No. 2 Syracuse beats No. 17 Duke 91-89 in OT
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Jerami Grant scored eight points in overtime to finish with a career-high 24 and Jim Boeheim's No. 2 Syracuse stayed unbeaten, topping Mike Krzyzewski's No. 17 Duke 91-89 on Saturday in a matchup of the two winningest coaches in Division I history.
C.J. Fair scored a career-best 28 as Syracuse (21-0, 8-0 ACC) set a school record for consecutive wins to start a season.
Playing in front of a charged-up crowd of 35,446, the largest ever at the Carrier Dome, Syracuse remained one of two undefeated teams in the nation, along with No. 4 Wichita State following No. 1 Arizona's loss.
Duke's Rasheed Sulaimon beat the buzzer in regulation with an off-balance 3-pointer that tied it at 78. The Blue Devils led 87-84 with 80 seconds left in overtime before Syracuse rallied.
Jabari Parker had 15 points and nine rebounds before fouling out in regulation for Duke (17-5, 6-3).
Cal topples No. 1 Arizona on last-second shot
BERKELEY, Calif. -- Justin Cobbs hit a step-back jumper with 0.9 seconds left, and California stunned No. 1 Arizona 60-58 on Saturday night to hand the Wildcats their first loss of the season.
Cobbs dribbled to his left and beat Nick Johnson, then pulled up in front of a defender to sink the winning shot that sent a raucous crowd at Haas Pavilion spilling onto the court. Cal coach Mike Montgomery and security had to usher fans away before the final play.
Gabe York's full-court pass was knocked down to give the Golden Bears (15-7, 6-3 Pac-12) their first victory against a top-ranked opponent since Jan. 30, 1994, when they beat UCLA 85-70 at the Oakland Coliseum.
Arizona (21-1, 8-1) was one of just three unbeaten teams left in Division I. Now only second-ranked Syracuse (21-0), which beat No. 17 Duke 91-89 in overtime Saturday, and No. 4 Wichita State (23-0) remain.
No. 3 Florida routs Texas A&M 69-36
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Michael Frazier II scored 22 points, Dorian Finney-Smith added 11 and No. 3 Florida overwhelmed Texas A&M 69-36 on Saturday.
The Gators (19-2, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) pushed their winning streak to 13 games and extended a school record for consecutive home wins to 27.
The latest one was another defensive gem. It tied the fewest points Florida has allowed in SEC play since 1950, matching last year's defensive effort against South Carolina.
Florida held the Aggies (12-9, 3-5) to 26 percent shooting and 20 percent from 3-point range. The Gators also outrebounded Texas A&M 57-27.
Texas A&M benched its leading scorer, Jamal Jones, for undisclosed reasons. Jones came off the bench about 3 minutes into the game, but didn't make a difference. He had seven points on 2-of-11 shooting. None of his teammates reached double figures.
No. 4 Wichita State overcomes early deficit, wins easy
WICHITA, Kan. -- Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker had 14 points apiece, and fourth-ranked Wichita State withstood an early barrage by Evansville before cruising to an 81-67 victory Saturday.
Cleanthony Early scored 13 and Tekele Cotton added 12 points for the Shockers (23-0, 10-0 Missouri Valley), who haven't lost since last year's surprising run to the Final Four.
Wichita State spotted Evansville a 15-point lead before using a massive run to carry the advantage into halftime. The Shockers merely had to coast the final 10 minutes as the lead approached 20 points, wrapping up their latest convincing conference victory.
D.J. Balentine scored 26 points for the Purple Aces (10-13, 3-7), who swept the season series from the Shockers a year ago. But the high-scoring sophomore Balentine, coming off a 43-point outing against UNI, didn't get a whole lot of help from a bunch of teammates mired in foul trouble.
Fisher gets 300th W at SDSU, No. 5 Aztecs top CSU
SAN DIEGO -- Coach Steve Fisher won his 300th game at San Diego State on Saturday when Xavier Thames scored 24 points and Winston Shepard 17 to lead the No. 5 Aztecs past Colorado State 65-56.
The Aztecs (19-1, 8-0 Mountain West) won their 18th consecutive game and are 8-0 in conference play for the first time in the program's 93-year history.
