College hoops roundup: The craziest night of the season

As far as this season is concerned, it doesn't get any crazier than Wednesday night.

Here's what we're talking about.

Top 25 Scores

No. 25 Miami 90, No. 1 Duke 63

The madness started at the top, where Miami notched the third most lopsided victory over a No. 1 team in the history of college basketball. The win was also the Hurricanes' first ever over a No. 1 team, and Duke's worst defeat in almost five years.

The Blue Devils led 14-13 about midway through the first half before entering a scoreless streak that spanned 8:13. Miami capitalized in just about the most extreme fashion possible, stringing together a 25-1 run to seize complete control of the game.

Durand Scott led the onslaught with a career-high 25 points, while Kenny Kadji added a season-high 22. The Hurricanes also got a lift from second-leading scorer Reggie Johnson, who returned to the court after missing the last eight games with a thumb injury. Johnson entered the game for the first time at the 14:15 mark to chants of his first name from the home crowd. He finished with two points and five rebounds in 16 minutes.

On the other side of the coin, Duke guards Quinn Cook and Seth Curry combined to make just one of their 22 field goal attempts. Curry was especially futile, misfiring on all 10 of his shots.

Coach K, thoughts?

Mr. Larranaga, a rebuttal?

The absolute demolition has Miami atop the ACC standings at 5-0, a full game and-a-half ahead of 4-2 NC State.

No. 7 Indiana 72, Penn State 49

This one was only significant because Cody Zeller did not make a shot for the first time in his college career. It didn't matter, as Indiana shot 58.8 percent from the field in the second half, including 6-of-8 from beyond the arc. Victor Oladipo scored 19 points to pace the Hoosiers, while freshman point guard Yogi Ferrell chipped in a career best 15.

Penn State, which also lost to Indiana by 23 back on Jan. 7, fell to 0-7 in the Big Ten.

No. 8 Florida 64, Georgia 47

Florida never led in the first half and actually trailed 27-24 at the break. The Gators then promptly started the second on a 24-5 run and never looked back. Scottie Wilbekin matched his career-high with 17 points to lead Florid, which has won its first five SEC games by an average of 25 points.

This is pretty much where the normal portion of the evening ends.

La Salle 54, No. 9 Butler 53

Just four days after notching one of the most dramatic wins of the season with a buzzer-beater against Gonzaga, Butler got a taste of the flip side.

Ramon Galloway hit a driving lay-up just before the final horn to give La Salle (13-5, 3-2) its first win over a top ten opponent in 33 years. The Explorers still have a long way to go to make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1992, but this was certainly a giant step in the right direction.

"It's the greatest feeling ever," Galloway said after the game. "It's one of the greatest wins ever in my life. I know it is for my teammates, too."

It's been a pretty exciting week in Philly.

Northwestern 55, No. 12 Minnesota 48

The Golden Gophers had 40 minutes to figure out Northwestern's 1-3-1 defense, and there wasn't one second where they looked like they were coming close.

Minnesota, statistically the Big Ten's best three-point shooting team, connected on just 5-of-19 attempts from beyond the arc, and at one point missed 12 straight from long distance.

"I think they got frustrated with the 1-3-1," Northwestern senior Reggie Hearn said. "They couldn't figure it out."

The Wildcats, who have now beaten Minnesota five straight times in Evanston, were led by Jared Swopshire's 16 points and eight rebounds. The Golden Gophers have suddenly dropped three straight heading into Saturday's game at Wisconsin.

No. 15 New Mexico 66, Colorado State 61

The Lobos nearly blew a 22-point before holding on to secure a full two-game lead in the Mountain West standings. Tony Snell again led the show at The Pit, torching the Rams for a game-high 23 points.

You can count the number of coaches who have done a better job in America than Steve Alford on one hand...maybe part of two hands. There's still a lot of season ahead, but for the Lobos to be in this position after losing someone as important as Drew Gordon is pretty remarkable.

No. 16 Oregon 68, Washington State 61

Oregon was able to erase a 10-point halftime deficit and roll to its 19th straight home win thanks in large part to the inside/outside combo of E.J. Singler and Arsalan Kazemi. Singler scored 19 points and handed out five assists, while Kazemi controlled the paint to the tune of 16 points and seven boards. The Ducks are off to a 6-0 start in conference play for the first time since the 1925-26 season.

