Syracuse is now in a complete free fall -- that is, if you didn't believe it was already. After winning the first 25 games of the season and climbing to No. 1 in the polls, the Orange have now dropped four of their last five games and are desperate to regain their footing with postseason play right around the corner. Syracuse's latest blunder was a 67-62 loss to Georgia Tech, which had won just four ACC games entering Tuesday night's contest.
The Orange allowed the Yellow Jackets, one of the worst-shooting teams in the country, to make 24 of its 51 field goal attempts, and did not fare much better on the other end of the court. Excluding C.J. Fair and Tyler Ennis, who combined for 46 points, Syracuse only scored six field goals all night.
No. 1 Florida 72, South Carolina 46
The top-ranked Gators went into halftime leading the lowly Gamecocks by a mere two points. With South Carolina defending its home court fresh off of a big win over then-No. 17 Kentucky, Frank Martin's squad was playing with a tenacity and relentlessness that appeared to catch Florida off guard in the first 20 minutes.
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But over the course of 40 minutes Florida was just too much for South Carolina to handle. On the strength of a record-breaking shooting performance from Michael Frazier II, the Gators went on an 18-0 run early in the second half and never looked back. The Gators' sophomore guard drained 11 shots from beyond the arc -- the most three-point shots that any one player has ever made during an SEC contest.
If Frazier's 37 points were the only ones that counted for Florida, the Gators would have only lost by nine.
No. 12 Michigan 84, Illinois 53
Michigan wrapped up the Big Ten regular season championship on Tuesday night by making quick work of the Fighting Illini in Champaign-Urbana. Any lingering hopes that Illinois would be able to climb back in the game were deflated when Nik Stauskas sank a three-point shot at the halftime buzzer to put the Wolverines up 52-30.
Stauskas led Michigan in scoring with 24 points while adding a pair of assists and defensive rebounds. Caris LeVert and Glenn Robinson III chipped in with 15 and 13 points, respectively.
Illinois' Rayvonte Rice had an impressive individual performance -- 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists -- in a losing effort.
Georgetown 75, No. 13 Creighton 63
After knocking off Creighton, the Georgetown Hoyas are in position to make a last-minute case for inclusion in the NCAA tournament. Four Hoyas scored double-digit points and nine points from Aaron Bowen off the bench nearly made for a fifth. It was D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera leading the way for Georgetown, though. The Hoyas' junior guard scored 18 points while while hauling in 10 defensive rebounds and another two on the offensive glass.
The Bluejays were able to hang with Georgetown in every facet of the game except shooting. Doug McDermott scored 22 points but needed 23 shots to get there. His 39 percent field goal percentage was 13 points below his season average and identical to that provided by his Creighton teammates.
Georgetown could strengthen its case for an NCAA bid by beating No. 6 Villanova in its final regular season game. Creighton wouldn't mind it if the Hoyas upset Villanova either because, after losing to Georgetown, the Bluejays need the Wildcats to drop their regular season finale in order to win the Big East regular season championship.
Baylor 74, No. 16 Iowa State 61
The Baylor Bears may have done enough to claw their way back into the NCAA tournament conversation on senior night in Waco. Cory Jefferson and Brady Heslip led Baylor to victory over Iowa State by combining to shoot 13-of-21 from the field, including 7-of-10 from beyond the arc.
The normally excellent Melvin Ejim had a rough game for Iowa State, turning the ball over four times and making just three of his 14 field goal attempts. The Cyclones only got to the free throw line twice in the entire game, while the Bears were 13-of-17 from the charity stripe.
No. 25 Kentucky 55, Alabama 48
After a pair of disappointing losses to South Carolina and Arkansas, the Wildcats got back into the win column at home against Alabama. It wasn't pretty, though. Kentucky shot just 33 percent from the field and turned the ball over a bit too often, but the Wildcats rebounded well and got to the free throw line, which was enough to overcome the obstacles presented by a Crimson Tide team that isn't particularly good.
Horizon League Tournament
Milwaukee 83, Detroit 73
Oakland 96, Youngstown State 92
Valparaiso 73, UIC 63
Atlantic Sun Tournament
Florida Gulf Coast 77, Stetson 55
East Tennessee State 89, Lipscomb 88 (2 OT)
USC-Upstate 80, North Florida 74
Mercer 85, Jacksonville 64