Welcome to the third Saturday of the 2020-21 college basketball season, which figures to provide plenty of action, storylines and highlights throughout the day.
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College basketball schedule for Saturday’s Top 25 games
[table “14” not found /]Saturday’s college basketball watchability index
Live updates, highlights from Saturday’s key games
(All times Eastern; updates currently coming from @andrewdieckhoff)
11:16 p.m.: OK folks, now that all the games are wrapped, that’s gonna do it for us. Join us again for another liveblog next week – and keep coming back to Heat Check CBB in the meantime so you’re as prepared as possible for the next big slate of games. GOOD NIGHT YOU GORGEOUS DEVILS
11:07 p.m.: Pepperdine unable to square the game away, and they fall 89-84 at home to the Matadors of CSUN! Like Illinois, the Waves had a chance to tie the game, but an off-balance three-pointer wouldn’t go down. Unlike Missouri, CSUN nailed its ensuing free throws, erasing any doubt about whether they’d pull off the upset.
11:02 p.m.: CSUN edging closer to an upset over Pepperdine after Colbey Ross can’t convert. One more chance for the Waves.
10:58 p.m.: I wonder if Nate Oats will change his tune about playing these non-conference games…
10:55 p.m.: Oh, how I’ve missed this:
10:45 p.m.: Well, we almost called it a night, but you know what? Nah. We persevere. Let’s take a look at the stragglers for the rest of the night. Clemson is staking its claim as a potential Top 25 team, South Dakota State has fallen off the map, and a WCC/Big West showdown is starting to get really interesting:
10:43 p.m.: Here is our SEC expert Blake Lovell, lending definitive credence to the idea that Missouri is a really good basketball team:
10:26 p.m.: The Illini had two chances, but Ayo Dosunmu couldn’t make either of them work. HUGE win for the Missouri Tigers, who have officially announced their presence on the national stage. Expect to see the Tigers in the Top 25 next week. Here’s the full finish from Columbia:
10:21 p.m.: WE GOT OURSELVES A FINISH IN COLUMBIA!
10:02 p.m.: Big finish ahead with major Braggin’ Rights on the line!
9:41 p.m.: Purdue takes care of business against Indiana State, thanks largely due Trevion Williams’ efforts.
8:20 p.m.: Leaving Sasha Stefanovic this open seems like a suboptimal gameplan.
7:46 p.m.: Upset watch over in the SEC: Samford leads Georgia 35-31 at the half.
7 p.m.: Update on some notable final scores the last couple hours:
Dayton 85, Mississippi State 82 (2OT)
Pitt 67, Gardner Webb 50
Winthrop 95, USC Upstate 77
UAB 65, ETSU 61
VCU 77, Old Dominion 54
Ole Miss 78, UNCW 58
5:15 p.m.: Cade Cunningham wins it for Oklahoma State!
4:25 p.m.: Nice three-point play here from Wichita State’s Tyson Etienne. Followed this up with a three-pointer, too. Shockers within a point now. 45-44, Oklahoma State, at the under-12 break.
4:15 p.m.: Of course, besides the marquee matchup between the WAC and the Summit League, there are some high-major teams in action, too. Oklahoma State is getting a three-pronged attack from Cade Cunningham, Isaac Likekele, and Rondell Walker as they take on Tornado Alley rivals Wichita State. Miss State is holding Dayton at bay for now, as is Southern Miss with South Alabama. But the Shockers, Flyers, and Jaguars could all easily turn their fortunes around in the blink of an eye.
4:12 p.m.: Moving into the late afternoon, we have four close games just tipping off for the second half (relatively speaking). Dixie State is looking to stay perfect in its inaugural D1 season, having already beaten North Dakota and Saint Katherine (NAIA).
4:00 p.m.: Hello folks, it’s Andy here, officially taking over for Eli on Saturday liveblog duties. As we all wait with bated breath and crossed fingers regarding the health of Florida’s Keyontae Johnson, I’ll try to provide some levity and escape throughout the rest of the day in what are just absolutely gut-wrenching circumstances. We’ll be sure to share any updates on Johnson’s health as they come in, and we’ll do our best to keep you up to date on the rest of the action around the world of college basketball.
3:07 p.m.: An impromptu BracketBusters matchup has emerged out of thin air!
2:50 p.m.: North Carolina uses a 16-5 run before the break to take a 30-28 lead over N.C. Central after 20 minutes.
2:31 p.m.: Syracuse has doubled up BC on the road.
2:23 p.m.: Hmmm…interesting.
2:20 p.m.: Notre Dame SURVIVES. Irish nearly blew a 24-point lead in the final seconds. Wildcats are 1-4.
2:03 p.m.: Kentucky within one at 62-61 with 1:25 left!
2 p.m.: Mark it down, folks. Dunk City is back.
1:48 p.m.: Yikes.
1:45 p.m.: FGCU is doing the thing.
1:38 p.m.: Don’t look now but Notre Dame is ice cold and Kentucky has cut the deficit to 10 with nine minutes to play.
1:34 p.m.: Brandon Boston Jr. heads to the locker room after being hit in the head inadvertently by Olivier Sarr.
1:28 p.m. ET: Let’s give some love to the women’s side and highlight UConn star freshman Paige Bueckers’ first collegiate bucket.
1:12 p.m. ET: MJ Walker with an absolute poster followed by the Iverson-esque stepover. Sheesh.
12:54 p.m. ET: Some surprising halftime scores:
Notre Dame 48, Kentucky 26
Florida Gulf Coast 28, Miami FL 28
12:26 p.m. ET: Critical but stable condition is the latest word on Keyontae Johnson.
12:22 p.m. ET: Meanwhile, Notre Dame and Kentucky are underway in Lexington with the Irish off to a nice start.
12:10 p.m. ET: Scottie Barnes — good at shooty hoop.
11:48 a.m. ET: Some further information about why the game has continued, with Florida State up 24-23 with six minutes left in the first half:
11:34 a.m. ET: While Florida leads 18-12 with just over 10 minutes to play, the ESPNU broadcast shared the following information on Keyontae Johnson:
11:20 a.m. ET: Scary scene as Florida’s Keyontae Johnson collapses and needs medical assistance. After a short pause, we are back underway.
11:03 a.m. ET: Florida and No. 20 Florida State have tipped off and we are underway for today’s college basketball action!
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