#13 Connecticut 65, DePaul 60 - The Huskies nearly fell asleep on the job against the streaky Blue Demons, but put on a late run to dig out of a 13-point hole. Hasheem Thabeet was thisclose to a triple-double in the ballgame, scoring 16 points, grabbing 13 boards, and blocking a ridiculous eight shots. It was the 10th-consecutive win for UConn, who pulled within a half-game of Big East leaders Georgetown and Louisville.

#14 Indiana 77, #15 Purdue 68 - It may have been the last game at the helm for a beleaguered Kelvin Sampson, but the Hoosiers came up with a second-consecutive home win over the best that the Big 10 has to offer. Assembly Hall was absolutely rocking for the rekindling of this time-tested rivalry, and the Hoosier faithful were treated to a yeoman’s effort from senior D.J. White, who posted a sick 19/15 line with an injured knee. The win pushes IU into a three-way tie with both the Boilermakers and Wisconsin atop the league standings.

Bradley 72, #18 Drake 71 - Jeremy Crouch’s jumper put Bradley ahead with 11 seconds to go, and the Braves withstood three last-gasp shots from the homestanding Bulldogs to escape Des Moines with a huge road win. Perhaps Drake was looking ahead to this weekend’s Bracket Busters match-up with Butler, or maybe this was a letdown game after clinching the league title on Saturday. But the uncomfortable fact is that this the second loss in only eight days for the Bulldogs, who had dropped only one of their first 23 games. Should fans start to worry?

Oklahoma 92, Baylor 91 (OT) - For the second-straight game, the Sooners needed an improbable play from behind the arc to stun their opponents. But on a night filled with a bunch of crazy moments, it really didn’t seem that surprising. Tony Crocker was fouled by Aaron Bruce on a made three-pointer with only 7.3 seconds left in overtime, and the ensuing free throw put the Sooners up by a point. But Curtis Jerrells got to the line for Baylor with just over a second remaining…and missed both attempts. A Kevin Rogers putback was no good at the buzzer, and OU earned their third-straight win heading into the game with Texas on Saturday.

Arizona State 72, #7 Stanford 68 (OT) - It was a seesaw game out west last night, with both Stanford and Arizona State overcoming double-digit deficits in the second half. James Harden led the way for the Sun Devils down the stretch, tying the game with six seconds left in regulation and carrying his team to an overtime victory in front of the home crowd. A huge rebound from little-used Duke transfer Eric Boateng helped ASU milk the clock at the end of OT, and he sealed things up at the line with two seconds to go. The loss drops the Trees a half-game behind UCLA heading into this weekend’s action.

#10 Butler 89, Youngstown State 73 - The Bulldogs just keep marching on, this time cruising to a victory against the over-matched Penguins. A.J. Graves scored 15 points in the contest — all coming from the field— and grabbed five boards in the winning effort. This now marks the second-straight year that Butler has started the season 23-2, and with only five games left in Horizon League play, the Bulldogs could sew up the conference title by next weekend.

#20 Washington State 70, Oregon State 57 - There’s bad, there’s abysmal, and then there’s Oregon State. Wazzu ran all over the homestanding Beavers, who have lost 14 straight games, including all 12 of their Pac-10 contests. The Beavers’ quest for conference imperfection continues on Saturday against Washington before asskicking appointments with USC and UCLA next weekend. It’s safe to say at this point that the fans are ready for college baseball season in Corvallis.

#5 Kansas 90, Missouri 71 - Four of the five suspended Mizzou players returned for the Border War and foul trouble plagued the Kansas big men, but that still wasn’t enough to give the Tigers a chance in this one. Sasha Kaun had four personals while Darrell Arthur and Cole Aldrich each picked up three, but a twelve-point halftime lead was more than enough for Kansas to cruise. The Jayhawks won their fifth-straight game against Mizzou, led by Brandon Rush’s 19 points on the night.

Louisville 71, #16 Marquette 57 - Louisville overcame its recent road woes and put a stop to Marquette’s own home cooking with an easy win at the Bradley Center. The Cards held the Golden Eagles to only 32% shooting on the night and led by a comfortable margin the whole way, snapping a 14-game home winning streak in front of 17,736 Marquette faithful. The win puts the Cards firmly in third place in the Big East, just months after discipline problems and injuries appeared to leave the team rudderless.

#23 Saint Mary’s 89, Gonzaga 85 (OT) - The Game of the Night certainly lived up to its billing, as the fans in Moraga were treated to an extra five minutes of basketball before their hometown Gaels finally put away Gonzaga. It was the third home win over the Bulldogs in the last four years for the Gaels and moved their mark in the McKeon Pavilion to 13-0 on the year. Now the Zags, Gaels, and University of San Diego are all tied for first in the WCC, with each team getting one more crack at the other two before the regular season is complete.

