Santiago Vescovi scored 16 points and Uros Plavsic added 12 as No. 24 Tennessee defeated No. 13 LSU 64–50 on Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn.
Vescovi made 5 of 11 3-pointers, which were his only field-goal attempts, and the Volunteers (13–5, 4–3 SEC) finished 10 of 28 on 3-pointers.
Tari Eason scored 16 before fouling out with four minutes remaining, Brandon Murray added 15 points and Eric Gaines scored 10 to lead the Tigers (15–4, 3–4), who lost their third straight game and had their lowest-scoring output of the season.
No. 2 Auburn 80, No. 12 Kentucky 71
Walker Kessler rattled the rim with seven slam dunks on his way to scoring 19 points as he powered the Tigers to a home victory over the Wildcats.In winning its 15th straight before a raucous crowd, Auburn (18–1, 7–0) beat Kentucky at home for the third straight season and strengthened its hold on first place in the SEC.
No. 5 Baylor 65, Oklahoma 51
Adam Flagler scored 16 points and LJ Cryer added 14 to lead the Bears to a road victory over the Sooners at Norman, Okla.Flagler scored 14 of his points in the second half to help the Bears build a big lead and then put the game away after the Sooners made a late push. Baylor (17–2, 5–2 Big 12) won its second-consecutive game after dropping its first two games of the season. The Sooners (12–7, 2–5) have lost four consecutive games and five of their last six.
No. 6 Duke 79, Syracuse 59
A.J. Griffin made five 3-pointers and was one of four players to finish with 15 points as the Blue Devils demolished the visiting Orange in Durham, N.C.It was a strong bounce-back outing for Duke (15–3, 5–2 ACC) after an overtime loss earlier in the week at Florida State.
No. 7 Kansas 78, Kansas State 75
Ochai Agbaji hit a baseline jumper with eight seconds left to lift the Jayhawks past the host Wildcats in a matinee in Manhattan, Kan.Agbaji’s shot gave Kansas its first lead since early in the first half. The loss ended a two-game winning streak over ranked opponents for Kansas State. Kansas State (10–8, 2–5 Big 12) wasted a career-high 35 points by Nijel Pack. Markquis Nowell had 16 and Selton Miguel added 11.
No. 9 UCLA 71, Colorado 65
Johnny Juzang scored a game-high 23 points and delivered several clutch plays late as the Bruins held off the host Buffaloes in Boulder, Colo.Juzang grabbed a critical defensive rebound with 22 seconds remaining—the last of his team-high six—and the Bruins (13–2, 5–1 Pac-12) clinging to a two-point lead. His ensuing free throws gave UCLA breathing room after it nearly coughed up a big second-half lead.
No. 10 Houston 79, East Carolina 36
Kyler Edwards scored 25 points, grabbed eight rebounds and totaled seven assists to lead the host Cougars, who were never threatened in avenging a loss last season to the Pirates.Houston (17–2, 6–0 American Athletic Conference) won its ninth consecutive game since a one-point loss to Alabama on Dec. 11 and has won 13 of its last 14. Houston remains the lone unbeaten team in the AAC and dealt the Pirates (11–7, 2–4) their second consecutive loss and fourth in their past five games.
No. 11 Villanova 85, Georgetown 74
Collin Gillespie hit six 3-pointers and scored 28 points, Justin Moore added 19 and the Wildcats defeated the host Hoyas in Washington, D.C.Jermaine Samuels contributed 18 points and Caleb Daniels had 12 for the Wildcats (14–5, 7–2 Big East), who rebounded after a rare home loss to Marquette last Wednesday.
TCU 59, No. 15 Iowa St. 44
Damion Baugh scored 23 points to lead the visiting Horned Frogs to a victory over the Cyclones in a Big 12 game in Ames, Iowa.Baugh shot 11-for-17 and added seven rebounds and a team-high five assists, while Charles O'Bannon had 10 points and Emanuel Miller added seven points and a team-high eight rebounds for the Horned Frogs (13–3, 3–2 Big 12).
No. 16 USC 79, Utah 67
Drew Peterson scored a season-high 23 points with five 3-pointers to lead the Trojans past the Utes in Salt Lake City.Peterson drained 9-of-10 shots overall, including all five of his shots beyond the arc, and grabbed seven rebounds as the Trojans (16–2, 6–2 Pac-12) won for the second time on their Rocky Mountain road trip.
No. 18 Texas Tech 78, West Virginia 65
Terrence Shannon Jr. scored a season-best 23 points to help the Red Raiders knock off the Mountaineers in Big 12 play in Lubbock, Texas.Taz Sherman scored 21 points for the Mountaineers (13–5, 2–4 Big 12). Texas Tech (15–4, 5–2) struggled to put the ball through the net most of the second half against gritty West Virginia. But when the Red Raiders needed the ball to go down, it wound up in the right hands on back-to-back possessions that turned the tide.
Missouri State 79, No. 22 Loyola Chicago 69
Isiaih Mosley delivered a game-high 40 points and the Bears upset the host Ramblers, ending their 10-game winning streak.Mosley, who entered leading the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring at 20.2 points per game, made 14 of 22 shots from the field, including 3 of 7 from 3-point range. The Bears (15–6, 6–2 MVC) also got 16 points from Donovan Clay and 11 from Gaige Prim.
No. 23 Texas 56, Oklahoma State 51
Marcus Carr scored 14 points, including 8 for 8 from the free-throw line, to help the Longhorns edge the Cowboys in their Big 12 matchup in Austin, Texas.Carr and Courtney Ramey, who finished with 10 points and seven rebounds, each hit a pair of free throws in the final 11 seconds to hold off a last-ditch threat by the Cowboys and help the Longhorns (14–5, 4–3 Big 12) snap a two-game skid.
Oklahoma State’s two-game winning streak, which included a win over then-No. 1 Baylor, was snapped, and the Cowboys (10–8, 3–4) were unable to complete the season sweep of the Longhorns. Oklahoma State’s Bryce Thompson finished with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting.
