Agbaji scores 18 to lead No. 5 Kansas to 95-50 rout of Omaha
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Ochai Agbaji scored 18 points to lead four players in double figures, helping fifth-ranked Kansas roll to a 95-50 win over Omaha on Friday night in the Jayhawks’ final tuneup before beginning Big 12 play.
Mitch Lightfoot had a career-best 14 points, David McCormack had 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Tyon Grant-Foster added 13 points off the bench as the Jayhawks (6-1) cruised to their 12th consecutive win at Allen Fieldhouse.
They largely cruised from the opening minute, unlike their last time out, when coach Bill Self’s crew needed Creighton’s best player to miss a free throw in the final seconds to avoid going to overtime with the No. 8 Bluejays.
Wanjang Tut scored 14 points and Jadin Booth had 11 to lead the Mavericks (2-5). Leading scorer Matt Pile was held to six points on 2-for-7 shooting while dealing with foul trouble for much of the game.
The Jayhawks opened it with 5 spectacular minutes, knocking down 3-pointers and getting easy buckets at the rim while forcing Omaha to miss its first nine shots. By the time they substituted at the under16 media timeout, the five starters led by Agbaji and Jalen Wilson had given Kansas a 17-0 lead.
Five miserable minutes followed in which the Jayhawks went 1 for 8 from the floor, turned the ball over on three straight possessions and allowed the Mavericks to turn their massive deficit into a 10-point game.
No. 8 Creighton 98, Nebraska 74
OMAHA, Neb. — Marcus Zegarowski scored 22 points, Denzel Mahoney had 20 and No. 8 Creighton used a big run in the second half to pull away and beat Nebraska.
The Bluejays (4-1) weren’t sharp early but went on a powerful dunk- and 3-pointer-filled 30-7 surge after halftime to bounce back from their one-point loss at No. 5 Kansas on Tuesday.
Creighton has won eight of nine against the Cornhuskers (3-3) and lead the series 28-26. The Bluejays have won 13 straight regular-season home games against their in-state rival since losing in Omaha in 1995.
Teddy Allen led Nebraska with 26 points, Trey McGowens had 15 and Dalano Banton added 12.
The Huskers committed 25 turnovers, and Creighton converted them into 38 points.
No. 9 Villanova 76, Georgetown 63
WASHINGTON — Collin Gillespie and Caleb Daniels each hit five 3-pointers and scored 18 points to lead No. 9 Villanova past Georgetown in the Big East opener for both teams.
The game matched the preseason favorite Wildcats against a Hoyas team picked to finish at the bottom — but without fans and on unusual turf — it had the competitive feel for about 30 minutes of a conference tourney game in March.
The Wildcats (5-1) trailed by 18 early in the first half at Georgetown’s empty on-campus gym — a surprising deficit considering VU entered as 11.5-point road favorites — until they got 3-point happy and showed again why they are the team to beat in the Big East.
The 6-foot-3 hard-nosed Gillespie shook off a slow start and keyed a 15-0 run that put the Wildcats in control of their sixth straight game on the road. Gillespie hit consecutive 3s early in the second that pulled Villanova within seven and another 3 that tied the game at 50. Daniels, a transfer out of Tulane, hit one more 3 that capped the 15-0 spurt and gave the Wildcats the lead.
Jamorko Pickett led the Hoyas with 16 points.
No. 11 West Virginia 62, North Texas 50
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Sean McNeil scored 15 points and No. 11 West Virginia rallied in the second half to beat North Texas.
Taz Sherman added 13 points and Derek Culver had 10 points — all in the second half — and 10 rebounds for the Mountaineers (5-1), who trailed by eight points at halftime but scored the first 18 points of the second half to take control.
Culver scored seven points during the decisive run.
Javion Hamlet scored 15 points and Thomas Bell had 12 for North Texas (1-3).
West Virginia shot an abysmal 9 of 35, including 1 of 8 from 3-point range, in the first half and trailed 29-21 at the break.
But in the second half it was the Mean Green who couldn’t buy a basket, shooting 6 of 33, including 2 of 15 on 3-point attempts.
West Virginia outscored the Mean Green 16-6 in the paint in second half after being outperformed 20-10 in the paint in the first 20 minutes.