Top-25 College Basketball Game Capsules

Ann Arbor, MI (SportsNetwork.com) – The No. 1 Arizona Wildcats stayed among the ranks of the unbeaten Saturday after surviving the Michigan Wolverines in their first-ever visit to the Crisler Center. Michigan was seemingly in control throughout the intense matchup and led by as many as 11 before the Wildcats showed why they rose to the top of the polls. Nick Johnson hit the tying and go-ahead free throws with 24.6 seconds remaining and Arizona escaped with a hard-fought 72-70 victory in hostile territory. The frontcourt combination of Brandon Ashley, Kaleb Tarczewski and Aaron Gordon were the difference, as the trio combined for 46 points and 20 rebounds, while Johnson finished with 14 points in the victory. The Wildcats (11-0) owned a 37-24 edge on the glass and made all but one of their 15 free throws attempts, including six from Johnson in crunch time. Glenn Robinson III led Michigan with 20 points, but 16 of those came in the first half. Caris LeVert and Nik Stauskas provided 15 and 14 points, respectively, for the Wolverines (6-4), who fell to 2-24 all-time against No. 1 ranked opponents.

Final Score: (4) Wisconsin 86, Eastern Kentucky 61

Madison, WI (SportsNetwork.com) – Ben Brust scored 20 points, Nigel Hayes added 17 and the No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers stayed undefeated by rolling past Eastern Kentucky, 86-61, on Saturday. The Badgers (12-0) are off to the best start in the program’s modern history, which dates back to 1946. Sam Dekker scored 15 of his 16 points in the first half as Wisconsin built a huge lead and won going away. Frank Kaminsky battled through a foot injury and put up 13 points, six rebounds and four assists in the resounding win. Glenn Cosey provided 21 points for the Colonels (7-4), who were beaten soundly on the boards, 33-20, were outscored at the free throw line by a wide 25-9 margin and watched the Badgers shoot 60.5 percent from the field.

Final Score: (6) Louisville 79, Western Kentucky 63

Louisville, KY (SportsNetwork.com) – Russ Smith led with 14 points and 10 assists as the sixth-ranked Louisville Cardinals defeated the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, 79-63, in the Bill Minardi Classic at the KFC Yum! Center. Smith was one of five Louisville (9-1) scorers in double digits. Mangok Mathiang had 13, Wayne Blackshear and Tim Henderson each contributed 12, and Chane Behanan had 11 coming off the bench. Henderson scored all 12 of his points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc for the Cardinals, who are winners of four straight. T.J. Price had a game-high 22 points to pace the Hilltoppers (5-4), who have lost two of their last three.

Final Score: (7) Oklahoma State 70, Louisiana Tech 55

Oklahoma City, OK (SportsNetwork.com) – Le’Bryan Nash scored a game-high 22 points with 10 rebounds as the seventh-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys defeated the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, 70-55, in the All-College Classic at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Markel Brown and Marcus Smart both contributed 13 points and Kamari Murphy had 10 points off the bench as the Cowboys (9-1) won their second straight game. Chris Anderson had 14 points and eight rebounds, while Alex Hamilton notched 12 points for the Bulldogs (8-3), who won their previous two games before falling to the Cowboys in the first meeting between the two programs since 1993.

Final Score: (12) Wichita State 70, Tennessee 61

Wichita, KS (SportsNetwork.com) – Tekele Cotton made sure history did not repeat itself Saturday. Cotton scored all 19 of his points in the second half and No. 12 Wichita State downed Tennessee, 70-61, to reach the 10-0 mark for the first time in school history. The Shockers (10-0) won their first nine games a season ago before losing to Tennessee a year ago Friday. This time Wichita State made the necessary plays down the stretch and limited the Volunteers to 38.5 percent shooting. Cleanthony Early added 13 points and Darius Carter chipped in with 11 points and 14 rebounds in the victory. Jordan McRae paced Tennessee (6-3) with 26 points.

Final Score: (22) Massachusetts 80, Northern Illinois 54

Amherst, MA (SportsNetwork.com) – Cady Lalanne scored 17 points and No. 22 Massachusetts pulled away in the second half en route to an 80-54 rout of Northern Illinois that kept the Minutemen unbeaten. Raphiael Putney and Clyde Santee each added 13 points for the Minutemen (9-0), who extended the program’s best start to a season since the 1995-96 squad opened with 26 consecutive wins on the way to a Final Four appearance that was later vacated. Dontel Highsmith paced Northern Illinois (3-5) with 10 points, the lone Huskie in double figures.

Categorized in: NCAA Basketball