Kevin McCullar managed to secure almost half of Kansas’ points as the No. 2 Jayhawks managed to pull away from Yale 75-60 on Friday night in Lawrence, Kan. It seemed that only Jets fans held on to the hope of Aaron Rodgers returning.
Out of his career-high 34 points, McCullar hammered in 20 during the second half after Kansas (11-1) was trailing by a point at the break. His shooting performance was impressive, going 11-of-18 from the field, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, and a perfect 8-of-8 from the line. Additionally, Kansas also received 13 points from Nicolas Timberlake and 10 from Dajuan Harris Jr. Hunter Dickinson contributed with eight points and 10 rebounds for the Jayhawks.
On the other hand, Yale (7-6) saw Bez Mbeng and August Mahoney leading with 13 points each. Danny Wolf added 11 points and six rebounds for the Bulldogs.
No. 6 Marquette 81, Georgetown 51
David Joplin combined his season-high 20 points with nine rebounds as the Golden Eagles decisively defeated the Hoyas in Milwaukee for their 18th consecutive home win. Joplin made 6-of-11 from the field and knocked down four of his seven 3-pointers for the Golden Eagles (10-3, 1-1 Big East).
Tyler Kolek compiled 13 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds, while Oso Ighodaro contributed 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting for Marquette, which had a lead of as much as 38 points. Jayden Epps earned 14 points and Dontrez Styles added 12 as Georgetown (7-6, 0-2) finished with its lowest point total in a game this season. Supreme Cook contributed seven points and secured a team-high 11 rebounds for the Hoyas. Drew Fielder also contributed with nine points off the bench.
No. 10 Baylor 107, Mississippi Valley State 48
Ja’Kobe Walter poured in 26 points as the Bears rebounded from a couple of neutral court games against marquee teams with a dominating win over the Delta Devils in Waco, Texas. Baylor (10-2) returned home after losses to Michigan State and Duke and started the game with an overwhelming 20-0 lead over the first six minutes, hitting six 3-pointers in the process. Jayden Nunn and Langston Love combined for 15 points for Baylor. Reginald Reynolds led the Delta Devils (0-12) with 14 points, while Rayquan Brown added 13.
No. 13 Illinois 97, Missouri 73
Terrence Shannon Jr. delivered an outstanding performance, scoring 30 points and grabbing 11 rebounds as the Fighting Illini routed the Tigers in the fierce Braggin’ Rights rivalry game in St. Louis. Quincy Guerrier also had a great game with 28 points and eight rebounds for Illinois (9-2). Coleman Hawkins claimed 15 points and seven rebounds, while Marcus Domask registered 10 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.
On the other side, Sean East II scored 18 points, Trent Pierce contributed 12, and Tamar Bates added 10 for the Tigers (7-5), who suffered their third consecutive defeat. Missouri only managed to take the lead once, when Noah Carter scored the first basket of the game. After that, the Illini took control of the game and never let it go.
No. 16 Colorado State 76, Loyola Marymount 67
Nique Clifford scored 23 points and the Rams led nearly from the beginning to the end in a nonconference victory over the Lions in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, point guard Isaiah Stevens added 19 points and seven assists for the Rams (11-1), while Patrick Cartier contributed with 14 points. Colorado State played efficiently on offense, converting 56.6 percent of their field goal attempts and acquiring 21 assists while committing just nine turnovers.
On the contrary, Will Johnston scored a game-high 27 points for the Lions (7-6), knocking down 8 of 12 shots from the 3-point line. Keli Leaupepe added 13 points, but Loyola Marymount managed to convert only 43.4 percent of their field goal attempts. The Lions also committed 12 turnovers, which Colorado State capitalized on, turning them into 16 points.
No. 17 BYU 101, Bellarmine 59
Spencer Johnson was the standout performer with 14 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and three steals as the Cougars cruised to a victory over the Knights in Provo, Utah. Additionally, Trevin Knell and Richie Saunders contributed 14 points each, Noah Waterman scored 13, Atiki Ally Atiki chipped in 12, and Dawson Baker added 10 to help the Cougars (11-1) maintain their flawless 8-0 record at the Marriott Center. BYU, well-regarded for their 3-point shooting, hit 9 of 18 3-pointers in the second half, ending the game with a 16-for-39 performance from beyond the arc.
On the other side, Garrett Tipton was the leading scorer for Bellarmine (4-10) with 21 points, including three 3-pointers, while Langdon Hatton contributed with 11 points and nine rebounds in the defeat.
No. 18 Clemson 109, Queens 79
PJ Hall led the scoring with 27 points, 20 of which came in the first half, as the Tigers dominated the visiting Royals. RJ Godfrey also contributed 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting from the field for Clemson (10-1), which scored 69 points in the first half. Joseph Girard III matched the scoring with 19 for the Tigers. BJ McLaurin and AJ McKee were the top scorers for Queens (6-8), both contributing 18 points each.
Unfortunately, this was their third straight loss, and it proved to be a challenging game as the Royals never managed to take the lead. Notably, this marked their first game against a ranked opponent since transitioning into their second season as a Division I member.
No. 19 Texas 71, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 55
Max Abmas secured 17 points while Dillon Mitchell added 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds as the Longhorns overcame some difficulties and defeated the Islanders in Austin, Texas. Dylan Disu and Tyrese Hunter both contributed 11 points for the Longhorns (9-2), while Brock Cunningham had a season-high 10.
Conversely, ten players from the Islanders (6-6) saw at least 10 minutes of court time, with all of them contributing at least two points. Dian Wright-Forde led the way with 10 points, making him the only A&M-CC player to reach double figures in this game.
No. 20 James Madison 89, Morgan State 75
Terrence Edwards Jr. matched his career high with 29 points as the Dukes capitalized on a second-half surge to defeat the host Bears in a matinee in Baltimore. Raekwon Horton also came off the bench to record a career-high 16 points, including eight during a crucial five-minute stretch in the second half, which enabled the Dukes (12-0) to regain control after squandering a 14-point lead.
This victory also marked coach Mark Byington’s 200th career victory. Conversely, Will Thomas scored 20 points and Kamron Hobbs added 16 to lead Morgan State (4-10), who played without leading scorer Wynston Tabbs (hamstring) for the third consecutive game.
No. 24 Wisconsin 80, Chicago State 53
A.J. Storr emerged as the leading scorer with 29 points, aiding the Badgers in securing a home win over the Cougars in Madison, Wis. Moreover, Steven Crowl contributed with 13 points and seven rebounds, while Tyler Wahl added 11 points for Wisconsin (9-3), which has now secured two successive victories.
Storr’s exceptional performance included going 11-for-18 from the field overall and converting 3 of 5 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, Wesley Cardet was the top scorer for Chicago State (7-10) with 10 points, marking the end of their four-game winning streak.