NCAA Basketball: Saturday's Top 25 Results

(1) Memphis 79, UAB 78

Closest game so far this season for the unbeaten Tigers, who needed a three-point play from Chris Douglas-Roberts to seal victory.

Memphis was only 12-22 (.545) from the foul line, which won't help their cause in March.  Everyone's talking about Memphis' free throws, now we have evidence it can come back to bite them. 

Here's a No. 1 with targets on their chests. 25-0 ain't bad, though.

Colorado 45, (3) Kansas 69

Bill Self emptied the bench as this one was done early. KU remains in commanding position in Big 12, and deservedly so.  One of the most experienced good teams in the country.

(4) Tennessee 74, Georgia 71

This one figured to be close and it was. Chris Lofton had 18 of his 22 in the second half, and the Vols roll ever closer to clinching the SEC East. Tennessee visits Memphis on the 23rd (Saturday) in a major out-of-conference showdown.

VA Tech 53, (5) UNC 92

Nobody's paying much attention to the Heels, but Tyler Hansbrough (23 points and 9 boards in 29 minutes) is making a bid for player of the year.

(7) Stanford 67, Arizona 66

Stanford got out of Arizona with a loss and a narrow win. As the competition heats up, they have close-out games with Washington State, then at UCLA and USC should prove whether this Cardinal is for real or not.

(8) Georgetown 70, Syracuse 77

Paul Harris, 22 points and eight boards; Jonny Flynn, 17 points. The main strength and vulnerability for the Hoyas is center Roy Hibbert (11 points, three rebounds) and 'Cuse coach Boeheim knew that. Georgetown's center saw plenty of bench time with foul trouble. Syracuse still on the bubble, but this was huge for them.

Cleveland St. 46, (9) Butler 51

Butler has a date with Missouri Valley top dog, Drake, on February 23rd and only three conference games left. Wright State on the 28th should be the clincher for the Horizon league. Mike Green and A.J. Graves make these Bulldogs tough to beat (23-2)

(10) Michigan St. 61, (13) Indiana 80

Down 18-8 early, the Hoosiers went on a 33-15 run to the half and never looked back. Despite the distractions involving coach Sampson, the team is solid and Eric Gordon (game-high 28 points) is ridiculous. Look for him to enter the draft shortly after the Hoosiers are knocked out of the tourney. Spartans have lost three of their last four. In March, two dance limit for them.

(11) Texas 82, Baylor 77

Damion James had 19 points and 10 rebounds in the Longhorns' fifth straight win and 22nd straight over Baylor. The fact that it was close gives the Bears some cred, but they have to start winning a few here and there.

(14) Drake 65, N Iowa 55

The Missouri Valley title clincher for Drake wasn't all fun and games, as the Bulldogs shot just 39% from the floor, but hit 18 of 19 freebies to the Panthers' three of five.

Minnesota 56, (15) Wisconsin 65

Balanced scoring and tenacious defense make the Badgers one of the real sleepers in the nation. Just one game behind Purdue (11-1) in the Big 10 standings at 10-1, they could run the table and the conference tourney and end up a No. 2 or No. 3 seed.

Oklahoma St. 59, (16) Texas A&M 54

Not trying to knock the Aggies, but 18 second half points at home isn't going to cut it in this or any other conference. The loss snapped a five-game win streak, but the schedule suggests that A&M still has work to do.

(17) Connecticut 74, S Florida 73, OT

A tough road win for the Huskies puts them in great position for the post-season. Their ninth straight win and no ranked teams in their final six Big East games means they're a lock for an at-large bid.

Missouri 63, (18) Kansas St. 100

Michael Beasley tied his season high with 40 points (and 17 rebounds) and this one turned into a rout early on as the Wildcats opened up a 21-point lead at the half. Beasley makes K-State one of the more dangerous teams in the nation. Nobody's been able to slow him down yet and it's doubtful anybody will as he's averaging 25.7 and 12.6. No. 1 draft pick? Count on it.

(19) Purdue 71, Northwestern 56

Make it 11 straight for the Boilermakers, who might be a little under-appreciated by the pollsters. Tuesday's visit to Bloomington ought to be killer.

(21) Wash St. 62, Oregon 53

The Ducks hung in until the final three minutes, and both teams may be just good enough to get tourney bids, but how far they'll go is an open question. Lots to still be sorted out in the PAC-10.

(23) Louisville 80, Providence 72

Cardinals now tied with Georgetown at 10-3 in the Big East standings, but have a tough schedule remaining: Syracuse, at Pitt, Notre Dame, Villanova, at Georgetown. Louisville sure to move up in the polls while the Hoyas fall.

Florida 58, (24) Vanderbilt 61

Commodores seem to have their groove on once more, with their fifth straight win. The Gators are still fighting for an at-large bid, but have to contend with three solids in the SEC West: Arkansas, Mississippi and Mississippi State. All four teams have seven losses and winning conference records.

(25) St. Mary's 80, Loyola-Marymount 49

If you can hold a team to 26 percent shooting, your chances for a win improve dramatically. That's what the Gaels did on Saturday, and that tough defense will work in March as well. Big game with San Diego and Gonzaga, February 25th and March 1st, respectively, should tell us more.

Note: Home teams listed second in line scores, rankings in parentheses.

Simultaneously published at College Basketball Daily