Michigan routs Villanova in championship rematch
VILLANOVA, Pa. — Charles Matthews scored 19 points, Ignas Brazdeikis had 18 and No. 18 Michigan beat No. 8 Villanova 73-46 in a national championship game rematch Wednesday night.
Villanova captured its second title in three years with a 79-62 victory over Michigan in April but was completely overmatched in the second game at its newly renovated Pavilion.
Eric Paschall scored 10 points and Phil Booth had nine for the Wildcats (2-1).
The Wolverines (3-0) jumped ahead early and never let up. They led 10-2 less than five minutes in and expanded the lead to 22-8 on Matthews’ jumper midway through the opening half. A 17-3 run followed, giving Michigan a 39-13 lead. Matthews’ dunk and consecutive 3-pointers from Isaiah Livers and Jordan Poole highlighted the run.
Matthews capped the impressive first half with a steal and layup to send Michigan to the locker room with a 4417 lead.
Villanova’s frustration was evident after Michigan’s Zavier
Simpson's flagrant foul led to a brief scuffle with Dhamir Cosby-roundtree near midcourt with 13 minutes remaining and Michigan leading 52-24. NO. 1 DUKE 84, EASTERN MICHIGAN 46
DURHAM, N.C. — Zion Williamson scored 21 points, fellow freshman RJ Barrett added 20 and No. 1 Duke routed Eastern Michigan in its first game this season as the nation's top-ranked team.
Javin Delaurier and Jack White added 10 points apiece for the Blue Devils (3-0).
Playing two days after leapfrogging Kansas for the top spot in the AP Top 25, Duke looked every bit the part of a topranked team — shooting 47 percent, turning 20 turnovers by the Eagles into 31 points and taking command with an early 21-1 run keyed by an assortment of dunks by Williamson.
Damari Parris had nine points to lead outmanned Eastern Michigan (3-1), which shot 31 percent and was stuck in single-digit scoring for about 17 ½ minutes. NO. 9 AUBURN 103, MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 52
AUBURN, Ala. — Austin Wiley scored 18 points and No. 9 Auburn scored 35 consecutive points during a secondhalf stretch in a victory over Mississippi College.
Bryce Brown added 16 points for the Tigers (3-0), who went on a scoring tear of dunks, 3-pointers and fastbreak baskets after the Division II Choctaws (12) briefly threatened to make it close.
Mississippi College cut a 25-point deficit down to 51-40 early in the second half.
Things got really ugly after that, though. Auburn reclaimed control emphatically with a closing 52-12 run that included a stretch when Mississippi College went more than 11 minutes without scoring
Six Auburn players scored in double figures. Horace Spencer had 14 points and 17 rebounds. Samir Doughty scored 13, Jared Harper 12 and Malik Dunbar 10. NO. 10 KENTUCKY 96, NORTH DAKOTA 58
LEXINGTON, Ky. — PJ Washington set career highs with 25 points and seven rebounds, Tyler Herro added 18 points and No. 10 Kentucky rolled over North Dakota.
The Wildcats (2-1) finally got the dominant effort they sought after scraping by Southern Illinois last week. They had to survive an initial back-and-forth with the Fighting Hawks (2-1), who led 13-12 before Washington's 3-pointer put Kentucky ahead to stay. The Wildcats outscored North Dakota 27-7 over 9:46 for a 39-20 cushion and led by 38 in the closing minutes.
Washington, who managed just 11 points through two games, scored his season high by halftime. He finished 9 of 13 from the field with four 3-pointers to surpass his previous of best 22 points against Mississippi State in January.
Herro shot 7 of 12 to top his 14-point debut against Duke, and Kentucky shot 53 percent in the opening game of the Ohio Valley Hardwood Showcase. NO. 11 MICHIGAN STATE 80, LOUISIANA-MONROE 59
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Cassius Winston scored 14 of his 23 points in the opening minutes of the second half, bouncing back from a rough start to help No. 11 Michigan State beat Louisiana-monroe.
The Spartans (2-1) lost Nick Ward midway through the first half with an injury. Ward went down and pounded the court with both fists. He got up on his own and hobbled off the court, trying to keep weight off his right leg. Ward did not return after scoring four points and grabbing three rebounds in five minutes.