then–No. 14 UConn already to their name, the Creighton Bluejays took down another Goliath, stunning No. 11 Marquette 77–67. Fifth-year senior guard Steven Ashworth led the way with 22 points, including a 6-for-9 performance from 3-point range. Hot damn.

🐱 Kansas State hands No. 16 Kansas another troubling loss: The Jayhawks, ranked No. 1 in the preseason, have been upset by unranked teams five times, with the latest coming in an 81–73 loss at the hands of their mediocre intrastate rival. It’s not not time to panic in Lawrence…