Turtle power

Maryland's win over Purdue could raise some eyebrows, but it wasn't the only season-defining win. Plus, the fairy tale stories of the A-10, New Mexico's crucial game, and more.

Hopefully, everyone and their loved ones had a good time during Valentine's Day. Love isn't shared on the basketball court, especially when revenge is on teams' minds, with many exacting it on Thursday night.

Let's get to the news.

1. Maryland's moment

Purdue, coming off Sunday's loss to Northwestern, remained on the road for a game against a Maryland squad it barely beat on Jan. 23. In that contest, Purdue started fast and held on.

This time there would be no storybook ending.

The Boilermakers controlled the first 23 minutes of Thursday's game thanks to freshman Braden Smith's perfection, scoring 15 points on 7-of-7 shooting for an eight-point lead. But after a Jahmir Young basket, Purdue's Mason Gillis took exception to a call and received a tech for arguing with the ref.

That turned things, igniting a 10-0 Maryland spurt that ballooned into a 29-4 run. The Terps handed Purdue its biggest defeat of the season, 68-54 win.

Jahmir Young starred in the second half, dominating the Boilermaker backcourt en route to 20 points, with Julian Reese (10) and Hakim Hart (13) also in double figures. Even the Terps players acknowledged the tech was a pivotal moment.

“It was definitely a momentum swing,” Young said. “We just tried to limit them to one shot and get out in transition. That’s when we play our best ball.”

The Terrapins (18-8, 9-6 in Big Ten) know about big swings. They started 8-0 this season, lost six of nine games at one point, and have now won six of their past seven. And now they have the signature victory of coach Kevin Willard's first season with the program.

As for Purdue (23-4, 12-4), it's three losses in four games. Zach Edey finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, but the rest of the team had 36 combined. Smith went just 1-for-5 from beyond the arc in the final 18 minutes. Fellow freshman Fletcher Loyer had six points, and Ethan Morton, who started and played 26 minutes, went scoreless.

Edey can still carry the load most nights, but with four games remaining and their Big Ten lead down to two games, questions remain about the Boilermakers. The After Dark crew discussed.

2. Kennesaw State gets program-defining win

Few programs have dominated a conference recently as much as Liberty, which has won or shared the last four regular-season ASUN titles. Entering Thursday, it was again atop the standings, but a surprise team accompanied them: Kennesaw State.

In the same five-year span, the Owls have been at the bottom tier of the ASUN. That includes a 1-28 (0-16) campaign in 2019-20 under coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. He's slowly grown the program into one of the year's best stories. If the Owls are working on a fairy tale season, they'll need a villain, though.

Thursday night, that was two-time ASUN Player of the Year and leading scorer (21.1 ppg) Darius McGhee. He had 22 points in the first half and finished with a season-high 43, hitting 13 of 25 shots, including 8-of-14 from deep. He seemed like he would will the Flames to a victory, as Liberty led by double digits with eight minutes remaining.

The Owls made a run in the next four minutes, took the lead on this Chris Youngblood 3-pointer and lived their best life from there, winning 88-81. This is what you call joy.

Youngblood led Kennesaw State with 22 points (he missed just one field goal), while Terrell Burden had 19 points and Brandon Stroud had 18.

It was already an historic season for Kennesaw State (21-7, 13-2 ASUN), with its first winning record in 18 years as a D-I program and the first time with 20 wins. But this is a defining victory and a testament to the program's commitment to him and the overall development. Each of the team's top four scorers was here a year ago, and the transfer portal isn't the reason for the surprising year.

The Owls have three games left in the regular season and essentially a two-game lead over Liberty (21-7, 12-3) for the 1-seed in the ASUN Tournament (that's the only matchup this season.) The road game next week against North Alabama will be the toughest of the trio, but based on how they're playing, they should not only be favored to win that game but also the upcoming conference tournament — even over the Flames. 

3. Other notable Thursday results

Houston 80, SMU 65 With Alabama losing this week, Houston (24-2, 12-1 in AAC) has a great chance to move to the No. 1 spot if they win on Sunday, thanks to an easy victory over SMU (9-18, 4-10). Marcus Sasser had 20 points to lead the Cougars, one of four double-digit scorers on the night.

Arizona 88, Utah 62 Guards Kerr Kriisa and Courtney Ramey combined for 30 points and 12 assists for the Wildcats (23-4, 12-4 in Pac-12). It was revenge for an earlier loss to the Utes (17-10, 10-6), who got 19 points from Ben Carlson.

UCLA 73, Stanford 64After upsetting Arizona last weekend, Stanford (11-15, 5-10 in Pac-12) has suddenly become frisky. The Cardinal led at halftime, but the veterans for UCLA (22-4, 13-2) remained poised and got the home win. Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 26 points to keep the Bruins in first place in the Pac-12.

