No. 7 Louisville runs away from Syracuse
LOUISVILLE, KY. » Donovan Mitchell made six 3-pointers for 25 points, Ray Spalding added 18 points with 11 rebounds and No. 7 Louisville shot 57 percent to pull away for an 88-68 victory over Syracuse on Sunday.
The Cardinals rode a 14-4 run entering the break for a 15-point lead that grew to 23 early in the second half as Louisville (23-6, 11-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) rebounded from its loss at No. 8 North Carolina.
Deng Adel had 17 points and Quentin Snider 12 for Louisville.
Tyus Battle had 20 points and Tyler Lydon 17 for Syracuse (17-13, 9-8). UCF 53, NO. 15 CINCINNATI 49 » B.J. Taylor scored 27 points and 7-foot-6 Tacko Fall had seven points and four blocked shots to help UCF pull off the upset.
It was the first time in nine meetings that the Knights defeated Cincinnati.
The Bearcats (25-4, 14-2) were trying to stay in step with American Athletic Conference-leading SMU.
The Knights (19-10, 10-7) won their fourth straight game and recorded their first win over a Top 25 opponent since defeating No. 4 UConn in 2011. MICHIGAN ST. 84, NO. 16 WISCONSIN 74 » Nick Ward had 22 points and nine rebounds, Miles Bridges had 17 points and Matt McQuaid added a season-high 15 for Michigan State.
The Spartans (18-11, 10-6 Big Ten) have won six of their last eight games, moving them into a third-place tie in the conference and perhaps sealing their spot in a 20th straight NCAA Tournament.
The Badgers (22-7, 11-5) have lost four of five and lost a chance to pull into a first-place tie with No. 14 Purdue.
Nigel Hayes scored 22 points for Wisconsin and Bronson Koenig had 17. NO. 21 NOTRE DAME 64, GEORGIA TECH 60 » Bonzie Colson had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Notre Dame beat Georgia Tech for its fifth straight victory.
Matt Farrell added 17 points for the Irish (22-7, 11-5 Atlantic Coast Conference).
Tadric Jackson led Georgia Tech (16-13, 7-9) with 20 points, and Josh Okogie had 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Yellow Jackets have lost three of four. NO. 22 BUTLER 88, XAVIER 79 » Kelan Martin scored 25 points and Butler followed its biggest road win of the season with yet another.
The Bulldogs (23-6, 12-5 Big East) were coming off a 74-66 victory at No. 2 Villanova, one of the biggest road wins in their history. They kept the momentum with a strong finish, outscoring Xavier 19-8 down the stretch for their fourth straight win.