Carr lifts Gophers to win vs. No. 3 OSU
Marcus Carr scored a career-high 35 points and Daniel Oturu had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and host Minnesota toppled undefeated and third-ranked Ohio State 84-71 on Sunday night for coach Richard Pitino’s first win against a top-five team.
Oturu outworked Kaleb Wesson in the paint to win the battle of two of the Big Ten’s best big men with his sixth double-double of the season for the Gophers (5-5, 1-1).
Prior to this game, the highest-ranked opponent they’d beaten in seven years under Pitino was No. 6 Maryland on Feb. 18, 2016.
Freshmen D.J. Carton (19 points) and E.J. Liddell (14 points) had season highs off the bench for the Buckeyes (9-1, 1-1), and Wesson had 12 points and six rebounds with his playing time limited by foul trouble.
Carr, who’s in his debut with the Gophers after sitting out last season following a transfer from Pittsburgh, shot 12 for 17 from the floor to lead a determined bounce-back from a 20-point loss at Iowa earlier in the week. Carr went 1 for 10 in that game, in which Minnesota’s three starting guards combined for 10 points on 3-for-29 shooting.
The last time the Gophers beat a top-five foe was No. 1 Indiana on Feb. 26, 2013, under coach Tubby Smith. They were swarmed by their fans at midcourt after the clock ran out Sunday.
Wofford tops UNC: Wofford traveled to Chapel Hill and shocked a ranked North Carolina team again, getting 19 points from Trevor Stumpe and riding a 16-0 run in the second half to a 68-64 win over the 17th-ranked Tar Heels.
Storm Murphy added 15 points and Messiah Jones had 13 points for the Terriers (7-4), who went on the road to beat North Carolina for the second time in three years.
Wofford, a 12-point underdog, made four 3pointers during its decisive spurt, a 6-minute stretch in which the Tar Heels missed 10 consecutive shots.
Garrison Brooks had 17 points and 12 rebounds for North Carolina in its first regular-season game at Carmichael Arena since Jan. 4, 1986.
The Dean E. Smith Center was hosting North Carolina’s December Commencement.
Brandon Robinson added a career-high 16 points for the Tar Heels, who lost their third straight game. They cut Wofford’s lead to 65-61 with 51.5 seconds remaining but got no closer.
North Carolina (6-4) played without starters Cole Anthony (right knee) and Leaky Black (sprained right foot).
The school said Anthony is out indefinitely and that treatment plans are being evaluated.
Anthony is the nation’s second-leading scorer among freshmen, averaging 19.1 points.