KU in position to move up to No. 1
Frank Mason III led the way with 22 points, freshman Josh Jackson added 20 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 2 Kansas held off Oklahoma State, 87-80, yesterday in Lawrence, Kan.
The Jayhawks (16-1, 5-0 Big 12) rallied for their 16th straight win and could move into the top spot when The Associated Press poll comes out tomorrow. Devonte’ Graham scored 21 points for Kansas, and Svi Mykhailiuk had 14. Landen Lucas added seven points and 12 rebounds.
Jeffrey Carroll had 23 points for the Cowboys (10-7, 0-5), who led by 11 early on. Baylor 77, Kansas St. 68 — In Manhattan, Kan., Manu Lecomte scored 26 points after battling early foul trouble, Ish Wainright and Al Freeman had key baskets down the stretch and the topranked Bears (15-1, 3-1 Big 12) bounced back from their first loss to outlast the Wildcats (13-4, 2-3). Villanova 70, St. John’s 57 — In New York, redshirt freshman Dante DiVincenzo finished with 19 points and the No. 3 Wildcats (17-1, 5-1 Big East) over came shooting woes early on to weather the Red Storm (8-11, 2-4) at Madison Square Garden.
UCLA 83, Utah 82 — In Salt Lake City, Lorenzo Ball had 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and the No. 4 Bruins (18-1, 5-1 Pac-12) needed the all-around effort to overcome a nine-point deficit in the second half and beat the Utes (12-5, 3-2). Gonzaga 79, St. Mary’s 56 — Nigel Williams-Goss had 19 points, Jordan Mathews added 16 and the No. 5 Zags (17-0, 5-0 West Coast) shot 64.7 percent to down the rival No. 21 Gaels (15-2, 5-1) and remain the only undefeated team in Division 1. Kentucky 92, Auburn 72 — In Lexington, Ky., Malik Monk scored 24 points, leading the way for the No. 6 Wildcats (15-2, 5-0 SEC), who shot 57 percent from the field and placed five players in double figures, in the rout of the Tigers (11-6, 1-4). Louisville 78, Duke 69 — In Louisville, Ky., Anas Mahmoud
put up 17 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, and the No. 14 Cardinals (15-3, 3-2 ACC) downed the No. 7 Blue Devils (14-4, 2-3), whose much-maligned Grayson Allen had 23 points. Creighton 101, Truman St. 69 — In Omaha, Neb., Marcus Foster registered 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting, and the No. 8 Bluejays (17-1) dunked eight times the lopsided win against the Bulldogs (13-4), who play in Div. 2. N. Carolina 96, Florida St. 83 — In Chapel Hill, N.C., Joel Berry II scored 26 points, Justin Jackson and Isaiah Hicks each added 22, and the No. 11 Tar Heels (16-3, 4-1 ACC) pulled away late to beat the No. 9 Seminoles (16-2, 4-1). W. Virginia 74, Texas 72
— In Austin, Texas, Teyvon Myers scored 16 points, Jevon Carter added 15 and the No. 10 Mountaineers (15-2, 4-1 Big 12) avoided an upset by edging the Longhorns (7-10, 1-4).
Butler 83, Xavier 78 — In Indianapolis, freshman Kamar Baldwin’s 21 points, all in the second half, led the No. 12 Bulldogs (15-3, 4-2) past the Musketeers (13-4, 3-2) and to 5-1 against ranked opponents. Oregon 85, Oregon St. 43 — In Eugene, Ore., the No. 13 Ducks (16-2, 5-0 Pac-12) saw Payton Pritchard score 17 points to pace a balanced attack in the rout of the rival Beavers (4-14, 0-5). Virginia 77, Clemson 73 — In Clemson, S.C., London Perrantes put up 25 points and Isaiah Wilkins grabbed 13 rebounds to help the No. 19 Cavaliers (13-3, 3-2 ACC) beat the Tigers (11-6, 1-4). Notre Dame 76, Va. Tech 71 — In Blacksburg, Va., Steve Vasturia scored 20 points and the No. 20 Fighting Irish (16-2, 5-0 ACC) rebounded after blowing a 19-point lead to beat the Hokies (13-4, 2-3).
Florida 80, Georgia 76 — In Gainesville, Fla., Canyon Barry had 27 points, four coming in overtime, and the No. 23 Gators (14-3, 5-0 SEC) were finally able to put down the Bulldogs (11-6, 3-2). Penn St. 52, Minnesota 50 — In State College, Pa., Tony Carr’s two free throws with five seconds left gave the Nittany Lions (11-7, 3-2 Big Ten) the win against No. 24 Golden Gophers (15-4, 3-3).