Three Top 25 teams fell to improbable upsets. None was longer in the making or by a less likely team than Cleveland State.
The Vikings knocked off No. 12 Butler for the first regular-season win over a ranked team in program history, winning 56-52 Thursday night.
“It’s big,” second-year coach Gary Waters said. “What we’re trying to do is establish a foundation. It (the win) will help people understand that there are some good things going on at Cleveland State.”
It’s been a while.
The commuter-school program has existed mostly in a state of disarray for the past two decades, since its monumental upset of Indiana in the 1986 NCAA tournament.
Students – many of whom weren’t born the last time the Vikings beat a ranked team – rushed the court where they danced, jumped and relished a night that made them even prouder to be Vikings.
“It was a beautiful feeling,” forward J’Nathan Bullock said.
Bullock added 14 points, the last one coming on a free throw with 2.6 seconds left.
The Vikings (13-5, 6-0 Horizon League) came in 1-26 in games against ranked opponents, with their only win coming on March 14, 1986, a shocking upset of No. 16 Indiana in the NCAA tournament under then-coach Kevin Mackey. Since that memorable win, Cleveland State had lost 19 straight games against ranked opponents.
Freshman Matt Howard scored 16 points and Pete Campbell 15 to lead Butler (16-2, 5-2), which missed a barrage of 3-pointers in the final seconds as the Bulldogs tried to tie it. Mike Green, their leading scored had 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting before fouling out and senior A.J. Graves had 5 and went only 2-of-11 from the floor.
It was Cleveland State’s night from the start and the win validated Waters’ impressive turnaround with the Vikings, who were only 10-21 last season and haven’t had a winning season since 2000-01.
On its visit last year, Butler set a school and conference record with 20 3-pointers in a 92-50 thumping of Cleveland State. But other than Campbell, who made 5-of-7 3-pointers, the Bulldogs were just 6-of-23 overall from behind the arc this time and couldn’t buy a 3 when they needed one down the stretch.
Thursday night’s other upsets weren’t nearly as long in the making.
Saint Louis got the first big win under new coach Rick Majerus, beating Rhode Island 68-61, while Terrence Williams scored 20 points and David Padgett had 17 points and 10 rebounds to help the Cardinals upset No. 13 Marquette.
Louisville 71, No. 13 Marquette 51.
In Louisville, Ky., Terrence Williams scored 20 points and David Padgett had 17 points and 10 rebounds to help the Cardinals upset the No. 13 Golden Eagles.
Derrick Caracter added 11 points as Louisville (13-4, 3-1 Big East) dominated the Golden Eagles (13-3, 3-2), shutting down one of the Big East’s most dynamic offenses with a suffocating zone defense that choked off passing lanes and controlled the lane.
Jerel McNeal led the Golden Eagles with 16 points and Wesley Matthews had 14, but Marquette shot just 30 percent from the field and got almost nothing from star guard Dominic James.
Saint Louis 68, No. 23 Rhode Island 61
Tommie Liddell scored 22 points and host Saint Louis held No. 23 Rhode Island to season lows for points.
Reserve Paul Eckerle had 13 points and Luke Meyer 12 for Saint Louis (10-7, 1-2 Atlantic 10), which only a week ago set a modern record for futility while scoring only 20 points in a loss at George Washington.
The victory was the Billikens’ first significant win under new coach Rick Majerus, and first over a ranked opponent since a 72-61 victory over No. 23 Memphis on March 11, 2004.
Will Daniels managed 12 points before fouling out with 2:45 to go.
No. 6 Tennessee 80, No. 16 Vanderbilt 60
In Knoxville, Tenn., Wayne Chism scored a season-high 18 and had a career-high 18 rebounds to help No. 6 Tennessee win a matchup of the Southeastern Conference’s best shooters.
The Volunteers (15-1, 3-0 SEC) were 8-for-22 on 3s, while the Commodores (16-2, 1-2) completed only 3 of their 21 attempts. Vanderbilt entered the game averaging 9.29 3-pointers a game, second in the SEC only to Tennessee’s 9.73.
The Commodores’ 36.8 percent on field goals and 14.3 percent from behind the arc were their worst of the season.
No. 8 Washington St. 69, Oregon St. 46
In Pullman, Wash., Aron Baynes scored 17 points and Derrick Low had 15 for the No. 8 Cougars.
Washington State (15-1, 3-1 Pac-10), coming off its only loss of the season at UCLA, broke open the game at the start of the second half, outscoring the Beavers 20-4 in the first 9 minutes.
Oregon State (6-11, 0-5) has lost seven straight games, leaving coach Jay John on the hot seat. Seth Tarver had 12 points for OSU and Josh Tarver added 10.
No. 9 Indiana 65, Minnesota 60
In Minneapolis, D.J. White had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Lance Stemler hit a crucial 3-pointer to lift the ninth-ranked Hoosiers to a 65-60 victory over Minnesota on Thursday night.
On a night when their super freshman struggled in all areas, Gordon’s supporting cast came up huge to extend Indiana’s winning streak to 11 games, their longest since a 13-game streak in 1992-93.
No. 22 Arizona State 99, California 90, 2OT
In Berkeley, Calif., James Harden scored his team’s first five points of the second overtime and finished with 27 to lift the Sun Devils.
Ty Abbott hit two 3-pointers in the second extra session, a key 3 late in the first OT and yet another that tied the game with 8.1 seconds left in regulation. He finished with 25, nine rebounds and five assists to give Arizona State its 10th straight victory.
Jeff Pendergraph added 26 points and eight boards for Arizona State, which has won 10 straight for the first time since an 11-game winning streak by the 1980-81 team that featured Byron Scott, Fat Lever and Alton Lister.
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