College basketball season always takes a turn when conference play starts, and this season is no different. On Saturday, Jan. 5, four Top 25 teams lost to open a big day of college basketball action.
The highest ranked team to fall was the Ohio State Buckeyes, in what can't really label as an upset. Ohio State opened the game as the eighth ranked team in the nation, but had lost twice already and held on to their high spot based on their pre-season expectations.
However, their opponent was the 11th ranked Illinois Illini, a team who also had two losses, but was beating all their pre-season expectations. Brandon Paul scored 19 points and the Illini destroyed Ohio State, 74-55. There is little doubt that the Buckeyes will finally tumble from the top of the rankings after this loss, while Illinois will continue to creep up the polls.
In a poor offensive performance, the 15th ranked Georgetown Hoyas fell to the unranked Marquette Golden Eagles, 49-48. While the one-point loss shouldn't hurt Georgetown as much as other teams falling on Saturday, their weak output should damage their rankings.
The Hoyas only shot 39.1-percent from the field, and 58.3 from the charity stripe. The game ended when the Hoyas missed a free throw that could have sent the game into overtime.
The 22nd ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys played in one of the day's marquee match-ups against the 25th ranked Kansas State Wildcats. In an exciting game, Kansas State pulled off the minor upset, 73-67. The hero of the game was Rodney McGruder, who scored 26 points in the second half.
The final team to fall in the early games was the Pittsburgh Panthers, who have now lost two straight to open conference play. After coming in with a 12-1 record and the 24th spot in the polls, Pittsburgh lost to Cincinnati in New Year's Eve and then fell to unranked Rutgers, 67-62. The loss definitely should drop Pittsburgh from the rankings completely next week.
Check out the week's Examiner.com Top 25 College Basketball Rankings here.
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