Marquette Enjoying The Top While It Can

The Golden Eagles dispatched the suddenly terrible Fighting Irish leaving them on top of the Big East for at least a little while longer.

Marquette's schedule is seriously backloaded (last five games: @ Georgtown, UConn, @ Louisville, @ Pitt, Syracuse), but the good news is that they have an opportunity to roll up an impressive record while the rest of the league slugs the crap out of each other. Only four Eagles combined for all 71 points, but Jerel McNeal had 27 of them last night and the Eagles pulled away late.

Notre Dame, meanwhile, has been effectively eliminated from the conference race and must scramble to simply try and rack up enough wins to make to the NCAA tournament. Luke HARANGODY! had 29 and 17, but didn't score in the final 3:30 as the Irish have followed a 45-game home winning streak with a two-game home losing streak (and four in a row overall.) They were ranked in the Top 10 at one point, but have simply been crushed by the toughest part of their schedule. Then again, they are Notre Dame. [Chicago Tribune]

Oklahoma 89, Oklahoma St 81: News flash: Blake Griffin is good. He had 19 rebounds—one more than all of the Cowboys combined—while Austin Johnson threw in five three-pointers and that was enough for the Sooners to hold off a late OSU rally.

Does anyone else get a Danny Manning/Carmelo Anthony vibe off this guy? Like, Griffin may or may not be the best player in the country, but he's exactly the kind of guy who can carry a team to six straight wins in March? Simply typing that sentence is probably a lifetime jinx, but a little pressure never bothered Sam Bradford, right? [ Kansas City Star]