#4 North Carolina 84, Florida State 73 (OT) - The Seminoles tied the game on a three-pointer with 8.1 seconds left in regulation, but the Tar Heels cruised in overtime to defeat upset-minded FSU on the road. The big story of the day, though, was the ankle injury to point guard Ty Lawson. Today his x-rays came back negative, but Coach Williams doesn’t think he’ll be ready for the huge showdown with Duke on Wednesday.

#11 Indiana 75, Northwestern 63 - Eric Gordon’s wrist injury doesn’t seem to be slowing him down any more, as he dropped in 29 points for IU at home. The Wildcats played remarkably well in Assembly Hall, staying within two points of the Hoosiers until the 10:32 mark of the second half. Good defense carried IU the rest of the way, keeping them just a half-game back of Purdue and Wisconsin in the Big Televen.

#13 Wisconsin 63, Minnesota 47 - The Badgers raced out of the gates on the road, never allowing Tubby Smith’s team a chance in this one. Wisconsin turned the tables on Minnesota and their pressure D, forcing 18 Golden Gopher turnovers that led to 20 points. It was Wisconsin’s third road win in the first half of conference play and their fifth overall.

It was an exciting night in college basketball, with a bunch of upsets and a few close calls for top teams. When all was said and done, Bobby Knight earned his 900th win, the Big 12 was a bigger mess than before, the A-10 saw a little bit of a shake-up, and the top of the ACC was able to hang on for dear life.

#1 North Carolina 83, Georgia Tech 82 - Georgia Tech came into this game as the worst defensive team in the ACC, but their offense proved enough to hang with the Heels all night long in Atlanta. The game came down to the final possession, but Zack Peacock had a shot blocked and missed a jumper from the elbow, allowing UNC to escape with perfection intact.

#2 Memphis 77, Rice 50 - Memphis kept its own perfect season intact, although they did it with much less drama than the Tar Heels. The Tigers’ stifling defense forced 29 turnovers in this one, allowing them to easily roll to victory despite a season-low 37% shooting performance. CDR finished the night with 16 points, while Joey Dorsey led the glass-crashing with 14 boards.

#5 Duke 70, Florida State 57 - The Seminoles kept up with Duke for most of the night, but the Blue Devils’ poise proved too much in the final minutes. Duke iced away the road win with solid free throw shooting as the clock wound down, allowing Coach K to overcome a poor start from his starters, who combined for only eight points in the first half.

Texas Tech 68, #9 Texas A&M 53 - Lubbock is clearly a House of Horrors for the Aggies, regardless of sport. The Red Raiders worked their way to a 15-point halftime lead and even expanded it out to 23 points midway through the second half, completely dominating the Aggies all night long. The win was #900 for legendary Coach Bob Knight, who took the mic after the game just long enough to give a backhanded compliment to the fans for finally attending a game. The stat that tells the story for the sloppy Aggies is this — they made only 18 field goals on the night while turning it over 20 times.

#15 Mississippi 89, Florida 87 - Ole Miss twice squandered big leads at home against the two-time defending champs, including a meltdown situation with a frustration technical. But the Rebs were able to hang on for dear life despite missing eleven free throws, keeping them within striking distance of Mississippi State in the SEC West.

Massachusetts 82, #18 Dayton 71 - The Minutemen shook things up in the A-10, taking out the Flyers and leaving the door open for Charlotte to slip into first place. UMass wasn’t rattled on the road, earning their first victory over a Top 25 team in nearly two years.

Temple 78, #20 Xavier 59 - Temple took a two-point lead with twelve minutes left and expanded it into a lopsided 19-point victory over the 20th-ranked Musketeers. The Owls shot 13-of-27 from three-point range and were led by Dionte Christmas, who scored 23 points in the upset win.

#21 Villanova 76, DePaul 69 - The Wildcats withstood a barrage of first-half threes from DePaul before making a steady comeback in front of a packed house at The Pavilion. Villanova had a ridiculous 43-20 rebounding advantage in this one, forcing the Blue Demons into one-and-done possessions nearly every time their threes didn’t fall. Now back at .500 in the Big East, Villanova faces a real test in a road game with Syracuse on Saturday.

Virginia Tech 70, Virginia 69 (OT) - This one isn’t Top 25 or Big 12, but it was an exciting enough game to warrant a mention. The interstate rivalry was so hard-fought that they needed an extra five minutes to sort it out before a crazy last possession finally anointed the Hokies with a victory. First there was an offensive rebound for Virginia Tech but after the ensuing missed shot the ‘Hoos fumbled a rebound which rolled out of bounds and gave V-Tech the ball back. Deron Washington took advantage and drove in for a tricky layup, giving the Hokies a buzzer-beating overtime win on the road.