Jon Octeus scored 24 for the Rams (12-10, 3-6), who lost their third in a row and for the fourth time in five games.
Fisher's first victory at SDSU came on Nov 24, 1999, 73-57 against UC Riverside. The Aztecs were only 5-23 that season, including 0-14 in league play, but Fisher quickly turned a moribund program into a consistent winner.
The Aztecs are one victory shy of their 10th 20-win season under Fisher. They have gone to a school-record four consecutive NCAA tournaments and six overall.
SDSU is the 18th school to have a coach win 300 or more games.
No. 25 Texas wins again, takes out No. 6 Kansas
AUSTIN, Texas -- Isaiah Taylor scored 23 points, Jonathan Holmes had 22 and No. 25 Texas rolled past No. 6 Kansas 81-69 on Saturday for its sixth consecutive victory.
Texas, which lost its top four scorers from last year's 16-18 squad, has been the surprise of the Big 12. The Longhorns have four consecutive wins against Top 25 opponents and now sit in second place after dominating a team that had been playing as well as anyone in the country in recent weeks.
The Longhorns (17-4, 6-2) thumped the Jayhawks (16-5, 7-1) with a suffocating defense that held the Big 12's best shooting team to 39 percent from the floor. Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins, who averaged 24 points in the previous three games, scored seven before fouling out late.
Texas put together one of its most impressive wins in years. The Longhorns outshot and outrebounded the Jayhawks, had 12 blocks, and once they built a double-digit lead, never left Kansas an opening to rally.
Taylor, a freshman guard who scored 27 a week earlier against Baylor, continued to slash his way to the basket for layups while Holmes hit from inside and outside. Holmes also went 9-for-10 from the free-throw line.
Cameron Ridley added nine points, 10 rebounds and four blocks for Texas, winning his battle under the basket with Joel Embiid, Kansas' 7-foot center.
Wayne Selden Jr. scored 21 to lead Kansas.
Starks, Trawick lead Georgetown past No. 7 Michigan State
NEW YORK -- Markel Starks scored 16 points and Georgetown ended a five-game losing streak with a 64-60 victory against short-handed and seventh-ranked Michigan State on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
Jabril Trawick came up with two big plays late for the Hoyas (12-9) in the late-season non-conference game that was part of the New York area's celebration of Sunday's Super Bowl.
Michigan State (19-3) played without injured frontcourt players Adreian Payne and Branden Dawson and the Spartans had a tough time shooting.
Gary Harris finally started connecting for Michigan State and his 3-pointer brought the Spartans within 56-54 with 1:32 to play.
On the ensuing possession, Trawick tipped in a missed shot to give the Hoyas a four-point lead and he came up big again when his breakaway dunk gave Georgetown a 63-55 lead with 30 seconds to go.
D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera added 12 points for the Hoyas, who shot 44.9 percent from the field (22 of 49) but were just 2 of 12 from 3-point range.
Harris led the Spartans with 20 points, including going 4 of 10 from 3-point range. Michigan State finished 21 of 53 from the field (39.6 percent) and was 9 of 29 from beyond the arc.
Baylor snaps skid, beats No. 8 Oklahoma State
STILLWATER, Okla. -- Brady Heslip scored a season-high 20 points to help Baylor beat No. 8 Oklahoma State 76-70 on Saturday and end a five-game losing streak.
Rico Gathers scored 14 points, Gary Franklin scored all 11 of his points in the second half and Cory Jefferson had 11 points and 13 rebounds for Baylor (14-7, 2-6 Big 12), which greatly improved its fading NCAA tournament hopes. The Bears had scored fewer than 70 points in four consecutive games, but shot 52 percent from the field and outrebounded the Cowboys 32-26.
Markel Brown scored 24 points and made 6 of 8 3-pointers, Le'Bryan Nash scored 19 points for Oklahoma State (16-5, 4-4), which lost to rival Oklahoma 88-76 on Monday night. Marcus Smart added 15 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Cowboys, but he made just 3 of 14 field goals.
Oklahoma State had rallied from a nine-point deficit to take the lead in the final five minutes before Franklin, who had scored just two points all game, drained three contested 3-pointers in a little less than three minutes to put Baylor in control.
