The Big East was 2-1 in non-conference games on Thursday. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights stunned the No. 10 Florida Gators in double overtime. The Cincinnati Bearcats outlasted the Oklahoma Sooners and the No. 13 Marquette Golden Eagles were upset by the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Rutgers 85, No. 10 Florida 83, 2 OT: The Florida Gators are now 0-3 on the road in 2011. Ohio State and Syracuse defeated the Gators in the first of those two games, but losing to Rutgers last night was certainly shocking. I had a feeling Rutgers was going to make a game out of it in the first half when the Scarlet Knights' defense didn't get discouraged after a quick start by the Gators. Florida couldn't pull away in the second half and eventually fell in the second overtime. Eli Carter scored a game-high 31 points for Rutgers. Dane Miller had 16 points on 8-13 shooting and 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and a block for the Scarlet Knights. Jerome Seagears and Myles Mack also reached double figures for Rutgers. Kenny Boynton led Florida with 26 points. For more postgame coverage, visit our Rutgers blog On The Banks.
Cincinnati 56, Oklahoma 55: The Bearcats were nowhere near 100 points against Oklahoma but they won't care. Cashmere Wright finished off the Cincinnati comeback from 12 points down with a layup with 8.8 seconds to play. Oklahoma missed their shot to win the game after Wright's layup. Despite only shooting 27.9% from the field for the game, Cincinnati won the game in part because they had a +10 advantage in turnovers on the night. The Bearcats also had a 20-9 free throw advantage even though they were outrebounded. Dion Dixon led Cincinnati with 18 points. Sean Kilpatrick had a good outing for the Bearcats with 17 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 1 assist. JaQuon Parker also reached double figures for Cincy. Oklahoma was led by Andrew Fitzgerald's 18 points. For more postgame coverage, visit our Cincinnati blog Down The Drive.
Vanderbilt 74, No. 13 Marquette 57: This game was over quickly. It was as shocking as Rutgers' upset of Florida. Vanderbilt jumped all over Marquette from the opening whistle with a 31-6 run. By halftime, the score was 44-22. The Commodores are known for their three point shooting and they lived up to it by shooting 10-22 from behind the arc on the night. Jae Crowder eventually led Marquette in scoring with 16 points for the game, but started 0-7 from the field. Crowder also had 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. As a team, the Golden Eagles shot a season low 32.2%. Jeffery Taylor scored 13 of his team-leading 19 points in the second half for Vandy. Lance Goulbourne helped Vanderbilt win the rebounding battle. Goulbourne had 16 rebounds and 13 points. For more postgame coverage, visit our Marquette blog Anonymous Eagle.
West Virginia travels to Seton Hall (9 p.m., TV: ESPN2) in the only game featuring Big East teams on Friday.