College Top 25 Roundup: No. 3 North Carolina Defeats No. 7 Duke

Armando Bacot had one of his larger games of the season with 25 points, and it occurred at an optimal time for No. 3 North Carolina as the host Tar Heels dissected No. 7 Duke for a 93-84 victory on Saturday night at Chapel Hill, N.C.

Harrison Ingram poured in 21 points and secured 13 rebounds in his maiden matchup against Duke, Atlantic Coast Conference scoring leader RJ Davis completed with 17 points and Seth Tremble had 10 points off the bench for the Tar Heels, who had a 10-game winning streak broken earlier in the week in a one-point defeat at Georgia Tech.

North Carolina (18-4, 10-1 ACC) extended its conference lead by defeating the second-place team.

Jared McCain scored 23 points and Kyle Filipowski had a substantial second half to finish with 22 points for Duke (16-5, 7-3). Jeremy Roach had 20 points and Mark Mitchell added 11 points.

No 1. UConn 77, St. John’s 64

Cam Spencer registered 17 of his 23 points in the second half as the Huskies moved ahead to conquer the host Red Storm in a matinee in New York.

Spencer had 10 points during a pivotal run in the second half for UConn (20-2, 10-1 Big East), which extended its winning streak to 10 games despite playing without Alex Karaban. He was sidelined with an ankle injury sustained during Wednesday’s 74-65 win over Providence.

Stephon Castle scored 21 points and Tristen Newton gathered 18 points, 10 rebounds, and a squad-leading seven assists. Daniss Jenkins recorded 19 points, six assists, and three steals for St. John’s (13-9, 5-6), which has lost five of its last six games.

No. 5 Tennessee 103, No. 10 Kentucky 92

Zakai Zeigler equaled his career best of 26 points and notched a career-high 13 assists to aid the Volunteers in securing a victory over the Wildcats in Southeastern Conference play at Lexington, Ky.

Josiah-Jordan James also scored 26 points to establish a career high for Tennessee (16-5, 6-2 SEC), which set a season best for points scored during the wire-to-wire victory.

Rob Dillingham set career highs of 35 points and six 3-pointers off the bench before fouling out for Kentucky (15-6, 5-4), which lost for the third time in four games.

No. 8 Kansas 78, No. 4 Houston 65

Hunter Dickinson tallied 20 points and eight rebounds to help the Jayhawks notch a victory over the Cougars in a Big 12 showdown in Lawrence, Kan.

Kevin McCullar Jr. had 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting and snatched seven rebounds in his return from a one-game absence due to a bruised knee for Kansas (18-4, 6-3 Big 12). Johnny Furphy also had 17 points for the Jayhawks, who shot a remarkable 68.9 percent from the field against the nation’s top defensive team.

L.J. Cryer scored 24 points and made six 3-pointers for Houston (19-3, 6-3), which had a five-game winning streak halted. The Cougars entered Saturday permitting 52.9 points per contest while holding opponents to 35.5 percent shooting from the field.

No. 9 Marquette 91, Georgetown 57

The Golden Eagles welcomed Kam Jones back to the lineup and the junior southpaw delivered seven 3-pointers and a career-high 31 points in a victory over the Hoyas in Washington, D.C.

Tyler Kolek recorded 17 points and eight assists while David Joplin scored 15 points as the Golden Eagles (17-5, 8-3 Big East) won their sixth straight in completing a regular-season sweep of the Hoyas.

Oso Ighodaro added 10 points and 10 rebounds for Marquette, which outscored Georgetown 35-5 on points off turnovers, including 21-0 in the first half.

No. 18 Baylor 70, No. 12 Iowa State 68

Jayden Nunn scored 16 points and knocked down a game-winning jumper with two seconds left as the Bears survived a thriller over the Cyclones in Waco, Texas.

RayJ Dennis finished with 18 points while Jalen Bridges scored 14 for Baylor (16-5, 5-3 Big 12), which had lost its past three games to Iowa State.

Keshon Gilbert poured in a game-high 24 points to help fuel the rally by Iowa State (16-5, 5-3), which was down 54-41 with 13:17 left in the game before putting together a 20-0 run.

Cincinnati 75, No. 15 Texas Tech 72

In a contest that was never separated by more than five points over the last 31 1/2 minutes, the Bearcats snatched a victory in Lubbock, Texas, for their second road win against a ranked Big 12 Conference opponent this season.

