Well everyone it is that time of year again when the weather turns cold, leafs fall off the trees, college football is winding down the regular season, and the college basketball season is quietly getting under way. That’s right college hoops are here and time to put some focus on the hardwood. The college basketball season usually does not get the most attention until the majority of the football season is over, but for college basketball enthusiasts our time is here. Over the last 24 hours the first games of the regular season have been played as we anticipate the long exciting season so there is no better time to take a look at some of the teams to watch out for in 2009-2010 basketball season.

The Kansas Jayhawks young talented team has taken the top spot in the polls which should be a surprise considering how well the Jayhawks played in the NCAA Tournament with an inexperienced roster. However, our focus for this article is to shy away from the top 5 teams in America who are receiving all of the attention and spot the potential sleepers who will come on strong. Remember last year we nailed 3 out of the 4 NCAA Bracket winners including the big underdog in Villanova and we have a few teams on our watch that you should keep on your radar throughout the year. Take a look at a few teams that are not receiving a ton of attention, but could be shining brightly in the spotlight by season’s end.

The Mountaineers finished the regular season in 2008 at a mark of 21-10 despite being beaten up by the brutal conference play down the stretch. The fact is that West Virginia would have been a top 10 team all season long if they played anywhere outside the Big East considering how stacked the conference was last year. Coach Bob Huggins now enters his 3rd year in Morgantown and considering the difference he has made in his first two years the program is definitely headed in the right direction. Huggins now has most of his own players running his style of play which will make all the difference. The key player on the West Virginia roster will be sophomore forward Devin Ebanks. Ebanks got off to a slow start last year reaching double digits just 9 times through the first 25 games. However, the young talent really came on strong scoring at least 10 points or more in 13 of the final 15 games giving tons of promise for the 2009-2010 season. Leading scorer Da’Sean Butler will also be back after averaging 17 points per game a season ago. Butler gives the team the dangerous ability to get hot and is dangerous all over the court. If junior transfer Casey Mitchell can come in and give immediate help, the Mountaineers will have the best inside presence in the conference. Look out for freshman Kevin Jones who could make a similar big presence on the inside well with some time as well. If the Mountaineers can find one guy to become a big shooter on the outside to compliment the inside game, dare I say Final Four?

I know what most are thinking when they see Butler, but do not be fooled. The Bulldogs return everyone from the starting rotation a year ago that finished 25-4 on the season. Sure Butler plays a weak schedule, but their style of play proved to cause problems for many different teams last year. The Bulldogs took down Xavier and Davidson during the regular season and fell by a single basket to Ohio State who many had as preseason best in the Big Ten for 2008. Butler also fell just short of knocking off number 2 seed Tennessee who was the best team in the SEC keeping them out of the sweet 16. However, with everyone back things should only get better. This could be the only team in the nation that could put 5 guards on the court and get away with it. Matt Howard and Gordon Hayward will be critical youngsters for the team as veteran senior Willie Veasley will provide the leadership the team will need. How far could Butler go? Well that may be hard to tell, but they will be a team that is extremely difficult to guard and it would not be a big surprise if this shaped up to be a Cinderella Story.

The Gamecocks may be a stretch to make a ton of noise this season, but they deserve a lot more attention than they are getting. South Carolina currently is not even ranked, but they will change after a few short weeks. Senior guard Devin Downey is one of the most exciting players in the SEC to watch with tremendous hustle. Downey scored 19 points per game in 2008 and led the conference with 3 steals per game. The talented senior will be the key guy when South Carolina needs to pull out close wins as he did multiple times in 2008. However, the entire team is on the rise behind Coach Darrin Horn who is in just his 2nd year as head coach. The team may have its best years ahead, but that is not to say they can do some damage in the SEC this year. South Carolina took down Florida once and Kentucky twice in the regular season and they will match-up well with everyone again this year. The Gamecocks will need senior Dominique Archie to have an even bigger season this year especially on the boards. Archie averaged 16.5 points and 8 rebounds last season, but South Carolina really needs him to control the boards as they lack the single big man needed to be really strong. However, this is a quick team that will give everyone a hard time and we would put them ahead of some of the over hyped Big Ten teams already ranked in the top 25.

