That even on a random Wednesday in early February – with no rankings versus rankings, while the nation’s sporting attention is otherwise focused on the Olympics trade deadline, the Super Bowl and the NBA – you’re still responsible for a highly entertaining evening.
Between multiple upset top 20 teams, on-court controversy, and a game featuring 79 (!!) three-point attempts (which somehow, stunningly, doesn’t come close to this season’s single-game record) what more can you ask for?
Shorthanded Portland shocks Gonzaga, ends 20-game skid against Zags
The Portland Pilots have had a tough time this season health-wise. In a recent game against Washington State, the Pilots had just eight active players in a 104-74 loss.
The team was in such need of healthy bodies that they recently made graduate assistant Sam Noland a player on the roster. He last played for Division III Pacific Lutheran in the 2023-2024 season. He logged 12 minutes against Washington State and went on the floor against the Zags.
In fact, they cut so many players that head coach Shantay Legens got into practice on the scout team. The result was a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Here’s a new one for you.
A week ago, so many players were sick for the University of Portland that HC Shantay Legans had to play the scout team. It didn’t go well.
He tore his Achilles tendon.
He told me he was going to play Gonzaga tonight. That still has to happen 😂 pic.twitter.com/Z9VDMzpZHH
— Brenna Greene (@BrennaGreene_) February 5, 2026
“We did it, we won the match. I’ll take an Achilles tendon for a few wins,” said Legans after the game.
Like many high school and junior high schools, the Pilots (11-14, 4-8) lost key players to the transfer portal. Their two top scorers from last year, Max Mackinnon and Austin Rapp, transferred to LSU and Wisconsin. Their top six players in minutes are no longer on the team.
Despite all the adversity, that didn’t stop the Pilots from pulling off perhaps the surprise of the year, beating No. 6 Gonzaga (22-2, 10-1) at home 87-80, ending a 20-game losing streak against the Zags. The shorthanded team led for 94 percent of the match. It’s the first time Portland has defeated a top 10 team.
Freshman guard Joel Foxwell controlled the game, dropping 27 points and eight assists. He briefly left the game with a lower-body injury, but returned to close out the game as Gonzaga cut its 15-point lead to four points. But the pilots held on for the unlikely victory.
Gonzaga, known for their quality interior play, outrebounded 32 to 27 and outscored 40-26 in the paint. They held the Zags to 40 percent shooting from the field.
What does this mean for Gonzaga? This loss is the first for the Zags since losing to Michigan by 40 points during Players Era in November. This could very well be a hiccup in conference play in an otherwise dominant stretch. But looking at their last two games against Saint Mary’s and San Francisco, they won by single digits against two stronger WCC teams.
They still have a matchup against Santa Clara, who is now the No. 1 team in the conference, but this time they don’t have Braden Huff. The Bulldogs’ fastball that dominates the paint may have a little less kick than it did at the start of the season.
Portland and Gonzaga will play each other again in three weeks in Spokane, but the Pilots had the last laugh at home. This game marked the last time Gonzaga will play in Portland in the WCC as they move to the new Pac-12 next season. –Matthew Ho
Michigan State can’t afford the current Jeremy Fears Jr. problem
Now before we get into all things Michigan State, we want to at least give Tom Izzo’s team credit for their fight during Wednesday’s eventual 76-73 loss to Minnesota. Despite never leading against the Gophers and trailing by sixteen with just under four minutes to play, MSU went on a 20-6 run in the closing minutes – thanks in part to Coen Carr’s physicality and Trey Fort’s lights-out shooting – cutting the deficit to two with twenty seconds left.
Then Minnesota’s Isaac Asuma made two free throws to give the Gophers two more possessions, which proved just enough to give Niko Medved’s team its third home win this season.
The story of the game, however, isn’t that Sparty has now dropped back-to-back Big Ten games after seven straight wins beforehand.
It’s star point guard Jeremy Fears Jr., who earned a technical foul — and probably could have been called at least one more time — against the Gophers for… well, see for yourself:
Jeremy Fears Jr. of Michigan State received a technical foul on the play. pic.twitter.com/q03PMlmOzl
— FOX College Hoops (@CBbonFOX) February 5, 2026
And unfortunately that wasn’t all:
Jeremy fears. pic.twitter.com/ArnjHNpqwN
— The Winged Helmet (@TWH_Chris) February 5, 2026
Fears’ on-court behavior first came under fire earlier this week following Sparty’s 83-71 loss to rival Michigan last Friday. Michigan coach Dusty May was asked on a Big Ten conference call Monday about Fears allegedly tripping one of his players mid-game — which video evidence seemed to confirm — and responded, “Allegedly? … It wasn’t an illusion. I think there were several plays that (were) very dangerous.”
Fears also received a flagrant foul in that game for pushing Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg into the back after a breakaway attempt.
