Va. Tech knocks off No. 6 Virginia 74-68
Virginia Tech 74, No. 6 Virginia 68: Sean Pedulla scored 22 points and host Virginia Tech (14-10, 4-8 ACC) beat Virginia (17-4, 9-3) on Saturday, snapping the Cavaliers’ seven-game winning streak.
Pedulla hit 6 of 13 from the floor as the Hokies posted their biggest win of the season. He added 8 of 9 from the free-throw line as Virginia Tech never trailed.
Justin Mutts added 17 points for the Hokies, who shot 50% from the floor for the fourth straight game.
Jayden Gardner’s 20 points led Virginia, which saw its usually stingy defense struggle. The Cavaliers tied the game at 38 on Gardner’s basket with 15:09 remaining, but the Hokies outscored Virginia 17-7 over the next seven minutes and never looked back.
No. 2 Tennessee 46, No. 25 Auburn 43: JosiahJordan James scored 15 points to lead host Tennessee (19-4, 8-2 SEC) to a over Auburn (17-6, 7-3) in a game in which every point was difficult and nothing flowed.
The Volunteers shot just 27% from the field and 9.5% from the 3-point line. They were recovering from a Wednesday loss to Florida in which they shot 28%.
The Tigers were led by Johni Broome with 11 points and K.D. Johnson off the bench with 10 points. LSU managed only 24% from the field and 11% from the 3-point line.
Jaylin Williams made two free throws with 2:47 to play cut Tennessee’s lead to 40-38. Santiago Vescovi hit his first 3-pointer of the game and got a four-point play out of it for a 44-38 lead. A 3-pointer by Wendell Green Jr. cut the advantage to 44-41 with 30 seconds left.
No. 11 Baylor 89, Texas Tech 62: Jalen Bridges had 18 points with eight rebounds, big man Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua played for the first time since a gruesome knee injury last season and host Baylor (17-6, 6-4 Big 12) beat Texas Tech (12-11, 1-9).
Bridges scored 16 of his points in the second half, including two three-point plays and another layup in an early 14-2 run run that extended Baylor’s lead to 14 points. He added a 3-pointer soon after that.
Freshman Keyonte George scored 17 points for the Bears. Adam Flagler had 13 points and eight assists.
No. 13 Iowa State 68, No. 8 Kansas 53: Jaren Holmes host Iowa State with 15 points and the Cyclones (16-6, 7-3 Big 12) beat Kansas (18-5, 6-4).
Osun Osunniyi added 13 for the Cyclones, who stayed within at least a game of front-running Texas in the conference standings.
Jalen Wilson led the Jayhawks with 26 points for his sixth straight with at least 20.
No. 14 Marquette 60, Butler 52: Tyler Kolek had 13 points and eight assists as host Marquette (19-5, 11-2 Big East) defeated Butler (11-13, 3-10) for its fifth consecutive victory.
Marquette began the day tied for first place in the conference standings with No. 16 Xavier, which hosts St. John’s on Saturday afternoon.
The Golden Eagles have won 10 of their last 11 games, and their only loss in that stretch was an 8076 decision at Xavier on Jan. 15. The two teams meet again Feb. 15 at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum.
Oklahoma State 79, No. 15 TCU 73: Kalib Boone scored 25 points and Oklahoma State (14-9, 5-5 Big 12) blew a 19-point second-half lead before recovering to beat depleted No. 15 TCU (17-6, 6-4).
Caleb Asberry added 19 points and John-Michael Wright had 17 for Oklahoma State. The Cowboys have won three straight and five of six to move back into the conversation for a potential NCAA tournament berth.
Emanuel Miller led TCU with 17 points and Shahada Wells had 14.
No. 23 Miami 78, No. 20 Clemson 74: Nijel Pack scored 20 points and Isaiah Wong 15 as Miami (18-5, 9-4 ACC) used a second-half burst to hold off host Clemson (18-6, 10-3).
Wong and Pack each hit 3-pointers right after halftime for the Hurricanes, who used a 21-9 run to open a 56-44 lead with 11:10 to play.
The Tigers the deficit to 76-74 on Alex Hemenway’s 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds to play. Pack was fouled on the inbounds and calmly made two foul shots to finish off the victory.
No. 24 UConn 68, Georgetown 62: Adama Sanogo and Tristen Newton each scored 15 and Alex Karaban knocked down two late 3-pointers as UConn (18-4, 7-6 Big East) held for a win at last-place Georgetown (6-18, 1-12).
Despite leading for most of the game, the heavily favored Huskies needed a late 8-1 run to earn the season sweep over the last-place Hoyas. UConn has won two straight and three of four.
Brandon Murray’s three-point play with 4:42 left put the Hoyas on top at 61-60. It was Georgetown’s first lead since the 16:16 mark in the first half. Murray scored 14 of his game-high 21 points after halftime for the Hoyas, who have lost six straight games to UConn.