No. 9 Villanova rolls to victory against Temple
PHILADELPHIA -- James Bell scored 19 points to lead No. 9 Villanova to a 90-74 win against Temple on Saturday.
The win earned Villanova (19-2) a perfect 4-0 record in Big 5 play and its 22nd Big 5 championship in program history.
Temple (6-14), meanwhile, missed out on a share of the city title and an opportunity to upset a top-10 team for the sixth consecutive season.
The Wildcats took a five-point lead at the half and stretched it to as much as 24, at 64-40, with 10:17 to play. They outscored the Owls 28-9 in the first 10 minutes of the second half. While Bell led the way, nine different Wildcats scored at least four points. JayVaughn Pinkston (13), Darrun Hilliard (12), Daniel Ochefu (11) and Dylan Ennis (10) finished in double figures.
Temple's chances at a comeback took a blow with 11:22 remaining when its leading scorer to that point, junior guard Will Cummings, left the floor and headed into the locker room with a lacerated lip, causing him to miss the next 6 minutes of play. He finished with 24 points.
No. 11 Kentucky holds on to beat Missouri
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Aaron Harrison scored 21 points and James Young added 20 to help No. 11 Kentucky beat Missouri 84-79 on Saturday.
The Wildcats (16-5, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) kept their poise one game after calling a players-only meeting to discuss the team's issues away from home. Andrew Harrison's 3-pointer just 1:42 into the matchup gave the team a lead it wouldn't relinquish.
Jabari Brown finished with a career-high 33 points and Jordan Clarkson scored 28 to keep Missouri (16-5, 4-4) in the game. Clarkson's layup with 51.9 seconds remaining narrowed the Tigers' deficit to 80-77, but Aaron Harrison answered with a layup 30 seconds later to end the threat.
Missouri's frontcourt offense only mustered three points. The team fell to 43-3 at home under third-year head coach Frank Haith, but has lost two of its past four.
Smith, No. 12 Louisville top Central Florida 87-70
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Russ Smith scored 27 points and Luke Hancock added 16 to help No. 12 Louisville pull away from Central Florida 87-70 on Saturday night.
Despite several rough spots that allowed the Knights to stay close, the Cardinals (18-4, 7-2 American Athletic Conference) stayed safely ahead by making 52 percent from the field. Smith's 9 of 14 shooting included a pair of 3-pointers and led the way for Louisville.
Montrezl Harrell had 14 points and seven rebounds and Wayne Blackshear added 10 points as Louisville bounced back from Thursday night's loss to No. 13 Cincinnati.
Tristan Spurlock scored 20 points for UCF (9-10, 1-7), but he and leading scorer Isaiah Sykes (eight points) spent nearly seven minutes of the second half on the bench with four fouls each.
Louisville took advantage of their absences to outscore the Knights 48-28 in the paint.
Late run lifts No. 24 Ohio State past No. 14 Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. -- Aaron Craft scored all seven of his points in the final 4 minutes, LaQuinton Ross added 13 for the game, and No. 24 Ohio State got a confidence-boosting win on the road Saturday by beating No. 14 Wisconsin 59-58.
Amadeo Della Valle added 11 points for the Buckeyes (17-5, 4-5 Big Ten) in a bruising back-and-forth affair with the Badgers (17-5, 4-5).
Sam Dekker missed a 3 at the buzzer for Wisconsin, which suffered a third consecutive home loss.
The Badgers had plenty of chances to win but went just 5 of 10 from the foul line late.
Craft didn't hit his first bucket until 3:53 left, but it was a 3 that helped his team finish on an 11-4 run.
Freshman Nigel Hayes led the Badgers with 17 points.
No. 15 Iowa weathers Illini comeback for 81-74 win
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Gabriel Olaseni had 15 points and 12 rebounds and No. 15 Iowa overcame Illinois' furious comeback to pull out an 81-74 victory on Saturday night.
The Hawkeyes (17-5, 6-3 Big Ten) led by 21 points just over 12 minutes into the game and were battering the Illini with their bench and Big Ten-best rebounding.
