COLLEGE BASKETBALL: MEN’S TOP 25 ROUNDUP No. 10 Michigan St. holds off Nebraska
No. 10 Michigan State 79, Nebraska 67: Freshman Max Christie scored a season-high 21 points and Gabe Brown added 14 to help host Michigan State (13-2, 4-0 Big Ten) pull away and beat Nebraska (6-9, 0-4) on Wednesday night for its eighth win in a row.
The Spartans led by just four points at halftime because they turned the ball over 12 times.
Michigan State made three 3-pointers early in the second half to go ahead 47-39 and maintained the lead because it took better care of the basketball, finishing with 19 turnovers.
No. 11 Iowa State 51, No. 25 Texas Tech 47: Izaiah Brockington’s fourpoint play with 1:52 left propelled host Iowa State (13-1, 1-1 Big 12) past Texas Tech (10-3, 0-1) .
Brockington’s fall-away 3-pointer came moments after Texas Tech took a 42-40 lead. The Cyclones guard was knocked off balance, but his clutch shot swished through.
The resulting foul gave Brockington a chance for a four-point play, and his free throw gave Iowa State a 44-42 advantage.
No. 12 Houston 83, South Florida 66: Josh Carlton had a career-high 30 points with 11 rebounds and visiting Houston (13-2, 2-0 American Athletic Conference) beat South Florida (5-8, 0-1).
Carlton’s previous best scoring performance was 21 points while with Uconn on March 7, 2019, against Temple.
No. 15 Alabama 83, Florida 70: Jahvon Quinerly and Juwan Gary scored 19 points apiece and visiting Alabama (11-3, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) opened the second half with a 22-4 run en route to a win over Florida (9-4).
The Crimson Tide used the huge spurt to win consecutive games for the first time in a month and notch its first road victory of the season.
No. 18 Tennessee 66, Mississippi 60 (OT): Santiago Vescovi scored 17 points, including a critical 3-pointer and two big free throws in overtime, as host Tennessee pulled out a victory over Mississippi.
Olivier Nkamhoua added 13 points for the Volunteers (10-3, 1-1 Southeastern Conference), who never during regulation but outscored Ole Miss 15-9 in the extra period. Josiah-jordan James scored 10.
Tye Fagan had 23 points to lead the Rebels (8-5, 0-1).
No. 19 Villanova 75, Creighton 41: Justin Moore scored 22 points and Jermaine Samuels added 18 to lead host Villanova (10-4, 3-1 Big East) to a victory over Creighton (10-4, 2-1).
Collin Gillespie had 11 points and Brandon Slater chipped in with 10 for Villanova, which has steadied itself with three straight wins following consecutive losses by a combined 41 points. The Wildcats avenged a 79-59 defeat at Creighton on Dec. 17.
Alex O’connell scored 13 for the Bluejays.