Daily Links: Keon Johnson lifts Winthrop, Bucknell drops Vandy and more

It can’t be fun to buy yourself a loss.

Illinois and Vanderbilt did just that last night, dropping home games to Winthrop and Bucknell, respectively. But this isn’t “Power-Conference Madness,” so we had plenty of fun, especially watching Winthrop’s Keon Johnson put 38 points on the Illini in - at times - whirlwind fashion.

We weren’t the only ones that came away impressed.

That game gets top billing in today’s links:

Johnson scores 38, Winthrop upsets Illinois 84-80 in OT | The News & Observer

"That's just who he is: He's just a little warrior, fearless," Winthrop head coach Pat Kelsey said. "He plays with a chip on his shoulder. I'm so proud of him."

Well, that sucked: Vanderbilt loses to Bucknell 75-72 | Anchor of Gold

The “opposition’s” take on Bucknell’s buy game win in Nashville.

MAC Men’s Basketball Daily Recap, 11/21/16: BGSU, Ball State, CMU and Kent State | Hustle Belt

Lucky number 7? Not today in MAC basketball action. All 4 losers scored 77 in their loss.

BYU Basketball vs. St. Louis Final: Cougars overpower Billikens 93-63 | Vanquish the Foe

For the fourth straight game, BYU used a dominating low post presence to outpace a stubborn opponent. Saint Louis was not expected to play well but stayed close to BYU throughout the first half, even closing the deficit to three points several times.

Clayton Custer scores 19 as Loyola beats Washington State | Chicago Tribune

"Coach (Porter Moser) puts a big emphasis on finding ways to win," Custer said. "No matter how it looks, no matter if it's ugly or not, we make sure we find ways to win. But we always felt like we were in a comfortable place."

Men’s Basketball: Balanced Coyotes Edge Kent State 80-77 | Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan

Matt Mooney scored 17 points and Tyler Flack added 12 more, including a tip-in with 10 seconds left, as South Dakota moved to 5-0 with an 80-77 win against Kent State Monday in a first-round game at the Gulf Coast Showcase inside Germain Arena.

Coming back from heartbreak: Northern Iowa’s journey past a tourney collapse | NBC College Basketball Talk

It wasn’t until the impossible materialized that Jeremy Morgan really realized what was happening around him.