Top-25 College Basketball Game Capsules

Syracuse, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – North Carolina got its first taste of Jim Boeheim’s athletic and lengthy 2-3 zone in ACC play. A promising start soon turned extremely stressful for the erratic Tar Heels. C.J. Fair had 20 points and eight rebounds as No. 2 Syracuse routed North Carolina, 57-45, on Saturday afternoon. Jerami Grant added 12 points and 12 boards for the Orange (16-0, 3-0 ACC), who snatched 16 offensive rebounds. James Michael McAdoo had 15 points and nine rebounds for North Carolina (10-6, 0-3), which has dropped three straight. UNC has quality wins over highly-ranked Michigan State, Kentucky and Louisville, but has dropped five tilts to unranked opponents.

Final Score: (5) Michigan State 87, Minnesota 75 (OT)

East Lansing, MI (SportsNetwork.com) – Keith Appling poured in 24 points, including eight in overtime, as No. 5 Michigan State recovered from a late second-half collapse to dispatch Minnesota, 87-75, at Breslin Center. Gary Harris followed with 19 points, while Kenny Kaminski added 15 for the Spartans (15-1, 4-0 Big Ten), winners of eight in a row since their lone loss to North Carolina. Andre Hollins totaled 24 points and Malik Smith posted 17 for the Gophers (13-4, 2-2), whose two-game win streak came to a halt despite forcing the game beyond regulation by wiping out a late five-point deficit.

Final Score: (6) Wichita State 72, Missouri State 69 (OT)

Springfield, MO (SportsNetwork.com) – One streak continued and another was halted. The result is Wichita State is still unbeaten. Cleanthony Early scored 22 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, and the No. 6 Shockers rallied from a 19-point deficit to upend Missouri State, 72-69, in overtime at JQH Arena. Fred VanVleet added 16 points and Ron Baker scored 15 for Wichita State (17-0, 4-0 MVC), which is one of four remaining unbeaten teams left in Division I play. Arizona, Syracuse, Wisconsin also have perfect records. Iowa State headed into the day undefeated, but lost at Oklahoma. Jamar Gulley totaled 15 points and 14 boards for Missouri State (13-4, 2-2 MVC), which has already surpassed last season’s (11-22) win total. Austin Ruder had 17 points and Marcus Marshall scored 15, but the Bears had their nine game win streak at JQH Arena broken. The Shockers were behind 54-35 with under 12 minutes left in regulation, but managed to force OT thanks a VanVleet free throw. His lefty layup gave the visitors the lead for good in the extra session. Missouri State’s last chance to tie the game was thwarted when Early came up with a steal at midcourt on an inbounds pass.

Final Score: (7) Baylor 88, TCU 62

Waco, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – Taurean Prince totaled a game-high 23 points as No. 7 Baylor pasted TCU, 88-62, at Ferrell Center. Brady Heslip had 15 points, Isaiah Austin totaled 14, and Cory Jefferson netted 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds for the Bears (13-2, 1-1 Big 12), who bounced back from a 15-point loss to Iowa State on Tuesday. Brandon Parrish picked up 16 points with six rebounds for the Horned Frogs (9-6, 1-2), who have dropped three in a row for the first time all season. Kyan Anderson contributed 12 with seven assists in a losing effort.

Final Score: (8) Villanova 74, St. John’s 67

New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – JayVaughn Pinkston had 15 points and 10 rebounds and No. 8 Villanova pulled away from St. John’s 74-67 on Saturday afternoon. Josh Hart tallied 14 points and five rebounds off the bench and Ryan Arcidiacono added 13 points for the Wildcats (15-1, 4-0 Big East), who have won four straight since their lone loss of the season Dec. 28 at Syracuse. De’Angelo Harrison had 22 points and Rysheed Jordan chipped in 12 points to lead St. John’s (9-6, 0-3), which has dropped three straight.

