Villanova hands Texas its first loss

MEN’S TOP

25 NO. 12 VILLANOVA 68,

NO. 17 TEXAS 64

AUSTIN, Texas — After opening the season in a Connecticut “bubble,” Villanova went all the way down to Texas to get a big win.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Justin Moore each scored 19 points and No. 12 Villanova held on late to beat No. 17 Texas 68-64 on Sunday, handing the Longhorns their first loss after a strong start.

“Road attitude is something we talked about,” Robinson-Earl said. “We just tried to stay after it.”

It took some physical play against an experienced Texas lineup, some late free throws and some old-fashioned grit to close it out.

Collin Gillespie made four free throws over the final 15 seconds to secure the win for the Wildcats (4-1). Jermaine Samuels, who sat out practice last week because of a sprained pinky on his right hand, collected a game-high 12 rebounds.

“I wasn’t even thinking about it,” Samuels said. “You could feel it here and there on deadballs, but I was just focused on what the next play was.”

Courtney Ramey and Matt Coleman III each scored 17 points to pace the Longhorns (4-1). Texas had won the Maui Invitational in the program’s best start in six years under Coach Shaka Smart, who just last season was under intense pressure and speculation he could lose his job.

Ramey fouled out to send Gillespie to the line, and he calmly stroked both shots to put the Wildcats up by four. After Coleman made a twisting layup, Gillespie was again back at the line and swished two more. Gillespie finished with 12 points.

Ramey made a long three-pointer to tie the game at 57 before Villanova answered with a three-pointer from Cole Swider with 1:58 to play and the Wildcats held the lead to the end.

NO. 8 MICHIGAN STATE 79, WESTERN MICHIGAN 61

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Joey Hauser had a career- high 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, leading No. 8 Michigan State to a victory over Western Michigan.

The Spartans (5-0) seemed flat for a second consecutive game at home after beating No. 6 Duke with an inspired effort on the road. They led the Broncos (0-2) by just two points midway through the second half and trailed for six-plus minutes in the game.

Hauser, who made a career-high six three-pointers on 10 attempts, helped Michigan State pull away with a 19-6 run that was capped by his shot just inside the school’s logo.

Western Michigan played for the first time since Nov. 25, when it lost by four points at Butler, returning to competition after its program had covid-19 issues.

NO. 11 WEST VIRGINIA 80, GEORGETOWN 71

WASHINGTON — Miles McBride scored 17 points, Derek Culver had 14 and West Virginia finished fast to beat Georgetown in the first meeting between the former Big East rivals since 2014.

Culver, the leading scorer and rebounder for the Mountaineers (4-1), was limited to just 18 minutes because of foul trouble. Emmitt Matthews had 13 points and Taz Sherman added 12 as West Virginia bounced back from a loss to top-ranked Gonzaga.

Jahvon Blair led Georgetown (1-2) with 19 points while Jamorko Pickett added 11.

NO. 17 TEXAS TECH 81, GRAMBLING STATE 40

LUBBOCK, Texas — Kyler Edwards had 13 points and 11 rebounds, leading five players scoring with 10 or more points as Texas Tech overcame a sluggish start in a win over Grambling State.

The Red Raiders (4-1) never trailed after Edwards made a three-pointer only 17 seconds into the game, but they then missed 12 of their next 13 shots. They also had a nearly five-minute stretch later in the first half when they missed five shots in a row and had four turnovers.

Mac McClung, Terrence Shannon Jr. and freshman Nimari Burnett each had 12 points for Texas Tech, while Jamarius Burton had 10.

Cameron Christon scored 11 points for Grambling State (1-3).

GEORGIA TECH 79, NO. 20 KENTUCKY 62

ATLANTA — Moses Wright scored 21 points and Georgia Tech recovered from a poor start to the season to beat No. 20 Kentucky, giving the Wildcats their third consecutive loss.

Georgia Tech (1-2) rebounded with a strong performance following losses to state rivals Georgia State and Mercer. The Yellow Jackets won with defense, with 15 steals leading to a dominant 33-4 advantage in points off turnovers.

Georgia Tech outscored the Wildcats 36-20 in the paint.

After opening the season with a win over Morehead State, the Wildcats (13) lost to Richmond and Kansas before seeing their losing streak stretched to three games.

Freshman Terrence Clarke had 22 points for Kentucky. B.J. Boston added 11 points.