The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
No. 8 North Carolina outlasts Miami 88-85 in overtime
Kenny Williams hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:08 left in overtime to help eighth-ranked North Carolina hold off Miami 88-85 on Saturday.
Freshman Coby White matched his season high with 33 points for the Tar Heels (19-4, 9-1 ACC), who survived a wild finish filled with big shots by both teams. UNC forced overtime on Luke Maye’s 3-pointer with 10.2 seconds left, then got two critical free throws from Cameron Johnson with 12.3 seconds left in the extra period to cling to a three-point lead.
Miami had a final chance to tie it after a timeout, but White poked the ball loose from Chris Lykes, and Williams dove on the floor to recover the ball for a game-sealing turnover.
Lykes had his own huge game for the Hurricanes (1013, 2-9), scoring 19 of his 27 points with five 3-pointers after halftime.
No. 5 Kentucky 71, (at) Mississippi State 67: PJ Washington scored 23 points, Keldon Johnson added 13, and No. 5 Kentucky held on to beat Mississippi State.
Kentucky (20-3, 9-1 SEC) has won 10 straight games since losing to Alabama in its conference opener on Jan. 5. The Wildcats had to work for this one after an 18-point lead dwindled to one possession with 1:18 left, but the Bulldogs weren’t able to score again.
Lamar Peters led the Bulldogs (16-7, 4-6) with 16 points.
Mississippi State has now lost 13 straight games to Kentucky dating to 2009. The Bulldogs still have a legitimate path to the NCAA Tournament thanks to good wins during non-conference play, but need some conference wins in a hurry. Tuesday’s home game against Alabama is a big one.
(At) No. 7 Michigan 61, No. 19 Wisconsin 52: Jon Teske had 17 points and 12 rebounds, holding his own inside against Ethan Happ, and Charles Matthews scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half to lift No. 7 Michigan over No. 19 Wisconsin.
The Big Ten-leading Wolverines (22-2, 11-2) avenged one of their only losses this season despite going 0 for 10 from 3-point range in the second half. Michigan led 51-50 in a tight defensive struggle before pulling away with eight straight points.
Happ had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Wisconsin, but the Badgers (17-7, 9-4) saw their six-game winning streak snapped. That run began with a 64-54 win over then-undefeated Michigan last month.
(At) No. 9 Michigan State 79, Minnesota 55: Nick Ward had 22 points and Matt McQuaid scored a season-high 18, leading No. 9 Michigan State to a win over Minnesota.
The Spartans (19-5, 10-3 Big Ten) ended a three-game losing streak, their longest skid in two years.
The Golden Gophers (16-8, 6-7) have lost a season-high three straight games. Michigan State was very motivated to play well in part because Magic Johnson was in the stands, attending the game as part of a celebration for the 1979 national championship team.
(At) No. 10 Marquette 66, No. 14 Villanova 65: Markus Howard scored 38 points, and No. 10 Marquette hung on at the buzzer, edging No. 14 Villanova and handing the Wildcats their first Big East Conference loss.
Marquette (20-4, 9-2) led by 15 early in the second half. Phil Booth had 19 points and Eric Paschall 17 for Villanova (19-5, 10-1), which had won 11 straight since a 74-71 loss to Kansas on Dec. 15.
(At) Clemson 59, No. 11 Virginia Tech 51: Shelton Mitchell scored 22 points with a career-best five 3-pointers and Clemson outlasted No. 11 Virginia Tech for the Tigers’ fourth straight victory.
The Hokies (18-5, 7-4 ACC) made just one field goal in the final 8:33 in losing consecutive games for the first time this season.
The Tigers (15-8, 5-5) were ranked when the season began but were written off by many when they opened ACC play at 1-5. Clemson is finally looking like the team that surprised many when it reached the NCAA Tournament’s round of 16 last March.
(At) No. 13 Kansas 84, Oklahoma State 72: Dedric Lawson scored 25 points, Ochai Agbaji hit five 3s and had 23 points, and No. 13 Kansas shrugged off a slow start to beat Oklahoma State.
Devon Dotson added 18 points while Mitch Lightfoot provided a big lift off the bench for the Jayhawks (18-6, 7-4 Big 12), who were playing their first game without starting guard Lagerald Vick. He left the team earlier in the week to deal with personal issues.
Cameron McGriff finished with 22 points for Oklahoma State (9-14, 2-8) before fouling out.
(At) No. 22 Florida State 80, No. 16 Louisville 75 (OT): Mfiondu Kabengele scored 22 points, and No. 22 Florida State erased a 10-point second-half deficit to force overtime, then knocked off No. 16 Louisville.
Terance Mann added 20 points for the Seminoles (18-5, 6-4 ACC), who made 11 of 12 free throws in overtime to wrap up their fifth straight win. Mann hit 9 of 11 free throws to secure his second straight 20-point game and fifth of the season.
Kabengele shot 7 of 12 from the floor and pulled down seven rebounds. It was the 16th time he has come off the bench to score in double figures.
Christen Cunningham scored 20 points, including 13 in the first half, for Louisville (17-7, 8-3).
TCU 92, (at) No. 17 Iowa State 83: Kendric Davis scored a season-high 22 points, and TCU stunned No. 17 Iowa State for its first road win over a Top 25 team in 21 years.
Kouat Noi, Desmond Bane and Alex Robinson each had 17 for the Horned Frogs (17-6, 5-5 Big 12). They used a staggering 27-4 first-half run to blow past the beleaguered Cyclones and greatly boost their NCAA Tournament chances.
Marial Shayok scored 24 points and Michael Jacobson had 16 to lead the Cyclones (18-6, 7-4), who saw their winning streak snapped at four games.
No. 18 Texas Tech 66, (at) Oklahoma 54: Davide Moretti scored 14 points to help No. 18 Texas Tech roll past Oklahoma.
Jarrett Culver had 13 points and Matt Mooney and Brandone Francis each added 11 for the Red Raiders (19-5, 7-4 Big 12), who stayed within striking range of conference leader Kansas State. Texas Tech held Oklahoma to 36 percent shooting to claim its fourth victory in five games. The Red Raiders beat the Sooners 66-59 earlier in the season.
Rashard Odomes scored 14 points and Brady Manek had 11 points and 11 rebounds for Oklahoma (15-9, 3-8), which lost its fourth straight.
(At) No. 21 LSU 83, Auburn 78: Tremont Waters had 19 points and 10 assists, and No. 21 LSU overcame a sluggish start to beat Auburn.
Skylar Mays had 20 points for LSU (19-4, 9-1 SEC), which bounced back from its lone conference loss with a pair of league victories heading into its toughest road test yet at fifth-ranked Kentucky.
Jared Harper scored 25 for Auburn (16-7, 5-5), which saw its three-game winning streak snapped.
(At) No. 23 Buffalo 90, Central Michigan 76: Jeremy Harris had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and No. 23 Buffalo rallied to beat Central Michigan.
CJ Massinburg scored 18 points as Buffalo (20-3, 8-2 Mid-American Conference) won its 22nd game in a row at Alumni Arena. The streak is tied for the second-longest in the country with No. 1 Tennessee. No. 12 Houston has won 31 in a row at home.
Shawn Roundtree Jr. scored 26 points to lead the Chippewas (16-7, 5-5).