One of those Big Ten teams that are not over hyped is the Purdue Boilermakers. While Michigan State is receiving the overwhelming attention in the Big Ten and rightfully so, Purdue will have every opportunity to be the dark horse that could steal the thunder. In fact, this is most of the same team that blew out the Spartans by nearly 20 points in late February of last season. The lethal weapon of the team will be forward Robbie Hummel who averaged 13 points and 7 boards last season. Hummel will be even better this year and the Boilermakers will be a force. Purdue as a team has all the players in the right positions to expect big things. JaJuan Johnson is the big guy in the middle and senior guard Chris Kramer will need to improve a bit. However, freshman guard D.J Byrd could be the biggest difference for the Boilermakers. It is usually not a good sign to place a lot of responsibility on a freshman, but Purdue really needs a consistent hot hand from the perimeter. Bryd could do that right away depending on how quickly he adapts at the next level. However, if he can knock down a few shots each game Purdue has all the making to contend in the Big Ten.

The stage for the Final Four is set and we anxiously await one of the most famous spectacles in sports that will take place in Detroit, Michigan this Saturday. The road was definitely long and tough for the remaining teams left competing for a National Championship. Here at Bankrollsports, we nearly predicted all four teams in this year’s Final Four. The Louisville Cardinals were our pick out of the Midwest, but they fell one game short against Michigan State in the Elite Eight. However Connecticut, North Carolina, and our surprise team Villanova pulled through giving us a pretty impressive run. We will now turn the attention to the Final Four outlook and all the betting odds to take advantage of from the major sportsbooks like BetUS, Bodog, Justbet, and more. Take advantage of the final games of the season and close out the college basketball season by adding a few dollars to your wallet with considering some of these exciting prop bets.

Prop Bet #1 – Player to score most points

This prop bet is one that could be taken advantage of from many angles. Breaking down the way the Final Four is expected to unfold is that Michigan State and Connecticut could be in for a low scoring type game. While just on the other side, Villanova and North Carolina are extremely fast pace high scoring offenses that will likely rack up a lot of points. The game between North Carolina and Villanova is definitely best suited for a player to have a big night in scoring. While both teams have many weapons on offense, their guard play on both teams is extremely strong. We will take Tyler Hansbrough to be a big difference on the inside for the Tarheels. After all Hansbrough was the Player of the Year in 2008 and returned for his senior season to win a National Championship meaning now would be the perfect time for a veteran player to have a breakout performance.

Pick – Tyler Hansbrough (+200)
(Line @ BetUS Sportsbook – 100% Bonus Using This Link)

Prop Bet #2 – Team to score first 10 points first? (North Carolina or Villanova)

Here is a simple analysis of how both teams’ get started in basketball games. North Carolina tends to get off to slow starts despite their explosive potential. Villanova has really gotten off to strong starts the entire tournament outside of their very first game in round 1 against American. The Wildcats really play tenacious defense and fly around the ball. Villanova speed will be difficult for North Carolina to anticipate especially coming out of the gates. Take consideration that everyone is expecting the Tarheels to win the game and they are receiving heavy favoring odds in this prop bet. However, Villanova likely comes out surprising North Carolina with their quickness and gets to the 10 point mark first. North Carolina just may need some time to adjust and we believe they will lose the battle to 10, but may win the war.

Pick – Villanova (+120)
(Line @ Bodog Sportsbook – 10% “No-Commitment” Bonus Using This Link)

Prop Bet #3 – 10 three pointers Over/Under? (Connecticut vs. Michigan State)

Looking at the numbers on paper the under bet perhaps may look the most intriguing. Connecticut attempts less 3 point shots than any team left in the tournament while Michigan State is known to drain a few every outing. However, this match-up is expected to be a grudge match especially on the inside. Think about what usually happens in these types of game and that is the 3 point shot becomes the difference maker in the contest. Expect Michigan State to make their share of shots behind the arc, but also expect Connecticut to drain a lot more than normal as well.

Pick – Over 10 (-120)
(Line @ Bodog Sportsbook – 10% No-Commitment Bonus Using This Link)

Prop Bet #4 – Total Points for Kalin Lucas 13.5 O/U?

