Zion, top-ranked Duke stumble, fall against Tar Heels
North Carolina senior Luke Maye scored 30 points in his final appearance at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and the eighth-ranked Tar Heels took advantage of the absence of Duke’s Zion Williamson for an 88-72 victory Wednesday night in Durham, North Carolina.
After the game, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski termed Williamson’s ailment a “mild knee sprain.” Williamson, the standout forward for top-ranked Duke, departed in the opening minute with a knee injury and didn’t return after his shoe tore apart as he fell awkwardly to the court. He was assisted to the locker room, and soon after it was announced he wouldn’t return to the game.
Maye, who reached the 30-point mark for the fifth time in his career, shot 14 for 24 from the floor, with many of the baskets in the lane that was minus Williamson’s presence. Maye also pulled down 15 rebounds.
Cam Johnson’s 26 points and Garrison Brooks’ 14 points also gave a boost to the Tar Heels (21-5, 11-2 ACC), who moved into a first-place tie with Duke (23-3, 11-2) and Virginia (232, 11-2).
North Carolina has defeated a No. 1 team 14 times — more than any other team in the country. Eight of those victories have come against Duke, including four times in Durham.
RJ Barrett poured in 33 points, and Cam Reddish scored 27 points as the freshman duo paced Duke’s scoring. The Blue Devils were playing while holding the No. 1 ranking against North Carolina for the first time in 13 years.
Williamson entered the game averaging 22.4 points per game, second best in the ACC behind Barrett. The Tar Heels jumped on the stunned Duke team, building a 20-9 lead that seemed to set the tone.
The Tar Heels won despite 2-for-20 shooting on 3-pointers.
The teams met for the 46th time with both teams in the top 10, with each side now winning 23 of those matchups. The rematch will be March 9 in nearby Chapel Hill.
STANFORD FALLS AT ARIZONA STATE >> Josh Sharma had 17 points and seven rebounds,
and Oscar da Silva had 15 points and five rebounds for Stanford, but the visiting Cardinal (1412, 7-7 Pac-12) was routed by Arizona State (18-8, 9-5) 80-63.
Stanford, which had won five of six, played without leading scorer Kezie Okpala, who sat out with an upper-body injury. Okpala, who is averaging 17.5 points and 5.8 rebounds, had 21 points and nine rebounds in the Cardinal’s 85-71 victory over Arizona State on Jan. 12.
Remy Martin had 16 points and six assists as Arizona State pulled away in the second half. MICHIGAN STATE SURVIVES WITHOUT WARD >> Cassius Winston scored 28 points, including 19 in the second half to help No. 10 Michigan State (22-5, 13-3 Big Ten) overcome a sluggish start and the absence of Nick Ward to beat Rutgers 71-60 at home.
It was Michigan State’s first game since junior center Nick Ward was sidelined with a broken hand, which required surgery and will keep him out for an indefinite amount of time. Geo Baker scored 17 points to lead Rutgers (12-14, 5-11). SYRACUSE DROPS LOUISVILLE
>> Elijah Hughes scored 11 of his 18 points in the second half as host Syracuse cruised to a 69-49 victory over 18th-ranked Louisville. Oshae Brissett had 16 points, and Buddy Boeheim highlighted his 14-point performance with four 3-pointers for the Orange (18-8, 9-4 ACC). Tyus Battle added 11 points to reach double figures for the 22nd time in 26 games. Syracuse forced 13 turnovers.
Louisville (18-9, 9-5) shot 25.9 percent from the floor en route to its third loss in four games.
HOWARD CARRIED MARQUETTE >> Markus Howard scored a game-high 28 points, while Theo John kicked in a double-double as No. 11 Marquette (224, 11-2 Big East) took control of first place in the Big East Conference with a 7969 home win over Butler (15-12, 6-8).
FOUL ENDING FOR GEORGIA >> Senior Quinndary Weatherspoon scored a career-high 31 points, including one of three free throws with a fraction of second left, as Mississippi State (19-7, 7-6 SEC ) survived a fevered Georgia comeback bid for a 68-67 win in Athens, Georgia. Weatherspoon was fouled while trying to get off a shot in the closing seconds, and as he was missing the first free throw, someone in the crowd threw a stuffed animal on the court, apparently in protest of the foul call. It landed several feet from Weatherspoon.
A technical foul was called, and Weatherspoon made that free throw before intentionally missing the second foul shot from the original foul call, so the clock expired before Georgia (10-16, 1-12) could get off a shot.
GEORGETOWN BLASTS VILLANOVA >> Matthew McClung scored 21 points to lead host Georgetown past No. 17 Villanova 85-73. The Hoyas (16-10, 6-7 Big East) had dropped three of four entering this game. Phil Booth led Villanova with 26 points while Eric Paschall added 16. Collin Gillespie scored 13 points and Saddiq Bey had nine points and 10 rebounds.
The Wildcats (20-7, 11-3) have lost consecutive conference games for the first time since 2013, starting with a six-point defeat at St. John’s last Sunday. KENTUCKY AWAITS WORD ON TRAVIS’ MRI >> Kentucky senior power forward Reid Travis, who left the Wildcats’ 66-58 win at Missouri on Tuesday, will undergo an MRI exam to determine the extent of a right knee injury, coach John Calipari said. He told reporters that the initial diagnosis was a sprained knee that could keep Travis out two weeks.
Travis is averaging 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds. COLORADO STATE BEATS SAN JOSE STATE >> Seneca Knight scored 14 points, and Noah Baumann extended his school-record 3-point streak, but host San Jose State (3-22, 0-13 MW) lost its 16th consecutive game, 91-70 to Colorado State (1016, 5-8). Baumann made 2 3-pointers, giving him a made 3-pointer in 23 consecutive games.