Breakfast Buffet: On a day of upsets, Ohio State barely escapes
1. Even in a heartbreaking 58-57 home loss to Ohio State, Northwestern may have provided a blueprint for how to beat the top-ranked Buckeyes. The Wildcats rarely attempted a shot without running at least 25 seconds off the shot clock, enabling them to keep it close even without injured star John Shurna.
2. It wasn't just BYU that collapsed at New Mexico on Saturday. As the Cougars were in the process of squandering a 13-point halftime lead, a section of bleachers at the Pit also collapsed, though none of the students standing there were hurt in the incident.
3. On an upset-filled Saturday that produced 11 losses by ranked teams including four in the top 10, Texas was one of those who avoided the carnage. The Longhorns remained undefeated in Big 12 play by steamrolling visiting Missouri 71-58 despite missing 18 free throws.
4. There aren't many better pick-and-roll combinations in the country this season than Washington's Isaiah Thomas and Matthew Bryan-Amaning. Sportspress Northwest uses a series of screen shots from previous Pac-10 games this season to break down why that duo has been so difficult for opposing teams to stop.
5. If Butler doesn't win the Horizon League tournament in March, the Bulldogs almost certainly will not earn an invitation to the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs squandered any remaining hope of an at-large berth with an overtime loss to Valparaiso that dropped them 2 1/2 games behind first-place Cleveland State.
Why are school presidents in the state of Texas so much cooler than the rest of the country? First Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin did the Dougie at the Aggies' Midnight Madness event in October. And then Texas president Bill Powers hung out in the Longhorns student section clad in a full tuxedo during Saturday night's victory over Missouri.
"I had a chance to play against him this summer at my basketball camp, and he's as good as advertised, especially against some of the top guys in the country. He also played with us in USA Basketball and held his own. I'm a big fan." -- Kevin Durant expanding on his tweet Wednesday night that Jimmer Fredette is "the best scorer in the world." (The Oklahoman)
• No. 3 Duke at St. John's, 1 p.m. EST
• Dayton at Duquesne, 2 p.m. EST
• Indiana at No. 25 Michigan State, 6 p.m. EST
• Maryland at Georgia Tech, 7:45 p.m. EST
• No. 18 Washington at Washington State, 10 p.m. EST
