NCAA: Indiana returns to No. 1, Florida beaten

It has been quite a few days for the Indiana Hoosiers head coach Tom Crean. On Saturday, Crean’s Hoosiers, at the time the No. 3 team in the NCAA, beat No. 1 Michigan 81:73. On Sunday Crean joined his family in New Orleans to watch his wife’s brothers, Jim and John Harbaugh, lead the teams they coach in Super Bowl XLVII with John’s Ravens taking the Lombardi Trophy back to Baltimore and Jim’s San Francisco 49ers putting up one of the more remarkable comebacks in Super Bowl history (falling three-points short). On Monday afternoon Crean got word that his club had regained the No. 1 spot in the country. With the loss, Michigan dropped to No. 3 and the Florida Gators moved into the No. 2 spot.

On Tuesday, both the Wolverines and Gators got back on the court with Florida taking a road beating at the hands of the unranked Razorbacks of Arkansas, 80:69 and Michigan needing an extra period to finish off No. 10 Ohio State at home 76:74.

Coming into the Florida game, Arkansas was 13-8 overall and 4-4 in the SEC, while Florida was 18-2 and 8-0 in the SEC. The loss also snaps a 10-game winning streak for the Gators.

The Razorbacks got out quick and were hot from the floor dropping in 15 of their first 20 shots, building an advantage that was as much as 23 in the first half. Florida was able to cut the gap to 17 at the intermission, heading into the break down 43:26.

Arkansas picked up where they left off when the second half opened, pushing the lead back to 23. Florida countered with a 2:11 run to cut the gap to 14, 51:37, but they couldn’t get any closer than 11 throughout the rest of the half.

BJ Young lead the hosts with 13 points off the bench, Michael Qualls and Marshawn Powell contributed 11 each to the win.

Mike Rosario led Florida with 15, Scottie Wilbekin added 14, Michael Frazier contributed 11 and Kenny Boynton added 10.

In a clash of two of the best in the Big Ten, Ohio State took the trip from Columbus, OH to Ann Arbor, MI. Michigan came in fresh off their loss to Indiana and losing the No. 1 spot on the AP poll.

Michigan controlled the game early, but Ohio State found their range and got back in the game late in the first half to lead 31:30 as the horn sounded to finish the first 20.

The Buckeyes got up 40:48 mid-way through the second half, but Michigan regained the lead shortly after at 55:54. Tim Hardaway, Jr. was red-hot from behind the arc, slicing the cords on five-straight triples in the second half and leading the Wolverine effort.

The clubs exchanged baskets and the lead for the rest of the half, then with the Buckeyes down 72:70, Lenzelle Smith dropped in a jumper from the corner, but stepped on the arc as he set up to only get a deuce out of the effort and knot the score at 72. Neither team could tally any more before time ran out on regulation, sending the contest into an extra five.

All they could muster in that extra frame was six points total between them and as the final buzzer sounded it was the hosts that held a two-point advantage, treating the sold out crowd at Crisler Center to a 74:72 win.

Hardaway, Jr. paced the Wolverines with 23 points, Trey Burke added 16, and Mitch McGary dropped in 14.

Deshaun Thomas led Ohio State with 17, LaQuinton Ross added 16.