(USA Today Sports Images)

What a day for Arizona. First the football team finishes Rich Rodriguez's initial season in Tucson by scoring two touchdowns in the final minute of the New Mexico Bowl to beat Nevada.

[Related: Arizona makes miracle comeback in final minute to beat Nevada]

Then the basketball Wildcats followed up with a gutsy comeback in the final minute to beat No. 5 Florida 65-64 at the McKale Center in the first battle of top-10 teams at Arizona in nine years.

Wildcats fans might skip Sunday services believing their prayers already have been answered.

(AP)

Florida hadn't been tested all season. Heck, the Gators hadn't been under any pressure late in a game prior to traveling to Tucson to face No. 8 Arizona in a battle of top-10 teams.

The fifth-ranked Gators, who had won each of their games by at least 13 points, fell apart down the stretch and suffered their first loss of the season 65-64 thanks to three turnovers in their end of the court in the final minute.

Mark Lyons hit a running one-hander with 7 seconds left to give Arizona the victory.

After watching his team commit three turnovers in less than a minute against the Arizona full-court pressure, Florida coach Billy Donovan inexplicably failed to use his final timeout after Lyons' shot fell through the nylon and the McKale Center crowd went nuts.

The Gators managed only a desperate and wild 3-point attempt that missed badly at the buzzer.

Senior guard Kenny Boynton had an uncharacteristically tough outing, making just two of 10 field goal attempts, including 1-for-7 behind the

(USA Today Sports Images)

Coach Brad Stevens has led Butler to two national title games in the past three years, but on Saturday the Bulldogs provided fans probably their greatest regular-season thrill with an 88-86 win over Indiana.

Butler knocked off the top-ranked team in the nation for the first time in school history and did it in quintessential Butler fashion with the game-winning shot coming in overtime from a walk-on role player who scored two points all of last season and 12 in the Bulldogs' first nine games this season.

[More NCAA basketball: Catholic Seven officially part with Big East leaving wake of uncertainty]

Alex Barlow's short jumper found its way just as the Butler program has under Stevens' leadership. It wasn't pretty but it got the job done in the Crossroad Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Stevens built Butler with the guts and hard work of dozens of overlooked and under-appreciated players such as Barlow who seem to rise to the moment time after time.

(AP)

The non-FBS football members of the Big East Conference — the Catholic Seven — officially announced today they are leaving to form a new league rooted on the hardwood.

DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall and Villanova now must decide what other schools they might invite to join them. Butler, Dayton, Saint Louis and Xavier are all likely candidates depending on how big the league wants to be. A 10 or 12-team configuration would make the most sense simply for scheduling purposes.

Presidents of the seven schools issued a joint statement regarding their unanimous decision.

"Earlier today we voted unanimously to pursue an orderly evolution to a foundation of basketball schools that honors the history and tradition on which the Big East was established," the presidents said in the statement. "Under the current context of conference realignment, we believe pursuing a new basketball framework that builds on this tradition of excellence and competition is the

USA Today Sports

Miami has been to the NCAA tournament just once since joining the ACC in 2004, but the Hurricanes are looking more than capable of getting there this season after wins over Michigan State and Charlotte in two of the last three games.

Yes, it's early and the entire ACC slate awaits the Hurricanes, but this team is playing well on the defensive end and looks confident and hungry.

Seven Miami players blocked at least one shot as the Hurricanes walloped Charlotte 77-46. The 49ers were the only undefeated team remaining in the A-10 entering Friday's games and were off to the best start in school history. Miami hadn't played a game in 13 days but it showed no rust.

(AP)

Rutgers suspended coach Mike Rice today for three games after a school investigation revealed inappropriate behavior and abusive language used while interacting with players.

Rice allegedly threw basketballs at players' heads during an incident during his first or second season as coach, the New Jersey Star-Ledger reported. The paper reported the suspension will cost Rice $74,905.

Athletic director Tim Pernetti handed down the punishment but also said the violations of athletic department policy do not put Rice's job in jeopardy. Pernetti said he became aware of allegations of inappropriate conduct by Rice in recent weeks and the school investigated. Pernetti also acknowledged having previous discussions with Rice about his fiery demeanor on the sideline during games.

