Kentucky Gets Mugged, And Other Results From Tuesday

LSU 87, Kentucky 82
The final score doesn't exactly reflect this, but here's what happened: LSU cornered Kentucky in a dark alley, kicked it in the groin, and stole its wallet. LSU got out to an early 22-6 lead and spent virtually the entire second half up double-digits. And furious late rally by Kentucky came up short when the Wildcats inexplicably let the final seconds run off the clock without committing a foul. They were woeful throughout the game though, with the Harrison twins being the main culprits -- they combined for such just two total assists. Two. LSU isn't even that good. With two SEC losses already on its record, and two games against Florida still ahead, Kentucky probably ceded the conference title to Florida on Tuesday night.

Michigan State 71, Iowa 69 (OT)
A huge blown opportunity for Iowa. The Hawkeyes were the better team for much of the game against short-handed Michigan State. They made 19 more free throws than their opponent and were up by six with six minutes to play. But somehow one of the best offenses in the country managed to make only one field goal over the final 14 minutes of the game, enabling the Spartans sneak away with a win. Big kudos to Michigan State for winning a difficult road game despite missing its two leading rebounders.

Virginia 68, Notre Dame 53
All Virginia does is completely smother inferior competition. This was the Cavaliers' seventh victory in the ACC and they've won all of those games by at least 12 points (four of them by at least 20). Heading into a key road showdown with Pittsburgh on Sunday, Virginia is actually emerging as a darkhorse candidate to win the entire ACC. After Pitt, their remaining schedule looks like this: Boston College, at Georgia Tech, Maryland, at Clemson, at Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Miami, Syracuse, at Maryland. Every single one of those games is winnable. If Virginia keeps taking care of business against weak opponents, the ACC title could come down to that home showdown against Syracuse on March 1st.

West Virginia 66, Baylor 64
How To Lose An NCAA Tournament Bid In Three Weeks: The Baylor Story. Entering conference play, Baylor was 12-1 overall, ranked as the seventh-best team in the country according to the AP poll, including a win over Kentucky on a neutral floor. Since then, they've completely fallen apart. Baylor has lost six of its seven Big 12 games, culminating in this embarrassing home loss to West Virginia. And its next three matchups are all against ranked opponents (the Oklahoma schools and Kansas). After that difficult stretch, Baylor could easily be 1-9 in the Big 12 and 13-10 overall. This collapse speaks to the impressive depth in the Big 12 conference, which could send six of its ten members to the NCAA Tournament. Baylor will not be among them.

Wichita State 57, Loyola 45
Twenty-two wins, zero losses, and the undefeated dream remains alive.