Saturday saw a lot of close games in the SEC and a 2OT performance in the Big 12. Here’s a closer look at some of the most exciting games from the men’s college basketball weekend.
No. 1 Auburn survives No. 6 Tennessee
Auburn remains undefeated in conference play after a 53-51 defensive battle with Tennessee.
This game marks the Tiger’s seventh-ranked win of the season — a program record.
It was a struggle offensively for both teams in the first half with each squad connecting on just seven shots while combining to go 1-21 from long range. Standout forward Johni Broome accounted for nine of Auburn’s 22 points in the first 20 minutes.
Neither team could pull away with both defenses swarming. The largest lead of the second half was just five points by Auburn, but the Vols knotted it up 45-45 a minute later.
Toward the end of the game, Tennessee pulled ahead 51-47 with two minutes to play, but a jumper and wild sequence the next possession put Auburn back up one with 30 seconds remaining. Broome cut to the basket and got blocked, but he somehow recovered his shot, kept his feet inbounds and kicked out to Miles Kelly, who drilled a corner three.
MILES KELLY PUTS AUBURN UP FOR GOOD AS THE TOP-RANKED TIGERS HOLD OFF #6 TENNESSEE IN THE JUNGLE!
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) January 26, 2025
Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford was sent to the line, but he only knocked down one, giving Tennessee the ball back with 12 seconds to play. The Vols pushed to their side of the court, and Rick Barnes called a timeout to set up the final play down 53-51.
Tennessee rolled the dice, giving the ball to its veteran point guard Zakai Zeigler for three and the win. Zeigler couldn’t knock it down, and the Tigers threw the ball down the court as the clock ran out. Zeigler finished 0-6 from beyond the arc on the night.
Each team shot 31% from the field and less than 20% from three. However, behind a soldout Neville Arena crowd, Bruce Pearl’s squad edged the Vols for their 11th consecutive win.
Auburn (18-1, 6-0 SEC) will go on the road to LSU on Wednesday, looking to hold onto its No. 1 ranking, while Tennessee (17-3, 4-3 SEC) will travel back to Knoxville for a pivotal SEC home stand against No. 9 Kentucky and No. 5 Florida next week.
No. 7 Houston takes down No. 12 Kansas in 2OT
Houston gritted out an improbable 92-86 win over Kansas in double overtime behind two late comebacks to end regulation and the first overtime. The Cougars extended their Big 12 winning streak to 17, dating back to last year.
The first two matchups as Big 12 foes last season were handily decided by double-digits with the two schools trading wins. Saturday’s delivered an instant classic in one of college basketball’s most historic venues.
Kansas led by as much as 10 in the first half, but the Cougars stayed within reach, trailing 38-31 at the break. The Jayhawks were powered by their senior vets Hunter Dickinson (12 points) and Dajuan Harris (seven assists) in the first 20 minutes.
The Cougars jumped out of the locker room on a 13-2 run, leading 44-40 after the first six minutes in the second half. But a 10-0 run by the Jayhawks a few minutes later ignited Allen Fieldhouse, as Kansas led 52-48 with under nine minutes to play.
It looked like the Jayhawks would close it down the stretch, but a 6-0 run from the Cougars in the final 70 seconds forced overtime in Lawrence, propelled by two clutch jumpers from Houston guard Milos Uzan.
It was a similar, but even more unlikely ending to the first overtime as Kansas led 79-73 with 28 seconds to play. Two missed free throws from Harris led to a Cougar three-pointer with seven seconds remaining. Uzan tipped the ensuing inbound pass from the Jayhawks to Mylik Wilson, who stepped back behind the arc before drilling the game-tying three and forcing double overtime.
— Houston Men’s Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) January 26, 2025
Houston (16-3, 8-0 Big 12) took an early lead in 2OT and knocked down its free throws in the final minute to secure the almost three-hour marathon of a game in a hostile environment. The Cougars, winners of 12 straight, will travel to Morgantown next week to take on West Virginia.
Kansas (14-5, 5-3 Big 12) will look to get back on track against UCF on Tuesday — the same unranked team that took Houston to the wire a week ago.
Vanderbilt holds off No. 9 Kentucky
On back-to-back Saturdays, Vanderbilt (16-4, 4-3 SEC) has taken down a top-10 opponent in Memorial Gymnasium. Last week, the sixth-ranked Volunteers fell, and today the Commodores handed Kentucky (14-5, 3-3 SEC) its fifth loss of the season 74-69.
It was all Vanderbilt at half as the Commodores went on a 20-4 run in the final eight minutes of the first to take a 41-27 lead into the break.