Simas Lukosius (team-high 16 points) drove around the defense and dropped in a mid-range jump shot with 21 seconds to go for the go-ahead basket for Cincinnati (15-7, 4-5).

After Red Raiders guard Pop Isaacs (game-high 22 points) missed a short bank shot with nine seconds to go, John Newman III added an exclamation point on a fast-break slam dunk.

Isaacs gave Texas Tech (16-5, 5-3 Big 12) a 72-71 lead with 35 seconds on the clock when he heaved up a desperation 3-pointer and buried it to beat the shot clock, the last of his 22 points.

Johni Broome scored all 15 of his points in the second half and the Tigers surged past the Rebels in Oxford, Miss.

Auburn (18-4, 7-2 SEC) easily overcame a nine-point halftime deficit by outscoring Ole Miss (18-4, 5-4) 56-33 in the second half. Auburn’s bench outscored the Rebels’ bench 36-8 for the game.

Allen Flanigan scored 20, Matthew Murrell had 18, Jaemyn Brakefield had 15 and Moussa Cisse 12 for Ole Miss, which lost at home for the first time this season after 13 wins.

San Diego State 81, No. 17 Utah State 67

Jaedon LeDee had 16 points and nine rebounds to help the host Aztecs post a win against the Aggies in a Mountain West game.

Jay Pal scored a season-high 16 points and Micah Parrish scored 14 off the bench for San Diego State (17-5, 6-3 MW), which has won 17 straight at home and 10 in a row at home against Utah State.

Great Osobor had a team-high 17 points, Mason Falslev added 16 points and Darius Brown II scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half for the Aggies (19-3, 7-2).

No. 20 Florida Atlantic 102, Tulsa 70

Johnell Davis accumulated 24 points and five rebounds, Alijah Martin had 16 points and nine boards, and the Owls cruised past the Golden Hurricane Saturday night in Boca Raton, Fla.Davis, who sank North Texas with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer Sunday in the Owls’ previous game, went 8-for-12 from the floor and 3-for-4 from deep, and also nailed all five of his free-throw attempts.

The AAC’s second-leading scorer and top-scoring freshman in the nation, PJ Haggerty, generated 25 points, four rebounds, and four assists for Tulsa (12-9, 3-6).

No. 22 BYU 86, West Virginia 73

Fousseyni Traore accumulated 24 points and nine rebounds to guide the Cougars over the Mountaineers in Morgantown, W.Va.

Richie Saunders scored 17 points, Spencer Johnson added 15 and Jaxson Robinson chipped in 12 for BYU (16-5, 4-4 Big 12). Dallin Hall dished out a career-high 12 assists.

Kerr Kriisa led West Virginia (8-14, 3-6) with 23 points. Jesse Edwards accrued 16 points and RaeQuan Battle tacked on 14 as West Virginia lost for the third time in four games.

UCF 74, No. 23 Oklahoma 63

Jaylin Sellers registered 20 points to lead the Knights to a triumph over the Sooners in Orlando, Fla.

It marked the 300th career Division I victory for head coach Johnny Dawkins, and the Knights (13-8, 4-5 Big 12) halted a two-game losing streak. The Sooners (16-6, 4-5) have dropped three of their last four.

No. 24 Alabama 99, Mississippi State 67

Mark Sears scored 21 points and the Crimson Tide stayed atop the Southeastern Conference by crushing the visiting Bulldogs in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Aaron Estrada added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Crimson Tide (16-6, 8-1 SEC), while reserves Jarin Stevenson and Mouhamed Dioubate each accrued 14 points.

Tolu Smith III scored a game-high 23 points for Mississippi State (14-8, 3-6), while Shakeel Moore added 13 and Shawn Jones Jr. hit for 10 points.

Texas 77, No. 25 TCU 66

Max Abmas hit back-to-back 3-pointers as part of a personal 11-0 run in crunch time as the visiting Longhorns made all the plays in the final minutes to beat the Horned Frogs in a key Big 12 dustup in Fort Worth, Texas.

Texas (15-7, 4-5 Big 12) led by 11 points at halftime before the Horned Frogs rallied to take a brief lead with nine minutes to play. The game was tied at 64 after a pair of free throws by TCU’s Emanuel Miller with 3:53 left.

