All-America guard Butler leads Baylor
Bears remain unbeaten; Kansas drops consecutive Big 12 games
WACO, Texas — Jared Butler had a season-high 30 points and eight assists as No. 2 Baylor remained undefeated with a 77-69 victory Monday night over No. 9 Kansas, which has lost consecutive Big 12 games for the first time in nearly eight years.
The Bears (13-0, 6-0 Big 12) led throughout in a matchup of this year’s preseason league favorite and the team that has won or shared 15 of the last 16 regular-season titles. Butler made the first of his seven 3-pointers on the first shot of the game, part of Baylor’s opening 11-2 spurt.
Kansas (10-4, 4-3) played for the first time since a 75-70 loss last Tuesday at Oklahoma State before the Jayhawks’ scheduled game Saturday was postponed because of COVID-19 issues in Iowa State’s program.
Coach Bill Self’s team hadn’t lost consecutive Big 12 games since a three-game losing streak in February 2013 against Oklahoma State, TCU and Oklahoma.
Butler, the preseason AP All-America guard, had nine points in the game’s first five minutes. That came two days after he was scoreless until scoring seven points in the final seven minutes of a 68-60 win at Texas Tech that was Baylor’s first game this season decided by fewer than 10 points.
ST. JOHN’S 74, NO. 23 UCONN 70: In Storrs, Conn., Posh Alexander scored 18 points to lead
five players in double figures and the Red Storm came from behind to upset the Huskies in the first meeting of the rivals since February 2013.
Marcellus Earlington scored 15 points and Julian Champagnie, the Big East’s leading scorer, had 10 of his 12 points in the second half for the Red Storm (8-7, 3-6) .
UConn (7-2, 4-2) played its third consecutive game without leading scorer James Bouknight, who is recovering from elbow surgery.
AGGIES: New Mexico State has secured a commitment from SPIRE Basketball Academy’s Gerald Doakes. The 6-foot-2 guard is a three-star recruit who is eligible to play right away after graduating in the fall and becoming an NCAA qualifier.
NMSU (2-1) is currently on pause for the second time this season due to multiple positive COVID-19 test results within the group. The Aggies are due to return to action Jan. 29 and 30 against Grand Canyon.
Mountain West
WYOMING 77, AIR FORCE 58: In Colorado Springs, Xavier DuSell had 19 points off the bench to carry the Cowboys.
Kenny Foster had 13 points for Wyoming (8-5, 2-4 MWC), which snapped its four-game losing streak. Hunter Maldonado had 11 points and six rebounds for Wyoming, which drained a seasonhigh 16 3-pointers.
Women
NO. 4 SOUTH CAROLINA 104, NO. 15 ARKANSAS 82: In Columbia, S.C., Aliyah Boston had 26 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks, and South Carolina beat Arkansas on Monday night for its 24th straight win over SEC foes.
The 6-foot-5 Boston accomplished her fifth double-double of the season by halftime for South Carolina (10-1, 5-0 Southeastern Conference).
AURIEMMA SOUNDS OFF: UConn coach Geno Auriemma says playing a men’s NCAA Tournament this year is a fiscal necessity for most schools.
The Hall of Famer was responding Monday to comments by Baylor coach Kim Mulkey, who said she believes the college basketball season will continue despite the COVID-19 pandemic because of “the almighty dollar.”
Auriemma said Mulkey is right, but he added he believes most players, coaches and school administrators also are in favor of completing the season.
“And those players that don’t want to play, don’t have to play,” he said. “And those coaches that don’t want to coach, don’t have to coach.”