However, Mark Pope’s squad found some life in the locker room, going on an 11-0 run inside the first three minutes of the second half to cut the Vandy lead to just three points. It was a game of runs as the Commodores jumped back out to an eight-point before the Wildcats knotted the SEC battle 51-51 with 12 minutes to play.
Kentucky held the lead for the next six minutes, but it was unable to put Vandy away in front of its home crowd.
Tyler Nickel drilled a huge three for the Commodores with 1:50 to play, giving Vanderbilt a 71-69 lead. Devin Mcglockton picked off Lamont Butler before getting down the floor to tip in a missed shot on the ensuing possession for the Wildcats.
NICKELLLLLLLLL 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/EBOd1uqUQQ
— Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball (@VandyMBB) January 25, 2025
The Wildcats now trailed by four with a minute to play, and Kentucky turned the ball over again, sealing Vanderbilt’s second top-10 upset in seven days. Kentucky turned the ball over three times in the final three minutes, totaling 17 on the night compared to Vandy’s five.
Texas rallies from 22 down to beat No. 13 Texas A&M 70-69
Texas (14-6, 3-4 SEC) pulled off a stunning comeback, rallying from 22 points down to defeat No. 13 Texas A&M (15-5, 4-3 SEC) 70-69 in an SEC rivalry game. The win marks the Longhorns’ second victory over a ranked team this season, with the first coming just days earlier when they knocked off No. 22 Missouri.
Tramon Mark delivered the game-winning shot just like he did against Texas A&M last season. Mark finished with 11 points, two rebounds, two assists and one block, shooting 50% from the field and 3-point range.
Freshman Tre Johnson delivered a standout performance, scoring 30 points and becoming the first Texas freshman since Kevin Durant to reach the 30-point mark in a game. Johnson also added four assists, two blocks, one steal and one rebound while shooting 44% from the field and 40% from three.
The first half didn’t start well for the Longhorns. Texas A&M dominated, outscoring Texas 43-25. Trailing 18 points at halftime, the Longhorns found themselves down by as much as 22 early in the second half.
But at the 16:45 mark, Texas began its comeback. The Longhorns quickly went on a 15-4 run, trimming the lead to 55-44 with under eleven minutes remaining.
After a brief free throw from Texas A&M, the Aggies failed to score for over two minutes while the Longhorns added six more points to pull within six at 56-50.
The Aggies then managed to push their lead back to 14 points, but Texas wasn’t ready to give up. It forced another scoring drought for Texas A&M, cutting the lead to just four with less than four minutes on the clock.
With the game winding down, Johnson hit a big three-pointer to make it a one-point game. Julian Larry came up with a huge block on an Aggies shot attempt on the next possession. The block led to a timeout, and out of the break, Texas executed a play for the game-winning layup, sealing the upset win.
Minnesota outlasts No. 15 Oregon
Minnesota has won its third straight Big Ten game, taking down Oregon 77-69.
The Gophers were 0-6 to start conference play, but they seem to have found their rhythm in the past two weeks with wins over No. 21 Michigan, Iowa and now No. 15 Oregon.
Minnesota jumped out to a 26-8 in the first eight minutes, but the Ducks battled back, trailing by just six points at the break.
Oregon took its only lead of the night on an 8-0 run to open the second half. In total, the Ducks led for just 22 seconds the entire game.
However, even with almost 38 minutes in front, Minnesota struggled to put Oregon away, not leading by more than five in the second half until the final three minutes of play. Oregon could not find the bottom of the net down the stretch, going 2-10 from the field in the final nine minutes of the second half.
Dawson Garcia led the Gophers offensively, finishing with 31 points on 68% shooting. Garcia played 39 of 40 minutes on the night, powering his team to an upset win.
Minnesota (11-9, 3-6 Big Ten) will look to extend its winning streak against No. 8 Michigan State on Tuesday, and Oregon (16-4, 5-4 Big Ten) will try to get back on track at UCLA on Thursday.
Kansas State controls No. 23 West Virginia
Kansas State found its first conference win since Dec. 30 in dominant fashion tonight, taking down the Mountaineers 73-60.
This is the Wildcats’ first ranked win of the season, and it snaps their six-game skid in Big 12 play.
Kansas State stifled the West Virginia offense from the tipoff, going on a 17-0 run early in the first half, resulting in a 19-2 lead at the 12-minute mark. The Mountaineers took almost 12 minutes to reach double-digit points. The Wildcats held a commanding 42-18 lead at the break, and West Virginia was unable to claw back into this conference matchup.
It was an off night for the Mountaineers, as they finished 25 of 68 (37%) from the field including just 4 of 21 from beyond the arc.
The Wildcats finished with five guys in the double-digits, led by junior guard Dug McDaniel with 15.