Final Score: Oklahoma 87, (9) Iowa State 82

Norman, OK (SportsNetwork.com) – Ryan Spangler converted a go-ahead, three- point play with just over two minutes left, sparking an Oklahoma surge that helped the Sooners hand Iowa State its first loss of the season with an 87-82 decision on Saturday at Lloyd Noble Center. Melvin Ejim capped a 7-0 Iowa State sprint with a 3-pointer that put the Cyclones on top, 77-76, with 2:41 to play, but Spangler answered with a three-point play at the other end to put the Sooners in front for good. After Ejim missed a triple on ISU’s next trip, Buddy Hield finished a layup and the Cyclones went scoreless over their next four possessions, allowing the Sooners to seal the outcome by going 6- of-8 from the free throw line down the stretch. Hield hit six 3-pointers en route to a team-high 22 points, while Spangler supplied 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Sooners (13-3, 2-1 Big 12), who bounced back from a 90-83 setback against Kansas their last time out. DeAndre Kane contributed a game- high 23 points to go with nine boards and four assists, but committed seven of the Cyclones’ 13 turnovers in the setback. Iowa State (14-1, 2-1) had won a program-record 14 straight games.

Final Score: (10) Florida 84, Arkansas 82 (OT)

Fayetteville, AR (SportsNetwork.com) – Scottie Wilbekin’s game-tying bucket with two seconds left forced overtime and Florida flourished in the extra session, as the Gators ended Arkansas’ 23-game home win streak with an 84-82 triumph on Saturday at Bud Walton Arena. Playing without leading scorer Casey Prather due to a knee injury, the 10th-ranked Gators trailed 66-64 with Arkansas forward Alandise Harris at the free throw line with 17.1 ticks left in regulation following a travel on Kasey Hill. After Hill missed the front end of a one-and-one, Wilbekin dribbled on the right wing and drove to the block before rising up and banking a shot off the backboard to tie the tilt with two seconds left in regulation. Patric Young opened overtime with a jumper before Wilbekin forced a steal on Arkansas’ next trip and drilled a 3-pointer at the other end to give Florida a five-point lead. The margin reached eight following six straight points from Dorian Finney-Smith, but Arkansas answered with a 6-1 swing to get back within three with 42 seconds left. However, Wilbekin went 6-of-8 from the charity stripe over the final 36 seconds, allowing the short-handed Gators to hang on for the victory. Finney-Smith finished with a game-high 22 points and 15 rebounds, while Wilbekin, who came off the bench because of a sprained right ankle, netted 18 points for Florida (13-2, 2-0 SEC), which has won seven straight games. Rashad Madden led Arkansas (11-4, 0-2 SEC) with 23 points, while Coty Clarke contributed 16 points and 14 boards for the Razorbacks, who dropped a 69-53 decision to Texas A&M in their conference opener.

Final Score: (11) Oklahoma State 73, West Virginia 72

Morgantown, WV (SportsNetwork.com) – Markel Brown buried his first 3-pointer since Dec. 17 with 11.9 seconds left to lift the No. 11 Oklahoma State Cowboys to a 73-72 win over West Virginia on Saturday. Oklahoma State trailed 72-70 when Marcus Smart rushed the ball up court, kicked it to Brown, who pump faked to get the first defender in the air and buried the 3 that proved to be the game winner. Smart finished with 22 points to go along with a career- high 13 rebounds for the Cowboys (14-2, 2-1 Big 12), winners in two straight following a 74-71 road loss to Kansas State. Le’Bryan Nash tallied 18 points with six rebounds, while Brown added 12 points and seven rebounds. Terry Henderson paced West Virginia (10-6, 2-1) with 21 points. Juwan Staten added 20 points and Devin Henderson recorded a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Mountaineers.

Final Score: (14) Kentucky 71, Vanderbilt 62

Nashville, TN (SportsNetwork.com) – Willie Cauley-Stein had 15 points and six rebounds as No. 14 Kentucky defeated Vanderbilt 71-62 on Saturday afternoon. Aaron Harrison netted 14 points, while heralded freshman Julius Randle scored just seven points on 3-of-10 shooting, but grabbed 11 rebounds for Kentucky (12-3, 2-0 SEC), which has won four straight. The Wildcats pulled down 18 offensive boards and outrebounded Vanderbilt 41-28. Damian Jones had 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Dai-Jon Parker and Kyle Fuller scored 17 points apiece for the Commodores (8-6, 0-2), who have dropped three of their last four tilts.

