Wisconsin Beats UNLV, Pitt Beats Oklahoma State

#16 Wisconsin 62, UNLV 51
In some ways this was an encouraging for Wisconsin, and in other ways it was discouraging. What was encouraging that after struggling on the boards their last few games they rebounded really well here (a 31.3 OR%, compared to 14.3% for UNLV), and they won this game fairly easily against a quality opponent despite mediocre shooting (a 46.3 eFG%). On top of that, their best scorer was Ben Brust (the second time this season he's hit 7 threes in a game), and they won this game despite a lousy game from star Jordan Taylor (0-for-10 from the field). The discouraging part of this game was, of course, Jordan Taylor. Not only did he not look well, but he didn't look healthy. He had ankle surgery in the offseason, and he was limping around for much of the second half here. If Ben Brust hadn't stepped up and taken over the primary scoring role, Wisconsin could have lost this game.

Wisconsin moves to 8-2 with this win and a nice neutral court win over BYU, and no bad losses. They have a tough road game on Wednesday against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but after that will only play cupcakes before opening Big Ten play on December 27th at Nebraska. You have to wonder if after the Wisconsin-Milwaukee game Bo Ryan will give Jordan Taylor some time off to get healthy. I've thought since the preseason that Wisconsin was the second best team in the Big Ten, and I still feel that way. But Jordan Taylor is going to have to play like he did last season for that to be true. He hasn't been that player yet this season.

UNLV likes to run, and they looked lost at times on offense here. Though to be fair, Wisconsin does this to everybody. This game was always a reach for them, and despite 15 turnovers and mediocre shooting they nearly covered the ten point spread. They are now 9-2 without any bad losses, though that win over North Carolina remains their only quality win. It's a great win, but they're going to need more than that to make the NCAA Tournament. They will play UTEP on Wednesday, and then Illinois next Saturday. They also have a game coming up against California.

#14 Pittsburgh 74, Oklahoma State 68
This game was played exactly like Pitt likes games to be played. The game was held to 63 possessions, which is right in line with Pitt's average pace this season. And the two teams combined for only 7 steals and only 14 turnovers. The game was a slow, half court game, which is exactly what Pitt wants. The difference in the game was Pitt's 37.5 OR% (compared to 22.2% for Oklahoma State), led by Dante Taylor's four offensive boards. Lamar Patterson played really well for Pitt, with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.

This is Pitt's best win of the season. They had some decent wins prior to this (Tennessee, La Salle, Duquesne, Robert Morris), but none worthy of a top Big East team bragging about. Their remaining non-conference schedule is pretty soft as well. They probably won't be challenged again until they open up Big East play on December 27th at Notre Dame. The reality is that a soft non-conference schedule shouldn't matter too much for Pitt. Win the Big East and their Tournament seed will take of itself.

Oklahoma State has lost three games this season, and all three have happened at Madison Square Garden. They have a nice win in their one true road game (on the road at Missouri State), so I'm thinking that the Cowboys just won't want to head back to New York City anytime soon. But that said, they're still lacking in quality wins. They'll get a chance for one next Saturday against New Mexico. They also will play Alabama and Virginia Tech before beginning Big 12 play. Without a win in at least two of those three games, OSU will enter Big 12 play probably needing to go 9-7 or better in conference play to make the Tournament.

Oklahoma 78, Arkansas 63
Andrew Fitzgerald scored 17 points in the first half to pace Oklahoma to a double-digit halftime lead that they'd never relinquish. They've been a very good rebounding team this season, and won the rebounding here as well. But the reason they won so easily was because the backcourt finally stepped up, led by Steven Pledger (22 points on 9-for-12 shooting). For Arkansas, the silver lining in this game was a breakout game from star 2011 recruit BJ Young (24 points on 9-for-16 shooting).

Mike Anderson will eventually get enough of his players in place to turn this Arkansas program around, but it's not going to happen this year. He didn't have a ton of returning contributing players, and the ones that were returning didn't really fit into his style of play. They'll be tough to play and will play good defense, but offensively they just won't be able to keep up with quality opponents. They're now 5-3 with zero quality wins and a bad loss to Houston. They'll get a few cupcakes next, with their next tough game likely being December 28th against Charlotte.

Oklahoma's been quiet this season because they haven't played many quality opponents. This win and a win over Washington State have been their best this season, though they don't have any bad losses either. They'll play Houston next Saturday, and also have a game against Cincinnati before beginning Big 12 play on January 3rd at Missouri.