Texas Tech beats Texas to snap skid
Texas Tech coach Chris Beard liked the feeling he got about the last game before March for his No. 18 Red Raiders.
A lot of players contributing in different ways, solid defense and a 68-59 win over No. 14 Texas on Saturday to end a three-game losing streak.
“Two teams trying really hard, felt like a last day of February-type game from our perspective,” Beard said. “For the first time in a while, we felt like we played stretches of Texas Tech basketball. We get the five guys in double figures scoring, the balance offensively. We had another low turnover game today .... and then our defense showed up the second half when we needed it most.”
Mac McClung had 16 points to lead the Red Raiders (15-8, 7-7 Big 12), and was one of six different players who scored scored in a 19-6 run to open the second half after the game was tied at the half. That spurt came over a nearly nine-minute span when the Longhorns got all of their points on free throws while missing 11 shots in a row. Terrence Shannon Jr. had 11 points for the Red Raiders, while Santos-Silva, Kyler Edwards and Kevin McCullar each had 10. Santos-Silva had nine rebounds as Tech won for the first time since Feb. 6 at Kansas State, a threeweek span when they also had games postponed because of COVID-19 issues.
Wolverines maul Hoosiers: The thirdranked Wolverines blew out Indiana, 73-57, in Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday afternoon at Assembly Hall, and drew one game closer to winning their first conference title since the 2014. Michigan can secure the title by winning one of its three remaining games.
Tigers top Vols: Allen Flanigan scored a season-high 23 points and had seven rebounds to lead Auburn to a 77-72 victory over No. 25 Tennessee on Saturday. The Tigers (12-13, 6-10 Southeastern Conference) snapped a three-game losing streak even without freshman point guard Sharife Cooper, out for the second straight game with a left ankle injury.
Smith leads Arkansas by LSU: Justin Smith had 19 points and 10 rebounds, helping No. 20 Arkansas beat Cameron Thomas and LSU 83-75 on Saturday.
The Razorbacks (19-5, 11-4 Southeastern Conference) had four players score in double figures in their sixth straight win. Moses Moody had 18 points on 3-for14 shooting, and reserve J.D. Notae also scored 18.
No Ayo, no problem: Kofi Cockburn scored 19 points and No. 5 Illinois topped No. 23 Wisconsin 74-69 on Saturday, completing its first sweep of the regular-season series since 2005.
Illinois (18-6, 15-4) played without All-American candidate Ayo Dosunmu, who missed a second straight game after breaking his nose.
Cunningham drops 40: Freshman star Cade Cunningham scored 10 of his season-high 40 points in overtime and Oklahoma State defeated No. 7 Oklahoma 94-90 on Saturday.
Cunningham’s previous scoring high was 29 points. In his first Bedlam rivalry game, he made 12 of 21 field goals and 13 of 14 free throws. He also finished with 11 rebounds three steals and two blocks.
Bryce Williams and Avery Anderson III each scored 15 for the Cowboys (16-6, 9-6 Big 12), who won their fourth straight.
Aztecs make it 10 in a row: Matt Mitchell hit two free throws with 3.3 seconds left and fellow senior Jordan Schakel made four free throws in the final 8.7 seconds for San Diego State, which beat Boise State 62-58 Saturday for its 10th straight victory. Schakel finished with 17 points, and Mitchell had eight points, eight rebounds and four steals.