Miami Escapes Clemson Upset Bid 45-43
The #3 Miami Hurricanes narrowly avoided being bitten by the upset bug when they were the beneficiary of a huge block/charge call in the final minute that helped them escape with a 45-43 win over the Clemson Tigers. The block/charge is one of the most difficult calls to make in college basketball as the offensive and defensive players each race for the spot of the collision. It is often a very close call as to whether the defensive player is stationary before the collision. It appeared the Trey McKinney Jones was still moving when Clemson’s Milton Jennings crashed into him. At the time Miami had just gone ahead on a Kenny Kadji three point shot 44-43 with 43 seconds to go.
McKinney Jones went to the line instead of Jennings. He hit one of two to make it 45-43 and then Jennings missed a layup that could have tied the score. Clemson failed to tip it in at the buzzer and Miami won it. The Hurricanes improved to 21-3 and 12-0 in the ACC and were led by Kadji with 12 points. The Tigers dipped to 13-12 and 5-7 and lost their fifth ACC game by five points or less.
The #4 Michigan Wolverines struggled a bit to beat the Penn State Nittany Lions as well on Sunday. The Nittany Lions came into the game at Michigan with a record of 8-16 and 0-12 in the Big Ten but found themselves tied with the Wolverines at halftime 32-32. But the Wolverines were a bit too much for them as they avoided a TCU-Kansas type upset winning 79-71.
Trey Burke led the Wolverines with 29 points, Glenn Robinson III added 21 points and Nik Stauskas chipped in 18. Michigan improved to 22-4 and 9-4 in the Big Ten. Michigan will now get a week off before their next game against the Illinois Illini.
In other Big Ten play, the #20 Wisconsin Badgers hammered the #13 Ohio State Buckeyes 71-49. The Badgers bounced back after losing earlier in the week to the Minnesota Golden Gophers in a game where they managed only four points in the final ten minutes. Against the Buckeyes they shot a season high 53% and ran away right from the beginning. They led at the half 39-22 and never looked back as the improved to 18-8 and 9-4 in the Big Ten.
They were led by Ben Brust and Jared Berggren with 15 points each, Sam Dekker with 13 and Traevon Jackson with 10 points. The Buckeyes were led by Deshaun Thomas with 18 points as they dropped to 18-7 and 8-5. Ohio State will host the Gophers on Tuesday while the Badgers visit the Northwestern Wildcats.
The #12 Louisville Cardinals hammered the South Florida Bulls 59-41. They used a 22-3 run in the first half to pull away from the Bulls, who are having a miserable time of it this year following a Sweet Sixteen appearance a year ago.
Russ Smith led the Cardinals with 15 points while Chane Behanan and Wayne Blackshear each added 12 points. The Cardinals are now 21-5 on the season and 9-4 in the Big East while the Bulls dropped to 10-15 and a miserable 1-12 in the Big East.