"It's a pattern, I think I would say," Pernetti said. "But certainly something that, once we were made aware of it, deal with it in a very proactive manner."

Arizona will look to avenge last season's narrow loss in Gainesville

Finals week at last is over at most schools, which means a slow and tedious five days of basketball will give way to some marquee Saturday matchups. The top 10 showdown between Arizona and Florida highlights this weekend's action:

1. No. 5 Florida (7-0) at No. 8 Arizona (7-0), Saturday

Storyline to watch: Arizona's first matchup against a ranked opponent will provide an early barometer whether the Wildcats are an elite team or merely just a good one. In its first seven games this season, Arizona's best victories came at ACC also-ran Clemson and Big 12 bottom feeder Texas Tech. A Florida team that has demolished Florida State, Marquette and Wisconsin poses a major step up in class. One key to the game might be how much Florida's pressure defense bothers an Arizona team lacking a pure point guard. The Wildcats average 15 turnovers per game and the Gators force 17 a game, potentially a dangerous combination for the home team. Arizona will also have to do a good job defending the 3-point line, especially against stretch forward Erik Murphy and streaky shooting guard Kenny Boynton.  Predicted winner: Florida

2. Butler (7-2) vs. No. 1 Indiana (9-0), Saturday (Indianapolis)

Storyline to watch: Brad Stevens didn't hesitate to label Indiana as the best team in the nation this week. In fact, the Butler coach went so far as to say he's "not even sure it's that close." For the Bulldogs to stay competitive despite the talent gap, they must continue to get consistent production from big men Andrew Smith and Khyle Marshall. Smith had a breakout game at Northwestern last Saturday, erupting for 24 points and 10 boards. Marshall has scored in double figures in six of Butler's seven wins. It's crucial both take advantage of one-on-one opportunities in the post because Indiana likely will not double in order to avoid giving Rotnei Clarke and Kellen Dunham open looks on 3s. Smith and Marshall also have to get back in transition and avoid foul trouble defending Cody Zeller and Christian Watford. Predicted winner: Indiana

Stanley Roberts (Getty Images)

1. Unlike other former college basketball players who return to their former schools to finish their degrees once their NBA careers are over, ex-LSU center Stanley Roberts had more than just a semester or two left. He was starting from academic ground zero. The New Orleans Times-Picayune tells the heartwarming story of Roberts overcoming financial limitations, a learning disability and ultimately triple-bypass heart surgery to walk across the stage and get his diploma Friday.

2. The splintering of the Big East dominated the college basketball news cycle for the past 24 hours, so not surprisingly plenty of good content emerged. My favorite is this piece from Hartford Courant columnist Jeff Jacobs, who puts UConn's plight into perspective, scoffs at the notion the Catholic Seven deserve sympathy and makes a compelling case the Big East brought this on itself.

3. Fiery Rutgers coach Mike Rice's three-game suspension without pay apparently stems from a series of incidents during practice. According to the Star-Ledger, the suspension followed an internal investigation that revealed Rice used abusive, profane language toward his players and also threw basketballs at some players' heads. Athletic director Tom Pernetti told the Star-Ledger he never considered firing Rice, but it's clear the school is sending a message.

4. The reaction from Wake Forest fans to this blog post by ESPN.com's Eamonn Brennan is a clear sign of the pressure on athletic director Ron Wellman to fire Demon Deacons coach Jeff Bzdelik. Not only were Wake Forest fans happy with Brennan's criticism of Bzdelik for no longer taking live calls on his weekly radio show, they encouraged him to take every opportunity to rip the struggling Demon Deacons the rest of the season in hopes it is one step closer to getting rid of Bzdelik.

5. Among the many excellent reads Thursday that were lost amid the torrent of Big East breakup news stories was this excellent piece from Dana O'Neil on the impending 50-year anniversary of the "Game of Change" between Loyola (Ill.) and Mississippi State. The story is especially timely with the two teams meeting for the first time in 50 years on Saturday in Chicago.