Goran Suton has been the most consistent performer for Michigan State throughout the tournament. Suton has posted right at 20 points against Louisville and Kansas in march to the Final Four. However, Suton will be meeting the 7’3 Hasheem Thabeet inside the paint in this particular match-up. While both players are extremely talented and can have big nights, expect them to make it difficult for the other. Without Suton posting big numbers, Michigan State will desperately need someone to step up. Kalin Lucas has led the team all year in scoring and this will be a perfect scenario for him to score some points. The question here is not if he will score over 13.5 points, but will he be able to score enough to get the Spartans the victory.

Pick – Over 13.5 -120
(Line @ Bodog Sportsbook – 10% No-Commitment Bonus Using This Link)

Prop Bet #5 – Odds to win the 2009 NCAA Tournament MVP

The final prop bet left on the board is likely the most exciting as well although difficult to predict. The Tournament MVP usually comes from a member from a team competing in the Championship game if not the National Championship team. Then you have to look at who is best suitable to be in the National Championship, who has played really well so far, and who is likely to play well in the Final Four. One name comes to mind that gives a check mark for all scenarios and this is Ty Lawson. Remember Lawson came into the Tournament hampered with an ankle injury. However, Lawson has really been the X factor for North Carolina in March and nobody has been able to defend the talented junior guard. Lawson is averaging 20 points per game in his 3 outings in the Tournament despite missing the first round. This pick revolves around a few expectations. First we are banking that the Tarheels overcome Villanova and make it to the Championship game. Second up to this point their has not been anyone more impressive than Lawson and who is playing better basketball at this point in the season. With that combination, Lawson should be fit for the MVP.

Pick – Ty Lawson 7/2
(Line @ Bodog Sportsbook – 10% No-Commitment Bonus Using This Link)

The regular season has almost concluded on this exciting year of college hoops and the attention will quickly turn to the conference tournaments games leading into selection Sunday. After selection Sunday, the brackets will be locked in place for the NCAA Tournament and you can already get some of the earliest betting odds for this year’s National Champion at betus.com and bodog sportsbooks. The previous wins and losses mean nothing when the playoff style NCAA Tournament begins and it will come down to who can step up on the biggest stage. We take a look at the players that could affect the NCAA Tournament in 2009 the most and if they will have what it takes to have their team compete for a Championship.

Blake Griffin (Oklahoma Sooners)

I believe the entire nation is aware how important Blake Griffin is to the Oklahoma Sooners after the events over the past few weeks. Griffin suffered a concussion and missed most of the game in the Sooners lost to Texas. Griffin would also miss the next game that also resulted into a losing effort to Kansas. However once Griffin returned to the lineup, Oklahoma returned to their regular dominant stature. The talented sophomore could be a lock to win National Player of the Year with 22 points and a 14 rebound average on the season. Not only could he win National Player of the Year, but would likely be a lottery pick if he chooses to leave for the NBA following this season. Griffin will try and lead the Sooners in a big way in March and he can single handedly take control of games. However, Oklahoma as a team I believe does not have what it takes to keep up with the top schools from the Big East and the ACC in March. However, if Griffin could lead Oklahoma to a Championship it would add that much more to his growing resume.

Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina Tar Heels)

Tyler Hansbrough won the 2008 Player of the Year last season and now is the all-time leading scorer in North Carolina history. That accomplishment alone speaks volumes considering the legendary names that North Carolina has produced through their legendary history. Hansbrough got off to a semi slow start to the season, but has been nothing short of outstanding through the tough conference play this season. Hansbrough has posted 21 points and 8 rebounds on average this season. One thing that is great for Hansbrough is he does not have to be great. North Carolina owns probably the most talented lineup in America. Even if Hansbrough was to have an off night which happens as bout as much as a lunar eclipse, North Carolina still has plenty of talent to pick up the slack. The Tarheels are 5/2 favorites to win it all through the NCAA Tournament this season. Hansbrough will just be a big factor in leading the Tarheels towards a Championship run.

