No. 21 Duke tops Wake Forest in Coach K’s return

DURHAM, N.C. — Matthew Hurt scored a career-high 26 points to help No. 21 Duke beat Wake Forest 79-68 on Saturday in Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski’s return from a one-game absence due to COVID-19 protocols.

Freshman DJ Steward added 21 points for the Blue Devils (5-2, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who shot 51% and controlled the boards to extend their home-court dominance in the long-running in-state series.

Krzyzewski missed Wednesday’s one-point win against Boston College. He had said previously that he and his wife were following quarantine protocols after a family member had tested positive for COVID-19, though Krzyzewski said both of them had tested negative.

He said he was tested again early Saturday before being cleared. He said a daughter and granddaughter are fighting the virus and “doing OK but not great.”

“I’m just happy that we have such a good medical center and medical people who will take care of us,” Krzyzewski said. “I’m happy to be back. I thought my team played really well today.”

Daivien Williamson and Ismael Massoud each scored 17 points to lead the Demon Deacons (3-3, 0-3), who had just one field goal during a seven-minute stretch midway through the second half as Duke stretched its lead.

No. 2 Baylor 67, TCU 49: At FORT WORTH, Texas — Jared Butler scored a season-high 28 points and No. 2 Baylor stayed undefeated, when the Bears got another another double-digit win even after trailing at halftime for the first time this season.

MaCio Teague added 12 points and Davion Mitchell had 10 for the Bears (11-0, 4-0 Big 12).

No. 4 Texas 72, No. 14 West Virginia 70: At MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Three years to the day since Texas coach Shaka Smart told his players that Andrew Jones had been diagnosed with leukemia, the junior guard put his latest stamp on what is turning into a special season for the Longhorns.

Jones hit a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left to lift the fourth-ranked Longhorns to a victory over No. 14 West Virginia.

Courtney Ramey drove into the lane among four defenders before tossing the ball to Jones in the right corner for an uncontested shot after West Virginia’s Emmitt Matthews missed two free throws with 11 seconds left.

On Jan. 9, 2018, Smart told his players that Jones had been diagnosed with leukemia. Jones missed most of the next two seasons and completed his cancer treatments in September 2019.

No. 7 Creighton 97, St. John’s 79: At OMAHA, Neb. — Denzel Mahoney scored a season-high 24 points to lead six players in double figures with star Marcus Zegarowski out of the lineup, and seventh-ranked Creighton pulled away early.

The Bluejays (10-2, 6-1) won their sixth straight Big East game in the same season for the first time since joining the conference in 2013. The Red Storm (6-6, 1-5) dropped to 0-4 on the road.

No. 9 Tennessee 68, Texas A&M 54: At COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Sophomore guard Santiago Vescov scored a career-high 23 points, including six 3-pointers, and No. 9 Tennessee beat Texas A&M.

Vescovi’s hot hand began early for the Vols (9-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) as he hit his first four shots from behind the arc.

Ohio State 79, No. 15 Rutgers 68: At PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Duane Washington Jr. scored 17 points and Justice Sueing addded 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as Ohio State closed the first half with a big run to beat Rutgers.

The Buckeyes (9-3, 3-3 Big Ten) used a 22-4 burst to take a 42-30 lead at halftime in sending Rutgers (7-4, 3-4) to its third straight loss.

No. 18 Texas Tech 91, Iowa State 64: At AMES, Iowa — Kyler Edwards struck early in his second straight start for No. 18 Texas Tech, scoring 16 of his 19 points in the first half as the Red Raiders built a huge lead and breezed past Iowa State.

The Red Raiders (10-3, 3-2 Big 12) used a pair of 12-0 runs to make it 54-28 with just over a minute left before the break.

No. 22 Virginia 61, Boston College 49: At BOSTON — Jay Huff matched his career-high with 18 points, adding eight rebounds as No. 22 Virginia (6-2, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) survived almost nine minutes in the first half without scoring to beat Boston College.

Kathy Batten / Associated Press Texas guards Andrew Jones (1) and Courtney Ramey (3) celebrate after Jones scored against West Virginia during the second half on Saturday in Morgantown, W.Va. Jones was playing for the first time since being diagnosed with leukemia two years ago.