Kansas, Nevada, and Kentucky All Fall in College Basketball

Three upsets of note occurred in college basketball on January 5th as #5 Kansas, #6 Nevada, and #13 Kentucky all lost conference games to unranked opponents on the road.

In Ames, Iowa, guard Marial Shayok scored 24 points to lead Iowa State to a 77-60 victory over Kansas. The Cyclones outscored the Jayhawks 41-28 in the second half. Both teams are now 12-2, and the preciously unranked Iowa State should move into the Top 25; their two losses are to Arizona in the Maui Invitational and at then #18 Iowa. The Cyclones have now won five straight.

New Mexico had a surprisingly easy time beating previously unbeaten Nevada 85-58 in a Mountain West Conference game in Albuquerque. The Lobos took a 12 point lead into the locker room at halftime, and like Iowa State, had a dominating second half to put the game away, outscoring the Wolf Pack 47-32. New Mexico improved to 8-6 in its first matchup with a ranked opponent this season, and has won three in a row after a stretch of losing five of six. Nevada is 14-1.

In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the Alabama Crimson Tide held off a late rally by Kentucky to beat the Wildcats 77-75. All five starters on both teams scored in double figures; Alabama’s Tevin Mack led all scorers with 22 points, hitting six of eight three point attempts. Alabama has won five straight and improved to 10-3 overall as the Tide attempts to make itself a major player in the always deep SEC. Kentucky is also 10-3.