No. 1 Louisville breezes past EKU; No. 2 Kansas also wins
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Jordan Nwora scored 26 points, Steven Enoch had 23 and No. 1 Louisville shot 63% in both halves to blow out Eastern Kentucky 99-67 on Saturday.
After taking their first loss Tuesday against Texas Tech in the Jimmy V Classic behind 34% shooting, the Cardinals (10-1) responded with baskets from all over the floor. They made 34 of 54 from the field, including 9 of 19 from long range.
Enoch made his first seven attempts and grabbed six rebounds as Louisville controlled the Colonels (3-7) 35-24 on the boards. Malik Williams made a pair of 3s for 11 points with six rebounds.
Ty Taylor had 13 points, Tre King 12 and Jacquess Hobbs and Jomaru Brown nine each for EKU.
NO. 2 KANSAS 98, KANSAS CITY 57
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — David McCormack scored a career-high 28 points, Devon Dotson added 18 and Kansas overwhelmed Kansas City in its annual Jayhawk Shootout at the Sprint Center.
Marcus Garrett added 13 points for the Jayhawks (9-1), who shrugged off a slow start to beat their neighbors from down Interstate 70 for the eighth time in as many meetings. Kansas led 43-24 at halftime, built on the advantage early in the second half and never looked back as it gazes toward a potential No. 1 ranking Monday.
Javan White and Marvin Nesbitt Jr. scored 12 apiece for the Roos (5-7), who committed 22 turnovers and struggled all night with the Jayhawks' length.
NO. 10 OREGON 71, NO. 5 MICHIGAN 70, OT
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Payton Pritchard scored 19 of his 23 points after halftime, and Oregon outlasted Michigan.
In a stellar matchup of senior point guards, Pritchard was just a little bit better, repeatedly driving past Michigan's Zavier Simpson toward the end of the second half and in overtime. Simpson had eight points and 11 assists, but the Wolverines (8-3) lost their second straight game.
Oregon (8-2) built a 16-point lead in the first half, then had to withstand an extended Michigan charge. Anthony Mathis nearly won it for the Ducks with a long 3-pointer at the end of regulation, but a replay showed he released the shot just after the clock ran out.
Franz Wagner led Michigan with 21 points.
NO. 6 GONZAGA 84, NO. 15 ARIZONA 80
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Corey Kispert scored 18 points, Filip Petrusev added 16 and Gonzaga withstood Arizona's furious late rally.
The Zags (11-1) fought through a tense first half and shut down Arizona during two second-half runs to go up 80-65 with 2:12 left.
After struggling most of the night, Arizona (10-2) went on a 15-1 run to pull within two, but Gonzaga's Ryan Woolridge sealed it by hitting two free throws with 1.7 seconds left.
Joel Ayayi added 15 points as Gonzaga won its 10th straight road game to extend the nation's longest active streak.
Nnaji had 14 points and 17 rebounds, and Josh Green added 17 points for Arizona, which shot 8 for 30 from 3-point range.
NO. 8 KENTUCKY 67, GEORGIA TECH 53
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Ashton Hagans scored 21 points to lead Kentucky past Georgia Tech.
The Wildcats (8-1) won their sixth straight game going into a two-game trip to Las Vegas ahead of their Christmas break.
Hagans scored eight of Kentucky's first 11 points and led the Wildcats with 11 points in the first half. Hagans finished with seven assists and seven rebounds. Immanuel Quickley tied a career high with 16 points, Nick Richards scored 12 and Keion Brooks Jr. contributed 10 points off the bench.
Moses Wright led the Yellow Jackets (4-4) with 13 points.
NO. 12 AUBURN 67, SAINT LOUIS 61
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — J’Von McCormick scored 20 points, freshman Isaac Okoro added 12 and Auburn improved to 9-0, beating Saint Louis in the Mike Slive Invitational at Legacy Arena.
The teams struggled to generate offense early, but the Tigers used physical defense, feeding into transition buckets, to create separation in the second half.
Auburn failed to find a rhythm in the first half, shooting just 33% from the field and 4 of 10 from the free-throw line, but shot 50% from 3-point territory in the second half.
Javonte Perkins led the Billikens (8-2) with 16 points.
