NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL / TOP 25
No. 19 LSU 73, No. 5 Kentucky 71
Kavell Bigby-Williams's tip-in at the buzzer lifted LSU to a win over Kentucky on Tuesday night. With the game tied after Keldon Johnson made two free throws with 6 seconds left, Skylar Mays drove the length of the court. His shot missed but Bigby-Williams got the offensive rebound and scored to give the Tigers their first win over the Wildcats since 2009. It was just the sixth time ever that LSU (20-4, 10-1 Southeastern Conference) has beaten Kentucky (20-4, 10-2). Tremont Waters, who finished with 15 points to lead the Tigers, hit two free throws with 20 seconds left to give LSU a two-point lead before Johnson's free throws tied it. Naz Reid and Emmitt Williams scored 12 each and Mays had 11 for the Tigers. PJ Washington scored 20 points to lead the Wildcats, who had an 11-game winning streak snapped.
No. 11 Michigan St. 67, No. 20 Wisc. 58
Cassius Winston scored 23 points to help Michigan State beat Wisconsin. In doing so, the Michigan State (20-5, 11-3 Big Ten) star outdueled Wisconsin's Ethan Happ, who scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. At times, the game seemed like a contest between the two heavyweights as Winston seemed to answer every Happ hook shot with a floater or 3-pointer. But Wisconsin (17-7, 9-4) staggered at home, going more than five minutes without a point as the Spartans put the game away. The game was still in doubt with 32 seconds to go before Kenny Goins hit a 3-pointer to give the Spartans a 62-56 lead. Wisconsin was then forced to foul, and Brad Davison finally broke the Badgers' scoreless streak making a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left. Goins and Nick Ward each added 12 points for the Spartans, while Wisconsin's Nate Reuvers was the only other player in double figures for scoring at 11. As dominant as Happ was at times, he also accounted for six of the Badgers' 10 turnovers. He also missed all six free throw attempts he took, including two with the Badgers down 59-56 and 1:28 left. Still, his 20 points put him at 2,000 for his career as he became the fourth player in the Big Ten to ever hit that mark and grab 1,000 rebounds. Happ, who now has 1,138 rebounds for his career, is also the first conference player to accomplish that in more than 35 years.
No. 24 Maryland 70, No. 12 Purdue 56
Jalen Smith scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half, and Maryland used a strong defensive performance to beat Purdue 70-56, ending the Boilermakers' eight-game winning streak. Down by eight at halftime, the Terrapins (19-6, 10-4 Big Ten) took the lead for the first time with 10 minutes left before pulling away. The comeback was fueled by Smith, Eric Alaya and fellow freshman Aaron Wiggins. Maryland outscored Purdue 40-18 in the second half, limiting the Boilermakers to 1-for-16 shooting from beyond the arc. Ayala scored 15, Anthony Cowan Jr. added 12 and Fernando Bruno had 12 points and 12 rebounds, his seventh straight double-double and 16th of the season. Wiggins scored 11 on 4-of-6 shooting. Carsen Edwards scored 24 for Purdue (17-7, 10-3), but was limited to seven points after halftime on 2-for-13 shooting.
No. 25 Buffalo 76, Akron 70
CJ Massinburg scored 21 points, Dontay Caruthers added 15 and Buffalo turned up its defensive intensity in the second half and held on to beat Akron, dropping the Zips to 0-31 against ranked teams. The Bulls (21-3, 9-2 Mid-American Conference) were held to one of the lowest point totals this season, but the defending conference champions were able to do enough against the Zips (14-10, 6-5), ranked 13th nationally in scoring defense. Caruthers came off the bench and gave the Bulls some solid minutes at both ends, drawing a charging foul during a key second-half stretch for Buffalo, which forced two 30-second clock violations after halftime.