Thanksgiving is only a few days away, which means it’s officially Feast Week and fans got to enjoy a litany of great games on Monday. Some of the biggest involved Michigan, Oregon, and USC.
Let’s take a look at what happened.
Game of the Night:
–USC Trojans 70, Boise State Broncos 67
After narrowly beating Troy in its last game, nobody was quite sure about what to expect from USC on Monday night against Boise State in Maui. Fortunately, things went well, as USC ended up scoring a 70-67 win over Boise State in a pretty competitive game. It wasn’t until the
closing minutes that the Trojans got some separation.
The biggest difference in the game was Rodney Rice, who impressed with 27 points on 4-for-7 shooting from three-point range. Chad Baker-Mazara also had a nice showing with 11 points and eight rebounds. USC’s defense stepped up as well, holding Boise State to just 0.96 points per possession.
USC improved to 5-0 overall with the win and it’s certainly a notable one. Boise State was USC’s toughest opponent by a fair margin so far this season, so scoring a win will certainly help build confidence. We’ll see if the Trojans can continue that momentum on Tuesday, as the group will now face Seton Hall. From a KenPom perspective, the Musketeers are actually lower than Boise State, so hopes should be high.
The Rest:
–No. 13 Illinois Fighting Illini 87, UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros 73
This one was closer than most of Illinois’ buy games so far, but it was still a comfortable win for Illinois. Andrej Stojakovic led the way with 24 points and six rebounds. David Mirkovic also had a nice showing with 10 points, five asssists, and four rebounds in 22 minutes of action. Illinois improved to 6-1 with the win. The team will now prepare for UConn in New York City on Friday.
–Maryland Terrapins 74, UNLV Runnin’ Rebels 67
The opened up play in Vegas on Monday and scored a nice win over UNLV in what essentially amounted to a road game. And while the Runnin’ Rebels aren’t projected to be elite this season, they are viewed as a quality team and Maryland thoroughly outplayed them in the second half. Pharrel Payne also returned from injury, which offered a huge boost to the team’s hopes. He finished with 20 points and eight rebounds in the win.
Maryland will now prepare for Gonzaga in Vegas on Tuesday night. Expect some fireworks to fly, as the Terps hope to score the team’s best win of the season.
–No. 7 Michigan Wolverines 94, San Diego State Aztecs 54
The Wolverines entered this one amid some uncertainty. While the team was 4-0, it had underwhelmed en route to that record, narrowly holding off Wake Forest and TCU earlier in the month. Fans were hoping Michigan could hit its stride in Vegas and take care of San Diego State on Monday night.
They certainly got that result.
Michigan not only won, but thoroughly dominated what projected as a solid San Diego State squad. Michigan was up double-digits for virtually the entire game and pulled away for a 40-point victory in the second half. Yazel Lendeborg impressed again in the outing, finishing with 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Six Wolverines finished in double-digits.
The Wolverines improved to 5-0 overall with the win. The team will now prepare for Auburn on Tuesday night in a ranked matchup and a rematch of last year’s Sweet 16. Buckle up.
–No. 21 Auburn Tigers 84, Oregon Ducks 73
While the Ducks looked shaky through the team’s first four games, the team entered Monday’s matchup with Auburn at 4-0. Fans were hoping Oregon could find a way to upset Auburn in Vegas. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be the case, as Oregon just couldn’t get enough stops to earn a win. Takai Simpkins put forward a decent showing in the losing effort, finishing with 22 points and four rebounds.
The loss dropped Oregon to 4-1 on the season. The Ducks will return to action on Tuesday against San Diego State on Tuesday night. KenPom projects it as a toss up.
–No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers 85, Rutgers Scarlet Knights 60
This figured to be an uphill battle for the Scarlet Knights and that proved to be the case, as Rutgers fell by 25 to Tennessee to open up play in Vegas. Rutgers gave up 1.27 points per possession and nobody outside of Dylan Grant did much in the starting lineup. The loss dropped Rutgers to 4-2 overall. The team will now prepare for a quick turnaround to face Notre Dame on Tuesday.
