In a game that seemed all but over after the first half, the Duke Blue Devils suffered from a heartbreaking defeat against the Pittsburgh Panthers. Playing in front of a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden, the two teams witnessed what may be one of the most exciting games so far this season.

"This is the most bittersweet night in my coaching career," said Pittsburgh Coach Jamie Dixon after his senior superstar Mike Cook suffered from a leg injury. "I don't think it's good for Mike. We'll do what's best for him.

The big moment in the game came when Levance Fields of Pittsburgh hit a three-pointer with just 4.7 seconds left in overtime. Fields had been struggling all night, turning the ball over on several occasions, including the two previous Pittsburgh possessions. After the Blue Devils missed their two final shots, no. 9 Pittsburgh gave no. 7 Duke its first loss of the season. Duke could have prevented any overtime from even occurring, as they had numerous chances to run away with the victory. They led the Panthers 34-22 at half time, and had two missed field goals with just seconds left in regulation.

The Kevin Durant-less Texas Longhorns also witnessed their first lost of the season, as they were defeated by no. 10 Michigan State. Led by freshman Kalin Lucas, the Spartans managed to conjure up a 13-0 run at the end of the first half, which gave them the necessary momentum to overcome the Longhorns. Texas guard A.J. Abrams made things very interesting in the final minute, as he sunk four 3-pointers to bring the Longhorns right back into the game. However, when the Spartans’ towering center, Raymar Morgan, blocked D.J. Augustine’s layup with just seconds to play, Michigan State had secured the victory.

"That was a big-time block,'' Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said.

The Georgetown Hoyas also fell to the Memphis Tigers after a stunning performance by junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts. Douglas-Roberts finished with 24 points and got a little help from junior forward Robert Dozier, who added 19. The Tigers now hold the nation’s second-longest home winning streak at 37 games.

"If you win, it's a huge game," Tigers coach John Calipari said. "That's why it was. We won it with defense. We executed offensively the best we executed all year."

Freshman superstar Derrick Rose also had 18 points for the Tigers (10-0), who are just one win shy of their second-best start in team history. Coach Calipari was hoping the Tigers would face a challenge, as the team settles into a pretty easy schedule during January.

Georgetown just didn’t perform at the team’s expected level. Preseason All-American Roy Hibbert had a season-low 6 points, while Austin Freeman scored 14, which was the team’s high. No doubt a shocking holiday weekend, the rest of the schedule should provide for some very exciting match ups for these clubs.

The final score was 72-68, as Jeremy Pargo had a career night in points despite a losing effort. For most of the second half it appeared Pargo would lead Gonzaga to a win with the most impressive performance of his career, but his effort wasn’t enough to compete with Oklahoma.

Pargo hit five straight shots and scored all of Gonzaga’s points during a 12-5 run that gave Gonzaga the lead late in the second half.

Pargo, who scored a career-high 28 points, had two final chances to tie it. After Blake Griffin hit one of two free throws to give Oklahoma a 70-68 lead, Pargo charged under the basket and missed a lay up underneath with 12 seconds left. He had another opportunity, but Austin Johnson blocked Pargo's 3-point try.

"Jeremy brings a lot of confidence. I never worry about that," Gonzaga head coach Mark Few said. "It would have been nice if he would have had some company tonight."

Pargo was the only Bulldog to score in double figures, hitting 11-of-18 shots from the field, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range.

The Bulldogs saw OSU shoot over 65 percent from the field in the second half after holding the Cowboys to 25.7 percent in the first. "We let them shoot 65 percent in the second half after doing a pretty good job in the first half. We gave up point blank lay-ins, we weren't shifting on defense and to their credit they hit some big shots," Few noted. "We got no stops the last seven or eight possessions and we were a sieve."

On the last chance for the tie, Few said Pargo "probably should have brought it a little faster, but he felt comfortable all night and he said he was just working to get a comfortable shot." The Bulldogs entered the game a little banged up. Guard Matt Bouldin finally played, after sitting out last Monday's game with a sprained ankle. He played 26 minutes. The game also featured the return of Josh Heytvelt to the lineup for the first time since last February when he was suspended for the final nine games of the regular and post season, and then had surgery Nov. 12 to repair an injured ankle. Heytvelt played 15 minutes.

"It was good to be back on the court, but I didn't play very well," he said.

Few said Heytvelt will get better. "We made the decision today. He wanted to play. I wanted him to get more time to get in game shape and to get more reps, but the foot is safe so we decided to play him. It's just a matter of him getting into game shape," Few said. The Bulldogs will be on Christmas break until they prepare for The Battle in Seattle against the University of Tennessee, ranked 12th by both Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN.

