#6 Villanova 70, Seton Hall 53 - It's been nearly 20 years since Seton Hall won at Villanova, both at the Pavillion or at the Wells Fargo Center. That streak will extend to yet another season, as four Wildcats scored in double digits to pick up Jay Wright's 400th career victory.
James Bell may have led the game by pouring in 20 points for the Wildcats, but it was Daniel Ochefu's big night that made the biggest impact. The sophomore forward had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, and if you're getting a multifaceted game from a big man, you're doing something right as a team.
After only trailing by eight points at halftime, Seton Hall was outscored 10-4 over the first seven minutes and change in the second half. That's a long stretch to go offensively bankrupt, especially when you still in the game when intermission ended. Sterling Gibbs ended up leading Seton Hall in scoring with 16 points. You can dig into this game by checking out VU Hoops and South Orange Juice.
#12 Creighton 78, DePaul 66 - Doug McDermott became the first player in 21 years to record 1,000 made field goals in his collegiate career and the Bluejays slipped away from the Blue Demons late for their 19th win of the season. McDermott also grabbed his 1,000th career rebound, becoming just the eighth player in NCAA history to score 2,750 points and collect 1,000 rebounds. On top of that, McDermott also surpassed JJ Redick for 17th place all time on the NCAA career scoring list, and he tied the Creighton school record for 30 point games.
*deep breath*
The Bluejays had an eight point halftime advantage, but DePaul's rebounding - they grabbed nine of the first 10 misses of the second half - propelled them back into the game. The Blue Demons trailed 59-58 after a layup by Durrell McDonald with 7:35 remaining, but Creighton went on a 14-2 run that punched the lead back to 13. By that point, there was less than three minutes remaining, and things were all but over.
McDermott finished with 32 points and nine rebounds, as DePaul decided to take their chances the same way that St. John's did. I don't think the "Let McDermott get his" plan is very effective. Brandon Young had 16 points to lead DePaul, who were without the indefinitely suspended Cleveland Melvin for the fourth consecutive game. Go check out White & Blue Review for more on the game.
Oh, and it was Lumberjack Night to celebrate Ethan Wragge's nickname, and he got a chainsaw.
Highlights? Sure, why not.