Gonzaga and Iowa were in action yesterday so we’ll catch you up on that, and there are six ranked teams playing later tonight including #19 Rutgers and #13 Illinois.
Welcome to today’s Daily Dunk where we recap all of college basketball’s biggest games from yesterday and give you a look at the matchups to watch later today!
Yesterday’s Biggest Games
#3 Iowa 88 vs. #1 Gonzaga 99
If there’s one thing we learned from this game, it’s that Gonzaga is easily the best team in the country. The Bulldogs led by 14 at half time and Jalen Suggs already had 18 points. Their defense kept every Iowa player to single-digit points in the first 20 minutes excluding Luka Garza (14 points).
The Hawkeyes scored more points in the second half but it was too late. A bright spot for Iowa was their star performed on the big stage yet again. Garza finished with a double-double (30 points and ten rebounds).
Don’t be surprised if Gonzaga is #1 for the remainder of the season. Mark Few has three All-Americans led by Suggs, who finished with 27 points and seven rebounds in the win. The other two All-Americans–Drew Timme and Corey Kispert–combined for 28 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists.
Gonzaga added a game versus #17 Virginia next Saturday, which should give them their sixth win of the year.
#23 Louisville 48 vs. #12 Wisconsin 85
Wisconsin made Louisville look like an unranked team in their blowout win on Saturday. The Badgers had the win in the bag ever since they put up 44 points in just the first half compared to Louisville’s 18 points.
The Cardinals shot 36.2% (17/47) from the field which didn’t help them considering Wisconsin made over 50% of their shots.
It’s hard to imagine Louisville will be ranked after this loss but Wisconsin won’t be going anywhere after their sixth victory of the year.
#22 North Carolina 75 vs. Kentucky 63
North Carolina got their fifth win of the season against Kentucky, who is now a five-loss team. This is the first time that the Wildcats have started the year 1-5 since the 1926-1927 season. It is also the first time that they have lost five straight games under John Calipari.
Making only three three-pointers the entire game just isn’t going to get it done. The Wildcats failed to score down the stretch, putting up just 25 points in the second half.
It isn’t too wild to to wonder if Kentucky can even make the tournament in March. They have a matchup against #23 Louisville next Saturday but by the time they play, Louisville isn’t going to be ranked after getting blown out yesterday.
The SEC isn’t full of ranked teams that could build Kentucky’s resume by season’s end so they could be in some trouble.
Games to Watch Today
#13 Illinois vs. #19 Rutgers
How to Watch: Sunday, December 20, 1:00 PM ET, ESPN2
Rutgers is one of those teams that has flown under the radar this season and they will get their toughest test so far this year when they face-off versus Illinois today.
Oklahoma State vs. #11 Texas
How to Watch: Sunday, December 20, 2:00 PM ET, Longhorn Network
Texas is a part of a stacked Big 12 conference and they will play a conference game at home later today.
Make sure to check back here tomorrow for a recap of today’s games and we’ll get you ready for tomorrow’s best matchups in college basketball!
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