Morning Dribble: Baylor And San Diego State Survive Scares

The San Diego St. Aztecs almost dropped a second straight upset loss to a Mountain West team, but they held strong at the end of the game to defeat the Boise St. Broncos on Wednesday night, 58-56. The Aztecs lost to the Colorado St. Rams, 77-60, on Saturday.

The Aztecs struggled from the field all night long, shooting just 31.3 percent. What saved the team was its ability to get to the free throw line, making 25-of-29 shots, while limiting Boise State's trips to the area. The Broncos made 7-of-16 shots.

Jamaal Franklin scored 16 points on 3-of-9 shooting, but he made 9-of-19 free throws. He did pull down eight rebounds, but he also committed a game-high six turnovers. Chase Tapley put in 14 points.

Boise state had led at halftime, 33-25, but midway through the second half the Aztecs were able to retake the lead and keep the game mostly in its favor. Anthony Drmic and Tre Nichols each scored 17 points.

The Aztecs host the TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday before going on the road for a rematch with the UNLV Rebels on Feb. 11.

For more on these teams, visit Mountain West Connection and Boise State blog One Broncos Nation Under God. Check out SB Nation NCAA Basketball to stay up to date on the latest

The No. 6 Baylor Bears avoided being on the wrong side of an upset on Wednesday night by picking up a 63-60 victory over the Texas A&M Aggies. However, it was fraught with sweat over the last several minutes of the game. The two teams played a back and forth second half. The Aggies held a 60-58 lead with 29 seconds left on the clock. David Loubeau's jumper took the credit for that, but the Bears still had plenty of time left to get things done.

A dozen second after the Aggies took the lead, Baylor's Pierre Jackson sank a three to regain the lead, 61-60. The Aggies were only able to get one more shot off, a three-pointer that Elston Turner missed. Jackson was fouled with one second left in the game and made both free throws. It was game over for the Aggies.

Perry Jones III scored 15 points and pulled down five rebounds. Pierre Jackson was solid off the bench with 14 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Quincy Acy was the only Baylor starter to score in double digits, putting up 11 points.

The Aggies were led by David Loubeau's 16 points, but Ray Turner had the best all-around game with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Baylor visits the Oklahoma St. Cowboys on Saturday before facing the Kansas Jayhawks next Wednesday.

For more on these teams, check out Baylor blog Our Daily Bears and Texas A&M blog I Am The 12th Man. Head over to SB Nation NCAA Basketball for more news and notes on the college basketball season.

The No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks rebounded from Saturday's loss to the Iowa St. Cyclones by soundly defeating the Oklahoma Sooners, 84-62. The Jayhawks took the season series with the Sooners, previously winning the Jan. 7 contest too.

Thomas Robinson did it all for the Jayhawks. He was the game's second-leading scorer with 20 points and the game's leading rebounder with 17 boards. He was deadly accurate by sinking nine of his 12 shots. He also dished the ball out for four assists, stole the ball twice and blocked it twice. Tyshawn Taylor put in 21 points to lead all scorers in the game.

Romero Osby led the Sooners with 19 points while pulling down seven rebounds. Steven Pledger and Andrew Fitzgerald put in 17 and 14 points, respectively, but the Sooners shot 41.4 percent as a team. Kansas hit 55.4 percent of its shots.

The Jayhawks (18-4, 8-1 Big 12) will visit the Missouri Tigers on Saturday for the first game of the home-and-home between the schools this season.

For more on these teams, visit Kansas blog Rock Chalk Talk and Oklahoma blog Crimson and Cream Machine. Head over to SB Nation NCAA Basketball for more news and notes around the college hoops scene.

The No. 13 Creighton Bluejays got 17 first half points from sophomore guard Doug McDermott, building a 21-point first half in their 28-point win over the Illinois St. Redbirds at CenturyLink Center Omaha on Wednesday night.

The nation's third-leading scorer at 23.5 points per game, McDermott finished with a team-high 25 points to led six Bluejays who finished in double-digits. Grant Gibbs had 12 points, while Jahenns Manigat and Will Artino finished with 11 points apiece.

With their win, Creighton improved to 21-2 on the season and are 11-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bluejays visit the Northern Iowa Panthers on Saturday afternoon.

Junior guard Tyler Brown had 21 points to lead the Redbirds, who also got 14 points from Bryan Allen while Nic Moore and Jon Ekey chipped in with 11 apiece. The loss dropped the Redbirds to 14-9 on the season and 6-6 within the Missouri Valley Conference. Illinois State returns home to host the Bradley Braves on Saturday night.

No. 21 Florida St. Seminoles trailed the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets by one at the half before rallying for a 68-54 win at the Donald L. Tucker Center on Wednesday night.

Junior guard Michael Snaer was seven of 10 from the floor, including five of seven from beyond the arc, to finish with a game-high 21 points to go along with his five steals. Forward Bernard James added 13 points and eight rebounds while Okaro White came off the bench to chip in 11 points, off-setting an ice cold night from Ian Miller, who missed all eight of his field goal attempts in 17 minutes.

With the win, the Seminoles improved to 15-6 overall and are now 6-1 in the ACC with the No. 18 Virginia Cavaliers visiting Tallahassee on Saturday afternoon.

The Yellow Jackets got 18 points from guard Brandon Reed in the loss, their sixth in a row to fall to 8-14 overall and 1-7 in the ACC.

For more on the Seminoles, check out Tomahawk Nation. For more on Georgia Tech, visit From The Rumble Seat.

The No. 14 Georgetown Hoyas bounced back from their loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers with a 58-44 win over the Connecticut Huskies at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night.

Junior forward Hollis Thompson led the Hoyas with 15 points on seven of 15 shooting, including three of seven from beyond the arc. Thompson also had a game-high nine rebounds, all on the defensive glass. The Hoyas also got 13 points and four rebounds from center Henry Sims and 11 points and five rebounds from guard Jason Clark.

With the win, the Hoyas improved to 17-4 on the season and are now 7-3 in the Big East. Georgetown returns home to host the South Florida Bulls on Saturday morning.

The Huskies got 18 points and seven rebounds from freshman center Andre Drummond. Sophomore guard Jeremy Lamb chipped in with 14 points and six rebounds, but was just four of 18 from the floor, including two of 11 on three-point attempts. UCONN have lost four straight to drop to 14-7 on the season and are 4-5 in Big East play. The Huskies can snap their losing skid when the host the Seton Hall Pirates on Saturday afternoon.

For more on Georgetown, be sure to visit the Casual Hoya. For more on the Huskies, check out The UCONN Blog.

The No. 23 Michigan Wolverines built a 20-point first-half lead on the No. 20 Indiana Hoosiers en route to a 68-56 win at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Freshman guard Trey Burke had 18 points to lead the Wolverines, who got 13 points apiece from Zack Novak and Tim Hardaway Jr. Novak was three of five on three-point attempts and the trio of Burke, Novak and Hardaway combined to go 13-of-16 on free throws.

With the win, the Wolverines improved to 17-6 on the season and 7-3 within the Big Ten. The Wolverines also remained unbeaten on their home court.

For Indiana, junior guard Jordan Hulls had a team-high 18 points on six of 12 shooting, including a sterling four of five from beyond the arc. Freshman center Cody Zeller added 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the Hoosiers, who are also 17-6 on the season, with all six losses coming within the Big Ten. The Hoosiers remain on the road, visiting the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday night.

For more on the Wolverines, visit Maize n Brew. For more on Indiana, check out The Crimson Quarry.