Iowa State 72, Missouri 67 - Does anyone in the Big 12 want to win a game away from home? The two Kansas teams are the only squads to record a road victory in the league’s first 11 games, with Iowa State’s victory over Mizzou being the 9th win for a homestanding team. Missouri clawed back from huge deficits in this one and had the game within their grasp in a crazy final minute, but the ‘Clones held them off for their first league victory.

Baylor 79, Oklahoma State 71 - Oklahoma State lost their 15th-consecutive road game and possibly their leading scorer at the Ferrell Center in Waco. James Anderson left the game with an ankle injury midway through the second half and never returned, leaving Sean Sutton’s bunch in a lurch. The win for Baylor gave them their best start since the 1945-46 season, one in which the Bears finished with a solid 25-5 mark.

Colorado 55, Nebraska 51 - Doc Sadler’s Cornhuskers entered conference play looking to be on their way up in the conference, having logged wins against Arizona State and Oregon in the first half of the season. But Nebraska shot only 34% on the road in Boulder last night, losing to what will likely be the worst team in the conference when all is said and done. With their next three games against Baylor, Kansas, and Mizzou, things could get ugly in a hurry for the Cornhuskers if they can’t defend home court against the Bears.

#11 Michigan State 66, Ohio State 60 - The Spartans opened up a massive 21-point lead but let Ohio State crawl their way back into it as the game wore on. MSU shot only 39% and struggled without Raymar Morgan, who battled foul trouble all night and was limited to 19 minutes of play. It was a character-building victory for the Spartans, who badly needed a bounce-back win after the debacle at Iowa.

#17 Wisconsin 80, Penn State 55 - The Badgers stormed out to an 18-2 lead and dominated the Nittany Lions the whole way, moving to a perfect 4-0 in Big Televen play. Wisconsin hit 10-of-18 from behind the arc on a night where they couldn’t seem to miss, and Michael Flowers had a career-high 23 points in the win.

#23 Clemson 70, NC State 54 - Clemson’s nosedive hasn’t quite yet hit full speed, as the Tigers righted the ship with a convincing win on their home floor. Duke is next on the sked for Clemson, giving them a chance to silence all the critics with a meaningful January victory.

Boston College 76, #24 Miami (FL) 66 - The Golden Eagles won their 13th-straight game against Miami, knocking the Hurricanes from the polls as soon as they had arrived. Frank Haith’s squad was ranked 3rd in the ACC in three-point percentage heading into this one but shot a paltry 8-of-26 in the losing effort. In addition to dropping the ‘Canes to .500 in league play, the road loss prevented them from matching the best start in school history.

#4 Washington State 73, USC 58 - Wazzu remained perfect with their road win against USC on Thursday night, forcing 13 Trojan turnovers in the process. The Cougars were a scorching 10-of-19 on three-pointers, as their excellent ball movement constantly found the open man behind the arc. Washington State’s best-ever start was a 17-0 record back in the 1914-15 season, but they will now face their biggest test of the year in Pauley Pavilion against UCLA.

#5 UCLA 69, Washington 55 - The Bruins also took care of business to set up that great battle on Saturday atop the Pac-10, but their starters are going to be a little dinged up. Darren Collison injured his hip in a collision with Ryan Appleby, while Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is nursing a bruised right knee after a very physical contest. The Bruins might have home-court advantage over the Cougs on Saturday, but a pair of hobbled stars could make things incredibly difficult.

#14 Butler 75, Wisconsin-Green Bay 65 - The Bulldogs had an abnormally cold night from the floor, but repeatedly forced their way to the foul line to earn their 15th win of the season. Matt Howard was particularly effective in drawing the whistle, scoring 22 points while only taking six shots. His 12-of-15 free throw shooting made up the rest of his gaudy scoring numbers.

#21 Wisconsin 70, Illinois 60 - Things aren’t getting any easier for Bruce Weber and the Fighting Illini, as they dropped a fourth-consecutive game for the first time in his tenure with Illinois. Wisconsin, meanwhile, continued to prove they are a contender in the three-team Big Ten race with their third conference win in as many tries.

#23 Stanford 66, Oregon State 46 - This one was embarrassing for the Beavers at home, as Stanford came out of the gates fired up after a poor shooting performance in their previous game against USC. The Cardinal built a double-digit lead within minutes, found themselves up by 19 at half, and cruised the rest of the way as their stifling defense denied any faint dreams of a Beaver comeback.