That’s when Abmas took charge en route to a 21-point effort as the Longhorns snapped a two-game skid. Miller led TCU (16-6, 5-4) with 15 points while Avery Anderson III scored 13 and JaKobe Coles and Trevian Tennyson added 10 apiece.

Don't MissThe Nike Air Flightposite One "Metallic Gold" Returns in Holiday 2024 Up NextKings' Stars Propel Victory Against Bulls

Allan Fields

College Sports News
WCC to Add Grand Canyon and Seattle in 2025
WCC adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon University
Seattle and Grand Canyon will be leaving the Western Athletic Conference and moving to the West Coast Conference starting July 2025.
The nine current members of the conference are private universities with a religious affiliation. Seattle is a Jesuit institution, while Grand Canyon, situated in Phoenix, is a Christian college.
Grand Canyon’s basketball achievements were a significant factor in attracting WCC commissioner Stu Jackson. The team has participated in the last two NCAA Tournaments and three of the previous four under the leadership of coach Bryce Drew.
As the 12th-seeded Antelopes defeated fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s before losing to Alabama in the tournament this season.
Saint Mary’s is currently a member of the West Coast Conference.
The WCC, while also integrating Oregon State and Washington State this autumn (excluding football), will expand from 11 to 13 members by the 2025-26 season.
The future beyond 2026 looks uncertain, with Oregon State and Washington State appearing unlikely to continue with the WCC.
The former Pac-12 schools are under a two-year contract, expiring on June 30, 2026. Sources from CBS Sports suggest that the odds of the two Pacific Northwest institutions staying are slim, with a move to the Mountain West or a new conference formation being more probable.
Following the departures of Sam Houston and New Mexico State last year, Seattle and Grand Canyon’s exit from the WAC will reduce the conference’s membership to just eight by July 2025.
Continue Reading
College Sports News
Ex-Cal State Fullerton G Max Jones Commits to Kansas State
Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones
Former guard of Cal State Fullerton Max Jones has made a decision to join Kansas State for his upcoming collegiate season, according to reports.
Notable alternatives that Jones purportedly pondered were New Mexico, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Florida Atlantic, and Loyola Chicago.
During the previous season with the Titans, Jones maintained an average of 15.3 points and 3.0 rebounds across 24 games, in which he started 21. He secured the second-highest scoring position within the team, alongside being the second in 3-pointers with 42 baskets and 41 steals.
In the season prior, Jones held an average of 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 32 games, amassing 34 three-pointers and 30 steals.
Before making his way to Cal State Fullerton post the 2021-22 season, Jones spent two years at Division II Tampa, where he managed to achieve an average of 21.9 points across 21 games during his sophomore year with the Spartans.
In the recent offseason, Kansas State acquired Dug McDaniel, a former player from Michigan recognized as one of the premier point guards available in this year’s transfer portal.
Continue Reading
College Sports News
Stanford Names Basketball Court in Honor of Tara VanDerveer
View From The Top with Tara VanDerveer, Former Coach of Stanford Women’s Basketball
Tara VanDerveer’s legacy at Stanford will now be visibly acknowledged, with the school revealing on Thursday that the basketball arena’s floor will bear the name of the esteemed Hall of Fame coach.
At the age of 70, VanDerveer stepped down following her 38th season at the helm of the Cardinal.
She steered Stanford to 14 Final Fours and secured three national championships (1990, 1992, 2021). VanDerveer embarked on her coaching journey at Idaho (1978-80) and later coached at Ohio State (1980-85).
In January, she surpassed Mike Krzyzewski to clinch the title of the most successful college basketball coach in history, across both men’s and women’s teams. VanDerveer concluded with a remarkable 1,216-271 record, boasting a 1,064-220 tally with the Cardinal.
Alongside the unveiling of the Tara VanDerveer Court at Maples Pavilion this November, Stanford also established an endowed position in women’s basketball for an assistant coach in VanDerveer’s honor.
VanDerveer said in a statement, “This endowment will go a long way to strengthening the future of Stanford women’s basketball. I have many wonderful memories of leading the women’s basketball program at Maples Pavilion.”
“It’s an honor, and a little surreal, to know that my name will be linked to both in these ways, and I look forward to celebrating with all our fans this fall.”
Last month, Stanford appointed Kate Paye, one of VanDerveer’s longtime assistant coaches who played for the Cardinal from 1991-95 and began coaching under VanDerveer in 2007, as the new head coach.
Continue Reading