SixPackSpeak_Basketball

Mississippi State Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:40 GMT

How do you explain Mississippi State's last two weeks? The Bulldogs came off three consecutive losses to teams that probably won't be in the NCAA Tournament (Georgia, LSU and Auburn) to lead top-ranked Kentucky by 13 at the half Tuesday.

However, the previous three games' version showed up in the second half, as Kentucky took over down the stretch and pulled out a 73-64 win in Starkville.

The answer may be simple: Even though coach Rick Stansbury built the team around twin towers Renardo Sidney and Arnett Moultrie, this four-game stretch seems to prove that the Bulldogs' most important player is point guard Dee Bost.

Consider this: Bost was 16-for-39 with 13 assists and nine turnovers in the previous three losses.

No. 24 SDSU snaps 3-game losing streak (AP)

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:06 GMT

Jamaal Franklin scored the first five points of overtime and finished with 12 overall as No. 24 San Diego State beat Wyoming 67-58 on Wednesday night to snap a three-game losing streak. The Aztecs (21-6, 7-4 Mountain West) trailed by nine points four times, the latest with 11:10 to play, and avoided what would have been their first four-game losing streak since February 2005.

No. 4 Kansas holds off Texas A&M 66-58 (AP)

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:29 GMT

Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor couldn't get anything going early for Kansas against Texas A&M. The Jayhawks were OK though thanks to Elijah Johnson's 18 points in the first half that carried the team until their stars warmed up after halftime. Johnson scored 21 points and Taylor made key plays down the stretch to help No.

No. 6 Spartans win to keep Big Ten lead (AP)

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:53 GMT

Outsmarted, outhustled and even outrebounded for most of the game, Michigan State snapped back to stun Minnesota. But in between laments about his team's performance, Spartans coach Tom Izzo offered his due praise. Sometimes, the most important wins aren't pretty at all. Keith Appling and Brandon Wood both scored 13 points to key No.

Crowder has 27 as No. 10 Marquette rolls (AP)

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:19 GMT

Jae Crowder is on quite a roll for No. 10 Marquette and the Golden Eagles are happy to be along for the ride. The senior forward had 27 points and seven rebounds to lead Marquette to an 82-65 win over Rutgers on Wednesday night. His big game came after he was named Big East Player of the Week on Monday for his 29-point, 12-rebound effort in the Golden Eagles' win over Connecticut on Saturday.

Drexel win streak 16, claim CAA top seed (AP)

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:09 GMT

Samme Givens scored 18 points and grabbed his 1,000th career rebound as Drexel rallied to defeat James Madison 78-61 Wednesday night and set the Dragons' Division I record with 16 straight wins. With George Mason's loss at Northeastern, Drexel (24-5, 15-2) clinched the top seed in the CAA Tournament and continued the second-longest winning streak in the country behind No.

Orange rally by S. Florida, move to 28-1 (AP)

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:57 GMT

The way the Syracuse Orange were missing one shot after another, Scoop Jardine considered them fortunate to be ahead at halftime. And once South Florida rallied to close within a point, Jardine put his head down to make sure the second-ranked Orange wouldn't have to mount another comeback. Jardine scored 15 points to lead Syracuse to a 56-48 win over the Bulls, with his most important basket...

Surging Wichita State clinches MVC title (AP)

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:45 GMT

Joe Ragland scored 14 points to lead No. 19 Wichita State to a 68-55 victory over Illinois State on Wednesday night to clinch the Missouri Valley Conference championship. Ragland had four 3-pointers for the Shockers, who made 10 of 23 from beyond the arc. Wichita State (25-4, 15-2), which has won seven straight games and 15 of 16, won its seventh Missouri Valley title and first since 2006.

No. 23 Indiana eases by NC Central 75-56 (AP)

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:39 GMT

The Indiana Hoosiers spent some time listening Wednesday night. Coach Tom Crean told his team the last time Indiana completed a perfect non-conference season, he was a graduate assistant on Jud Heathcote's staff at Michigan State. San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh provided the pregame and halftime pep talks.

Temple tops LaSalle in OT, win streak 11 (AP)

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:35 GMT

Earl Pettis hit one big shot after another until his last one. Ramone Moore scored five of his 18 points in overtime to help No. 22 Temple overcome a spectacular effort by Pettis and win its 11th straight game, 80-79 over La Salle on Wednesday night. "We should be able to manage the game better," Owls coach Fran Dunphy said after his team blew a 10-point lead with 2:47 left in regulation.