Colorado 67, Arizona State 59The Sun Devils (18-9, 9-7 in Pac-12) may be watching their bubble burst. Tristan Da Silva had a game-high 25 points for Colorado (15-12, 7-9), who at this point will either win the Pac-12 Tournament or lose in the first round to Oregon State or Cal.

Iowa 92, Ohio State 75Feels like 20 years ago when Ohio State (11-15, 3-12 in Big Ten) was last ranked; this blowout makes it seven losses in a row and 12 out of 13. The Buckeyes are the clear second-worst team in the Big Ten and are at the bottom in terms of momentum. Iowa (17-9, 9-6) hit 57 percent of its shot attempts and got 24 points from Tony Perkins and 20 from Kris Murray.

Memphis 64, UCF 63Memphis (20-6, 10-3 in AAC) got the win despite star guard Kendric Davis suffering an ankle injury in the first half. His immediate future is TBD. Credit to Memphis, which scored just enough to stay in the game, and won on a Damaria Franklin layup in the final seconds.

Gonzaga 108, LMU 65After losing a 68-67 shocker at home to LMU (17-11, 7-7 in WCC) a few weeks ago, Gonzaga (22-5, 11-2) got the ultimate revenge in Los Angeles, scoring 68 points in the first half. Julian Strawther had 22 of his game-high 30 points in the first twenty minutes, with Cam Shelton, the hero from the first meeting, scoring just 15 total this time around.

Saint Mary's 62, San Diego 59 The Gaels (23-5, 12-1 in WCC) played with fire and nearly got burned in this one, unable to put San Diego (11-17, 4-10) away despite leading throughout. Mitchell Saxen had an efficient 17 points and 10 rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting, while Nic Lynch had 17 for the Toreros.

Middle Tennessee 74, Florida Atlantic 70The Owls (24-3, 14-2 in CUSA) aren't going to be ranked after this, but it's only a Quad 2 defeat, so it won't be a big impact on its NCAA Tournament resume. As for Middle Tennessee (16-11, 9-7), they pick up a huge victory to remain fourth in the Conference USA standings, just one game back of UAB for third.

Merrimack 67, Hartford 59It's the last-ever D-I home game for Hartford (5-22) before they move down to D-III. Merrimack (12-16, 9-4 NEC), which leads the Northeast Conference, got 25 points from Jordan Minor to avoid the upset.

North Texas 72, Louisiana Tech 62The Conference USA regular-season title is now in question, with FAU losing and North Texas (22-5, 13-3) getting a key road win. Forward Abou Ousmane had 20 points to lead all scorers and quietly, the Mean Green has gotten back into the at-large picture. 

Charlotte 68, Western Kentucky 64 (OT)Four games separate the third and tenth-place teams in the Conference USA standings, and these two are in the mix. It was Charlotte (15-11, 6-9) that got the home win, led by 24 points from Aly Khalifa. For Western Kentucky (14-12, 6-9), a season that was filled with promise has turned forgettable.

Youngstown State 87, Milwaukee 58It was a battle of the Horizon League's top two teams, Youngstown State (21-7, 13-4) led from the tip, turning a steady lead into a blowout and sole possession at the top. Three players had at least 16 points for the victors, led by 19 points from Adrian Nelson. Milwaukee (18-9, 12-5) looks to rebound on the road at Robert Morris this weekend.

Sacred Heart 94, Fairleigh Dickinson 86 (OT)Sacred Heart (14-14, 7-6 in NEC) got 27 from Nico Galette finished with 27 points and won its second straight overtime game. Demetre Roberts had 27 for Fairleigh Dickinson (15-13, 8-5).

UNC-Asheville 63, Radford 54The Big South's top two teams played a defensive game. UNC-Asheville (21-7, 13-2), led by Conference Player of the Year favorite Drew Pember (19 points), got the massive road win that could be what wins them the regular-season title. Radford (17-11, 11-4) is now two games back in the standings.

Hofstra 73, Hampton 43This one wasn't ever a game. Aaron Estrada led the Pride (21-8, 14-2 in CAA) with 21 points, and remains tied with Charleston atop the league.

College of Charleston 88, Elon 66The Cougars (26-3, 14-2 in CAA), had another balanced effort, with five players in double figures. Torrence Watson (25 points) led Elon (7-21, 5-10), but didn't have much support.

UNC-Wilmington 72, Drexel 71 (2OT)UNC-Wilmington (21-7, 11-4 in CAA) got the big road win to remain in third place in the league standings. Trazarien White had 26 points for the Seahawks, one better than his Drexel (15-13, 9-7) counterpart Yame Butler with 25.