Drake 74, No. 17 Creighton 69

This ranks right up there with the previous three upsets in terms of shock value.

Drake entered Wednesday night just 2-5 in the Valley and 8-10 overall, and somehow managed to become just the third team this season to hold the Bluejays below 70 points.

Part of the blame for the performance can be placed on the flu that forced Creighton star Doug McDermott to reportedly vomit halftime, but a team with this much offensive firepower still shouldn't trail Drake by 14 at halftime and then be unable to make the necessary plays in the game's closing minutes.

Maybe The Valley will wind up being more than just a two-horse race after all.

No. 20 Wichita State 62, Missouri State 52

Or maybe it'll wind up just being a one-horse race.

That one horse, of course, would be the Wichita State Shockers, who secured sole possession of first place in the Missouri Valley with a come-from-behind win over Missouri State. The Bears led 33-25 with 16:13 to play before a 16-2 Shocker run put the No. 20 team in the country on top for good.

Cleanthony Early had 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Carl Hall - playing in just his third game since returning from a thumb injury - added 15 points. Wichita State was again playing without injured starters Ron Baker (foot) and Evan Wessel (hand).

Other Scores of Note

Lehigh 65, Bucknell 62

Even without C.J. McCollum, Lehigh staked its claim as the class of the Patriot League by knocking off Bucknell. The teams had entered Wednesday night as the only remaining unbeatens in the conference. B.J. Bailey's 18 points led the way for the Mountain Hawks, who are 4-0 in league play for the first time since 2005-06.

Drexel 55, Hofstra 52

It wouldn't be included if something crazy didn't happen...enjoy.

That's a 50-foot, double clutch game-winner at the horn from Drexel star Frantz Massenat. I'm not saying it's the shot of the year at this point, but I can't think of one that I would definitely put in front of it.

The win lifted the Dragons back to 3-3 in the CAA, and knocked Hofstra down to 2-4.

Northeastern 95, William & Mary 91 (2OT)

Joel Smith scored 16 of his game-high 29 points after regulation as Northeastern improved to 7-0 in the CAA for the first time since joining the conference in 2005-06. It was the eighth-straight loss for William & Mary.

Southern Miss 102, Marshall 46

This is an actual score that happened. It was the largest margin of victory and the highest scoring output for Southern Miss since they joined Conference USA. It was also their 23rd straight home victory, the longest such streak for the program since 1949-51.

Remember when Marshall was talked about as a potential at-large NCAA Tournament team before the season? This has to be the low point of a disastrous three months for the Thundering Herd.

St. John's 72, Rutgers 60

Chris Obekpa, who leads the nation in blocked shots per game (4.8), did not record one tonight for the first time this season. Since he's a freshman, I suppose you could take it a step further and say he didn't record a block for the first time in his college career. Also, the Johnnies have won three straight and are back over .500 in Big East play at 4-3.

Charlotte 63, Xavier 57

Well, look who's 16-3 and finally has a small amount of cachet on their resume. It's Charlotte...I was talking about Charlotte. The loss by the Musketeers leaves newbie VCU as the only remaining unbeaten in the Atlantic 10.

Seton Hall 55, South Florida 47

South Florida is now a full .5 games behind DePaul in the Big East basement. They're already calling it the best season of Blue Demon basketball in a decade.

New Mexico State 53, Denver 42

My current favorite in the SB Nation Cheerleader of the Year Award (it's a thing) race is this young lady from New Mexico State, who was furious about the Aggies' lack of transition defense.

Remarkably, NMSU held Denver without a field goal for the next 11 minutes. I swear to God I didn't make that up. Overly Frustrated New Mexico State Cheerleader is an inspiration and an icon.

San Diego State 78, Nevada 57

Playing without a national ranking for the first time in seemingly ages, the Aztecs appeared to go through the motions in the first half before dominating the second by 20 points. Chase Tapley scored 17 to lead the way.

North Carolina 79, Georgia Tech 63

It wasn't quite a performance that's going to get the country talking about a potential Final Four run, but the young Heels are getting better. The aftermath following P.J. Hairston's dunk felt like some sort of turning point.

Oregon State 74, Washington 66

Two days after the inauguration of assistant Craig Robinson's brother-in-law, the Beavers score their first Pac-12 victory. The message is clear: Hire more coaches with presidential family members.