Round Ball Round Up // 12.10.09

LAST NIGHT

It was another nail biting finish for No. 4 Kentucky as the Wildcats downed No. 12 UConn 64-61. The player of the game once again was John Wall, whose 25 points accounted for a hair short of 40% of his team's output. DeMarcus Cousins had a double-double with 10 and 10, while Patrick Patterson had 16 for UK. The game at the end turned into a duel between Wall and UConn's Kemba Walker, but Wall prevailed while scoring 12 of his team's last 15 points down the stretch. A Sea of Blue has the usual detailed postgame rundown.

It was not as nice a night for Georgia as the Bulldogs fell to St. John's 66-56. Trey Thompkins poured in 19 points to go along with his seven rebounds for UGA, while Travis Leslie contributed 14 points. Subpar shooting did in the Bulldogs as they shot 36% from the field and 66.7% from the line, while the Red Storm shot 49% on field goals and 81.8% from the charity stripe. Georgia did a good job at hanging in there in the first half, winding up down just three at the half.

These two games were the first two in the 2009 SEC/Big East Invitational, and they made a doubleheader in Madison Square Garden. Tonight will see the other two games of this year's event, as Mississippi State takes on DePaul and Florida battles Syracuse in Tampa.

TUESDAY

A sluggish effort against a spirited Illini squad spelled doom for Vanderbilt to the tune of 79-68. Four Commodores scored at least 11 points, but A.J. Ogilvy didn't have his best night in scoring just eight points and having three turnovers to go with his three boards. The Vandy defense wasn't exactly suffocating, as Illinois shot a hair under 60% on the game including a blistering 53.3% from downtown. The Illini jumped out to a 9-0 lead to start the game, and Vandy could never overcome it. Anchor of Gold is understandably upset with the outcome.