Gators beat Bearcats in a top 20 encounter
NEWARK, N.J. — Chris Chiozza scored the final six points of the game and No. 5 Florida snapped a three-game losing streak with a 66-60 victory over No. 17 Cincinnati on Saturday in the second game of the Never Forget Tribute Classic at the Prudential Center.
Chiozza put the Gators (6-3) ahead 62-60 with a drive across the lane with 1:12 to play.
The senior guard added two free throws with 20.1 seconds to go and he closed out the scoring with a fastbreak layup after a turnover by Cincinnati (7-2), which lost its second straight game.
Egor Koulechov had 21 points to lead Florida. Jalen Hudson added 17 and Chiozza finished with 15 and six assists.
Backup guard Cane Broome had 15 points to lead Cincinnati. Jacobs Evans III added 13, Kyle Washington had 11 and Jarron Cumberland 10. Gary Clark had nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
After Chiozza gave Florida the lead, Evans missed a jumper. Florida then milked the clock and Keith Stone slammed a dunk attempt against the back of the rim. He ball rebounded to the sideline, where Hudson got the rebound. Chiozza was quickly fouled and Cincinnati never recovered. After Cincinnati tied the game at 40-all early in the second half on a basket by Evans, neither team led by more than four points until the final margin.
Koulechov scored 11 points and Hudson had nine in the opening half in helping Florida take a 34-28 lead.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nick King scored 25 points and Brandon Walters added a career-high 20 as Middle Tennessee won its fifth straight with a victory over Ole Miss.
Middle Tennessee (7-1) improved to 7-0 against Power Five Conference opponents from the SEC and Big Ten since 2015.
Walters hit 8 of 11 from the field and all four of his foul shots. The 6-foot-10 forward blocked four shots and made four steals. Giddy Potts added 14 points, including three 3-pointers.
Middle Tennessee trailed 34-33 at halftime before opening the second half with an 8-0 surge to take a 41-34 lead and it pulled away from there.
Blue Raiders point guard Tyrik Dixon, limited to six minutes due to a bone bruise in his knee in Wednesday's win at Vanderbilt, had a career-high nine assists and no turnovers. Marcanvis Hymon led Ole Miss (4-4) with 12 points. The Rebels lost their third consecutive game, including two overtime setbacks.
Ole Miss' Bruce Stevens and Terence Davis added 10 points each.
Middle Tennessee improved to 6-3 against Ole Miss. Middle Tennessee won't be back in the Murphy Center for 33 days, the nation's fourth-longest road stretch.
The Blue Raiders' next home game is Jan. 11 against Louisiana Tech.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Jaylen Barford was still learning what major college basketball was all about a year ago as a first-year junior college transfer when Arkansas went to Minnesota and lost by 14 points.
This time around, the Razorbacks senior had a clear idea of how to attack the 14th-ranked Golden Gophers — and he had plenty of help along the way.
Led by Barford's 22 points, Arkansas (7-2) returned the favor from last year's loss with a victory over Minnesota. It did so while continuing what's been nothing short of an offensive onslaught in Bud Walton Arena to open the season, raising its home scoring average to 93.2 points per game with the win.
Barford entered the game second in the Southeastern Conference in scoring at 19.6 points per game, and he finished 9 of 15 from the field — adding four rebounds and four assists. The 6-foot-3 senior also hit two 3-pointers and had a block while making amends for last year.
While Barford brought plenty of experience to the court, Arkansas' newest rising star fared just well while making the first start of his career.
Freshman Daniel Gafford had 16 points on 8-of-8 shooting, and the 6-foot-11 forward added seven rebounds and six blocks while facing a talented Minnesota (8-3) front line. He did so in only 21 minutes and helped the Razorbacks hit 39 of 68 shots (57.4 percent) for the game.
AUBURN, Ala. — With Auburn down yet another key player, Bryce Brown and Jared Harper helped the Tigers build big leads and then hold on.
Brown finished with 27 points and Harper made 3 of 4 free throws over the final 27 seconds to lead the Tigers to a win over UAB on Saturday.
Auburn (8-1) won its sixth straight game even with Mustapha Heron out with back problems, joining already sidelined Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy. His replacement Malik Dunbar came up with some key plays, too.
"Mustapha's such a stabilizing force for us," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "So many guys had to step up to be able to get this win."
The Tigers surrendered most of a 13-point second-half advantage to the Blazers (6-4) but never the lead.
