No. 10 Michigan State couldn’t finish off Stefhon Hannah (20 points, 5-11 3FG) and Missouri until the final buzzer rang last night. The Tigers rallied from double-digit deficits on two occasions, one of which came within the last 90 seconds when Hannah hit three 3’s to cut the MSU lead to one. Unfazed by the pressure, All-American PG Drew Neitzel (21 points, 6-10 FG, 3-6 3FG) knocked down both free throws to seal the W, 86-83.

All three of State’s premier freshman saw some PT last night, but only one has cracked Izzo’s rotation for legitimate burn. In 32 minutes of action, 6-0 G Kalin Lucas posted 10 points (3-8 FG, 4-4 FT), dished out two assists and most importantly did not commit a single turnover against Missou’s swarming full court press. Lucas is frighteningly quick with the ball, providing Izzo with a reliable ballhandling option if he wants to slide Neitzel over to shooting guard.

When the Spartans take on UCLA tonight at 10 PM, don’t expect to see freshman SG Chris Allen on the floor with the game on the line; Allen bricked two three-point attempts as Missouri mounted a comeback to cap off a miserable 0-5 night (0-3 3FG) for 0 points. Though Neitzel called Allen “one of the best shooters I’ve seen coming out of high school,” the rook has gotten off to a shaky start: he’s 10-31 from the field and 4-15 from downtown in three games.

Aside from the Spartan struggles, Top 25 teams feasted on lesser competition last night. UCLA muddied Maryland, 71-59 in an unsightly shooting debacle – both teams combined to shoot 38.7% from the field. But even that number is inflated by the post players’ gimmes in the paint – a more accurate depiction of the game was the 20.8% rate from beyond the arc. Undoubtedly the dunk of the night was Josh Shipp’s banger in transition on Bambale Osby. Shipp followed the stuff with his best shoulder-shake a la ’Toine and was rewarded with a tech.

Kevin Love beasted the Terps bigs, notching 18 points and 16 boards. When he takes a breather, it’s no relief for UCLA’s opponents to see C Lorenzo Mata-Real take the floor. Mata-Real spelled Love or Alfred Aboya for 25 minutes, in which he grabbed nine boards, six on the offensive end last night – at least three better than anyone on Maryland.

The Dukies were in full blast last night, torching Princeton from the outset with a 31-2 run after the Tigers scored the game’s first bucket, en route to an 83-61 victory. PF Kyle Singler paced the attack, scoring the majority of his 21 points on easy putbacks, courtesy of his nine offensive rebounds (12 total). Greg Paulus might be Duke’s weakest link; he simply couldn’t stay with 6-3 G Matt Sargeant. It looked like a 40-year old taking Paulus to the tin at will.

Jerryd Bayless rebounded from his costly mental mistake against UVA with a 20-point, nine-rebound, nine-assist game last night as Arizona crushed UMKC 81-62.