Alabama and Arkansas took 50 minutes to settle things, with the Tide ultimately pulling out a 117-115 victory despite a truly unique performance from Arkansas freshman Darius Acuff. Labaron Philon, Aiden Sherrell and Meleek Thomas also posted their own eye-catching numbers, adding to a delightful game that was both extremely close and extremely well played.
Alabama’s victory has major implications for the entire conference. Along with Tennessee, both the Tide and Razorbacks are now two full games behind Florida in the regular season title race. The Hogs have a head-to-head matchup with the Gators to close that deficit, but it’s in Gainesville and Florida is currently playing at a national championship level. Even with Acuff putting up record-breaking performances, Arkansas needs help to challenge the Gators.
For Alabama, this win keeps the Tide squarely in the mix for a double bye in the SEC Tournament. A loss would have left them in a major scandal with Vanderbilt, Texas, Kentucky and others for the final round, but surviving Arkansas’ best blow keeps Nate Oats’ team in great shape. – Jim Wortel
Creighton’s win over UConn opens the door in the Big East
Last weekend Dan Hurley doubted the enthusiasm of his own audience. Hurley called Storrs, CT, the basketball capital of the world, and said he expected more from his fans after visiting coach Ed Cooley mentioned some empty seats in the post-game handshake line.
On Wednesday night, Creighton took over the basketball capital and shocked the host Huskies, 91-84, shocking the hoops world and creating chaos in both the Big East title race and the race for the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
UConn’s defense, the unit that has carried it all season, simply couldn’t stop the Bluejays’ convoluted offensive play just two and a half weeks after beating Creighton 85-58 in Omaha. The visitors connected on 10 triples and lived at the free-throw line, ultimately scoring 1.28 points per possession.
It was a balanced effort from the Jays, with four players scoring double-digit points, led by Josh Dix’s 21 and Nik Graves’ 18. Blake Harper’s microwave-like 12 points in just eight minutes also provided a huge boost.
For UConn, the only real bright spot was a breakout performance from freshman Braylon Mullins. He scored 25 points, although it took him 22 field goal attempts to reach that mark. His smooth jumper (6-for-11 from 3) kept the Huskies in it, as did Tarris Reed’s double-double (15 points, 12 rebounds).
The Huskies’ shocking home loss left the door wide open for St. John’s in the conference, although UConn still hosts the Red Storm next week. In fact, the Huskies’ hold on the final No. 1 seed behind Michigan, Duke and Arizona is now tenuous at best. Both Houston and Iowa State may have already passed UConn after this result. – Carrot
Peterson’s injury is still a concern
Darryn Peterson was on his way to a great performance, but after knocking down a three-pointer a few minutes into the second half, he turned to the bench and asked to be removed from the game. At that point, Peterson had scored 23 points in 18 minutes.
It looked like Bill was bringing in Elmarko for Tre White.
Then DP says something and the staff switches on the sub. Elmarko for DP
pic.twitter.com/vifMWGCk1t
— Mike Vernon (@M_Vernon) February 19, 2026
The No. 8 Jayhawks did well at Oklahoma State, winning 81-69, but the story of Peterson’s injuries continues. Bill Self said after the game that he “didn’t expect” Peterson to take himself out.
“It’s a concern. I thought we were past it, but clearly we’re not. It’s definitely a concern. You’re in the NCAA tournament, you’re playing against a team that’s as good as you are, and you have to have all your best players available,” said after the game. “All it takes is for a day like that to derail not just a game, but a season. Yes, it’s worrying, but we’re making progress on it.”
The tournament will feature two rounds over three days. It will be a war of attrition. Kansas has managed to keep itself afloat even when its star player hasn’t fully participated. It earned a win over then-undefeated Arizona with Peterson out due to an illness and is a respectable third in the Big 12.
But as Self said, all it takes is one day when his body isn’t feeling good to derail their season in March. – Nasty
Vanderbilt’s comeback falls short
Vanderbilt was so close to a comeback at Missouri.
oh my. pic.twitter.com/0iR4reeS1F
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) February 19, 2026
The No. 19 Commodores trailed by 21 points with 8:41 left, but a barrage of 3s and forced turnovers sparked the comeback. Credit to Vanderbilt for staying in the game and giving himself a chance to steal one. However, they fall to 8-5 in the SEC after looking like a favorite to win the upcoming conference.
The Commodores have been hit by the injury bug. Duke Miles and Frankie Collins are both out of action for an extended period. Even before Miles went down, Vanderbilt dropped three straight games to Texas, Florida and Arkansas.
Their schedule has lightened up lately, leading to a few more wins, and Tyler Tanner is still playing well. But the Commodores have fallen significantly since their 16-0 start. – Nasty
BYU’s shrinking ceiling
With Richie Saunders out for the season with a torn ACL, BYU’s season prospects have deteriorated dramatically.
No. 4 Arizona won handily at home without Koa Peat, 75-68, despite BYU’s late attempt to cut the lead and AJ Dybantsa’s 35 points.
The Cougars have Dybantsa and Robert Wright III to thank as real offensive threats. Dybantsa scored 35 points and Wright added 13 points. Kennard Davis Jr. was the only other player with more than four points (10).
The team simply doesn’t have the shooting capabilities to take advantage of Dybantsa and Wright’s creation. BYU shot five for 19 from the three-point line and 43 percent from the field. When Arizona — which ranks 355th in three-point attempts — outshoots you, it’s not a recipe for success.
Dybantsa is still able to push his team to some wins because he is so talented, but it is very difficult to imagine BYU hosting an NCAA Tournament. – Nasty
Bubble winners
Missouri earned its biggest win of the night. The Tigers continued their confusing season of ups and downs by barely hanging on at home against Vanderbilt, 81-80. On a night when most of the other top contenders struggled or lost outright, the Tigers pulled off a standout win.
Fellow SEC bubbler Texas A&M found a way to survive against Ole Miss, 80-77, despite trailing for most of the game. And speaking of surviving, Saint Mary’s pulled off a 72-70 victory in Seattle. Both the Aggies and the Gaels remain on the inside of the field in part thanks to those results. – Carrot
Bubble losers
Immediately after returning to the big picture, West Virginia suffered a third-quarter loss at home to Utah, 61-56. That inexcusable result continued an eight-game trend of alternating wins and losses as the Mountaineers remained on the fringes of the discussion. Speaking of damaging third quarter losses, Seton Hall lost at home to DePaul 69-57 and has now been swept by the Blue Demons.
Auburn couldn’t escape Starkville with a win, falling 91-85, and the Tigers have now dropped five straight games to fall to 14-12 overall. Mississippi State’s Josh Hubbard exploded for 46 points (35 in the first half), falling one point shy of the school’s all-time record (Bailey Howell in 1959, 47 points). Both Oklahoma State and USC had highly ranked teams on their home floors, but neither was competitive and sniffed out huge opportunities to make emphatic statements. The Cowboys lost to Kansas 81-69, while the Trojans lost to Illinois 101-65. -Root
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