DeJuan Blair (Pittsburgh Panthers)

DeJuan Blair is likely the 2nd most impressive sophomore in the nation behind Blake Griffin. Pittsburgh has been stellar all season and they racked up a big win over top ranked Connecticut just two weeks ago. Blair had a solid freshman campaign and has improved in all aspects of his game. Not only has Blair become a very dangerous scoring threat, but he has become a monster on the boards pulling down an NCAA 3rd best 12.7 rebounds per game. In the Panthers big win over Connecticut, Blair had one of the biggest nights of his season with 22 points and 23 rebounds. Pittsburgh will need Blair to have those types of performances in their big games during the Tournament. If that happen, the Panthers will be very tough to beat.

Jeff Teague (Wake Forest Demon Decons)

Jeff Teague is possibly the best young guard in the country. Teague scoring threat was a big contributing factor to Wake Forest’s 16-0 start that put them on top of the polls. Even thought Wake Forest has struggled a big during ACC play, Teague has remained strong averaging 20 points on the season. The sophomore put together his biggest night of the season in one of the Demon Deacons biggest games when he posted 34 points to lift Wake Forest over North Carolina earlier this season. Unfortunately, Teague can only carry the Demon Deacons so far. Wake Forest has really been on thin ice during the latter part of the season and the inconsistent play has left a lot of question marks looming. Wake Forest is receiving 17/1 odds this season making them a team to consider making a gamble on. Teague performance in the NCAA Tournament will go along way in attempting to get Wake Forest back towards top notch play.

Stephen Curry (Davidson Wildcats)

Davidson was the Cinderella story of the 2008 NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats came out of nowhere to earn an Elite 8 appearance. Stephen Curry was a big cause to their late season run. Curry has led the nation nearly all season on top of the scoring charts. The junior guard has posted a ridiculous 28 point average this season that included two 44 point performances. The 44 point nights were not against weak opposition either as Curry put together those performances against Oklahoma and NC State. Davidson has fell victim to some unexpected losses this season and many doubt any big runs this year in March. However, Curry can keep the Wildcats in any game on any given night. Still Curry needs a bit more help from his teammates to really contend with the top teams in the country.

College Basketball actions on Wednesday nights have been full of twists and turns especially over the last few weeks. Thursday mornings in college basketball have become what Sundays are during the college football season which has been full of people talking about the strange and bizarre outcomes from the day before. One conference has been directly hit by crazy Wednesday night action and that is what many consider the best conference in America which is the ACC. Last night the trend continued in the unpredictable conference adding to the growing trend that has captivated since the year changed to 2009.

It all started towards the end of January with a battle between ACC schools down in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons had it all flowing smoothly with a perfect 16-0 record. The Demon Deacons had just knocked off No. 3 North Carolina and handed No. 9 Clemson their first loss of the year. The schedule looked to be fairly simple for a few weeks until their next big game against Duke, but then Wednesday night came. Wake Forest suffered the one of their biggest disappointments of the season when they dropped a loss at home to unranked Virginia Tech knocking them off the top spot in America. Unfortunately this was a trend that was about to get pretty familiar in the ACC.

Exactly one week later on Wednesday night, Wake Forest would return home to host the Duke Blue Devils who had inherited the No. 1 ranking in college basketball due to the Demon Deacons upset loss to Virginia Tech. The Blue Devils entered the game as slight favorites, but quickly this Wednesday would be another disappointment for America’s top ranked team. The Blue Devils trailed the majority of the game and were down as much as 11 points in the closing minutes. However, Duke put together a nice spurt in the closing minutes and tied the game at 68-68 with less than a minute to play. With Wake Forest trying to make a inbounds play, the Duke defense fell apart and let James Johnson catch the ball uncontested inside the paint laying it in to beat the Devils and knocking a number 1 ranked team off the top spot for the 2nd straight Wednesday.

The Clemson Tigers were also another team that fell victim on Wednesday night woes. However, unlike other scenarios Clemson fell apart in an entire different way. The Tigers got off to a perfect 16-0 start before Wake Forest handed them the first loss of the season. The Tigers were expected to give a big rebounding effort the following Wednesday night when they traveled to Chapel Hill to battle North Carolina. The Tarheels entered the game as 11 point favorite and the majority of the betting public was all over the Tigers to keep it within the spread. However, Clemson would get flat out embarrassed inside the Dean Dome as they were blown out by 24 points and dropping their 2nd straight game after the impressive start. Once again the unlikely outcome of Wednesday night had the national talk surrounding the ACC.

