There were five top 20 matchups on Saturday, and although there weren’t any buzzer beaters, there were some good games. Here are a few random thoughts…

– What is CBS thinking having Gus Johnson in the studio? He’s a capable in the halftime show, but he should be at the gym calling a game.

– #8 Syracuse blew out #13 Notre Dame, 93-74. The Big East is deep again this season and any win will be tough, especially on the road. Six Orangemen scored in double figures, led by Arinze Onuaku’s 19 points. Luke Harangody scored 25 points, but was a miserable 9-28 from the field.

– #2 Duke beat #12 Georgetown at home, 76-67. This game was close at the start, but a late first half run put the Blue Devils ahead, 40-29. From there, Duke simply managed its lead. G’Town cut it to five with 0:46 to play, but Duke made its free throws and coasted to the win. Gerald Henderson led the Dookies with 23 points and is looking more and more like an NBA talent.

– #3 Wake Forest won at #9 Clemson, 78-68. There was a great atmosphere at Littlejohn Coliseum, but the Demon Deacons passed the ball really well down the stretch to fend off the pesky Tigers. Clemson cut the lead to 61-60 with 4:54 to play, but Wake went on a 10-1 run over the next two and a half minutes to essentially put the game away. Jeff Teague led Wake with 24 points and five dimes.

– #15 Arizona State went into Pauley Pavilion and upended #7 UCLA in overtime, 61-58. Former North Carolina State head coach Herb Sendek has the Sun Devils playing solid basketball. They aren’t a very balanced team; James Harden (24 points) and Jeff Pendergraph (18 points) scored 42 of the team’s 61 points. UCLA simply couldn’t figure out the ASU zone in the second half, and didn’t score a single point for the last eight minutes of regulation. Including the extra period, the Bruins scored a total of four points in 13 minutes. Ouch.

– #20 Louisville upended #1 Pittsburgh, 69-63. Like I said earlier, winning on the road in the Big East isn’t going to be easy this season. There are a lot of good teams with strong home courts. Terrence Williams (20 points, seven rebounds, four assists) led the way for the Cardinals, and Earl Clark posted a double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) on his birthday. It looks like Duke will be the #1 team in the nation come Monday, at least in the ESPN poll.