No. 2 Spartans rally for 10th straight win
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Michigan State coach Tom Izzo had a simple request after his team staged one of the biggest rallies in NCAA history: Try not to make it a 28-point comeback next time.
Cassius Winston scored 17 points, and the second-ranked Spartans rallied from 27 down yesterday to beat Northwestern, 65-60, in Rosemont, Ill., and extend its winning streak to 10 games.
Nick Ward added 15 points and 10 rebounds. Miles Bridges hit four free throws in the final minute, and the Spartans (26-3, 14-2 Big Ten) used a huge second half to pull out the win when they looked like they were headed to a stunning blowout loss.
Michigan State was down 22 at the break after trailing by as much as 27. Duke holds the record for the largest halftime deficit overcome in a victory, rallying from 29 down to beat Tulane on Dec. 30, 1950.
“There can’t be a much better comeback,” Izzo said. “I told my team after, we’re setting some new records at Michigan State — best start, best this, best that. And this might be the greatest comeback. The other records, I appreciate. This one, I really don’t . ... I hope they don’t try to go 28 next game.”
Vic Law had 21 points for Northwestern (15-13, 6-9), which made just 3-of-26 field goals in the second half.
Villanova 95, Xavier 79 — In Cincinnati, Mikal Bridges led an early 3-point shooting spurt on his way to 25 points, and the No. 3 Wildcats (24-3, 11-3 Big East) downed the No. 4 the Musketeers (24-4, 12-3), whose Trevon Bluiett finished with 26 points in the showdown atop the conference.
The Wildcats ended their three-game shooting slump by making 11 3’s in the first half when they pulled out to a 19-point lead.
Baylor 59, Texas Tech 57 — In Waco, Texas, Terry Maston put up 24 points and the Bears (1710, 7-7 Big 12) escaped the No. 7 Red Raiders (22-5, 10-4), who were unable to overcome the loss of top scorer Keenan Evans to a foot injury in the first half despite Zhaire Smith stepping up with 15 points.
Gonzaga 81, Pepperdine 67 — In Spokane, Wash., Johnathan Williams had 18 points and 12 rebounds, Killian Tillie and Josh Perkins each had 15, and the firstplace No. 9 Bulldogs (25-4, 15-1 West Coast) held off the lastplace Waves (4-24, 1-15) for its 35 straight win in the teams’ series.
S. Carolina 84, Auburn 75 — In Columbia, S.C., Frank Booker scored 19 points, and the Gamecocks (14-13, 5-9 SEC) built a 26-point lead before holding on to beat the No. 10 Tigers (23-4, 11-3), whose Anfernee McLemore dislocated his left ankle in a gruesome-looking injury at the end of the first half.
Kansas 77, W. Virginia 69 — In Lawrence, Kan., Udoka Azubuike scored 21 points and Devonte’ Graham added 15 to help the No. 13 Jayhawks (20-7, 10-4 Big 12) knock off the No. 20 Mountaineers (19-8, 8-6), who were led by Daxter Miles Jr.’s 22 points and 6-for-9 shooting behind the arc.
Louisville 93, N. Carolina 76 — In Louisville, Ky., Joel Berry scored 23 points, Luke Maye had 13 rebounds and the No. 14 Tar Heels (21-7, 10-5 ACC) dominated the boards and second-chance points to top the Cardinals (18-9, 8-6), who saw Deng Adel return from an ankle injury to score 20 points.
Georgia 73, Tennessee 62 — In Athens, Ga., Yante Maten scored 19 points, Derek Ogbeide had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and the Bulldogs (15-11, 6-8 SEC) went to work to beat the No. 18 Volunteers (19-7, 9-5), which was led by Lamonte Turner’s 14 points in losing for the second time in three games.
Arkansas 94, Texas A&M 75 — In Fayetteville, Ark., Jaylen Barford scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half to lead the Razorbacks (19-8, 8-6 SEC) past the No. 21 Aggies (17-10, 6-8), and Daryl Macon and freshman Daniel Gafford added 20 and 18 points, respectively, for the winners.
Texas 77, Oklahoma 66 — In Norman, Okla., Dylan Osetkowski had 21 points, Mohamed Bamba added 10 and 18 rebounds and the Longhorns (16-11, 6-8 Big 12) beat the No. 23 Sooners (16-10, 6-8), who lost a fifth straight game despite 26 points from freshman star Trae Young.
Nevada 93, Utah St. 87 — In Logan, Utah, Cody Martin scored 30 points on 13-of-18 shooting and twin Caleb added 23 points for the No. 24 Wolf Pack (23-5, 11-2 Mountain West) in the win against the Aggies (14-14, 7-8), whose Koby McEwen went for 32 points.