Gray scores 16 as FSU tops Pitt for third straight win
Raiquan Gray had 16 points and eight rebounds, and No. 16 Florida State beat host Pittsburgh 79-72 on Saturday for its third consecutive win.
The Seminoles (13-3, 9-2 ACC) led for over 35 minutes of the game, but never by more than 11 points. Malik Osborne had 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds. RayQuan Evans also scored 12 points, and Scottie Barnes had 11.
Pitt (9-9, 5-8) was able to shut down M.J. Walker, who finished 0 for 5 with no points, but Florida State used its size advantage and reserves to wear down the Panthers. Nine Florida State players scored four points or more. Walker remains seven points away from 1,000 for his career.
Starting Florida State guard Wyatt Wilkes was limited by injury and scored six points in 13 minutes.
A No. 5 Illinois 94, Minnesota 63: Ayo Dosunmu had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season, Kofi Cockburn scored 22 points in 24 minutes, and the Illini cruised past the host Golden Gophers for their seventh consecutive victory. Trent Frazier added 15 points and six steals to help the Illini (15-5, 12-3) stay in second place in the bruising Big Ten with two weeks to go in league play. The Illini had a 31-8 edge in fast-break points, shot 56% from the floor and forced 18 turnovers by the Gophers (13-10, 6-10).
A No. 8 Alabama 82, Vanderbilt 78: Jaden Shackelford scored a season-high 27 points and the host Crimson Tide(18-5, 13-1 SEC) came from behind to beat the Commodores (6-12, 2-10) and move a step closer to a Southeastern Conference championship.
A No. 10 Villanova 68, UConn 60: Collin Gillespie scored 20 points and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead the the host Wildcats over the Huskies. Justin Moore and Jermaine Samuels each added 11 points for the Wildcats (14-3, 9-2 Big East), who clamped down defensively in the second half. James Bouknight, in his second game back after missing eight due to elbow surgery, scored 21 points for the Huskies (10-6, 7-6).
A No. 13 West Virginia
84, No. 12 Texas 82: Sean McNeil and the Mountaineers erased a 19-point deficit in the second half, then withstood a flurry of lastsecond misses to hold off the host Longhorns. Miles McBride scored 17 for West Virginia (15-6, 8-4 Big 12), which was down 62-43 early in the second half. Courtney Ramey scored a career-best 28 points for Texas (13-6, 7-5), including a career-high seven 3-point baskets in eight attempts.
A No. 23 Kansas 67, No. 15 Texas Tech 61: Christian Braun hit a corner three with 24 seconds left, David McCormack scored 17 points and the host Jayhawks beat the Red Raiders. Ochai Agbaji had 14 points, and Jalen Wilson added 11 for the (17-7, 11-5 Big 12) . Marcus Santos-Silva and Kevin McCullar each scored 12 points for Texas Tech (14-7, 6-6).
A Kentucky 70, No. 19 Tennessee 55: Isaiah Jackson scored 16 points and the Wildcats matched a season high with its third straight victory, beating the host Volunteers. Davion Mintz hit all five of his 3-point shots in the first half and had 15 points for the Wildcats (8-13, 7-7 Southeastern Conference). Victor Bailey scored 18 points for Tennessee (15-6, 8-6).
A No. 20 Missouri
93, South Carolina 78: Dru Smith scored 17 points,
Mark Smith had 13 and the Tigers ripped the host Gamecocks Carolina to end a three-game losing streak. The Tigers (14-6, 7-6 Southeastern Conference) opened a 19-point lead in the first half and stayed comfortably in front the rest of the way. AJ Lawson had 22 points for South Carolina (5-11, 3-9). The Gamecocks have lost five in a row.
STATE SCHOOLS
A UCF 84, Tulane
81: Isaiah Adams scored a season-high 26 points on 10-for-11 shooting and the Knights held off the host Green Wave. Darius Perry added 20 points for Central Florida (8-11, 6-10 American Athletic Conference) and Darin Green Jr. and C.J. Walker each scored 14.