Texas A&M Corpus-Christie 78, Nicholls State 74Texas A&M Corpus-Christie (18-9, 11-3 in Southland) earned a massive road win to stay tied for first place. Terrion Murdix had 25 points to lead all scorers, with Trevian Tennyson making five three-pointers on the night. The loss likely takes Nicholls (13-12, 8-5) out of the regular-season title race, but they do remain in third in the standings.

Oral Roberts 73, North Dakota 70One of two teams left without a conference loss, Oral Roberts (24-4, 15-0 in Summit League) suddenly found itself on upset alert after squandering a 22-point halftime lead. They were able to hold on at the end, led by Max Abmas with 19 points. The loss snaps a three-game winning streak for North Dakota (10-18, 4-11).

North Florida 114, Lipscomb 111 (2OT)While Liberty vs Kennesaw State was ASun's marquee matchup, this game ended up being one of the highest-scoring battles of the season. Jose Placer's 32 points led the way for North Florida (12-15, 7-8), while Lipscomb (16-12, 8-7) got 27 points from Jacob Ognacevic as the team combined for 30 made 3-pointers.

Northwestern State 81, Southeastern Louisiana 76The surprise first-year of Coach Corey Gibson continues, as the Demons (19-8, 11-3 Southland) are now tied for first in the Southland standings after the key home win, led by 25 points from Demarcus Sharp. The Lions of SE Louisiana (11-16, 7-6) are still in fourth place in the standings but are now just one game in front of Texas A&M-Commerce.

Santa Clara 81, BYU 74The last time that Santa Clara won at BYU, was in 1972. A 17-point halftime lead made it too much for the Cougars to overcome, with All-WCC guard Brandin Podziemski going for 26 points in the Santa Clara (20-8, 8-5 WCC) win. For BYU (16-13, 6-8), there's a good chance they'll finish under .500 in league play in the last year of the WCC.

Morehead State 74, Tennessee State 64The Ohio Valley Conference has been bunched up from top to bottom but there's finally some separation, at least at the top. Morehead State (18-10, 11-4 OVC) gets the home win to move to two games above second place, led by 19 points from Alex Gross. Tennessee State (16-12, 8-7) put up a good effort, led by 28 points from Dedric Boyd, and remains in the thick of the middle of the standings.

Eastern Washington 72, Northern Arizona 55The best and worst teams in the Big Sky faced off, with the result going as you would expect. EWU (20-7, 14-0 Big Sky) remains without a loss in league play, led by Angelo Allegri with 15 points. NAU (7-21, 3-12) remains in last place in the conference, having lost 5 of 6 games.

4. The unlikely A-10 contenders

It's been a somewhat surprising Atlantic 10 season. The preseason favorites (VCU, Dayton, and Saint Louis) are in the top four of the standings. But they haven't dominated, allowing others to come into the mix. Two surprises have emerged in Fordham (21-5, 9-4 in A-10) and Duquesne (18-8, 8-5).

The Rams stacked up wins during their non-conference schedule (no team had it easier), then started just 1-3 in league play and looked vulnerable. But they've won 8 of the last 9 games, including Wednesday's 78-63 victory over St. Bonaventure. Fordham could've easily taken a step back after Kyle Neptune left for Villanova. Instead, Keith Urgo should be a coach of the year candidate, while Georgia Tech transfer Khalid Moore (15.2 ppg and 6.7 ppg) has had a huge impact.

Speaking of turnarounds, Duquesne went 1-17 in A-10 play last season and did a roster rebuild. Coach Keith Dambrot even wondered whether he wanted to retire (Duquesne isn't ever firing him). But a loaded set of newcomers led Tre Clark and Dae Dae Grant has put the Dukes in the thick of the title race.

For the first time ever, Duquesne won four straight games to start February, with the latest being a 76-62 victory over St. Joe's. It's the latest of an incredible defensive run, allowing 67 points or fewer in 7 of the last 8 games. It helps when you have the A-10 leader in steals.

Just two games separate the top five A-10 teams, and it appears Fordham and Duquesne will each have a double bye in the A-10 Tournament. And even the regular-season title isn't out of the conversation! Fordham travels to first-place VCU this Saturday (2:30 pm, USA Network), while Duquesne heads to 4th-place Saint Louis (8 pm, ESPN+). 

Both will be winnable games. Fordham can't match VCU's defense and rebounding, but the Rams may not have starting forward Jalen Deloach, who suffered a knee injury in Wednesday's win over Rhode Island. And Duquesne's defense could be a huge problem for Yuri Collins and the Billikens, whose offense doesn't run as smoothly when pressured.

Some that are down on the Atlantic 10. But the intrigue and suspense makes for a compelling product -- especially when everyone seems to be competing for one NCAA Tournament bid.

