The nation's longest winning streak was snapped not once but twice on Saturday. What else would you expect on the most highly anticipated weekend of the 2019-20 college basketball season?
The day started with No. 3 Kansas defeating No. 1 Baylor 64-61 in perhaps the most highly-anticipated game of the season. The Jayhawks snapped the Bears' 23-game winning streak, which was the second-longest in Division I. The day ended with No. 2 Gonzaga losing a WCC game for the first time in 41 tries, falling to No. 23 BYU, 91-78.
In between those contests, No. 4 San Diego State saw its 26-game winning streak -- the longest in Division I -- snapped in a 66-63 loss to UNLV. The Aztecs' defeat made the Zags' 19-game winning streak the nation's best, just not for long as BYU pulled off its upset two hours later.
So the three-longest active Division I winning streaks at the beginning of the day all bit the dust, and now that honor of most consecutive games without a loss goes to No. 5 Dayton and New Mexico State, who have both won 16 straight games.
Besides the teams that lost for the first time in 2020 and the streaking Flyers and Aggies, there were plenty of other winners and losers on Saturday. Let's take a look at them here:
Winner: BYU NCAA Tournament believers
BYU has its best team since the Jimmer Fredette era, and it's largely thanks to the return of Yoeli Childs to the lineup. The Cougars are 15-2 with Childs this season, and his double-double against Gonzaga is what we should expect when they face off against nonconference competition in the NCAA Tournament. BYU is a good enough shooting team -- No. 1 in the 3-point percentage and top-five in effective field goal percentage -- to stress any opponent, and Childs gives them the individual star power many teams need for those memorable deep runs in March.
Winner: Payton Pritchard's Pac-12 POY argument
Oregon senior Payton Pritchard has a college career full of clutch moments, but he was a certified monster on the road at Arizona in the Ducks' 73-72 overtime win. Pritchard had a career-high 38 points in the victory, but it was his assists in overtime to Shakur Juiston that titled the game in Oregon's favor. Oregon now has a chance to make a run at a Pac-12 championship with the win, but the chances of Pritchard winning Pac-12 Player of the Year are now significantly better.
Loser: In-season banner raising
San Diego State had already locked up a claim to the 2019-20 Mountain West Conference regular season championship prior to seeing its 26-game winning streak snapped by UNLV. Before the Aztecs took the court, the team was honored in front of the home crowd with the unveiling of a banner to honor the achievement. Celebrating a regular season title before the end of the regular season (even if the championship is clinched) is a power move, and for San Diego State, it didn't end well.
Winner: Obi Toppin's highlight reel
Another day, another windmill dunk for Dayton's Oni Toppin. The national player of the year candidate finished with 28 points and seven rebounds for Dayton as the No. 5 Flyers beat Duquesne 80-70 for their 16th straight victory. Toppin highlighted the day with a baseline windmill that lands somewhere on the list of his top-100 dunks this season.
Winner: Arkansas getting Isaiah Joe back
So what is the protocol again for the NCAA Tournament selection committee when it comes to weighing injuries? Asking for a friend named Arkansas. The Razorbacks lost five straight without second-leading scorer Isiah Joe, who underwent a minor knee surgery. But Joe returned on Saturday and scored 21 points in a 78-68 win over Missouri. Arkansas is now 17-10 (5-9 SEC) after entering the day as one of the first four out of the NCAA Tournament field, according to CBS Sports Bracketology Expert Jerry Palm. With Joe, the Hogs look like a tournament team. Without him? Forget about it.
Winner: Providence overcoming 38 from Markus Howard
Nothing more comforting than facing the Big East's all-time leading scorer when you're in desperate need of a victory, right? That's the task Providence faced Saturday with No. 19 Marquette and dynamic guard Markus Howard in town. Howard scored 38 of his team's 72 points, but Providence countered with six players in double figures to snag an 84-72 victory. It's the third straight win for coach Ed Cooley's squad. Now 16-12 (9-6 Big East), Providence's tournament hopes live on.
Loser: Vandy's Braelee Albert sent to the floor
The good news for Vanderbilt's Braelee Albert is that a ton of NBA scouts are about to see just how willing he is to slide over and try to take a charge. The bad news is that when the Vanderbilt freshman slid over in front of Georgia's Anthony Edwards on Saturday, he still had a foot in the restricted area. So as Edwards tomahawked a dunk and sent him to the floor, Albert's pain was magnified by the fact that he was called for a blocking foul. But hey, any publicity is good publicity, right?
Winner: Buzz Williams in the SEC
Media members predicted Texas A&M to finish 12th in the SEC under first-year coach Buzz Williams. After all, the Aggies hadn't finished better than .500 in conference play since 2016. And who gets better in the first season after a coaching change, right? Well, it turns out Texas A&M is much better than it was a year ago. The Aggies won their third straight and improved to 14-12 (8-6 SEC) on Saturday with an 87-75 victory over Mississippi State.
Winner: Virginia's tournament hopes
Pointing out Virginia's struggles seemed like a popular thing to do earlier this season as the Cavaliers tried to replace three NBA draft picks from last season's national championship squad. While they may not be a Final Four threat, Tony Bennett's squad is quietly positioning itself to be one of the top four seeds in the ACC Tournament. The Cavaliers dispatched Pittsburgh 59-56 on the road Saturday to improve to 19-7 (11-5 ACC). It was their fourth straight victory.
