Men’s Top 25 Roundup: No. 4 Tennessee Takes Down No. 11 Auburn

SEC SHOWDOWN | Auburn Tigers vs. Tennessee Volunteers

SEC SHOWDOWN | Auburn Tigers vs. Tennessee Volunteers | Image: ESPN/YouTube

Dalton Knecht scored 39 points on 12-for-21 shooting, and No. 4 Tennessee held on for a 92-84 win over No. 11 Auburn on Wednesday night in Knoxville, Tenn.

Zakai Zeigler added 17 points and a game-high nine assists for Tennessee (22-6, 12-3 Southeastern Conference). Jonas Aidoo finished with 14 points and seven rebounds for the Volunteers, who won their fifth game in a row.

Johni Broome scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Auburn (21-7, 10-5). Chad Baker-Mazara scored 13 points but missed seven of 10 shots from the field.

No. 5 Marquette 91, Providence 69

Kam Jones scored 17 points and David Joplin added 13 to lead the Golden Eagles over the Friars in Milwaukee.

Five Marquette players scored in double figures, as Tyler Kolek, Stevie Mitchell and reserve Chase Ross each added 12 points. Kolek also dished out six assists for the Golden Eagles (22-6, 13-4 Big East), who avenged a 72-57 loss to the Friars on Dec. 19.

Devin Carter led Providence (18-10, 9-8) with 18 points, five rebounds and five assists. Davonte Gaines added 15 points, and Corey Floyd Jr. finished with 13.

No. 6 Arizona 85, Arizona State 67

Oumar Ballo recorded his eighth consecutive double-double and Caleb Love scored eight late points as the Wildcats turned back the Sun Devils in Tempe, Ariz.

Arizona (22-6, 13-4 Pac-12) had its 18-point first-half lead whittled to five in the second half, but Love drilled two key 3-pointers to help the Wildcats complete the season sweep against ASU (14-15, 8-10).

Adam Miller led the Sun Devils with 16 points off the bench. Frankie Collins scored 15, making 4 of 9 from 3-point range. Jose Perez added 14 points.

No. 8 Iowa State 58, Oklahoma 45

Sophomore Demarion Watson scored a career-high 15 points off the bench to lead the Cyclones over the Sooners in Ames, Iowa.

Iowa State (22-6, 11-4 Big 12) won for the sixth time in seven games to stay a game behind Houston for the conference lead. The Cyclones improved to 17-0 at home this season.

The Sooners (19-9, 7-8) lost for the third time in four games.

No. 10 Duke 84, Louisville 59

Jeremy Roach‘s 19 points led the Blue Devils to a lopsided win over the Cardinals in Durham, N.C., as Duke put the controversy from last weekend behind it.

Duke center Kyle Filipowski was in the starting lineup as usual despite sustaining a knee injury during Saturday’s postgame chaos when Wake Forest fans rushed the court to celebrate their school’s upset of the Blue Devils (22-6, 13-4 ACC). He collected nine points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the Louisville game.

Tre White led Louisville (8-20, 3-14) with 15 points, but the Cardinals didn’t stand much of a chance due to woeful shooting. They were 3-for-17 (17.6 percent) on 3-point attempts. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Ty-Laur Johnson also scored 11 points.

No. 12 Creighton 85, Seton Hall 64

Ryan Kalkbrenner shot 10-for-10 for 23 points as the Bluejays took over third place in the Big East Conference by laying waste to the visiting Pirates in Omaha, Neb.

Baylor Scheierman had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Trey Alexander piled up 15 points, 10 assists and five rebounds for Creighton (21-8, 12-6 Big East), which was an overwhelming 16-for-22 (72.7 percent) during the second half before emptying its bench.

Dre Davis fought through foul trouble to deliver 18 points and eight rebounds, both team highs for Seton Hall. Kadary Richmond scored 15 points and Al-Amir Dawes 13 as the Pirates (18-10, 11-6) saw their three-game winning streak come to a halt.

No. 13 Illinois 105, Minnesota 97

Terrence Shannon Jr. had 29 points and Marcus Domask scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half as the Fighting Illini topped the Golden Gophers in Champaign, Ill.

Coleman Hawkins posted 20 points for Illinois (21-7, 12-5 Big Ten), which shot 61.3 percent from the floor to eclipse the 100-point mark in a regulation Big Ten game for the first time since Jan. 19, 1994.

Dawson Garcia delivered 29 points while freshman Cam Christie contributed a career-high 23 for Minnesota (17-11, 8-9), which lost despite shooting 60 percent from the floor and hitting 14 of 20 3-point attempts.

No. 14 Alabama 103, Ole Miss 88

Mark Sears scored 26 points, Aaron Estrada had a triple-double and the Crimson Tide overcame a 14-point first-half deficit to defeat the Rebels in Oxford, Miss.

Estrada had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Crimson Tide (20-8, 12-3 Southeastern Conference). Davin Cosby Jr. scored 15 points, Rylan Griffen scored 14 before fouling out and Grant Nelson — who also fouled out — and Nick Pringle added 10 apiece.

Allen Flanigan scored 28 points, Jaemyn Brakefield had 21 and Matthew Murrell added 12 to lead the Rebels (19-9, 6-9), who lost for the sixth time in their past seven games.

No. 18 South Carolina 70, Texas A&M 68

Zachary Davis converted a layup with 3.1 seconds left as the Gamecocks edged the Aggies in College Station, Texas.

Wade Taylor IV converted a runner from the right side with 9.7 seconds left to tie the score at 68, enabling the Aggies to overcome a seven-point deficit in the last two minutes. South Carolina’s Meechie Johnson then drove the lane and found Davis for the last of his 16 points.

Johnson scored a game-high 22 points for the Gamecocks (23-5, 11-4 SEC). Tyrece Radford scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Texas A&M (15-13, 6-9), which took its fifth straight loss.

No. 24 Florida 83, Missouri 74

Tyrese Samuel scored a career-high 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Gators defeated the Tigers in Gainesville, Fla.

Zyon Pullin scored 21 points and Micah Handlogten had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Florida (20-8, 10-5 SEC). Walter Clayton Jr. scored 13 points for Florida before fouling out with 14:08 to play.

Sean East II scored 20 points, Nick Honor scored 18 and Tamar Bates added 15 for Missouri (8-20, 0-15). 

  1. College Sports News

    WCC to Add Grand Canyon and Seattle in 2025

    WCC adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon University

    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
  2. 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

    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
  3. 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

    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