Unbeaten Bears primed to take over top ranking

TOP 25 MEN

NO. 2 BAYLOR 57, NO. 6 VILLANOVA 36

WACO, Texas — No matter where Villanova guards Justin Moore and Collin Gillespie turned, there was another Baylor defender smothering them.

And now the defending national champion Bears are poised to be No. 1 for the first time this season.

James Akinjo had 16 points and second-ranked Baylor defensively dominated in a 57-36 victory Sunday over the sixthranked Wildcats, who scored their fewest points and had their worst-shooting game in Coach Jay Wright’s 21 seasons.

“We’re a pretty good shooting team. I really chalk up our missed shots to their defense,” Wright said, describing the Bears as physical, tough and quick.

“They did a great job of being physical with us, getting up in us,” Moore said. “Then we make the extra pass, they’re recovering.”

The Bears ( 9- 0) never trailed in their first nonconference home game ever against a top-six opponent, this one a rematch of an NCAA Sweet 16 game last March in Indianapolis. This Big East/Big 12 Battle matchup featured the teams that won three of the last five NCAA titles.

Villanova (7-3) shot only 22% (12 of 54) with several extended scoring droughts in its 689th game under Wright, whose two NCAA titles were both won recently in Texas — in Houston in 2016 and San Antonio in 2018. The 36 points tied the fewest by a top10 team in the shot clock era (since 1985-86), and marked Nova’s first game under 40 points since 1979.

“We’ve got a really good team, everybody can score 1 through 5. But the separator is getting those stops,” Akinjo said. “We all take pride in our individual matchups. We compete against each other every day.”

Adam Flagler had 10 points as Baylor, which won its NCAA-best 15th game in a row dating to last season, shot 39% (22 of 56) and was held under 69 points for the first time this season. Jeremy Sochan had nine points and 10 rebounds before fouling out.

Moore had 15 points on 5-of-14 shooting for Villanova.

Top-ranked Purdue lost to Rutgers on Thursday night, clearing the way for Baylor to move up to the No. 1 spot when the new Associated Press poll comes out today. Baylor never made it to No. 1 in a poll during the regular season last year on the way to its national title, and last was in that spot during the 2019-20 season.

NO. 1 PURDUE 82, N.C. STATE 72 (OT)

NEW YORK — Trevion Williams had a season-high 22 points to go with 12 rebounds and a career-best nine assists to help Purdue rally past North Carolina State in overtime in the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational.

Jaden Ivey added 22 points for the Boilermakers (9-1), who had to rally from 13 down midway through the second half. Purdue never led in regulation, taking its first lead Sasha Stefanovic’s three-pointer 15 seconds into the extra period.

Stefanovic also hit a driving layup with 21.5 seconds left to force the overtime, ultimately helping Purdue bounce back from a last-second loss at Rutgers in the program’s first-ever week atop the AP Top 25.

Freshman Terquavion Smith scored a season-high 21 points for the Wolfpack (7-3), who had a chance to earn the program’s first win against a top-ranked opponent in nearly nine years.

MARYLAND 70, NO. 20 FLORIDA 68

NEW YORK — Donta Scott scored on a leaning shot in the post with 16.8 seconds left, No. 20 Florida missed its final-play three-pointer and Maryland beat the Gators in the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational.

Eric Ayala and Fatts Russell each scored 19 points for the Terrapins (6-4), who shot 49% and hit 8 of 13 three-pointers to snap a three-game skid. It was Maryland’s first win in two tries under interim coach Danny Manning, who took over Dec. 3 after Mark Turgeon departed in a decision the school said was mutual.

Tyree Appleby (Jacksonville) scored 15 points on five three-pointers, including one against Russell with 1:14 left that pushed the Gators (7-3) to a 66-65 lead. Florida also got a tying layup from Anthony Duruji with 43.5 seconds left, setting up Scott’s tough shot against Myreon Jones in the post for the win.

In other Top 25 men’s games Sunday, Isaiah Mobley had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 16 Southern California pulled away at the beginning of the second half on its way to beating Long Beach State 73-62. The Trojans (10-0) continued their best start since the 201617 season, when they opened 14-0. Drew Peterson added 15 points and Max Agbonkpolo had 11 points for USC. … T.J. Otzelberger became the first Iowa State coach to win his first 10 games with the team, guiding the No. 17 Cyclones past Jackson State 47-37. Iowa State (10-0) ended last season with 18 consecutive losses. The Cyclones beat Jackson State last Dec. 20, then didn’t win again in finishing 2-22. … Bryce Aiken scored 22 points and Jared Rhoden had 16 points and nine rebounds to lead No. 23 Seton Hall past Rutgers 77-63 in the Garden State Hardwood Classic. Kadary Richmond added 12 points for the Pirates (9-1), and Alexis Yetna had 10 points and seven rebounds. Myles Cale also chipped in with 10 points.