College Basketball Nightly – November 29

3 Most Important Results from Tonight

Ohio St. 85, Duke 63 – Duke didn't play particularly well, as is the case for many teams that go to Maui for the Maui Invitational. That said, it wouldn't have mattered how well Duke played. The Blue Devils weren't winning this game. It flat out doesn't have an answer for a Jared Sullinger like player no matter how much anyone tries to convince the world the Plumlee's are the answer, they aren't. This will be a big problem against North Carolina's giant frontline this season.

Arizona 83, New Mexico St. 76 – Winning on the road is hard to do. Let's make sure to remember that when evaluating resumes in March because this win was a very good one on the road against a team that had one of its studs (Wendell McKines) go off for 28 points and 10 rebounds. Good win to stabilize the ship for Arizona heading into a very tough stretch

Virginia 70, Michigan 58 – The 19-2 run Virginia went on in the second half to put this game away might be the run that got this team into the NCAA Tournament. That's how big a win this is for Virginia and coach Tony Bennett. As for Michigan, they ran into a second half buzzsaw possibly playing for their season on the road. No shame in losing here. The Wolverines will be fine as long as they move on and don't let the loss linger.

Worst Loss from Tonight

Loyola Marymount 75, Saint Louis 68 – Let it be noted that Loyola Marymount is much improved having already beaten UCLA (terrible though they are) and having only lost to Middle Tennessee St. (pretty good looking team out of the Sun Belt) and Harvard (one of the best looking Ivy League teams in recent memory). That said, a top 25 team that is going to cruise into the NCAA Tournament needs to beat LMU, even in Los Angeles and this is a loss that will sting on the resume, especially if LMU ends up outside the top 100 in RPI as expected.

3 Biggest Games of Tomorrow

North Carolina vs Wisconsin – The first chance to see how North Carolina responds to adversity this season after being beaten by UNLV on Saturday night is a doozy, but it is playing at home against a team that hasn't yet gone on the road. Considering what has been happening to teams in first true road games this season, I expect Wisconsin to be a little bit flat early and never really get into the game despite having the overall talent to at least hang with North Carolina if they play well.

UC Santa Barbara vs UNLV – Last year, UNLV got off to a hot start, winning the 76 Classic and beating Wisconsin before facing UCSB and losing at home because it took the Gauchos lightly. It would be wise to not make the same mistake again this year. If it does, UNLV will lose to outstanding shooting guard Orlando Johnson and his team in Santa Barbara.

Minnesota vs Virginia Tech – This is our first chance to see Minnesota without leading scorer and rebounded Trevor Mbakwe. Quite frankly, I don't expect it to be good, but who knows, especially against Virginia Tech. The Hokies have quietly gone about their business, losing to Syracuse and beating Oklahoma St., but they are team bubble burst. To avoid a fate such as that, the Hokies cannot afford a loss to a Minnesota team that seems likely to sink like a stone once Big Ten play begins because of all the injuries.

Final Thought on the night in College Basketball

The ACC-Big Ten Challenge is one of my favorite events of the year, but it is not as good as it used to be. Originally, it had all nine ACC teams involved and it was great. Then, it got watered down a bit with the additions of football centric Virginia Tech and Miami (along with Boston College, a team that doesn't really fit in the league). Now, on the Big Ten side, basketball lightweight Nebraska has been added. This hurts the overall quality of the basketball because Nebraska stinks and likely will always stink in basketball. It also brings something new into play in the challenge: the tie. Ugly and unfulfilling, the tie is something American sports have tried to eradicate in recent years (see college football overtime being added in the mid-1990s, the hockey shootout and even the failed MLS shootout in a sport where ties are traditionally more acceptable). Yet, here we are, in one of the marquee events of the early college basketball season, and we have the possibility of a tie. Ridiculous, retarded and yet another reason (even if its a minor one) why the football driven expansion and realignment of college conference sucks for college basketball.