Illinois (13-9, 2-7) fought its way back and took a 62-61 lead on a 3-pointer by Tracy Abrams with 10:18 left in the game.But Iowa stayed close and took the lead for good at 72-70 on a bucket by Mike Gesell with 3:50 to play.
Joseph Bertrand scored 20 points and Rayvonte Rice added 13 for Illinois, which lost its seventh consecutive game.
Roy Devyn Marble led the Hawkeyes with 17 points and Aaron White added 14.
Niang leads No. 16 Iowa State past No. 23 Oklahoma
AMES, Iowa -- Sophomore Georges Niang scored a career-high 27 points and No. 16 Iowa State held off 23rd-ranked Oklahoma 81-75 on Saturday for just its second win in six games.
Melvin Ejim had 22 points with 16 rebounds for his 28th double-double as the Cyclones (16-4, 4-4 Big 12) moved back to .500 in the Big 12.
Oklahoma had pulled within three points when Niang buried a 3 to put Iowa Stata ahead 76-70 with 55.5 second left.
Buddy Hield scored a career-high 30 points for Oklahoma (17-5, 6-3), which saw its winning streak snapped at four games. The Sooners lost despite outrebounding Iowa State 46-33.
Loe leads No. 19 Saint Louis to overtime victory
ST. LOUIS -- Rob Loe scored 10 of his career-high 23 points in overtime to help No. 19 Saint Louis edge George Mason 87-81 on Saturday.
Loe hit a 3-point shot to tie the game at 68 with 44 seconds to play and then hit a 3-pointer to start overtime, giving the Billikens the lead for good.
Saint Louis (20-2, 7-0 Atlantic 10) has reeled off 14 victories in a row, the sixth-longest active winning streak in the country. The winning streak ties the school record.
It is the first time the Billikens have been 20-2 in school history.
Four other Billikens reached double figures -- Jordair Jett with 18, Mike McCall Jr. with 15, Austin McBroom with 14 and Dwayne Evans 12.
George Mason, the newest member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, lost its eighth consecutive game. The Patriots, who came to the A-10 from the Colonial Athletic Association, fell to 7-14 overall and an 0-7 mark in A-10 play.
Bryon Allen scored 30 points and Patrick Holloway added 15 for George Mason.
Late free throws give Saint Joseph's win vs. No. 21 Massachusetts
PHILADELPHIA -- Halil Kanacevic scored 18 points and Saint Joseph's broke away from a late tie to beat No. 21 Massachusetts 73-68 on Saturday.
UMass rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half and made it 68-all in the final minute. Saint Joseph's hit five foul shots to win.
Kanacevic added six rebounds and five assists. Ronald Roberts scored 17 and DeAndre Bembry had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Hawks (15-6, 5-2 Atlantic 10), who have won 11 of 13.
Derrick Gordon scored 21 and Chaz Williams finished with 16 points and 10 assists for the Minutemen (17-4, 4-3).
SMU hands No. 22 Memphis conference road loss
DALLAS -- Nic Moore had 14 points with 10 assists, and keyed a game-turning run to start the second half, and SMU stayed undefeated at home by beating No. 22 Memphis 87-72 on Saturday.
The Tigers (16-5, 6-3 American Athletic) lost a conference road game for the first time in two years.
Moore had an assist on Markus Kennedy's tiebreaking layup right after halftime. Moore then added 3-pointers in the 10-2 spurt in a little more than 2 minutes that put SMU (17-5, 6-3) ahead to stay and in control. Hall of Fame head coach Larry Brown's Mustangs pushed the lead to 56-36 with 7:11 left when Sterling Brown made consecutive 3-pointers.
Kennedy had 21 points on 10-of-10 shooting and 15 rebounds for his sixth career double-double. Brown had 15 points.
Memphis, which moved with SMU from Conference USA to the AAC this season, had won 19 consecutive league road games since a C-USA loss at Southern Mississippi exactly two years ago Saturday. The Tigers' record is 27 consecutive conference road victories, a streak that ended with another loss at SMU four years ago.
Joe Jackson led Memphis with 22, while Geron Johnson had 18 and Michael Dixon Jr. 13. Dominic Woodson had 11 rebounds.
Nick Russell had 11 points for the Mustangs, and Keith Frazier 10.
