Williams gets 3 the hard way in Vols’ victory

Grant Williams’ knack for making baskets while drawing contact keeps paying dividends for Tennessee.

Williams had 22 points and 10 rebounds as No. 3 Tennessee trounced Wake Forest 83-64 on Saturday for its sixth consecutive victory. The Southeastern Conference scoring leader converted a trio of three-point plays in the first 14½ minutes of the game.

“He’s got a 6-11 wingspan and the one thing he’s added to his game is that high-release jump shot, and he can take a hit,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “That’s what he does. He can deliver one, but he can take one, too. He can score through contact.”

Williams, a 6-foot-7 forward, has made just 10 3-pointers since the start of the 2017-18 season but has become a master of the conventional three-point play. He often points that out to teammate Admiral Schofield, who has made a teamhigh 25 3s.

“They’re fun because it’s my way of getting three points,” said Williams, who had 17 points by halftime. “I always joke with Admiral, you can get three (from 3-point range), but I’ll get the three inside.”

Kyle Alexander scored a career-high 19 points and had 8 rebounds to help host Tennessee (10-1) extend its home winning streak to 15 games. The Volunteers haven’t lost at Thompson-Boling Arena since last season, falling 94-84 to Auburn on Jan. 2.

The Vols improved to 3-0 against ACC teams. Tennessee beat Georgia Tech 66-53 on Nov. 13 and defeated Louisville 92-81 on Nov. 21.

“They played the way they’ve been playing all year long,” Wake Forest coach Danny Manning said. “They’re a very veteran, poised team.”

Chaundee Brown scored 19 points for Wake Forest (6-4).

(At) No. 4 Michigan 71, Air Force 50: Iggy Brazdeikis scored 19 points and Charles Matthews added 17 to lead No. 4 Michigan to a victory over Air Force. The Wolverines (12-0) went on a 19-3 run in the first half and never looked back. Michigan is 12-0 for only the third time in school history. The Wolverines also did it in 198586 and 2012-13.

Jordan Poole and Isaiah Livers scored 11 points each for Michigan. Lavelle Scottie led the Falcons (4-7) with 16.

(At) No. 5 Virginia 72, William & Mary 40: De’Andre Hunter scored 18 points, Kyle Guy had 16 and No. 5 Virginia pulled away after halftime and beat William & Mary. The Tribe (4-8) used a 14-3 run spanning halftime to trim a 17-point deficit to 34-28 early in the second half, but Mamadi Diakite’s basket sparked a 17-2 run that put Virginia (11-0) in command again. Guy had nine points in the run, including the last six to give the Cavaliers a 51-30 advantage with 9:57 to play.

(At) No. 7 Auburn 93, Murray State 88: Samir Doughty scored 20 points, Austin Wiley had 17 points and 10 rebounds and No. 7 Auburn held off Murray State.

Four days after being upset by North Carolina State, Auburn led 91-79 with 55 seconds remaining before getting a scare because Murray State’s full-court press forced the tigers into turnovers.

The Racers cut Auburn’s lead to three points with 19 seconds left, but Jared Harper’s free throws on the other end sealed the Tigers’ victory.

Doughty and Wiley were two of five players to score in double figures for Auburn (10-2).

Ja Morant led Murray State (8-2) with 25 points and eight rebounds.

No. 19 Kentucky 80, No. 9 North Carolina 72: Keldon Johnson scored 23 points, Reid Travis added 20, and No. 19 Kentucky beat ninthranked North Carolina in a matchup between two of college basketball’s winningest programs in Chicago.

Johnson scored 16 in the second half, helping the Wildcats (9-2) hold off the Tar Heels (8-3) in their first meeting since the 2017 NCAA South Regional final. North Carolina won that game on a last-second jumper by Luke Maye en route to its sixth national title.

This time, Johnson came on strong down the stretch after Travis got off to a scorching start. Johnson hit three 3-pointers in the second half and made 4 of 7 from beyond the arc overall. Travis scored 16 as the Wildcats grabbed a 40-31 halftime lead.

Cameron Johnson led North Carolina with 17 points.

No. 11 Florida State 81, Saint Louis 59: David Nichols scored a season-high 19 points off the bench and No. 11 Florida State shot a season-best 55 percent to beat Saint Louis in the one-day Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise, Fla.

The Billikens shot only 30 percent — their season low, and the best effort yet for Florida State’s defense.

The Seminoles (11-1) won their sixth game in a row and matched the best 12-game record in school history. Saint Louis (8-4) suffered its most lopsided loss of the season.

No. 15 Ohio State 80, UCLA 66: C.J. Jackson scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half, and No. 15 Ohio State handed UCLA its third consecutive loss. The Buckeyes had some trouble against the Bruins’ 2-3 zone before coach Chris Holtmann had Jackson play off the ball and put Keyshawn Woods in more of a playmaking role. Jackson went 6 for 11 from the field in the second half, and Woods finished with 10 assists and no turnovers.

Ohio State (11-1) got its second win at the United Center in Chicago this season in the opener of the CBS Sports Classic. The Big Ten tournament returns to the United Center in March.

Kris Wilkes had 18 points and seven rebounds for UCLA (7-5).

(At) No. 16 Wisconsin 84, Grambling State 53: Playing for the first time in nine days, the Badgers shook off an early challenge from Grambling State (6-7) to beat the Tigers. Along the way, Ethan Happ led the Badgers (10-2) with 19 points and grabbed his 1,000th career rebound.

D’Mitrik Trice scored 14 points for the Badgers. Dallas Polk-Hilliard had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead Grambling State.

(At) No. 23 Iowa 110, Savannah State 64: Once it became apparent Savannah State posed no threat, Iowa seemed content to let Jordan Bohannon shoot his way out of a season-long slump. Bohannon responded with his best game of the year — a positive sign with the bulk of the Big Ten season just over a week away.

Joe Wieskamp scored a career-high 24 points, Bohannon had 18 on six 3s and the No. 23 Hawkeyes blew past Savannah State (3-11) for their fourth straight victory.

Tyler Cook scored 16 points in 17 minutes for the Hawkeyes (10-2). They played without center Luka Garza, who recently sprained his ankle.

(At) No. 25 Nebraska 86, Cal State Fullerton 62: James Palmer Jr. scored 23 points and No. 25 Nebraska took control midway through the first half to defeat Cal State Fullerton.

Nebraska (10-2) won its 18th straight home game, a streak dating to last season. Kyle Allman Jr. had 14 of his 16 points in the second half to lead Cal State Fullerton (3-9).