Top-25 College Basketball Game Capsules
Athens, GA (SportsNetwork.com) – Kentucky put a scare into Big Blue Nation, but Karl-Anthony Towns and the top-ranked Wildcats found a way to win another close game. Towns scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half and No. 1 Kentucky rallied past Georgia 72-64 in front of a raucous Stegeman Coliseum crowd to remain unbeaten. The Bulldogs had Kentucky on the ropes, leading by nine past the midpoint of the second half. But like it has so many times this season, the Wildcats flipped the switch at the right time. Aaron Harrison scored 16 points and his brother Andrew had 12 for Kentucky (30-0, 17-0 SEC), which will try to polish off a perfect regular season when it hosts Florida on Saturday. Nemanja Djurisic paced Georgia (19-10, 10-7) with 18 points, and fellow senior Marcus Thornton chipped in 14 on Senior Night.
Final Score: (4) Villanova 76, Creighton 72
Omaha, NE (SportsNetwork.com) – Ryan Arcidiacono’s three-point play late in the game led No. 4 Villanova to a 76-72 victory over Creighton on Tuesday. Arcidiacono had 23 points, Dylan Ennis added 19 points and Josh Hart had nine points and five rebounds for the Wildcats (28-2, 15-2 Big East), who have won 11 straight and already secured the Big East title. Austin Chatman had 21 points and five rebounds, James Milliken added 12 points and Rick Kreklow donated 11 for the Bluejays (13-17, 4-13), who have lost their last two.
Final Score: (9) Kansas 76, (20) West Virginia 69 (OT)
Lawrence, KS (SportsNetwork.com) – An overtime nail-biter saw No. 9 Kansas win the Big 12 regular season title outright with a hard-fought 76-69 comeback victory over No. 20 West Virginia. The Mountaineers led by eight with under two minutes remaining in regulation to put themselves on the verge of spoiling Kansas’ Senior Night, something no team had done in over 30 years. But the Jayhawks (24-6, 13-4 Big 12), despite losing leading scorer Perry Ellis to an injury and missing all 15 of their 3-point attempts, battled back and survived to win their 32nd straight home finale. They finished 16-0 at home this season and have won 24 straight at Allen Fieldhouse. Frank Mason III led Kansas with 19 points, Jamari Traylor added 14 points and nine rebounds, and Kelly Oubre Jr. and Devonte’ Graham combined for 22 points off the bench for the victors.
Final Score: (10) Maryland 60, Rutgers 50
Piscataway, NJ (SportsNetwork.com) – Dez Wells had 20 points and 10 rebounds and No. 10 Maryland held on for a 60-50 win over lowly Rutgers on Tuesday. Wells keyed an 8-0 Maryland run after Rutgers tied the score with around six minutes remaining in the game. His bank shot stopped a Rutgers flurry and his steal and breakaway dunk highlighted the Terrapins burst, which gave them a 53-45 lead. Rutgers scored the next five points, but Wells came through again with a tough layup despite lots of contact from Scarlet Knights forward Kadeem Jack, giving Maryland a five-point lead with just over a minute to play. Jake Layman added 14 points and Melo Trimble had 10 for the Terrapins (25-5, 13-4 Big Ten), who have won six in a row since a loss at Iowa on Feb. 8.
Final Score: (19) North Carolina 81, Georgia Tech 49
Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) – Joel Berry II scored 15 points and Justin Jackson added 13 as No. 19 North Carolina coasted to an 81-49 road victory over lowly Georgia Tech on Tuesday. The Tar Heels (21-9, 11-6 ACC) posted back-to-back wins for the first time in over a month and head into Saturday’s home showdown against rival Duke with a head of steam. Seven UNC players scored at least seven points, and Marcus Paige’s career-high six steals highlighted a defense that forced 18 Georgia Tech turnovers. Charles Mitchell and Demarco Cox scored 16 and 14 points, respectively, to lead the Yellow Jackets (12-18, 3-15), who finished their regular season on a four-game losing skid. They will be one of the bottom three seeds in the ACC Tournament next week.
Final Score: Georgetown 60, (21) Butler 54
Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) – D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera made two key free throws with 6.2 seconds left to help the Georgetown Hoyas hold off the 21st-ranked Butler Bulldogs, 60-54, on Tuesday. Butler pulled within 56-54 on Alex Barlow’s layup with 52.1 seconds remaining. Following an empty possession for each team, Joshua Smith missed the front end of a one-on-one. Kameron Woods came down with the defensive rebound but Smith-Rivera snuck up from behind for the steal. Smith-Rivera made both foul shots to give Georgetown a 58-54 edge. Tre Campbell then recorded another steal before making two free throws.
Categorized in: NCAA Basketball