San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
KANSAS AVENGES LOSS TO BAYLOR
Udoka Azubuike and No. 3 Kansas returned the favor in a Big 12 showdown that lived up to the hype.
The Jayhawks share the Big 12 lead again, and could return to the No. 1 spot in the AP poll, as well.
Azubuike had 23 points and a career-high 19 rebounds in a 64-61 win Saturday at Baylor, ending the Bears’ 23game winning streak and likely ending the Bears’ fiveweek run as the nation’s No. 1 team.
“You could just feel the buzz. It was an exciting time and a huge win,” Jayhawks guard Devon Dotson said. “We’re a solid team that can make a run in late, late March. We’re going to enjoy this win, but build off it for sure.”
Kansas (24-3, 13-1 Big 12) has won 12 in a row since its first-ever home loss to Baylor on Jan. 11. The Jayhawks had a 10-point lead with 61⁄2 minutes left in the rematch before holding off Baylor’s late charge.
“I liked the first game against Kansas better than this one,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “For us, the goal at the beginning of the year wasn’t to sweep Kansas. The goal was to win a Big 12 championship. Their goal is to win a Big 12 championship.”
Baylor (24-2, 13-1) has never won a Big 12 title. There are four games left in the regular season.
Isaiah Moss, who had 11 points, made two free throws for Kansas with 7.9 seconds left before a timeout. The Bears had one more shot, but Jared Butler’s 3-pointer from beyond the top of the key ricocheted off the front of the iron as time expired.
Butler and Macio Teague had hit consecutive 3-pointers in the final half-minute to get Baylor within 62-61.
Dotson added 13 points for the Jayhawks, who shot 51 percent (27 of 53) against a tenacious Baylor defense that held them to 55 points in a 12point loss last month that ended their 28-game home winning streak.
“It meant a lot to our guys, a lot more than the league race,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “It meant a lot to us from they beat us the first time at home, and they controlled it. They controlled the game at home a lot more than we controlled the game here.”
No. 5 Dayton 80, Duquesne 70: Obi Toppin had 28 points as host Dayton (25-2, 14-0 Atlantic 10) won its 16th game in a row, beating Duquesne (18-8, 8-6). Toppin, a redshirt sophomore and potential first-round NBA draft choice, topped 1,000 points for his career with an emphatic dunk in the second half.
No. 6 Duke 77, Virginia Tech 64: Cassius Stanley scored 21 points and made a season-high five 3-pointers to help Duke (23-4, 13-3ACC) beat Virginia Tech (15-12, 610).
No. 8 Florida State 67, North Carolina State 61: M.J. Walker scored all 12 of his points after halftime to help visiting Florida State (23-4, 13-3 ACC) take control in the second half and beat North Carolina State (17-10, 8-8).
No. 10 Kentucky 65, Florida 59: Immanuel Quickley scored a career-high 26 points, including 15 of Kentucky’s 17 during a decisive second-half stretch as the Wildcats (22-5, 12-2 SEC) pushed past Florida (17-10, 9-5) for their sixth consecutive victory.
No. 11 Louisville 72, North Carolina 55: Jordan Nwora scored 18 points to lead host Louisville (23-5, 14-3 ACC) over North Carolina (10-17, 313).
No. 12 Villanova 64, Xavier 55: Saddiq Bey scored 22 points and visiting Villanova (21-6, 10-4 Big East) extended its late-february surge, beating Xavier (17-10, 6-8) for its fourth straight win.
No. 13 Auburn 73, Tennessee 66: Samir Doughty scored 22 points and host Auburn (23-4, 10-4 SEC) rallied from a 17-point deficit in the second half to beat Tennessee (15-12, 7-7) in a game marred by an ugly incident involving a fan. A student was ejected from the game after directing a derogatory comment toward Tennessee’s Santiago Vescovi and will face a disciplinary hearing, an Auburn official said. The fan was overheard on TV calling out, “Go back to Uruguay! This is America!”
No. 14 Oregon 73, No. 24 Arizona 72 (OT): Payton Pritchard scored a careerhigh 38 points, Shakur Juiston added all of Oregon’s points in overtime and Ducks (21-7, 10-5 Pac-12) rallied to beat Arizona (19-8, 9-5).
TCU 67, No. 17 West Virginia 60 (OT): Kevin Samuel scored six of his 19 points in overtime and TCU (15-12, 6-8 Big 12) extended the Big 12 road woes of West Virginia (19-8, 7-7).
UCLA 70, No. 18 Colorado 63: Tyger Campbell had seven of his 15 points during a 20-3 UCLA run in the second half, and the Bruins (17-11, 10-5) rallied from nine points down to beat Colorado (21-7, 10-5) and tie the Buffaloes atop the Pac-12 Conference. Campbell added 11 assists and Cody Riley scored 16 points, 14 in the second half. UCLA has won nine of its last 11.
Providence 84, No. 19 Marquette 72: Luwane Pipkins scored 24 points to lead host Providence (16-12, 9-6 Big East) past Marquette (17-9, 7-7), the Friars’ fourth straight victory over a ranked team.
Memphis 60, No. 22 Houston 59: Precious Achiuwa scored 10 points, including the go-ahead free throw with 28.2 seconds left, and Memphis (19-8, 8-6 American Athletic) beat visiting Houston (21-7, 11-4).