A ton of Top 25 action last night, but no huge surprises along the way. The Tennessee/Ole Miss game was everything we wanted it to be — and how! — while there were a few upsets near the bottom of the rankings. The Big 12 had the night off, as all teams prepare for their league openers on Saturday. On to the scores…

#1 North Carolina 93, UNC-Asheville 81 - Not even a 7-foot, 7-inch giant could stop Tyler Hansbrough from throwing it down on Wednesday night — supposedly the first dunk on Kenny George in three years — and the rest of the Bulldogs were just as ineffective against the Heels. The win wraps up UNC’s non-conf slate at a perfect 15-0 to go along with their one ACC win over Clemson this past Sunday.

#2 Memphis 99, East Carolina 58 - The domination of C-USA began with a complete demolition at FedEx Forum last night, as the Tigers held ECU under 40% shooting and boasted a +21 rebounding margin. The game was so frustrating for the Pirates that coach Mack McCarthy earned two technical fouls in the second half and missed the last twelve minutes of the game.

#7 Duke 74, Temple 64 - Coach K earned his 787th victory in defeating the Owls, putting him only eleven wins behind Eddie Sutton. As well as things are going over at USF for Bitter Beer Face, Coach K could pass him up sometime this season. His first chance for #788 comes in Duke’s ACC opener against Virginia on Sunday night.

#9 Tennessee 85, #15 Ole Miss 83 - The Game of the Night certainly lived up to its billing, as the final minute was a flurry of action leading up to Tyler Smith’s game-winning layup with 4.2 seconds to go. The Rebs missed a ton of shots in their last possession, but constantly grabbed the offensive boards to keep hope alive. Kenny Williams even worked his way to the line with 31 seconds to go, but missed the front end, setting up the Vols’ game-winning possession.

I’ve been in Thompson-Boling Arena as a visiting fan, and I can attest that the Vols have one of the most overlooked home-court advantages in the country. Mississippi may have lost their perfect season, but hanging tough in this arena — particularly the fight they showed in clawing back from a 12-point second-half deficit — exhibits a ton of poise that is going to be huge when the calendar turns to March.

#12 Vanderbilt 80, South Carolina 73 - While Ole Miss couldn’t keep their perfect season alive, the SEC still has one representative among the unbeatens after the Commodores took care of business. Shan Foster struggled through his worst offensive game of the year, scoring only 13 points for Vandy, but A.J. Ogilvy picked up the slack with 25 of his own. Vandy has a monumental showdown with Tennessee next week, but they can’t overlook a road game in Rupp against Kentucky on Saturday.

#18 Pittsburgh 79, South Florida 66 - Pitt withstood a test on the road, holding off a hot South Florida team to earn their first win in Big East play. The Panthers led by as many as 17 with only four minutes left on the clock, proving that they still plan on contending in a topsy-turvy conference. Sam Young paced Pitt with 22 points on the night, while freshman Gary McGhee saw his first action in six weeks.

Charlotte 82, #19 Clemson 72 - Is this it? Has the Clemson collapse finally begun? They looked good in pushing UNC to the wire on Sunday night, but this result was far from expected. Is this a letdown loss after the tough game against the Heels, or are the Tigers about to jumpstart their annual January nosedive? A salty Florida State team visits Clemson on Saturday, so Oliver Purnell needs to right his team’s ship immediately.

#22 Dayton 92, #20 Rhode Island 83 - The Rams put on a second-half surge, but the Dayton Flyers defended their home court to earn a victory in the A-10 opener for both teams. Rhode Island was down thirteen in the second half, but whittled the Flyer lead to only three before Dayton shut the door. As long as the Flyers take care of business against SLU and UMass over the next week, the January 24th showdown with Xavier will be epic.

Arizona State 64, #24 Arizona 59 (OT) - A win over a team barely in the Top 25 isn’t usually worth of a court rush, but I’ll forgive Sun Devil students for this one. ASU’s victory was their first in 13 tries against the Wildcats, and it even took an extra five minutes to find a winner. It’s tough enough to have that much futility against a school, but it’s ten times worse when it’s a rival (see: OU/Texas football, 2000-04). The kids were surely partying late last night in Dirty Scottsdale.

#25 Xavier 83, St. Bonaventure 68 - The X-Men won their fifth-straight game, but coach Sean Miller was frustrated with the win. The Muskies allowed St. Bonaventure to hit eleven threes against their vaunted defense, enough to give them a scorching 61% mark behind the arc. Xavier was led by B.J. Raymond and C.J. Anderson, who both chipped in 21 points on a night where the offense actually had to carry the load. I have a feeling that the pitiful Fordham Rams are going to have a very tough game against an angry Musketeer squad on Saturday.