Chaos in the Big East: Creighton Dethrones No. 5 UConn

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Wednesday night, February 18, 2026, delivered another tectonic shift in the college basketball landscape. While several Top 25 teams survived hostile environments, the headline of the night was the fall of a juggernaut in Storrs and a double-overtime thriller in Tuscaloosa that redefined “offensive explosion.”

Here is the recap of a wild night in the Top 25.

The Big East Shocker: Creighton Stuns No. 5 UConn

In one of the most significant results of the conference season, the Creighton Bluejays marched into Gampel Pavilion and handed No. 5 UConn its first home conference loss of the year.

The Score: Creighton 91, No. 5 UConn 84
The Impact: UConn (24–3) had been nearly invincible at home, but Creighton’s lights-out perimeter shooting (48% from deep) silenced the Husky faithful.
The Stat: This win likely propels Creighton into the Top 25 next week and puts a massive dent in UConn’s hopes for a #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The SEC Marathon: No. 25 Alabama Outlasts No. 20 Arkansas

In what will surely be remembered as the “Game of the Year” in the SEC, Alabama and Arkansas traded haymakers for 50 minutes of basketball.

The Score: No. 25 Alabama 117, No. 20 Arkansas 115 (2OT)
The Offense: This was the highest-scoring game between two ranked SEC teams in over a decade. Alabama clawed back from a 9-point deficit in the final three minutes of regulation to force overtime.
The Clincher: A late layup by Mark Sears in the second overtime proved to be the difference as the Crimson Tide jumped the Razorbacks in the SEC standings.

Favorites Holding the Line

While some fell, other Top 10 programs took care of business to solidify their March resumes:

No. 4 Arizona 75, No. 23 BYU 68: The Wildcats bounced back from their weekend loss with a dominant showing in the paint. Arizona controlled the glass 39–32, proving they are still the team to beat in the Big 12. Arizona held on despite 35 points from AJ Dybantsa.
No. 8 Kansas 81, Oklahoma State 69: Despite star freshman Darryn Peterson struggling with recurring cramping issues, Bill Self’s squad used a 12–0 second-half run to pull away in Stillwater.
No. 14 Virginia 94, Georgia Tech 68: The Cavaliers’ “Tony Bennett Defense” was in full effect, holding the Yellow Jackets to just 27 points in the first half.

Bracketology Watch

UConn’s Slide: Expect the Huskies to drop toward the 8–10 range in next week’s poll.
The Tide Rising: Alabama’s win over a ranked Arkansas team likely secures their spot in the Top 20.
Tennessee’s Case: After a blowout 89–66 win over Oklahoma, the Volunteers (who were just outside the Top 25 at #28) are almost certain to be ranked come Monday.