Three of college basketball's top four teams fell on Tuesday night
So far this season college basketball has gone mostly as expected -- but lately it seems as though the sport has gone haywire. What started with UCLA's stunning home loss to Arizona Saturday, and then was followed by Duke's defeat at Cameron Indoor Stadium to North Carolina State on Monday took a twist no one could have seen coming less than 24 hours hours later.
On Tuesday, three of college basketball's top four teams -- Villanova, Kansas and Kentucky -- all lost. Three out of the top four! It was the first time since 2012 that three of the top four have fallen on the same night.
The wildest result came in Milwaukee, where Marquette rallied all the way back from a 17-point second-half deficit to upset No. 1 ranked Villanova on FS1. Katin Reinhardt hit the game-winning free throws with less than 12 seconds left, and a last-second Jalen Brunson lay-up fell short to give the Golden Eagles the win and the Wildcats just their second loss of the season. The game was the second massive win in a week for Marquette -- and one that will undoubtedly bolster their tournament resume -- after they also beat then-No. 7 ranked Creighton on Saturday.
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Earlier in the evening, No. 2 Kansas also fell, but in the case of the Jayhawks, it was was in less dramatic fashion. Kansas went on the road to No. 15 West Virginia and never really got comfortable in an 85-69 loss. The Mountaineers outrebounded the Jayhawks (39-32) and held Kansas to just 13-of-29 three-point shooting in the loss. It was Kansas' first defeat since their season opener against Indiana on Nov. 11.
And finally, No. 3 Kentucky fell at Tennessee. It was a forgettable night for the Wildcats, who shot just 6-of-24 from behind the arc and turned the ball over 14 times in defeat. It was Kentucky's first loss in SEC play this season and just its third of the season. Kentucky hosts Kansas in both team's next game Saturday at Rupp Arena.
With those three teams losing, it means Gonzaga is in line to be the No. 1 team in the country if it can win out this week. Gonzaga faces San Diego on Thursday night and then travels to Pepperdine on Saturday. The Zags currently sit at 20-0 on the season.
