The final weekend of January continued an exciting men’s college basketball season. Here’s what you need to know from Saturday’s action, which featured notable upsets right from the day’s first tip.
SCOREBOARD: Click or tap here to see every score
Oklahoma handed No. 2 Alabama its first loss since the middle of December in impressive fashion. The Sooners blew out the Crimson Tide 93-69.
Oklahoma’s 24-point victory comes after it entered on a three-game losing streak and lost by 27 to TCU on Tuesday. Saturday was a different story, however, after Grant Sherfield and Jalen Hill combined for 56 points (30 and 26, respectively). The Sooners shot 59.6 percent from the field and were a lethal 75 percent from 3, making nine of their 19 attempts.
JALEN. HILL!
Brandon Miller found himself on the wrong end of a poster as Oklahoma is pounding Alabama. pic.twitter.com/2Ss3cWxlht
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) January 28, 2023
Defensively, the Sooners shut down top NBA draft prospect Brandon Miller, limiting him to 4-for-14 shooting and just 11 points. The impressive performance led to Oklahoma fans storming the court.
Final | Oklahoma 93, No. 2 Crimson Tide 69
Sooners throttle Alabama start to finish behind 30 points from Grant Sherfield. OU gets its biggest win of the Porter Moser era. pic.twitter.com/ppyUkjwfw4
— Eli Lederman (@ByEliLederman) January 28, 2023
BRACKETOLOGY: Predicting the March Madness men’s bracket 50 days before Selection Sunday
Missouri knocked off No. 12 Iowa State 78-61. The Tigers shot 46.7 percent from 3 behind D’Moi Hodge’s 17 points off five 3-pointers. Kobe Brown also added 20 points in the win.
.@Dmoi_VI is a man on a mission this week!#MIZ 🐯 pic.twitter.com/aa93fDAj9l
— Mizzou Hoops (@MizzouHoops) January 28, 2023
Missouri’s upset was powered by the Tigers winning the turnover battle, scoring 20 points off 19 Iowa State turnovers. The Tigers won the turnover battle 19-12.
RANKINGS: See the latest AP Poll
Creighton handed No. 13 Xavier its second Big East loss, blasting the Musketeers 84-67. Arthur Kaluma’s 20 points led the way as the Bluejays had five players with double-digit scoring. Ryan Nembhard finished just short of a triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Defensively, the Bluejays locked down Xavier’s leading scorer Souley Boum, limiting him to a season-low 2 points. With the win, Creighton is now 7-2 since Ryan Kalkbrenner made his return. On the day, Kalkbrenner recorded 17 points on nine shots. Creighton improved to 7-3 in the Big East — well within striking distance of Xavier (9-2 in conference play).
R2 ➡️ KALKBRENNER!!#CreightonVsCancer pic.twitter.com/H9Mkza33h6
— Creighton Men’s Basketball (@BluejayMBB) January 28, 2023
BACK ON TRACK: 4 preseason favorites who stumbled, regrouped, and are perhaps primed for a run
After leading by six at the break, West Virginia escaped No. 15 Auburn in a gritty 80-77 win at home. The Tigers battled back in the second half to make this one more interesting, outscoring the Mountaineers by 13 after halftime, but ultimately, the victory was out of reach as Auburn never led in the game. WVU also finished 9 for 20 on 3s.
🗣 “We got the W”#HailWV pic.twitter.com/PiReWCW8Wc
— WVU Men’s Basketball (@WVUhoops) January 28, 2023
Auburn failed to keep West Virginia off of the free throw line; WVU went 21-for-25 from the stripe. Auburn had three starters finish in double figures, Johni Broome, Jaylin Williams, and Allen Flanigan, while KD Johnson put up 10 points off the bench. This is Auburn’s second straight loss to an unranked opponent.
The win comes as West Virginia’s second to a ranked opponent this season after beating TCU earlier this month. WVU guard Erik Stevenson scored a career-high 31 points to go along with six boards and three assists. Stevenson’s season-high in points last season, 25, also came against Auburn while played for South Carolina.
EN 
ES 