Who would've guessed that as of Feb. 17, Duquesne and Fordham would've been serious contenders for that bid?

5. New Mexico's last gasp?

The Mountain West has four teams with 20+ wins (San Diego State, Boise State, Utah State, and Nevada), all of whom should be in the NCAA Tournament.

Then there's New Mexico.

The Lobos (19-7, 6-7 in MWC) started the season 14-0 and was 18-2 less than a month ago. But they're melting down, losing five of their last six, including a loss at Air Force and a Quad 4 home loss to Wyoming on Wednesday. Not having star guard Jaelen House for the last two has hurt, but Richard Pitino's team can't afford any other setbacks. Good wins are out there (they still have games against Boise State and SDSU).

But the Lobos shouldn't look ahead. Tonight, they're at San Jose State (10:30 pm ET, CBSSN), which quietly has a better league record (16-10, 7-6). Consider Tim Miles a conference coach of the year candidate.

The Spartans have an elite scorer in Omari Moore (17.0 ppg and 4.9 apg) and a solid 8-man rotation. They're a good defensive team that already has snuck up on one of the top teams, beating Utah State at home, 69-64. 

San Jose State has a top-100 NET ranking, making this a Quad 2 game for New Mexico. The impact could be NCAA tourney worthy as a result.

Kentucky looks for season sweep over Vols for an NCAAT bid

Beating Mississippi State on Wednesday doubled Kentucky's (17-9, 8-5 SEC) total Quad 1 victories to two but they're still a long way away from being on the safe side of the NCAA Tournament bubble. They have the ultimate opportunity on Saturday, taking on a Tennessee squad (20-6, 9-4) that just beat the No. 1 team in the country this week in Alabama. 

The Wildcats already have a road win over the Vols earlier this season, a 63-56 result. Oscar Tshiebwe had 15 points and 13 rebounds in a game where Sahvir Wheeler was out with an injury. Neither he nor CJ Fredrick played against the Bulldogs on Wednesday and are questionable for the matchup, which is as close to a "must-win" as one can get. (1 pm ET, CBS)

What else to watch (All times ET).

Saturday

  • Illinois (17-8, 8-6 Big Ten) at Indiana (18-8, 9-6), noon (ESPN)

  • Seton Hall (16-11, 9-7 Big East) at UConn (19-7, 8-7), noon (FOX)

  • Oklahoma (13-13, 3-10 Big 12) at Texas (20-6, 9-4), 2 pm (ESPN+)

  • Iowa State (17-8, 8-5 Big 12) at Kansas State (19-7, 7-6), 2 pm (ESPN)

  • Wake Forest (17-9, 9-6 ACC) at Miami (21-5, 12-4), 2 pm (ACC Network)

  • Baylor (20-6, 9-4 Big 12) at Kansas (21-5, 9-4), 4 pm (ESPN)

  • Duke (18-8, 9-6 ACC) at Syracuse (16-10, 9-6), 6 pm (ESPN)

  • Texas A&M (19-7, 11-2 SEC) at Missouri (19-7, 7-6), 6 pm ESPN2

  • Louisiana (21-6, 11-4 Sun Belt) at James Madison (19-9, 10-5), 7 pm (ESPN+)

  • Creighton (17-9, 11-4 Big East) at St. John's (16-11, 6-10), 7:30 pm (FS1)

  • Colorado (15-12, 7-9 Pac-12) at Arizona (23-4, 12-4), 8 pm (ESPN2)

  • Michigan State (16-9, 8-6 Big Ten) at Michigan (14-12, 8-7), 8 pm (FOX)

  • Nevada (20-6, 10-3 Mountain West) at Utah State (20-7, 9-5), 8 pm (CBSSN)

  • BYU (16-13, 6-8 WCC) at Saint Mary's (23-5, 12-1), 10 pm (ESPN2)

Sunday

  • North Carolina (16-10, 8-7 ACC) at NC State (20-7, 10-6), 1 pm (ESPN)

  • Memphis (20-6, 10-3 AAC) at Houston (24-2, 12-1), 3 pm (ESPN)

  • Iowa (17-9, 9-6 Big Ten) at Northwestern (19-7, 10-5), 6:30 pm (Big Ten Network)

  • Belmont (19-9, 12-5 MVC) at Drake (22-6, 13-4), 3 pm (CBSSN)

Is Hunter Dickinson doing too much?

All-Big Ten center Hunter Dickinson has certainly made a number of storylines this season, both on and off the court. But has the off-the-court news that surrounds his comments and antics overshadowed Michigan and affected the team in a negative light? Check out what Jeff Goodman and Robbie Hummel had to say in their latest podcast episode.  

Links as you get ready for the top 16 bracket reveal.

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