A Tribute to Dickie V

ESPN analyst and commentator Dick Vitale recently underwent surgery to treat ulcers on his left vocal cord. Unfortunately, he is not expected to return to the booth until sometime in February. His passion and enjoyment for the game will be missed by many, as Vitale has always been considered a superb commentator.

"College basketball fans will miss Dick's enthusiasm in the coming weeks. But we are delighted to learn his surgery was a success and we all wish him a speedy recovery," ESPN president George Bodenheimer said in a statement.

What’s amazing is that Vitale has never missed any of his assignments since he joined the ESPN crew in 1979. Dr. Steven Zeitels of Massachusetts General Hospital performed the surgery for Vitale, who has prospered throughout his professional career both as a coach and an analyst.

"The past six weeks have been very emotional [for] me and for my family as we've visited some of the most outstanding throat specialists," Vitale said in a letter posted on ESPN.com. "Visiting college campuses and interacting with the fans has kept me so young and energized. I can't wait to get back out there, having a blast with all of you, who are so vital to our game."

As a youngster, Vitale always wanted to become a teacher, and his wish came true when he was employed by Mark Twain Elementary School in Garfield, New Jersey in 1963. He eventually decided that his passion was for basketball, and as a result he pursued a career as a coach. From 1970 to 1972 Vitale served as the assistant coach for Rutgers University alongside head coach Raymond Jones. He would go on to become the head coach of the University of Detroit in 1973. When it became evident that “Dickie V” possessed a comprehensive knowledge of the game, he was named head coach of the Detroit Pistons for the 1978-1979 season, where he compiled a 30-52 record.

Today, Vitale is sometimes referred to as “Dickie V,” “Quickie Dickie,” and “Mr. College Basketball.” He is known to favor the ACC teams, particularly the Duke Blue Devils and Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Some have even joked around, calling him “Duke Vitale.” At times, he will even refer to Duke when they are not even playing.

"You can't get Dick Vitale to say 15 words without Duke coming out of his mouth,” stated Temple University’s head coach John Chaney.

While some consider his style of broadcasting obnoxious, there is no doubt that he has a devout passion for the game. This year marks his 28th season with ESPN, and he is currently contracted through 2013. It should be noted that he has also made significant contributions to the V Foundation, a cancer research organization in honor of Jim Valvano. College basketball fans will definitely miss Vitale’s presence behind the booth while he is healing form surgery.

Perhaps it was the shocking defeat that the Tar Heels suffered last year during the tournament that has brought forth the necessary motivation to excel as they have. With 6 minutes left in their last tournament game, the Tar Heels had a 10-point lead but managed to blow the game in overtime and lose by a score of 96-84.

The team is on its best start since the 1997-1998 season, when they won their first 17 games in a row. On Sunday, the Tar Heels did face an unfortunate turn of events that may put their superstar Tyler Hansbrough on the shelf for a few days. With just 5:47 left in regulation, Hansbrough slipped and bumped his head off of a camera man’s leg. Hansbrough left with 20 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. While the most he may suffer is a mild concussion, there is no telling if Hansbrough will be ready to go on Wednesday when the Tar Heels face off against Nicholls State.

"I was pretty dizzy," stated Hansbrough roughly 20 minutes after the game. "I'm still a little dizzy."

While the team will no doubt miss their superstar forward even if he is benched for just one game, the depth of the Tar Heels can easily compensate for what they lose to injuries. Hansbrough is averaging roughly 20.2 points per game this year, but there are other Tar Heels that are putting on stunning performances as well. Sophomore guard Tywon Lawson is averaging close to 13 points each game along with 5 rebounds. The 5’11” guard is coming off of a career-best 26 points against Rutgers. Surprisingly, Lawson is also coming off of an injury to his ankle, but by his performance on Sunday it appears that he may be back to 100%.

With a 9-0 record, North Carolina has demonstrated nothing but dominance as the #1 ranked team in the country. Memphis, Kansas, Texas, and Georgetown appear to be the biggest threats, but it is highly unlikely that any of these teams prevent the Tar Heels from locking up a #1 ranking in the March tournament. By the looks of their schedule, it appears that their biggest challenge will not come until February when the Tar Heels face off against their arch nemesis, the Duke Blue Devils. Until then, North Carolina does not play another team that is currently ranked in the Top 10. It will be very interesting to see how head coach Roy Williams and the Tar Heels perform throughout the rest of the season.