#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. |