Pepper leads Temple past No. 23 SMU 71-64
PHILADELPHIA -- Dalton Pepper scored 24 points and Temple defeated No. 23 SMU 71-64 on Sunday.
Playing without injured starter and leading rebounder in Anthony Lee, Temple (7-17, 2-10 American Athletic Conference) knocked off a top-25 opponent for the first time since March 10 against No. 21 VCU. The Owls were 0-5 against the top 25 this season, but have now beaten a ranked opponent in each of the past seven seasons.
The Mustangs (20-6, 9-4) had a four-game winning streak snapped at the end of what has been an eventful week for coach Larry Brown's team. It started with SMU entering the AP rankings for the first time in 29 years. The Mustangs had their game at Rutgers pushed back from Thursday to Friday because of a winter storm in the northeast.
They then made a short trip from Piscataway, N.J., to Philadelphia, and lost on the road for the sixth time this season.
No. 4 Shockers trump Aces with 84-68 victory
EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Ron Baker scored 26 points and Fred VanVleet finished with 18 points, eight assists and five steals, leading No. 4 Wichita State to an 84-68 victory Sunday versus Evansville.
The Shockers (27-0, 14-0 Missouri Valley Conference) remained one of two perfect teams in major college basketball and extended their school-record winning streak. They are the 21st team in Division I history to go 27-0, a list No. 1 Syracuse could join later this week.
But getting No. 27 sure wasn't easy.
D.J. Balentine and Egidiju Mockevicius each scored 19 points, not quite enough to prevent Evansville (11-16, 4-10) from losing for the fourth time in five games.
Evansville spent most of the second half trying to dig out of a double-digit deficit and got as close as 65-60 with about 6 minutes to play. But Wichita State sealed it with a late 13-4 spurt.
No. 18 Creighton beats sixth-ranked Villanova 101-80
OMAHA, Neb. -- Doug McDermott matched his season high with 39 points and passed Larry Bird for 13th place on the Division I career scoring chart, and No. 18 Creighton defeated sixth-ranked Villanova 101-80 on Sunday.
Creighton's second win against Villanova in a month moved the Bluejays (21-4, 11-2) into a first-place tie with the Wildcats (22-3, 11-2) in the Big East. The Bluejays beat the same ranked opponent twice in the same season for the first time in program history. They also won their 16th in a row at home, matching their longest streak since moving into the CenturyLink Center in 2003.
McDermott, a two-time first-team All-America and leading candidate for national player of the year, went past 30 points for ninth time this season and 23rd time in his career.
James Bell scored 18 points for the Wildcats before fouling out with 6:11 left.
Nebraska tops No. 9 Michigan St 60-51
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Terran Petteway scored 23 points and Walter Pitchford added 18 and Nebraska topped No. 9 Michigan State 60-51 on Sunday.
Petteway had 16 points in the last 20 minutes after Pitchford had scored 12 before the break for the Cornhuskers (14-10, 6-6 Big Ten).
Gary Harris had 18 points and Adreian Payne 11 for the Spartans (21-5, 10-3), who remain in a first-place tie with Michigan. Harris was 5-for-15 from the field. Michigan State shot 34 percent from the field and 20.8 percent on 3-pointers.
The Cornhuskers led 32-25 at the half and held off a second-half surge with a 9-2 closing run.
No. 13 Louisville routs Rutgers 102-54
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Luke Hancock scored a career-high 25 points, including six 3-pointers, and No. 13 Louisville throttled Rutgers 102-54 on Sunday night.
The Cardinals (21-4, 10-2 American Athletic Conference) made a season-high 16 shots from beyond the arc on 30 attempts for their fourth consecutive win, completing a season sweep of the Scarlet Knights (10-16, 4-9). Louisville also shot 56 percent in posting its biggest win this season.
Freshman guard Terry Rozier added a career-high 16 points, hitting four 3s, and Wayne Blackshear scored 10 with a couple of 3-pointers. Russ Smith, Chris Jones, Tim Henderson and freshman reserve David Levitch also made long-range shots in a game that quickly became lopsided.
The Cardinals' last scheduled conference game against Big Ten-bound Rutgers ended with them dominating on the boards (39-24) while forcing 18 turnovers that led to 23 points. The Scarlet Knights shot just 35 percent in falling to 1-13 against Louisville, which had 23 assists to nine for Rutgers.
No. 21 Wisconsin beats No. 15 Michigan 75-62
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Frank Kaminsky had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 21 Wisconsin smothered No. 15 Michigan in the first half before holding on for a 75-62 victory Sunday.
The Wolverines (18-7, 10-3 Big Ten) cut an 18-point deficit to three in the second half, but Kaminsky personally went on a 7-2 run after that, helping Wisconsin regain control. The Badgers (21-5, 8-5) have won four in a row -- and they committed only two turnovers.
Caris LeVert scored 17 of his 25 points in the second half for Michigan.
Sam Dekker had 15 points for Wisconsin.
The Badgers led 34-19 at halftime after holding Michigan without an assist in the first half.
