Top 25 roundup: No. 5 Kentucky takes down No. 1 Tennessee

FAN Editor
NCAA Basketball: Tennessee at Kentucky
Feb 16, 2019; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward PJ Washington (25) shoots the ball against Tennessee Volunteers forward John Fulkerson (10) in the second half at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

February 17, 2019

PJ Washington scored 23 points, Keldon Johnson added 19 and No. 5 Kentucky flexed its muscles in taking down No. 1 Tennessee 86-69 in a Southeastern Conference showdown Saturday night in Lexington, Ky.

The Wildcats (21-4, 10-2 SEC) had a plus-13 rebounding edge and 16 more points in the paint while ending the Volunteers’ school-record 19-game winning streak. Tennessee (23-2, 11-1) dropped into a tie for first in the SEC with No. 19 LSU.

Johnson made 3 of 6 3-point shots and scored 11 consecutive Kentucky points in the first half. Freshman Tyler Herro posted his first double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Wildcats.

Jordan Bone led Tennessee with 19 points. Admiral Schofield scored 17 points. Grant Williams had 16 points and eight rebounds, but the physical Kentucky defense limited him to four shots from the field.

No. 2 Duke 94, North Carolina State 78

Zion Williamson scored 32 points and RJ Barrett posted a triple-double as the Blue Devils fended off the visiting Wolfpack in Durham, N.C.

Barrett contributed 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists without a turnover as the Blue Devils followed their comeback win at Louisville with a more comfortable result. He is the fourth Duke player to register a triple-double and the first since Shelden Williams in January 2006.

First-place Duke (23-2, 11-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) enters Wednesday night’s clash with second-place North Carolina on a nine-game winning streak. Torin Dorn (17 points), Markell Johnson (16) and C.J. Bryce (13) paced NC State (18-8, 6-7), which had a two-game winning streak snapped.

No. 3 Gonzaga 79, San Diego 67

Rui Hachimura recorded 22 points and 10 rebounds to help the Bulldogs claim their 16th straight victory, a win over the host Toreros.

Zach Norvell Jr. scored 18 points, and Josh Perkins added 15 points and nine assists as Gonzaga (25-2, 12-0 West Coast Conference) won its 30th consecutive league road game. The Bulldogs’ winning streak is now the longest in the country after top-ranked Tennessee’s defeat.

Isaiah Pineiro scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half for San Diego (16-11, 5-7), which has lost three straight.

No. 4 Virginia 60, Notre Dame 54

The Cavaliers fought off an upset effort from the Fighting Irish, sinking six consecutive free throws late for a win in Atlantic Coast Conference action in Charlottesville, Va.

Notre Dame cut a 10-point deficit with less than five minutes left to 54-52 with 30 seconds remaining on a layup by Nate Laszewski. Virginia then hit its six foul shots, including four from junior Kyle Guy on his way to a team-high 22 points.

Virginia’s De’Andre Hunter recorded his second double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Despite shooting just 34.5 percent, Notre Dame (13-12, 3-9) stayed in the game behind T.J. Gibbs’ 17 points.

No. 6 Michigan 65, No. 24 Maryland 52

Charles Matthews had 14 points and six rebounds, freshman Ignas Brazdeikis scored 13, and the Wolverines defeated the Terrapins in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Zavier Simpson contributed 12 points and eight assists for the Wolverines (23-3, 12-3 Big Ten), who bounced back from a road loss to last-place Penn State. The Wolverines never trailed as they forced 16 turnovers and held the Terrapins to 36.4 percent shooting.

Maryland (19-7, 10-5) was led by Aaron Wiggins, who had 15 points, six rebounds and three assists. Bruno Fernando supplied 12 points and eight rebounds, and Anthony Cowan Jr. chipped in 10 points.

No. 7 Nevada 82, Wyoming 49

Trey Porter scored 14 points, and Jordan Caroline and Caleb Martin each added 13 points as the Wolf Pack cruised to a victory over the Cowboys in Laramie, Wyo.