Enter the very first Wednesday in the month of February which was last night and the strange Wednesday action was about to receive the biggest single night shocker the ACC has had in years. No. 6 Wake Forest got the action started once again with the early game on Wednesday night when they hosted unranked Miami on their home floor in Winston-Salem. The Demon Deacons were fresh off another upset loss falling to Georgia Tech by a mere 2 points. Wake Forest entered the game with the taste of returning to the national spotlight. The Demon Deacons would get back to the spotlight just not in the way they expected. Miami and Wake Forest battled through the first half of play closely with the Hurricanes getting the 3 point advantage at the break 29-26. However, Wake Forest might as well never come back to the floor for the 2nd half. Miami came out the gates firing on all cylinders and the game quickly got out of hand in the 2nd half as Miami opened with a 25-8 run. The Hurricanes would end up blowing out what many thought was still the best team in the ACC by nearly 30 points 79-52. However, the shocking Wednesday night had just begun.

The No. 3 Duke Blue Devils and No. 10 Clemson Tigers highlighted the 2nd ACC game on Wednesday night in a battle of top ten schools. The Clemson Tigers had lost the previous 21 straight regular season games to the Blue Devils not to mention the Tigers had been receiving non-stop criticism claiming they could not contend with the top teams in the ACC after being beaten by Wake Forest and North Carolina by double digits. The Blue Devils entered the contest as the favorites, but it became apparent quick they were not the favorites on Wednesday night. Clemson dominated on every aspect of the floor and made Duke looked like a mediocre high school team at times. The Tigers full court press and strong defense made the Blue Devils look silly and they constantly turned the ball over. Add to the fact, Duke could not hit a shot from anywhere on the floor and you got one of the biggest Blue Devils losses in over the last two decades. The game has definitely been the talk of the bizarre Wednesday night considering nobody ever expected a Coach K Blue Devil team to ever be beaten the way they were by the Tigers. Now the only question that is left for the ACC is what will next Wednesday night have in store?

How’s that popular saying go? Another one bites the dust, or at least another top ranked team that is. The Duke Blue Devils become yet another victim of the growing trend of number 1 ranked teams to fall in the opening month of 2009. The Blue Devils and Wake Forest ACC classic highlighted what turned out to be the second straight wild Wednesday in the last two weeks. Here is a recap of the night and how some of big games turned out.

#4 Wake Forest 70 – #1 Duke 68

Wake Forest controlled this game from the start making plays all over the court. The Demon Deacons highlights probably flooded the top 10 plays of the night with an outstanding put back slam, a between the legs pass followed by a dunk, and also an inbounds pass with less than 3 seconds to go that lead to James Johnson making the winning shot. Yes the Demon Deacons responded nicely after last week’s upset loss to Virginia Tech that knocked them out of the number 1 ranking. Wake Forest controlled the majority of this game. However, Duke did show that they are a very strong team as they made a valiant comeback effort. Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson may have been the only two Blue Devils on the floor last night or at least that is the only names that were heard considering the rest of the team must have still been back at Cameron last night. Still Duke closed what was an 11 points gap late in the second half to tie the game with 14 seconds to play after a great shot by Gerald Henderson who scored 20 points on the night. Unfortunately Duke poorly covered the inbounds pass to Johnson and perhaps turned it up a notch a tad to late. The Blue Devils become the 3rd team in 3 weeks to get knocked off the number 1 ranking only two days after earning the top spot.

#3 Pittsburgh 57 – #21 Villanova 67

The Pittsburgh Panthers were the 2nd upset victim of the night to 21 ranked Villanova. Early on in the game the Panthers were quick out of the gates and even jumped to a 10 point lead. However, junior guard Reggie Redding came on strong as the game progressed knocking down 18 points and the Wildcats took over. Villanova capitalized off a poor shooting performance from Pittsburgh to grab their first victory over a top 25 opponent this season despite 4 attempts before. Pittsburgh shot a disappointing 41% from the floor and an embarrassing 3-16 (18%) from behind the arc. Not to mention the Pittsburgh starting lineup only accounted for a total of 36 points the entire night. The loss marked the Panthers 2 loss in the last 4 games while dropping them further down in the Big East standings. Considering Marquette and Louisville is still undefeated in conference play, the Panthers can not afford any more defeats or they can say goodbye to Big East regular season title hopes. With the no. 1 and no. 3 teams both losing on Wednesday night you expect their to be some shake up in the rankings amidst the Top 5 as Connecticut will likely take over the top spot.

