Michigan State pulls off upset
Spartans’ victory over No. 16 Wisconsin may have clinched spot in NCAA tournament.
Nick Ward had 22 points and nine rebounds despite playing just 19 minutes because of foul trouble, helping host Michigan State beat No. 16 Wisconsin, 84-74, on Sunday.
Miles Bridges had 17 points and Matt McQuaid added a season-high 15 as the Spartans (18-11, 10-6 Big Ten) won for the sixth time in eight games, moving them into a third-place tie in the conference and perhaps sealing their spot in a 20th straight NCAA tournament.
“We put ourselves in a position where I can look in the mirror and say we deserve some things,” Spartans Coach Tom Izzo said.
The Badgers (22-7, 11-5) have lost four of five and lost a chance to pull into a firstplace tie with No. 14 Purdue.
at No. 7 Louisville 88, Syracuse 68: Donovan Mitchell scored 25 points and Ray Spalding added 18 for the Cardinals, who made 57% percent of their shots and completed a season sweep of the Orangemen.
Louisville (23-6, 11-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) led by as many as 23 points in the second half and kept the lead in double digits.
“We came out with energy, which was a good sign,” said Mitchell, who made nine of 16 shots.
Tyus Battle had 20 points and Tyler Lydon added 17 for the Orangemen (17-13, 9-8).
at Central Florida 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 the Knights pull off an upset over the Bearcats. It was the first time in nine meetings that the Knights (19-10, 10-7 American Athletic Conference) defeated Cincinnati (25-4, 14-2).
And this loss could be costly for the Bearcats, who were trying to stay in step with conference-leading Southern Methodist.
No. 22 Butler 88, at Xavier 79: Kelan Martin scored 25 points for the Bulldogs, who 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. Kamar Baldwin added 17 points for Butler (23-6, 12-5 Big East).
Xavier (18-11, 8-8) has lost five in a row.
at No. 21 Notre Dame 64, Georgia Tech 60: Bonzie Colson had 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Fighting Irish won their fifth straight game.
Matt Farrell added 17 points for Notre Dame (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.