They made 12 of 14 free throws down the stretch, with Harper hitting six of them.
| Page 5C College Football AP Top 25
Team…..Record
1. Clemson (43)…..(12-1)
2. Oklahoma (18)…..(12-1)
3. Georgia…..(12-1)
4. Alabama…..(11-1)
5. Ohio State…..(11-2)
6. Wisconsin…..(12-1)
7. Auburn…..(10-3)
8. Southern Cal…..(11-2)
9. Penn State…..(10-2)
10. Central Florida…..(12-0)
11. Miami…..(10-2)
12. Washington…..(10-2)
13. TCU…..(10-3)
14. Notre Dame…..(9-3)
15. Stanford…..(9-4)
16. LSU…..(9-3)
17. Oklahoma State…..(9-3)
18. Michigan State…..(9-3)
19. Memphis…..(10-2)
20. Northwestern…..(9-3)
21. Washington State…..(9-3)
22. Virginia Tech…..(9-3)
23. South Florida…..(9-2)
24. Mississippi State…..(8-4)
25. Boise State…..(10-3)
Others receiving votes: North Carolina State 54, San Diego State 40, Toledo 25, Louisville 11, FAU 8, Michigan 8, Fresno State 6, Missouri 3, Troy 1, Kansas State 1.
Amway Coaches Top 25 AP Top 25
Team…..Record
1. Clemson (49)…..(12-1)
2. Oklahoma (10)…..(12-1)
3. Georgia (2)…..(12-1)
4. Alabama…..(11-1)
5. Ohio State…..(11-2)
6. Wisconsin…..(12-1)
7. Southern Cal…..(11-2)
8. Auburn…..(10-3)
9. Penn State…..(10-2)
10. Central Florida…..(12-0)
11. Miami…..(10-2)
12. Washington…..(10-2)
13. TCU…..(10-3)
14. LSU…..(9-3)
15. Notre Dame…..(9-3)
16. Stanford…..(9-4)
17. Oklahoma State…..(9-3)
18. Memphis…..(10-2)
19. Michigan State…..(9-3)
20. Northwestern…..(9-3)
21. Washington State…..(9-3)
22. Virginia Tech…..(9-3)
23. Mississippi State…..(8-4)
24. South Florida…..(9-2)
25. Boise State…..(10-3)
Others receiving votes: North Carolina State 54; San Diego State 50; Florida Atlantic 24; Toledo 21; Michigan 11; Troy 11; Fresno State 5; Louisville 4; South Carolina 4.
CFP Rankings
1. Clemson (12-1)
2. Oklahoma (12-1)
3. Georgia (12-1)
4. Alabama (11-1)
5. Ohio State (11-2)
6. Wisconsin (12-1)
7. Auburn (10-3)
8. Southern Cal (11-2)
9. Penn State (10-2)
10. Miami (10-2)
11. Washington (10-2)
12. Central Florida (12-0)
13. Stanford (9-4)
14. Notre Dame (9-3)
15. TCU (10-3)
16. Michigan State (9-3)
17. LSU (9-3)
18. Washington State (9-3)
19. Oklahoma State (9-3)
20. Memphis (10-2)
21. Northwestern (9-3)
22. Virginia Tech (9-3)
23. Mississippi State (8-4)
24. North Carolina State (8-4)
25. Boise State (10-3)
Bowl Glance
Saturday, Dec. 16 Celebration Bowl At Atlanta
NC A&T (11-0) vs. Grambling State (11-1), Noon (ABC)
New Orleans Bowl
North Texas (9-4) vs. Troy (10-2), 1 p.m. (ESPN)
Cure Bowl Orlando, Fla.
Georgia State (6-5) vs. Western Kentucky (6-6), 2:30 p.m. (CBSSN)
Las Vegas Bowl
Boise State (10-3) vs. Oregon (7-5), 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
New Mexico Bowl Albuquerque
Colorado State (7-5) vs. Marshall (7-5), 4:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Camellia Bowl Montgomery, Ala.
Arkansas State (7-3) vs. Tennessee (6-6), 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Tuesday, Dec. 19 Boca Raton (Fla.) Bowl
Akron (7-6) vs. FAU (10-3), 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Wednesday, Dec. 20 Frisco (Texas) Bowl
Louisiana Tech (6-6) vs. SMU (7-5), 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Thursday, Dec. 21 Gasparilla Bowl At St. Petersburg, Fla.
Temple (6-6) vs. FIU (8-4), 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Friday, Dec. 22 Bahamas Bowl Nassau
Ohio (8-4) vs. UAB (8-4), 12:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Boise
Central Michigan (7-5) vs. Wyoming (75), 4 p.m. (ESPN)
Saturday, Dec. 23 Birmingham (Ala.) Bowl
South Florida (9-2) vs. Texas Tech (6-6), Noon (ESPN)
Armed Forces Bowl Fort Worth, Texas
San Diego State (10-2) vs. Army (8-3), 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Dollar General Bowl Mobile, Ala.
Appalachian State (8-4) vs. Toledo (112), 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Sunday, Dec. 24 Hawaii Bowl Honolulu