Jazz Johnson scored 12 points, hitting 4 of 5 3-point attempts, and Tre’Shawn Thurman finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Wolf Pack (24-1, 11-1 Mountain West). Nevada earned its 10th consecutive win by shooting 54.4 percent from the floor.

Justin James, who came into the contest leading the Mountain West with an average of 20.9 points per game, scored a game-high 16 points to go with seven rebounds and four assists for Wyoming (6-19, 2-10).

No. 8 North Carolina 95, Wake Forest 57

Cameron Johnson scored 14 of his season-high 27 points in the first half as the visiting Tar Heels opened a huge early lead in a victory against the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem, N.C.

North Carolina, which scored the game’s first 18 points, shot 74.1 percent in the first half, hitting 9 of 12 shots from 3-point range. The Tar Heels (20-5, 10-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who bounced back from a home loss to fourth-ranked Virginia on Monday night, also received 10 points each from Coby White and Luke Maye.

Jaylen Hoard scored 17 points for Wake Forest (9-15, 2-10), which is guaranteed a losing ACC record. It was the largest margin of defeat ever for the Demon Deacons against the Tar Heels.

No. 12 Purdue 76, Penn State 64

Carsen Edwards scored 21 points and Matt Haarms contributed 18 to propel the Boilermakers past the Nittany Lions in Big Ten action in West Lafayette, Ind.

Edwards made 6 of 12 shots, including 3 of 6 3-pointers, and all six free throws. Haarms sank 5 of 7 shots, including one 3-pointer, and 7 of 10 free throws.

Lamar Stevens scored 18 points for Penn State (9-16, 2-12), while Rasir Bolton added 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting and Myles Dread chipped in 10.

No. 14 Kansas 78, West Virginia 53

Five players scored in double figures as the Jayhawks established a 27-point halftime lead and cruised to a Big 12 Conference win over the outmatched, short-handed Mountaineers in Lawrence, Kan.

Devon Dotson totaled 15 points, eight assists and five rebounds for the Jayhawks (20-6, 9-4), while K.J. Lawson also scored 15 points. Dedric Lawson added 14, while Ochai Agbaji and David McCormack each scored 10 points.

Lamont West and Chase Harler each scored 11 points for the Mountaineers (10-15, 2-10), who fielded just nine scholarship players, seven in their first season. Coach Bob Huggins dismissed starting forwards Esa Ahmad and Wesley Harris on Monday night, while starting center Sagaba Konate (knee) missed his 17th straight game and guard James Bolden also sat out with an injury.

No. 15 Texas Tech 86, Baylor 61

Known for their defensive prowess, the host Red Raiders showed some marksmanship as well, hitting 12 3-pointers to slam the undermanned Bears in their Big 12 rematch in Lubbock, Texas.

Jarrett Culver shot only 4 of 11 from the floor but hit three 3-pointers, all in the final 4:11 of the first half, on his way to a game-high 18 points, and Davide Moretti hit 4 of 8 treys in scoring 17 points as the Red Raiders (21-5, 9-4 Big 12) pulled away from the Bears (16-9, 7-5) before the break.

Jared Butler scored 16 points, including going 4 of 5 on 3-pointers, to lead Baylor, which scored a home win over Texas Tech 73-62 on Jan. 19 in Waco, Texas. Mario Kegler added 15 points, including 3 of 6 from long range.

No. 16 Louisville 56, Clemson 55

Senior point guard Christen Cunningham scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half and added five assists to lead the Cardinals to a victory over the visiting Tigers in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

Sophomore Jordan Nwora added 11 points and three steals as the Cardinals (18-8, 9-4) won for just the second time in the past five games. Louisville rebounded from a 71-69 loss to Duke, a contest it led by 23 midway through the second half before collapsing.