#6 North Carolina 80 – Florida State 77

The Tarheels barely escaped becoming the 3rd top 10 team to be upset on Wednesday night. By saying barely escaped is a mere understatement, considering North Carolina trailed in the final moments of the game. If you saw the Duke and Wake Forest ending where James Johnson hit the game winning lay-in with less than 3 seconds to go, you still only saw the second best finish of the night. In another ACC classic type game, North Carolina and Florida State battled back and forth over the closing minutes of the game. In a game where former Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough was held to a season low 8 points, teammates Danny Green and Ty Lawson picked up the slack. Toney Douglas drained 32 points for the Seminoles as they appeared they would get the victory with as they led by 3 under a minute and a half to go in the game. However, Danny Green came up with a huge steal for North Carolina taking it the length of the court and getting the bucket and the foul that eventually led to the game being tied at 77-77. Florida State had a chance to win, but somehow let the shot clock expire with 3.2 seconds to go after a Hansbrough block. Ty Lawson grabbed the inbounds play and sprinted up the court and delivering a floating three pointer that sailed through the net with the buzzer blaring in the background. At first it appeared, the shot came out to late but that did not stop the Tarheels from celebrating. Shortly after, the shot was confirmed legit as the Tarheels escaped Tallahassee capping yet another action filled Wednesday. In case you missed the ending, have a look…

College Basketball on Saturday always brings some wild action to the court. A great game along with a bit of controversy emerged from Tucson, Arizona on Saturday when the Arizona Wildcats hosted the Houston Cougars in what turned out to be a great basketball game. Heading into the game Arizona has been really struggling and ranked near the bottom of the Pac-10. Houston on the other hand has been fairly good with a 12-4 record going in to the contest. Houston started out of the gates strong and quickly suggested that Arizona would fall victim by a steam rolling defeat yet again. However, an unlikely change of events would make a big impact on the game.

Late into the second half in a game where Houston was rolling 63-51, Cougars standout guard Aubrey Coleman and Arizona’s forward Chase Budinger were involved in an altercation. Coleman is the second leading scorer for the Cougars and already had 14 points and 7 rebounds. However, Coleman was called for a charge after driving into Budinger. After Budinger fell to the floor is when the action picked up, Coleman appeared to glance down before stepping directly on the face of Budinger. Budinger quickly popped up and went after Coleman and a few pushes and shoves were exchanged. Budinger got charged with a technical foul for his retaliation tactics. The referees decided that Coleman’s actions where intent while charging a flagrant foul and also ejecting him from the game.

The altercation ramped up the Wildcat home crowd while also igniting the team. Arizona appeared more motivated the last 9 minutes following to close out the game. The Wildcats trimmed the lead slightly, but still trailed by 8 points with a minute and a half to go in the game. However, with the help of a Houston turnover and some two missed free throws in the final seconds Arizona guard Nic Wise hit a game tying 3 pointer with 10 seconds to go to force the game into overtime tied at 88-88. In the extra period, there was not much scoring involved. Wise hit the only basket from the floor with another long ball behind the arc and the Wildcats surged for the 96-90 victory. Houston definitely suffered a bit down the stretch without Coleman’s presence and the Cougars failed to hit a single shot from the floor in overtime going 0-10.