Final Score: Clemson 72, (16) Duke 59

Clemson, SC (SportsNetwork.com) – K.J. McDaniels had a game-high 24 points and the Clemson Tigers upset the 16th-ranked Duke Blue Devils, 72-59, in an ACC conference tilt at Littlejohn Coliseum. McDaniels added 10 rebounds and three blocks to help Clemson (11-4, 2-1 ACC) defeat Duke for the first time since 2009. Jaron Blossomgame had a career-high 14 points with 14 boards for the Tigers, who have won three of their last four. Rodney Hood paced Duke (12-4, 1-2 ACC) with 20 points and Jabari Parker had 15 points and seven rebounds in the Blue Devils’ second loss in three games.

Final Score: (18) Kansas 86, (25) Kansas State 60

Lawrence, KS (SportsNetwork.com) – Standout freshman Andrew Wiggins shot himself out of a slump and helped Kansas maintain its stranglehold in the Sunflower Showdown series. Wiggins netted 22 points and No. 18 Kansas routed No. 25 Kansas State 86-60 on Saturday afternoon. Wiggins, who had been held to a 32.8 percent clip from the floor over his last five games, was 7- of-13 from the field for Kansas (11-4, 2-0 Big 12), which has won seven straight over Kansas State and leads the all-time series 187-91. Coming off a career-high 24-point performance, freshman Wayne Selden added 20 points in the triumph. Nino Williams tallied 12 points to lead the Wildcats (12-3, 2-1), who had their 10-game winning streak snapped. K-State’s notable freshman Marcus Foster scored just seven points on 3-of-12 shooting in defeat.

Final Score: (19) Massachusetts 73, St. Bonaventure 68

Amherst, MA (SportsNetwork.com) – Chaz Williams had only one made field goal, but he forced a late turnover after sinking two critical free throws to help 19th-ranked Massachusetts rally past St. Bonaventure, 73-68. Raphiael Putney finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists for the Minutemen (14-1, 2-0 A-10), who erased a 13-point deficit in the second half and closed the game on a 9-0 run. Cady Lalanne scored 16 points and Williams, who was 1-of-7 shooting, dished out nine assists. Charlon Kloof had 15 points and seven assists for St. Bonaventure (11-5, 1-1), which had its winning streak snapped at four games.

Final Score: (21) Missouri 70, Auburn 68

Auburn, AL (SportsNetwork.com) – Jordan Clarkson netted a team-high 20 points, as No. 21 Missouri earned a hard-fought 70-68 victory over Auburn on Saturday at Auburn Arena. Earnest Ross supplied 16 points and seven rebounds, while Jabari Brown added 15 points for Missouri (13-2, 1-1 SEC), which bounced back from an overtime loss to Georgia in its conference opener. KT Harrell led all scorers with 27 points, while Tahj Shamsid-Deen donated 13 points and six assists for Auburn (8-5, 0-2), which has dropped two straight on the heels of a four-game win streak.

Final Score: (24) Memphis 79, Temple 69

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Shaq Goodwin recorded team-highs with 23 points and 11 rebounds as the No. 24 Memphis Tigers took care of the Temple Owls, 79-69, from Liacouras Center. Memphis (12-3, 3-1 AAC) didn’t have much of a hangover following its 73-67 road win over Louisville on Thursday, hammering Temple on the boards by a 44-27 margin, including a 16-4 advantage on the offensive glass. Michael Dixon Jr. scored 15 points off the bench, while Joe Jackson added 10 points and six assists in the win. Dalton Pepper scored a game-high 24 points for the Owls (5-9, 0-4), who dropped their fourth straight game overall. Quenton DeCosey netted 18 points, while Will Cummings added 11 points in his return to the lineup from a concussion.

Categorized in: NCAA Basketball