Senior forward Elijah Thomas recorded 15 points and seven rebounds, and senior guard Marcquise Reed had 13 points on just 5-of-18 shooting while collecting 12 rebounds for Clemson (15-10, 5-7). Senior guard Shelton Mitchell added 12 points for the Tigers, who dropped their second straight game.

No. 17 Florida State 69, Georgia Tech 47

Center Christ Koumadje posted a second consecutive double-double and the Seminoles tied a school record with their seventh consecutive ACC win by beating the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta.

Koumadje, a thin 7-foot-4 senior, had 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting. His 12 rebounds matched the career high he set against Wake Forest three days earlier, when he posted his first career double-double. The Seminoles (20-5, 8-4 ACC) had a balanced attack that was led by metro-Atlanta native Devin Vassell, who scored 11 points, and M.J. Walker and David Nichols with nine apiece.

Georgia Tech (11-15, 3-10 ACC) lost for the seventh straight time and has dropped nine of its last 11 games. The Yellow Jackets failed to score 50 points for the third time in five games.

No. 23 Iowa State 78, No. 18 Kansas State 64

The Cyclones kept their Big 12 title hopes alive with a victory over the Wildcats in Manhattan, Kan. The Cyclones are now just a game behind Kansas State, and a half-game behind Texas Tech and Kansas in conference play.

The loss was costly for the Wildcats (19-6, 9-3 Big 12) beyond the standings. With Kansas State trailing 55-50 midway through the second half, Dean Wade hobbled to the bench with an apparent injury in his lower right leg. Wade, the preseason Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, missed six games earlier this season with a torn tendon in his right foot and also missed most of last season’s Elite Eight run by the Wildcats.

Iowa State (19-6, 8-4) was led by Lindell Wigginton with 23 points. Talen Horton-Tucker had 20, mostly from long range as he hit 6 of 9 3-point attempts. Kansas State was led by Barry Brown with 23 points.

No. 19 LSU 83, Georgia 79

Tremont Waters scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the first half and freshman Ja’vonte Smart added 19 points to lift the Tigers over Georgia in Southeastern Conference play in Athens, Ga.

LSU (21-4, 11-1 SEC), which has won 14 of its last 15 games, used an 8-2 run to extend a 72-71 lead to 80-73 with 3:19 left. Waters was the key to the surge with two assists — for a dunk and a layup — and added a layup of his own. Waters finished with a game-high five assists.

Georgia (10-15, 1-11) still had a chance, trailing 82-79 after Derek Ogbeide made two free throws with 53 seconds left. When LSU’s Naz Reid missed a shot on the other end, the Bulldogs worked the ball inside to leading scorer Nicolas Claxton (17 points), who missed in the lane.

No. 21 Iowa 71, Rutgers 69

Joe Wieskamp banked in a 3-pointer just before the buzzer as the Hawkeyes recorded a dramatic victory over the host Scarlet Knights in Piscataway, N.J.

Iowa’s Connor McCaffery, inbounding the ball under the opposite basket with 3.3 seconds left, threw a baseball pass three-quarters of the court. Rutgers’ Ron Harper Jr. deflected the ball, which wound up going to Wieskamp, positioned in the right corner in front of Iowa’s bench.

Wieskamp released a high-arching 3-pointer as Rutgers forward Shaquille Doorson raced over to defend. After the shot was released, the ball nicked the backboard before going in. Officials reviewed the shot to put two-tenths of a second back on the clock, and the game ended when Rutgers’ desperation pass was broken up.

No. 22 Virginia Tech 70, Pittsburgh 64

Kerry Blackshear Jr. made three 3-pointers and scored a season-high 29 points for the visiting Hokies, who extended the Panthers’ losing streak to nine games with an Atlantic Coast Conference victory.

It was the third victory for the Hokies (20-5, 9-4 ACC) in the five games that they have been without point guard Justin Robinson. Blackshear was over halfway to his career-high 31 points, when he had 16 of Virginia Tech’s 31 first-half points.

Xavier Johnson led the Panthers (12-14, 2-11) with 18 points.

–Field Level Media

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