For a brief second, it looked like Xavier would hand Villanova its second loss. The Musketeers ran out to an eight-point lead in the first half and looked unstoppable on the offensive end.  Then the well went dry. Xavier never recovered. Kris Jenkins and Josh Hart each scored 20 points, as third-ranked Villanova overcame a rough start for a dominant 79-54 win over No. 15 Xavier. Down eight with 7:25 remaining in the first half, Villanova went on ...

The Baylor Bears won their first 15 games to ascend to the No. 1 position in the Associated Press Poll. That winning streak didn't last a single game at the mountaintop. The No. 10 West Virginia Mountaineers employed their havoc-causing full-court press and beat Baylor in commanding fashion Tuesday 89-68 in the latter's first game of the season at No. 1. The Mountaineers swarmed the Bears ball-handlers all over the floor, forcing 29 turnovers and outscoring ...

Now that most teams are a few games into their conference schedules, we're starting to get a stronger understanding of where things stand for the rest of the current college basketball season. We're still two months away from the NCAA tournament, but let's face it, a clear hierarchy has already been established in terms of which teams have legitimate NCAA tournament aspirations. That has some fanbases looking forward to next year and hoping that this year's recruiting ...

The West Virginia Mountaineers student section broke out in a "No means no" chant during Tuesday night's game against the Baylor Bears at the WVU Coliseum, according to West Virginia MetroNews' Allan Taylor.   The chant at the Coliseum was no doubt in reference to the sexual assault scandal that previously enveloped Baylor and the school's football team.  Last May, the school released a statement that disclosed a review by law firm Pepper Hamilton, LLP, which found "a failure ...

No. 9 Florida State broke open the game late in the second half to roll past No. 7 Duke 88-72 on Tuesday night at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center in Tallahassee, Florida. The Seminoles (16-1, 4-0 ACC) set a school record with their 12th straight win and are 4-0 in ACC play for the first time in program history. And they did it by showing off their depth and forcing the Blue Devils into foul trouble ...

Villanova 79, Xavier 54—Final The No. 3 Villanova Wildcats recovered from a slow start to shred the No. 15 Xavier Musketeers 79-54 Tuesday night. Five players reached the double-digit scoring mark for the Wildcats, including 20-point efforts from both Kris Jenkins and Josh Hart. As a team, Villanova (16-1) shot 53.8 percent from the floor. Xavier (13-3) knocked down five of its first 10 three-point attempts, taking a 24-16 lead. However, the Musketeers misfired on 21 of their ...

What if I were to tell you there was a type of NBA prospect who had close to a 90 percent success rate when drafted in the first round? Those are odds any NBA general manager would take in a millisecond. That player is not the one-and-done phenom, the 7-footer with a never-ending wingspan or anyone coached by Kentucky's John Calipari; it's the four-year player from a small or mid-major program. Over the last 10 NBA drafts, this ...

Northwestern women's basketball player Jordan Hankins died Monday, according to Kyle Neddenriep of the Indianapolis Star. The 19-year-old was reportedly found dead in her room at the school. On Tuesday, Matthew Choi of the Daily Northwestern reported the death was ruled a suicide, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's report. "Jordan was a remarkably dynamic young woman," Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown said in a statement on the school's website. "This is a devastating loss for ...

"Glue guy" is a nebulous term that means different things to different people. As the phrase suggests, it refers to a player whose presence holds the team together, helping the team function as a single unit, rather than five individuals. The glue guy may provide a service that is otherwise lacking, such as a physical inside presence, floor leadership or standout defensive play. Often a glue guy's influence is not immediately obvious, but it becomes noticeable ...

The defending champs finally lost, an upstart remained unblemished and Duke kept us entertained. God bless college basketball.  Below, we'll break down the Associated Press' Week 10 rankings and analyze some of the storylines from the past week.   Rankings   Analysis Villanova suffered its first loss of the season, falling 66-58 at Butler, but the AP voters didn't dock the Wildcats much for a road loss against a Top 25 opponent.  Basketball writer Ken Pomeroy certainly wasn't down on them after the ...