NO. 13 MEMPHIS 51, NO. 19 TENNESSEE 47
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Damion Baugh sank a 3-pointer with 1:43 remaining to put Memphis ahead for good and the Tigers outlasted Tennessee to snap the Volunteers’ 31-game home winning streak.
Tennessee (7-2) had owned the longest active home winning streak of any Division I team. The Vols hadn’t lost at home since falling to Auburn 94-84 on Jan. 2, 2018.
Memphis (8-1) erased an early 12-point deficit for its second straight come-from-behind road victory.
D.J. Jeffries and Tyler Harris each scored 11 points and Baugh added 10 for Memphis, which found a way to win despite scoring just five points in the game’s first 12 minutes.
Josiah-Jordan James scored 14 for Tennessee.
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Ibi Watson scored a season-high 20 points and led a first-half run that put Dayton in control as the Flyers pulled away to beat Drake.
Dayton (8-1) took the court with its highest ranking in a dozen years but trailed midway through the first half. Watson came off the bench and scored seven straight points to change the momentum.
Obi Toppin added 19 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots. Trey Landers had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Drake (8-3) couldn't handle the Flyers' versatile offense. Roman Penn had 13 points for the Bulldogs, who have lost nine straight against ranked teams since 2013.
NO. 16 MICHIGAN STATE 72, OAKLAND 49
DETROIT (AP) — Xavier Tillman had nine points and 13 rebounds, Aaron Henry put up 10 points and six assists and Michigan State beat Oakland at Little Caesars Arena.
Henry was the only Spartan to reach double figures as Michigan State (7-3) struggled to hit shots in an NBA arena.
Xavier Hill-Mais led Oakland (5-6) with 10 points. The Golden Grizzlies, who have come close to upsetting their in-state rivals with 3-point shooting in the past, shot just 26%, including 31% on 3-pointers.
NO. 18 BUTLER 66, SOUTHERN 41
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Bryce Golden scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting to lead Butler’s balanced scoring attack in a romp over Southern.
Also cracking double figures for the Bulldogs (10-1) were Sean McDermott with 11 points on 3-of-5 3-point shooting and Khalif Battle with 10. Twelve Bulldogs played and 11 scored.
Kamar Baldwin, Butler’s leading scorer with a 17.1 average entering the game, finished with two points.
Isaiah Rollins topped Southern (3-8) with 13 points.
NO. 20 VILLANOVA 78, DELAWARE 70
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Jermaine Samuels scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half and Villanova won its season-high fourth straight game by holding off Delaware in the Never Forget Tribute Classic at the Prudential Center.
Justin Moore came off the bench to add 16, Saddiq Bey had 13 and Cole Swider 12 as the Wildcats (8-2) beat the Blue Hens (9-2) for the 15th straight time.
Nate Darling scored 29 points for Delaware, which has lost two straight after setting a school record by starting the season with nine consecutive wins. Kevin Anderson added 14 points, while Justyn Mutts added eight points and 11 rebounds.
RUTGERS 68, NO. 22 SETON HALL 48
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Seton Hall star Myles Powell sat out the second half with a head injury, and Rutgers’ Ron Harper Jr. had 18 points and six rebounds to help the Scarlet Knights beat the Pirates 68-48 in the Garden State Hardwood Classic.
Powell did not return to the Seton Hall bench in the second half. Sixth in the country at 22.9 points per game, Powell didn’t score his first points until nearly 10 minutes into the game. He finished with six points on 3-of-9 shooting.
Harper won the Joe Calabrese Award — named in honor of the late journalist who covered the rivalry for 38 years — as the most valuable player. He had two early alley-oop dunks. Akwasi Yeboah added 14 points and seven rebounds for Rutgers (8-3).
Quincy McKnight led Seton Hall (6-4) with 11 points. They have lost two in a row.
WAKE FOREST 80, NO. 23 XAVIER 78
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Chaundee Brown scored 26 points, Brandon Childress added 22 and Wake Forest beat Xavier in the Musketeers’ first game this season on an opponent’s home court.
Xavier (9-2), which trailed the entire second half, had a chance to win in the final seconds, but Quentin Goodin’s 3-point attempt bounced off the rim as time expired.
Wake Forest (6-5) led by 13 points in the second half. But Childress missed the first of two free-throw attempts to give the Musketeers a final shot for a win.
Paul Scruggs scored 30 points for Xavier. Naji Marshall added 16 before fouling out with 3:45 remaining.