After Wednesday’s incident, which Izzo deemed a “critical” postgame play, Michigan State’s head coach committed not to start his top scorer for Saturday’s crucial home game against No. 5 Illinois.
“Jeremy still has some growing up to do,” Izzo added.
Izzo pinned Fears for nearly three minutes late in the second half after his technical foul as Michigan State began its late push. Izzo finally re-inserted Fears, the nation’s second-leading assist leader, with 1:50 left and Sparty trailing by 12.
Fears finished with 10 points and 11 assists, shooting 4-for-11 and missing all three of his 3-point attempts.
Between Saturday’s game against the Fighting Illini, a rematch with Michigan to close out the regular season and four other games against expected NCAA Tournament teams in between, Michigan State can’t afford to let its Fears problem persist — or worse, let it grow. If Sparty wants to make any kind of Big Ten push, as unlikely as that now seems, Fears will need to play like the borderline All-American he was in the first half of this season in key wins over Kentucky, North Carolina and Iowa.
Would Izzo ever consider temporarily suspending Fears – a la Grayson Allen at Duke in 2016 – to make a point? And would he do that before such a huge conference game, with huge implications for the league?
It seems unlikely, but with Izzo you never know. This is not what he will tolerate. – Brendan Marks
AJ Dybantsa’s 36 isn’t enough to stop BYU’s skid
No. 16 BYU entered Wednesday’s road trip to Oklahoma State having won 22 straight games against unranked foes, and all four losses so far against top-15 foes — but welcome to life in the Big 12, the best basketball conference in America.
Kevin Young’s team found that out the hard way, as an expected tie against the Cowboys instead became the Cougars’ third straight loss, this time 99-92 for a program that hasn’t made the NCAA tournament in five seasons. (Could that change now, though, after Steve Lutz’s team earns its first Quad 1 win of the season? It’s entirely possible. This result at least pushes the Cowboys into the bubble conversation, if nothing else.) While BYU star AJ Dybantsa — a projected top-3 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft — had one of his better offensive performances of the season, putting up 30 points for the fourth time in his freshman campaign, his 36 were still not enough to overcome the The hot shooting of cowboys.
The hero for Lutz’s team? Anthony Roy, who scored a season-high 30 while draining five threes and shooting nine-of-15 overall. Now in his sixth season of college basketball, Roy led Division I in scoring at Green Bay last season (with 25.7 points per game) before an injury ended his season prematurely.
With the win, Oklahoma State moved to 26-0 under Lutz — a former Purdue assistant under Matt Painter — as he scored at least 81 points.
But for BYU, which must now turn around and host No. 8 Houston on Saturday — gulp — things have gone from bad to worse.
Once again, the Cougars’ glaring lack of production off the bench — compounded by Dawson Baker’s season-ending knee injuries — was a major factor. BYU entered the game ranked 285th in bench minutes, according to KenPom, allowing just nine points from the reserves on a night where Oklahoma State had nine players playing double-digit minutes. Combined with BYU’s 16 turnovers, which the Cowboys converted into 21 points, and Oklahoma State’s surprising 52-36 advantage in paint points, Young’s team trailed for the final 11:30. – To notice
Alabama outlasts Texas A&M in shootout
Did you expect anything less between two of the top three-point teams in the country?
After a combined 79 three-point attempts (11 short of this season’s record of 90 between Alabama and UTSA), the Tide remains above .500 in SEC play in a 100-97 win over a rolling Texas A&M team. The Aggies didn’t make the AP Top 25, but they did receive votes this past week. A win over Alabama would have given A&M exclusive control of the SEC.
The key for Alabama was committing just six turnovers. The Aggies led the SEC in converting opponents and used their full-court press to force teams into bad decisions, but Alabama was prepared.
A&M either sends a trap to the ball or plays the press straight up. If the defender guarding the inbounder were to turn and run into a trap, the inbounder would run down the middle of the floor and receive a pass along the way. Absent a trap, the Tide has enough ball control to deal with a defender one-on-one. They took advantage of the advantage they gained by breaking the press, which often resulted in a 3.
Alabama has fallen out of the rankings, but they do have some real offensive talent on this team. Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon Jr. are two dynamic guards who can play with or without the ball. Amari Allen has burst onto the scene as a freshman and generated some NBA buzz for herself. Latrell Wrightsell and Taylor Bol Bowen (who did not play against Texas A&M) round out one of the best offenses in the country.
The question remains about the defense. That’s what Nate Oats hopes to get out of former G-League player Charles Bediako, who is scoring at least two blocks per game for now.
On the other hand, Texas A&M has already exceeded expectations this season under first-year head coach Bucky McMillan. They have a clear identity, which allows them to recruit players who fit their system and may be undervalued by other programs. A&M is still looking to top the SEC and will be an interesting team to follow in March. – Nasty
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