Top 25 Roundup: Seton Hall Topples No. 5 UConn

Seton Hall Pirates guard Al-Amir Dawes (2) drives to the basket as Connecticut Huskies forward Samson Johnson (35) defends during the second half at Prudential Center in Newark, N. J., on Dec. 20, 2023. Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports via Field Level Media

Kadary Richmond racked up 23 points, six rebounds, five assists, and a career-high eight steals as Seton Hall toppled No. 5 UConn 75–60 in the rivals’ conference opener Wednesday in Newark, N.J.

Dre Davis added 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting to help Seton Hall (8–4, 1–0 Big East) defeat a top-five opponent for the first time since Nov. 16, 2021, against then-No. 4 Michigan.

Jaden Bediako, a center who transferred from Santa Clara, held his own against UConn star Donovan Clingan with 10 points and nine rebounds in his Big East debut. The 7-foot-2 Clingan had 14 points and seven rebounds in just 14 minutes but sustained a sprained ankle and missed most of the second half.

Tristen Newton led UConn (10–2, 0–1) with 16 points, and Alex Karaban had nine points and eight boards. Seton Hall outshot UConn 51.8 percent to 37.9 percent and outscored the Huskies 18–0 in fastbreak points.

No. 4 Arizona 87, Alabama 74

Oumar Ballo had a double-double and the Wildcats roared back in the second half to beat the cold-shooting Crimson Tide at the Jerry Colangelo Hall of Fame Series in Phoenix.

Ballo finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and he helped foul out Alabama big men Mohamed Wague and Nick Pringle, each with about six minutes to go. Arizona (9–1) also got 16 points and six rebounds from Pelle Larsson.

Alabama (6–5) mostly ran out of offense after taking a seven-point lead early in the second half.

The Crimson Tide hit just 33.8 percent of their shots, including 20 percent (8 of 40) from 3-point range.

Grant Nelson scored a team-high 17 points but was only 3 of 15 from behind the arc.

No. 11 North Carolina 81, No. 7 Oklahoma 69

RJ Davis scored 23 points and the Tar Heels never trailed on the way to defeating handing the Sooners their first loss of the season in the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, N.C.

Armando Bacot provided 14 points and eight rebounds as North Carolina (8–3) scored eight of the last 10 points in the game.

The Tar Heels snapped a two-game losing streak that involved neutral-site losses to Connecticut and Kentucky.

Otega Oweh pumped in 23 points for Oklahoma (10–1), with 10 of his points coming on free throws. Javian McCollum added 14 points.

No. 21 Duke 78, No. 10 Baylor 70

Jared McCain scored 21 points and Jeremy Roach added 18 for the Blue Devils, who were at their best in the final six minutes against the Bears.

Kyle Filipowski added 13 points and 10 rebounds for Duke (8–3), with Caleb Foster scoring 12 and Mark Mitchell hitting for 10.

The Blue Devils have won three consecutive games.

RayJ Dennis led Baylor (9–2) with 17 points while Ja'Kobe Walter added 15 and Yves Missi racked up 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Bears have dropped back-to-back games after opening the season with nine consecutive wins.

Villanova 68, No. 12 Creighton 66 (OT)

Eric Dixon scored 32 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in overtime, as the Wildcats overcame a 14-point, second-half deficit to beat the Bluejays in the Big East opener for each team at Omaha, Neb.

Hakim Hart scored 10 points off the bench and Tyler Burton added 12 rebounds as Villanova (8–4, 1–0) won its second straight after a three-game losing streak.

Villanova was without second-leading scorer Justin Moore for a second consecutive game because of a knee injury.

Trey Alexander scored eight of his 16 points in overtime for Creighton (9–3, 0–1), which lost at home for the first time in seven games this season.

No. 15 Gonzaga 100, Jackson State 76

Graham Ike recorded 22 points and 11 rebounds to help the Bulldogs roll past the Tigers in Spokane, Wash.

Nolan Hickman scored 18 points and Braden Huff had 17 points and nine rebounds off the bench for Gonzaga (9–3), which had lost two of its previous three games.

Ryan Nembhard added 11 points and six assists for the Bulldogs.

Ken Evans had 23 points and 10 rebounds for Jackson State (4–8), which has yet to play a home game this season.

Chase Adams scored 14 points and Coltie Young had 13 for the Tigers.