Loser: West Virginia's credentials
What happened to the challenger class in the Big 12? Baylor and Kansas have been dominant all season, but West Virginia was at least hanging around for a while. The Mountaineers (19-8, 7-7 Big 12) have now lost four of five after Saturday's 67-60 overtime loss at TCU and are averaging just 58.4 points per game during that span. It's true they had to play Kansas and Baylor during that stretch, but something looks a little off here, especially when you consider WVU was ranked as high as No. 12 just three weeks ago.
Winner: Army/Navy on the hardwood
It may not have the luster of the annual football game. But the Army-Navy basketball game was pretty good Saturday. Army's Tommy Funk scored 32 and reached double figures for the 23rd straight game as the Black Knights notched an 86-75 overtime victory over the visiting Midshipmen to finish their first regular-season sweep of Navy since the 2011-12 season.
Loser: Tennessee blowing a huge lead
The Volunteers looked poised to surge back onto the NCAA Tournament bubble as they took a 17-point lead in the second half against an Auburn team still without star freshman forward Isaac Okoro. But the Tigers outscored coach Bruce Pearl's old squad 36-12 to finish the game and stop a two-game losing streak coinciding with Okoro's absence due to a hamstring injury. The Vols also allowed little-used freshman reserve Jaylin Williams to throw an alley-oop off the backboard to himself. Yikes.
Winner: Memphis finally getting it done
After three straight losses and a narrow victory over East Carolina in a Quadrant 4 game, the sky was falling on Penny Hardaway. At least that's what it felt like in Memphis, where life has been rocky since the suspension and subsequent departure of James Wiseman. But the Tigers (19-8, 8-6 AAC) finally found a reason to be happy on Saturday when they knocked off No. 22 Houston 60-59 for a Quadrant 1 victory that should keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
Loser: Kansas State's jerseys
While in-state neighbors Kansas notched a road win against No. 1 Baylor, Kansas State lost its seventh straight game and looked pretty gross doing so as Texas spoiled throwback day with a 70-59 win. The Wildcats wore throwback uniforms commemorating the 1973-1982 era. They went 186-81 wearing the two-tone lavender during that span. But even Saturday's period clothing could not channel the success of what was undoubtedly a simpler time.
Jane Nwaba leads Palisades into City girls’ basketball final
Jane Nwaba is the youngest of six siblings that includes NBA player David Nwaba and track standout Barbara Nwaba. She's so good athletically that Pepperdine gave her a basketball scholarship even though she rarely played club basketball over the last four seasons.
Nwaba showed off her skills on Saturday night at L.A. Southwest College, scoring 15 points to help Palisades defeat Granada Hills 46-43 in a semifinal game of the City Section Open Division girls' basketball playoffs on Saturday. Palisades will play Western League rival Hamilton in the final next Saturday at 5 p.m.
"I'm the youngest. I feel they're pushing me the most," Nwaba said of her brothers and sisters.
Leena Vo led Granada Hills with 16 points. The Highlanders almost overcame an 11-point deficit after three quarters.
In the other semifinal, Kennedee Rankin put on a show, scoring 28 points to help Hamilton defeat West Valley League champion Woodland Hills El Camino Real 60-38.
The 5-foot-11 Rankin is a four-year starter who led Hamilton to the Division II title in 2018. The Yankees finished second in the Western League this season to Palisades.
"She's a dominant force," coach Sherland Chensam said. "When she's at her best, it's hard to stop her."
In the Southern Section Open Division, Los Angeles Windward advanced to Friday's championship game at The Pyramid with a 52-41 win over Long Beach Poly. Freshman Juju Watkins scored 23 points for the Wildcats, who went 3-0 in pool play. Simone Morris scored 13 points for Poly.
Windward will play Santa Ana Mater Dei in the championship game. The Monarchs survived an overtime thriller, defeating Chatsworth Sierra Canyon 61-60. If Mater Dei had lost, Etiwanda would have advanced to the final because of a 57-52 win over Lynwood.
Alyssa Frescas and Brooke Demetre each scored 16 points for Mater Dei.
In Division 1, Studio City Harvard-Westlake advanced to the final with a 64-49 win over West Torrance. Sophomore Kiki Iriafen, one of the top young players in the Southland, finished with 31 points. Harvard-Westlake will play Fullerton Troy, a 59-52 winner over Riverside King, in the final.
Loyola, Servite advance in soccer: Longtime Division 1 powers Los Angeles Loyola and Anaheim Servite won their semifinal soccer matches on Saturday and will meet next Saturday at Downey Warren High in the final. Loyola defeated Mission Viejo 3-0. Servite defeated L.A. Cathedral on penalty kicks 3-2 after a 0-0 deadlock through regulation and overtime. Uriel Sanchez scored the decisive goal.
BYU shocks No. 2 Gonzaga for another huge college basketball upset
What does this mean for the 'Zags' NCAA tourney profile. Unlike San Diego State's loss to UNLV — a Quadrant 3 home loss — Gonzaga fell to a top-30 opponent on the road so this outcome won't stain the resume much at all. It does, however, pave room for projected No. 2 seeds Maryland, Duke, Dayton and Florida State to make a late push to vault ahead of both SDSU and Gonzaga for the remaining No. 1 seeds that both Kansas and Baylor should inevitably secure come Selection Sunday.
The Bulldogs' non-conference strength of schedule of 241 will be glaring to the selection committee so avoiding losses of any kind is beneficial. Now Gonzaga will likely need to win out the final remaining WCC games and claim the league tournament to stay in the No. 1 seed hunt unless SDSU and chasing No. 2 seeds majorly falter.
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