Kansas State (8-11, 2-6 Big 12) will stay at home to take on Oklahoma State on Wednesday, and West Virginia (13-6, 4-4 Big 12) will travel back to Morgantown for a pivotal Big 12 matchup with No. 7 Houston on Wednesday.
Mizzou defeats Ole Miss in top-25 battle
No. 22 Missouri (16-4, 5-2 SEC) secured an 83-75 victory over No. 16 Ole Miss (15-5, 4-3 SEC), marking its third top-25 win of the season.
The Tigers edged a lead at halftime 38-31 despite Ole Miss shooting 48% from the field. Missouri shot 45% overall and was more effective from beyond the arc, hitting 44% of their three-pointers compared to the Rebels’ 30%.
A key factor in the first half was Missouri’s dominance on the boards, outrebounding Ole Miss by eight. Tamar Bates led the charge with a near-perfect performance, scoring 12 points on 4-of-6 from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range and a perfect 2-of-2 at the free-throw line.
In the second half, Missouri never let Ole Miss get closer than a few possessions. The Tigers gradually built their lead, eventually reaching double digits for the first time late in the game, maintaining control down the stretch.
Bates finished the game with 26 points and five rebounds, while Caleb Grill chipped in 25 points, five rebounds and three steals. The duo combined for 10 three-pointers, and their shooting was key to Missouri’s success. The Tigers improved to 12-0 this season when hitting eight or more three-pointers, finishing the game with 11 from deep.
Missouri’s dominance on the glass was another major factor in the win, with 11 offensive rebounds that allowed the Tigers to convert second-chance opportunities.
With the win, Missouri remains undefeated at home, extending their streak to 15 consecutive victories at Mizzou Arena, the fifth longest active home streak in DI men’s college basketball.
Xavier pulls off upset victory over No. 19 UConn
Xavier (13-8, 5-5 BIG EAST) earned its biggest win of the season, defeating No. 19 UConn (14-6, 6-3 BIG EAST) to close out their regular season series. The win snapped a four-game losing streak to the Huskies, who had come out on top against the Musketeers in recent matchups.
The teams were nearly identical in shooting, both hitting 26 of 55 from the field and draining seven three-pointers. However, Xavier’s fastbreak game proved to be the difference-maker, outscoring UConn 15-4 in transition points.
The first half was a tightly contested affair, with UConn holding a slim 41-40 lead at the break. Early in the second half, Xavier went on a 13-2 run to grab a nine-point advantage. UConn fought back but couldn’t keep pace, and with under six minutes to go, the Musketeers stretched their lead to double digits, their largest of the night.
The Huskies didn’t go down without a fight, closing the gap to just two points, 74-72, with 1:29 remaining. However, Xavier held firm down the stretch, shutting UConn out for the final moments.
Dailyn Swain was near-perfect, racking in 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including a solid 3-of-3 from the free-throw line. He also contributed four assists, three rebounds and one block. Zach Freemantle made plays late in the second half, finishing with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks, helping carry the Musketeers to the upset win.
No. 14 Mississippi State escapes South Carolina in overtime
A day full of electric SEC games started with an overtime win for the Bulldogs 65-60. South Carolina (10-10, 0-7 SEC) trailed No. 14 Mississippi State (16-4, 4-3 SEC) by as many as 14 points, but a 19-5 Gamecock run to end regulation forced overtime at home in search of their first SEC win. A string of great South Carolina defensive possessions to end the second half culminated in a steal from Zachary Davis and the game-tying basket with 26 seconds to play. Mississippi State and South Carolina headed to overtime 55-55.
Z-looooooooooooooooo 🔒@zacharydavis2_ 📺 » SEC Network
💻 » https://t.co/opgeJxtIFS#Gamecocks🐔🏀 // #ForeverToThee pic.twitter.com/SfZzu2KG5S
— Gamecock Men’s Basketball (@GamecockMBB) January 25, 2025
In overtime, the defensive fest continued with only one field goal made in the first four minutes of extra time. Down 59-57 with 56 seconds to play South Carolina’s Nick Pringle spun in the post and put up a shot under the basket. Pringle missed and attempted a put-back attempts, but a basket interference call took the points off the board with 34.6 to play.
From there, it was up to Mississippi State to sink its free throws and the Bulldogs went 2-3 from the line to clinch the win, before a costly turnover on an inbounds play put South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles at the line for two free throws, down three points, with 7.1 seconds to play.
Murray-Boyles missed both free throw under pressure, but Pringle grabbed the rebound off the second miss. Pringle kicked the ball out to Arden Conyers but the ball went off his finger tips out of bound, ending hope for South Carolina’s upset attempt.
