Ross, Smith help No. 17 OSU end four-game skid
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- LaQuinton Ross scored 18 points and Lenzelle Smith Jr. had 16 -- including a critical 3-pointer in the waning moments -- to help No. 17 Ohio State end a four-game skid with a 62-55 win against Illinois on Thursday night.
Aaron Craft added 11 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Buckeyes (16-4, 3-4 Big Ten), who had lost four in a row for the first time since 2007-08.
Joseph Bertrand had 19 points, Jon Ekey 11 and Nnanna Egwu 10 for the Illini (13-7, 2-5), who lost their fifth in a row. They haven't won since Jan. 4 and play three of their next four games against ranked opponents.
Rayvonte Rice, averaging 17.4 points a game, was 0-for-8 from the field and went scoreless. The Illini have lost their past six Big Ten road games and fell to 1-4 against ranked teams this season.
No. 1 Arizona beats Colorado 69-57
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Nick Johnson scored 18 points, Brandon Ashley added 15 and top-ranked Arizona remained unbeaten with a 69-57 win against Colorado on Thursday night.
Arizona (19-0, 6-0 Pac-12) had a week off after blowing out rival Arizona State and raced out to an early 14-point lead.
Aaron Gordon added 12 points for Arizona, which overcame a 3-for-15 night from 3-point range and some missed free throws down the stretch to extend the best start in school history.
A year after nearly pulling off an upset in the desert, Colorado (15-5, 4-3) had no chance for late-game heroics in its third game without leading scorer Spencer Dinwiddie.
The Buffaloes struggled to slow Arizona's bevy of scorers and couldn't overcome the big early hole, falling to 0-16 all-time against No. 1 teams.
Xavier Johnson led Colorado with 21 points and Josh Scott added 15.
Frazier leads No. 6 Florida past Alabama 68-62
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Michael Frazier II scored 18 points and made five 3-pointers to lead No. 6 Florida to a 68-62 victory against Alabama on Thursday night.
It was the 10th consecutive win for the Gators (16-2, 5-0 Southeastern Conference), matching last season's longest streak.
The Crimson Tide (8-10, 2-3) had its league-best 14-game SEC home winning streak snapped.
Florida went 8 of 10 from the free-throw line during the final 47 seconds to halt any Alabama threat.
Frazier shot 5 of 13, all from 3-point range. Casey Prather scored 14 points despite just 6 of 16 shooting for the Gators. Scottie Wilbekin had 10 points and four assists.
Trevor Releford led Alabama with 14 points, while Nick Jacobs had 12, Levi Randolph 11 and Shannon Hale 10.
The Tide was without No. 2 scorer Retin Obasohan, who strained his left hip flexor in Tuesday's practice.
No. 15 Cincinnati beats Central Florida 69-51
CINCINNATI -- Justin Jackson matched his career high by blocking seven shots and Sean Kilpatrick scored 19 points with a strong second half that carried No. 15 Cincinnati to its 11th consecutive win Thursday night, 69-51 against Central Florida.
Cincinnati (19-2, 7-0 American Athletic) is off to its best start since 2001-02, when it was in Conference USA. The Bearcats' winning streak is their longest since they opened last season with 12 wins.
And it's been mostly a matter of defense. The Bearcats have held their past 27 opponents under 70 points, the longest active streak in Division I. They took control of this one by opening the second half with an 18-5 run.
Central Florida (9-8, 1-5) has lost four in a row. The Knights were only 5 of 16 from the free-throw line, had 14 turnovers and shot 34 percent from the field.
Goodwin leads No. 23 Memphis past Houston, 82-59
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Shaq Goodwin had 20 points, Joe Jackson added 18 points and seven assists, and No. 23 Memphis jumped out to an early lead in an 82-59 victory against Houston on Thursday night.
The Tigers (14-4, 4-2 American Athletic Conference) never trailed and led by 17 in the first half of their fourth win in five games.
Meanwhile, the Cougars (11-8, 3-3) have lost three of four.
TaShawn Thomas led Houston with 14 points and Brandon Morris added 13. LeRon Barnes finished with 10 points, connecting on all four shots from the field.
L.J. Rose had 10 assists for the Cougars, who shot 42.6 percent but committed 18 turnovers.
