The final weekend of January continued an exciting men's college basketball season. Here's what you need to know from Saturday's action, which featured notable upsets right from the day's first tip.
SCOREBOARD: Click or tap here to see every score
Oklahoma upsets No. 2 Alabama
Oklahoma handed No. 2 Alabama its first loss since the middle of December in impressive fashion. The Sooners blew out the Crimson Tide 93-69.
Oklahoma's 24-point victory comes after it entered on a three-game losing streak and lost by 27 to TCU on Tuesday. Saturday was a different story, however, after Grant Sherfield and Jalen Hill combined for 56 points (30 and 26, respectively). The Sooners shot 59.6 percent from the field and were a lethal 75 percent from 3, making nine of their 19 attempts.
JALEN. HILL!
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) January 28, 2023
Brandon Miller found himself on the wrong end of a poster as Oklahoma is pounding Alabama. pic.twitter.com/2Ss3cWxlht
Defensively, the Sooners shut down top NBA draft prospect Brandon Miller, limiting him to 4-for-14 shooting and just 11 points. The impressive performance led to Oklahoma fans storming the court.
No. 4 Tennessee handles No. 10 Texas
In the SEC-Big 12 challenge, No. 4 Tennessee handily blew past No. 10 Texas 82-71 at home.
The Longhorns kept it close early in the first half, but Tennessee jumped out to 9-0 run which kept Texas at bay throughout. The Volunteers later took a 22-point lead, their largest of the game.
However, Texas made two concerted efforts to cut the deficit in the second half, but the nation’s best defense staved of any comeback hopes.
Olivier Nkamhoua topped all scorers with season-high 27 points on an impressive 12-for-15 shooting. Zakai Zeigler followed with 22 points and 10 assists. Meanwhile, Sir'Jabari Rice led Texas with season-high 21 points off the bench.
Tennessee shot 55.6% in the game and outrebounded the Longhorns 38-24 including 11 offensive rebounds.
The Vols improve to 18-3 while Texas falls to 17-4. The wins set some balance in the cross-conference challenge, but the Big 12 still leads 4-3.
UT victory. pic.twitter.com/9IGgU9JoKu
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) January 29, 2023
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No. 9 Kansas edges Kentucky
The battle of the blue bloods between the two winningest programs in NCAA DI men’s basketball ended with the No. 9 Kansas outlasting Kentucky on the road 77-68.
Jalen Wilson paced Kansas with 22 points and eight rebounds. K.J. Adams Jr. added 17 points and three other starters contributed double figures including an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double from Kevin McCullar Jr.
The Jayhawks led for most of the game, but neither team led by more than 10 points. In the final minutes, both Wilson and McCullar Jr. hit critical 3-pointers to extend their lead to a two-possession game.
The defending champions broke a three-game losing streak and avoided recording the longest Jayhawks’ skid under coach Bill Self. Meanwhile, Kansas crushed the Wildcats' four-game game-winning streak.
Next, Kansas travels to No. 5 Kansas State to avenge the loss that started its three-game downfall.
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Mississippi State beats No. 11 TCU in OT
The SEC-Big 12 Challenge madness continued with Mississippi State's upset of No. 11 TCU in overtime 81-74.
In overtime, the Bulldogs outscored the Horned Frogs 15-8. Tolu Smith led the way with a 27-point, 13-rebound double-double. In the loss, TCU lost guard Mike Miles, who left the game with an injury.
Two more for Tolu. Timeout TCU!
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) January 28, 2023
The Hump is 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍' 🔥#HailState🐶 x @ToluSmith1 pic.twitter.com/vwEPuSpuQj
Missouri takes down No. 12 Iowa State
Missouri knocked off No. 12 Iowa State 78-61. The Tigers shot 46.7 percent from 3 behind D'Moi Hodge's 17 points off five 3-pointers. Kobe Brown also added 20 points in the win.
.@Dmoi_VI is a man on a mission this week!#MIZ 🐯 pic.twitter.com/aa93fDAj9l
— Mizzou Hoops (@MizzouHoops) January 28, 2023
Missouri's upset was powered by the Tigers winning the turnover battle, scoring 20 points off 19 Iowa State turnovers. The Tigers won the turnover battle 19-12.
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Creighton blasts No. 13 Xavier
Creighton handed No. 13 Xavier its second Big East loss, blasting the Musketeers 84-67. Arthur Kaluma's 20 points led the way as the Bluejays had five players with double-digit scoring. Ryan Nembhard finished just short of a triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Defensively, the Bluejays locked down Xavier's leading scorer Souley Boum, limiting him to a season-low 2 points. With the win, Creighton is now 7-2 since Ryan Kalkbrenner made his return. On the day, Kalkbrenner recorded 17 points on nine shots. Creighton improved to 7-3 in the Big East — well within striking distance of Xavier (9-2 in conference play).
R2 ➡️ KALKBRENNER!!#CreightonVsCancer pic.twitter.com/H9Mkza33h6
— Creighton Men’s Basketball (@BluejayMBB) January 28, 2023
West Virginia holds off No. 15 Auburn
After leading by six at the break, West Virginia escaped No. 15 Auburn in a gritty 80-77 win at home. The Tigers battled back in the second half to make this one more interesting, outscoring the Mountaineers by 13 after halftime, but ultimately, the victory was out of reach as Auburn never led in the game. WVU also finished 9 for 20 on 3s.
🗣 “We got the W”#HailWV pic.twitter.com/PiReWCW8Wc
— WVU Men's Basketball (@WVUhoops) January 28, 2023
Auburn failed to keep West Virginia off of the free throw line; WVU went 21-for-25 from the stripe. Auburn had three starters finish in double figures, Johni Broome, Jaylin Williams, and Allen Flanigan, while KD Johnson put up 10 points off the bench. This is Auburn's second straight loss to an unranked opponent.
The win comes as West Virginia's second to a ranked opponent this season after beating TCU earlier this month. WVU guard Erik Stevenson scored a career-high 31 points to go along with six boards and three assists. Stevenson's season-high in points last season, 25, also came against Auburn while played for South Carolina.
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Hofstra stuns No. 18 Charleston
Hofstra snapped No. 18 Charleston's 20-game win streak with an 85-81 win. The win streak was the longest in the country.
Hofstra's Aaron Estrada shot 5-9 from deep en route to a team-leading 25 points. The Pride as a team shot 50 percent from deep. Meanwhile, Hofstra limited Charleston to 16 percent shooting from three, missing 26 three point attempts.
🤫#PrideOfLI pic.twitter.com/VEFArUyBtW
— Hofstra Men's Basketball (@HofstraMBB) January 28, 2023
Pittsburgh knocks off No. 20 Miami
Pittsburgh beat No. 20 Miami 71-68. The Panthers used an impressive comeback to pull off the ranked win.
Pitt ended the game on an 11-0 run, holding Miami scoreless over the final 2:26. Blake Hinson led the way with his 21 points and five three pointers, while Jamarius Burton added in 19 points of his own.
‼️‼️‼️
— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_MBB) January 28, 2023
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