West Virginia 77 Cincinnati 74 (OT). In a wild game that it seemed neither team really wanted to win (judging by the myriad mistakes made at the end of regulation and overtime), West Virginia held on in overtime to beat Cincinnati 77-74. The loss snapped Cincinnati's seven game Big East road winning streak and was yet another win for Bob Huggins' overachieving team. Kevin Jones continued to make a case for Big East and perhaps national player of the Year discussions, dropping 26 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in the game. Cincinnati got another solid game from Cash Wright (17 points) and Sean Kilpatrick (12 points) but the team went cold in overtime (outscored 8-5).
Villanova 79 St. John's 76 (OT). In what has been a trying season for both teams, Villanova held on in overtime to beat St. John's and get back to .500 on the season. The Wildcats' best offensive weapons came through when it mattered most as Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek combined for 48 points. Villanova needed all that it could get from the two, who were on the court for all but nine minutes of the game combined. JayVaugn Pinkston added 13 more off the bench in the win. The win gave Villanova consecutive wins for the first time since it started the season 4-0. The game was tight throughout, but an 8-1 run to start the overtime period gave the Wildcats a lead they would not surrender. D'Angelo Harrison had another fine game in a losing effort, scoring 28 points before fouling out late.
Georgetown 52 Rutgers 50. Despite having a lead for most of the game, Rutgers couldn't hold on late and let a hgu opportunity for a season saving win slip away, losing to Georgetown 52-50. Despite coming off the bench and scoring just nine points in the game, Otto Porter scored the game's final six points, including two free throws late, to give the Hoyas the win. It was not a pretty offensive performance for the Hoyas, who finished the game 12 of 41 (29.3%) from the field and just 3 of 14 (21.4%) from three point range. But the Hoyas did outrebound Rutgers by 12 and enjoyed a rather friendly 29 to 14 personal foul advantage in the game. Foul differentials has been a sticky subject for Rutgers coach Mike Rice this season and this game will not soothe his frustrations about that any more. With the win, Georgetown maintains a tie for second place in the Big East conference as we near the midpoint of conference play.