Coach Roy Williams said he is struggling for answers.
"When you're a basketball player at North Carolina, people expect a lot of things of you," he said after the game. "I've got some really good kids that are hurting right now, and they're also feeling a little bit of stress."
To the bank
Ben McLemore, a 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman, has been the catalyst to the early success of Kansas, a team with four seniors and a lot of youth. He averages almost 17 points, second in the Big 12, and scored 33 - two off the freshman record held by Danny Manning - in an overtime win this week over Iowa State. In that game, McLemore fired a three-point shot that hit off the glass and went in for the tie at the end of regulation.
"When it left my hand, I actually kind of called bank," McLemore told reporters.
Terrible news
Lehigh now has to face life without star guard C.J. McCollum, who was the nation's leading scorer when he suffered a broken left foot last Saturday against Virginia Commonwealth.
McCollum underwent surgery, and his recovery period is estimated at eight to 10 weeks, but he'd have to rush to get back in time for the Patriot League tournament, plus he also has an NBA future to consider.
"There is an emotional element to C.J.'s injury," Lehigh coach Brett Reed told the Allentown Morning Call. "Our players have a tremendous amount of respect for him. They care for him a great deal. There is an emotional letdown understanding the gravity of his injury."
Hoya what?
Despite a toothless offense, Georgetown has managed to move into the top 25 thanks to the play of its defense.
But when that defense slips, as it did in Tuesday night's 73-45 home loss to Pittsburgh, the Hoyas look brutal. The Panthers shot 55 percent from the field and held Georgetown to fewer than 50 points, the fourth time that has happened to the Hoyas this season. In a 0-2 Big East start, they are averaging 46.5 points and shooting 37 percent.
Gimme a slam
Our favorite quote of the week comes from the always-candid Jim Boeheim, who spoke after Syracuse's last visit to Providence as a Big East member before the Orange move to the ACC: "Every one of these games is a little bit of sadness for me. I know where all the good restaurants are now. Now I've got to go down to Clemson, S.C. I'm sure there's a couple of Denny's down there. They'll like me a lot now in Clemson. I like to make friends before I get down there."
Expat of the Week
West Virginia junior center Aaric Murray, in his first season of competing for the Mountaineers (8-6) after spending his first two years at La Salle, leads his team in scoring (10.6 points per game), rebounding (7.7), and blocked shots (1.6).
The 6-foot-10, 245-pound Murray, who starred at Glen Mills, contributed his second double-double of the season, 12 points and 10 boards, in WVU's first-ever Big 12 win Wednesday night over Texas. Murray has started 10 games but came off the bench against the Longhorns.
Real Top 10
1. Duke 15-0
2. Michigan 16-0
3. Louisville 14-1
4. Indiana 14-1
5. Kansas 13-1
6. Syracuse 15-1
7. Minnesota 15-1
8. Arizona 14-1
9. Gonzaga 16-1
10. Florida 11-2
- Joe Juliano
City Six Games
Villanova at Syracuse, noon, 6ABC: The Wildcats, in their last trip to the Carrier Dome as a Big East member, have won three of the last four contests there.
Richmond at La Salle, 2 p.m.: The Spiders are young, and they may be without Derrick Williams (ankle), their only experienced frontcourt player.
Drexel at James Madison, 4 p.m., NBC-SN: The Dragons begin the first of three straight CAA road games. Drexel swept last season's two meetings.
St. Louis at Temple, 6 p.m., ESPNU: The Owls' shooting must improve after they went cold vs. Xavier. The Billikens have the Atlantic Ten's best scoring defense.
Penn at Princeton, 6 p.m., NBC-SN: The Quakers open Ivy League play against the archrival and heavily favored Tigers, the preseason Ivy favorites.
St. Joseph's at Duquesne, 7 p.m.: The Hawks need to be wary of a Dukes team that is 6-1 at home.
Contact Joe Juliano at jjuliano@phillynews.com, or follow on Twitter @joejulesinq.
