(24) Oregon 64, (11) Washington State 59. If they weren't already in the tournament (and I'd think they'd have to be), this should seal the deal for Oregon. They came back from a massive first-half deficit, got it rolling in the second half, and Aaron Brooks put the Ducks ahead by three with 12.9 seconds left. Tajuan Porter had 21 big points for Oregon on just 9 shots.Loyola-IL 75, (15) Butler 71. Rough one for the Bulldogs, who have actually lost three of their last five. Blake Schilb, who might be the best player in the Horizon League, torched Butler for 28 ... and the loss leaves them a half game behind Wright State in the conference standings. Speaking of which ...
Youngstown State 72, Wright State 57. The Penguins came out of nowhere to pull the Horizon League shocker on Wright State. Fortunately for the Raiders, Loyola-IL also took care of Butler, so they end up clinging to their conference lead. Youngstown State's Quin Humphrey led all scorers with 35.
Duke 71, Clemson 66. Very nice win for Duke, beating a tough opponent on the road at a crucial point in their season. They led most of the game -- by 21 at halftime -- and kept the lead around the 10-point mark for most of the second half. On the road in the ACC, it doesn't get a lot more impressive than that. Clemson, meanwhile, might be sliding off the bubble completely with a 5-8 conference record.
Hofstra 68, UNC-Wilmington 65. The sad-sack UNCW Seahawks almost jumped up and bit Hofstra. The Colonial Athletic Association bottom feeders went back and forth with Hofstra all night, but Antoine Agudio's 30 were enough to get the Pride the win.
(4) UCLA 85, Cal 75. One night, Lorenzo Mata is like a dunk Ben Wallace at the free-throw line. The next, he's like Chauncey Billups. Mata's at 30% on the season from the charity stripe, but hit 8 of 9 last night to boost UCLA to victory. The Bruins trailed most of the first half, but imposed their will in the second.
Kennesaw State 67, Mercer 51. I've been waiting all year for things to come together for Kennesaw State ... and finally, they have. The 12-18 Owls pimpslapped the Mercer Bears all night long. Ten players scored for Kennesaw State, and Ronell Wooten led them with 19.
