Davis, Bacot boost UNC past Clemson
RJ Davis scored 14 points and Armando Bacot had 14 points and 16 rebounds to lead No. 8 North Carolina to a 75-55 victory Saturday against No. 16 Clemson.
Davis entered the game as the Atlantic Coast Conference’s leading scorer at 21.2 points per game, and though he struggled at times to find his shot against the Tigers (11-3, 12), he stepped up in time for the Tar Heels (11-3, 30).
Davis hit a 3-pointer as North Carolina wiped out Clemson’s four-point lead to move in front 39-38. He added a second to push to lead to 45-41 with 10 minutes left. The Tigers got no closer than two points the rest of the way to lose their second in a row after an 111 start.
Bacot posted his 54th career double-double and helped hold top Clemson scorer PJ Hall to 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting.
“In a road environment like this, we’ve got to be engaged and not having lapses,” Bacot said. “You let a team like Clemson go on a run, it’s tough to come back.”
Chase Hunter scored 17 and Ian Schieffelin added 16 and 11 rebounds to pace Clemson, but the Tigers made on;y one of their 18 3-point attempts.
“Can’t go 1 for 18 from three and win the game,” said Clemson coach Brad Brownell.
Other Top 25 men
Kansas83, TCU 81: Hunter Dickinson’s layup with three seconds left and Jameer Nelson Jr.’s miss on a 3-pointer at the buzzer helped the No. 2 Jayhawks escape at home against TCU in both teams’ Big 12 opener. Dickinson finished with 20 points for Kansas (13-1, 1-0). Trevian Tannyson led TCU (11-3, 0-1) with 24 points.
Kentucky 87, Florida 85: The sixth-ranked Wildcats eked out a tough road win against the Gators in the conference opener for both teams. Antonio Reeves scored 19 points and Tre Mitchell grabbed 10 rebounds for the Wildcats (112, 1-0 SEC). Walter Clayton Jr. scored 23 for Florida (104, 0-1).
Seton Hall 78, Marquette 75: Dre Davis’ layup with eight seconds to go put the clincher on the Pirates’ upset of the seventh-ranked Golden Eagles (11-4, 2-2 Big East). Al-Amir Dawes scored 23 points to lead Seton Hall (10-5, 3-1) to its third conference win against a ranked opponent.
Arizona 92, Utah 73: Caleb Love scored 23 points as the 10th-ranked Wildcats (12-3, 3-1 Pac-12) cruised against the visiting Utes (114, 2-2). Arizona broke open the game with a 12-0 run early in the second half.
Charlotte 70, FAU 68: The 17th-ranked Owls (11-4, 1-1 AAC) fell on the road on Lu’Cye Patterson’s two free throws with two seconds left for the 49ers (7-7, 1-1). Johnell Davis’ five points for FAU in the final 48 seconds had tied it at 68-68.
Baylor 75, Oklahoma State 70 (OT): Jalen Bridges’ dunk at the buzzer in overtime put a cap on the 18thranked Bears’ road win against the Cowboys (8-6, 01 Big 12). RayJ Dennis scored 18 points to lead Baylor (12-2, 1-0).
Southern Mississippi 81, James Madison 71: The Golden Eagles (8-7, 2-1 Sun Belt) raced to a nine-point halftime lead and maintained to upset No. 19 Dukes (14-1, 2-1). Terrence Edwards Jr. led James Madison with 15 points.
Wisconsin 88, Nebraska 72: Tyler Wahl scored 17 points to lead five Badgers in double figures as No. 21 Wisconsin (11-3, 3-0 Big Ten) ended a five-game winning streak for the Cornhuskers (12-3, 2-2).
Top 25 women
Baylor 87, Houston 58: Aijha Blackwell scored 15 points off the bench to lead five players in double figures for the sixth-ranked Bears (14-0, 3-0 Big 12) who christened their new home arena with a convincing win. Bella Fontleroy scored 16 of her 21 points in the second half after Baylor had its first halftime deficit of the season.
Kansas State 72, UCF 56: Serena Sundell scored 22 points to top 1,000 for her career as the No. 11 Wildcats (15-1, 3-0 Big 12) won their ninth in a row.
Marquette 81, Xavier 52: Mackenzie Hare’s 19 points paced the 19th-ranked Golden Eagles (13-2, 2-2 Big East) against the Musketeers (1-11, 0-3).