Nevada dumps last season’s NCAA darlings
Wolf Pack avenges tournament loss to Loyola-Chicago
Caleb Martin had 21 points, twin brother Cody Martin scored 20, and No. 5 Nevada beat Loyola-Chicago 79-65 on the road on Tuesday night in an NCAA tournament rematch.
Loyola beat Nevada by one point in the NCAA South Regional semifinals last season — the only other meeting between these programs. That victory came during a stunning Final Four run for the Ramblers.
Caleb Martin scored 17 in the first half, helping the Wolf Pack (7-0) grab a 4428 lead. The preseason AllAmerican shot 8 of 13 in the game, including 3 for 6 on 3-pointers.
Cody Martin was 9 of 14 with seven assists.
Jordan Caroline had 15 points and six rebounds. Trey Porter added 14 points and 10 boards.
Marques Townes — who hit the decisive 3 in the closing seconds of that NCAA game — led Loyola (4-3) with a season-high 24 points, but the Ramblers dropped their second straight game.
With the Martins leading the way, the Wolf Pack shot 62.5 percent while building its 44-28 halftime lead.
They led 29-9 midway through the first half after a layup by Cody Martin. He also hit a 3 with 5:22 left to make it 38-18 before Loyola cut it to 12 in the closing minutes. The Ramblers’ Clayton Custer missed a 3 that would have made it a nine-point game. Caleb Martin hit a runner, and Porter scored to get it back up to 16.
NO. 3 DUKE 90, INDIANA 69 >> Zion Williamson scored 25 points, RJ Barrett added 22, and the host Blue Devils (6-1) bounced back from their lone loss. Romeo Langford scored 13 points to lead the Hoosiers (5-2). VANDY ROLLS IN ROUT IN FIRST FULL GAME WITHOUT STAR >> Freshman Aaron Nesmith enjoyed career highs of 20 points and 13 rebounds, and host Vanderbilt (5-1) played its first full game without star point guard Darius Garland in a 120-85 rout of Savannah State. Garland, a freshman who was averaging 16.2 points per game, suffered a season-ending knee injury in Friday’s loss to Kent State. Projected as a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA draft, Garland underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee Monday. LOUISVILLE 82, NO. 9 MICHIGAN STATE 78 >> Ryan McMahon made two free throws with 7.1 seconds remaining in overtime before Jordan Nwora made another from the line with 3.1 seconds left to seal the Cardinals’ (4-2) upset of the visiting Spartans. McMahon scored all seven of his points in the extra session from the line to finish with a career-high 24. The Spartans (5-2) had a chance to get close with Joshua Langford (15 points) at the line. But he missed the first of two free throws with 4.2 seconds left and failed to hit the rim on an intentional miss, a violation that gave Louisville the ball and led to Nwora’s free throw. PENN STATE 63, NO. 13 VIRGINIA TECH 62 >> Myreon Jones scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half to lead the host Nittany Lions (4-2) to the upset of the Hokies (5-1).