After the game, there was a lot of expected talk about the altercation on the floor. Houston coach Tom Penders admitted to how big of impact not having Coleman on the floor affected the team. Penders also went on to take up for his starting guard by saying that he definitely did not think the actions were intentional. The argument may be made because of how Coleman made the malicious action appear. Seemingly it appeared he accidentally stepped across Budinger while coming down on his head, but if you look at the replay Coleman clearly looks down at Budinger before lifting his head and stepping on the forwards face. Despite the intent of Coleman, the officials most likely made the right call by at least ejecting him from the game and avoiding any other conflicts that may have taken place the rest of the game. Still the game was a perfect example of how heated and passionate the basketball action gets on the floor which is why fans love College Basketball. Decide for yourself, if you think this action was purposely intended by Coleman by checking out the video here…

The College Basketball season took many unexpected turns last night as many of the top teams in the country squared off in conference battles with a load of unexpected outcomes. There were many different plays and games that made Wednesday night one of the most memorable nights of the season. A top ranked team got beaten along with other upsets, and another top 25 team goes down in one of the best finishes all year. The events that went down Wednesday night will definitely shake up next week’s rankings and leave a ton of one loss teams across the country battling for the top spot. In case you missed it, here is a review from one of the most exciting nights of basketball this season.

No. 1 Wake Forest upset by Virginia Tech

The No. 1 ranked Demon Deacons had it all going with a perfect record of 16-0 and the top ranking in America. Wake Forest was rolling after two big wins over top 10 teams North Carolina and Clemson. However, the Demon Deacons fell victim at home from unranked Virginia Tech 78-71. Surprisingly, the Hokies controlled the entire game leading by 10 at the break and as much as 13 later in the game. Wake Forest gave a valiant effort for a comeback as Jeff Teague added 23 points on the night, but in the end the Hokies simply made the shots that mattered most leaving the Demon Deacons in shock on their own
floor.

No. 5 North Carolina crushes No. 10 Clemson

Clemson had it all going in the first half. Terrence Oglesby and K.C Rivers seemed to knock down 3 pointers all over the court with Oglesby having 17 points at halftime. The Tigers seemed to hit everything in the opening half, but still trailed by 5 as they Tarheels were simply too much. In the second half, the Clemson shots that were falling quickly became a rarity to say the least. The Tigers shot 35% for the game and only 29% from the floor the entire second half. Meanwhile, the Tarheels proved why they are one of the best scoring teams in America. North Carolina’s 4 starters Wayne Ellington, Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, and Deon Thompson combined for 76 points with Ellington leading the way with 25 individually. The Tarheels matched their season average 94 points as they blasted the Tigers in Chapel Hill 94-70. The win marked the 54^th straight home win over Clemson in Chapel Hill equaling the longest streak in NCAA history.

No. 7 Michigan State stunned by Northwestern

Northwestern’s Kevin Coble and Michael Thompson had huge nights lifting the Wildcats over the Spartans. Coble went 10-16 from the floor racking up 31 points on the night. Teammate Michael Thompson got hot from behind the arc knocking down 4 3-pointers adding 20 more points on the night. Coble and Thompson combined for more points than the entire Michigan State starting lineup that shot a dismal 39% from the floor and never really got it rolling all night. Michigan State standout guard Kalin Lucas lead the way for the Spartans as he has much of the year with 20 points while center Goran Suton added 15 points, but there was not any other help present Wednesday night. The Spartans turned the ball over an incredible 18 times leading to their demise. The Spartans loss marked the ending of the 3^rd longest home winning streak in the nation with a previous 28 straight wins in East Lansing.

No. 24 Florida heart-breaker at South Carolina

Hard to imagine a game could steal the spotlight amongst all the other dilemma going on across the country, but Florida at South Carolina game was clearly the best game of the night. The two schools battled back in forth all night with Florida seeming to edge away at the end. The Gators took a 7 point lead with just under 3 minutes to play, but the Gamecocks made one last strive. Junior guard Devan Downey who is the second leading scorer in the SEC lead the charge knocking down 7 points including a crucial 3-pointer to cut the lead to two points. Zam Frederick got the opportunity to tie the game for the Gamecocks with 4.7 seconds left with two free-throw shots. Frederick made the first, but missed the second as Florida’s Chandler Parsons grabbed the rebound appearing to seal the deal as he was fouled with 3.3 seconds left. However, Parsons would miss the one-in-one and Mike Holmes grabbed the rebound for South Carolina launching the ball down court to hit Zam Frederick at the other end of the court to lay the ball in as time expired barely beating the buzzer. The play was one of the more exciting finishes to any college basketball this season and capped off a wild and crazy night of hoops action. In case you missed, it check it out here…