College Top 25 Roundup: Syracuse Overtakes No. 7 North Carolina

Syracuse Orange vs. North Carolina Tar Heels | Image: ESPN/YouTube

Judah Mintz scored 25 points and JJ Starling added 23 as host Syracuse upset No. 7 North Carolina 86-79 in their Atlantic Coast Conference matchup on Tuesday.

Maliq Brown had 14 points and Chris Bell chipped in 13 points for the Orange (16-9, 7-7 ACC), who lost at North Carolina 103-67 last month and entered without a win over a top-10 opponent since January 2019.

The suddenly vulnerable Tar Heels (19-6, 11-3) have lost three of their last five games after a 10-game winning streak. RJ Davis (19 points) and Cormac Ryan (18) were the team’s leading scorers, while Harrison Ingram added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Armando Bacot was right behind with 14 points and 10 boards.

With just under seven minutes left, Starling gave the Orange a 67-65 lead when he banked in a long 3-pointer late on the shot clock. He drained another one with 2:47 to play, giving Syracuse a 76-69 edge.

Davis promptly cut into the Tar Heels’ deficit with a 3-pointer and Ryan made one of his own with 50 seconds left, bringing North Carolina within 80-75. Ingram’s tip-in made it a four-point game with 41 seconds left. However, Ryan committed a turnover on the Tar Heels’ next possession and the Orange made enough free throws down the stretch.

No. 4 Marquette 78, Butler 72

Tyler Kolek scored 27 points and Oso Ighodaro added 17 to lead the Golden Eagles to a win against the host Bulldogs in Indianapolis.

Kolek, the reigning Big East Player of the Week, also dished out five assists and grabbed seven boards. Ighodaro added 10 rebounds as Marquette (19-5, 10-3 Big East) won its eighth straight contest.

Freshman Finley Bizjack surprised off the bench, leading Butler (16-9, 7-7) with a career-high 19 points.

No. 10 Iowa State 68, Cincinnati 59

Curtis Jones scored 15 points off the bench, Tamin Lipsey also had 15 and the Cyclones used dominating defense to beat the host Bearcats.

Keshon Gilbert and Robert Jones each added 12 points for Iowa State (19-5, 8-3 Big 12), which won its third game in a row. The Cyclones have won six of their past seven contests.

Jizzle James posted 16 points, Simas Lukosius had 15 points and Dan Skillings Jr. notched 13 points for Cincinnati (15-9, 4-7). The Bearcats dropped their second game in a row against a top 10 team at home after falling to then-No. 5 Houston on Saturday.

No. 12 Baylor 79, No. 25 Oklahoma 62

Jayden Nunn poured in a season-high 27 points, 18 in a hot-shooting first half, as the Bears roared to a big halftime lead and rolled over the Sooners in their Big 12 Conference matchup in Waco, Texas.

Baylor (18-6, 7-4 Big 12) took charge over the final 6 1/2 minutes of the first half, busting open a tied game by scoring 20 of the final 27 points before halftime to lead by 13. Jalen Bridges tallied 14 points and Yves Missi 12 for the Bears.

Rivaldo Soares led the Sooners (18-7, 6-6) with 17 points, with Milos Uzan, Jalon Moore, Javian McCollum and Otega Oweh adding nine points each. It was the Bears’ 11th consecutive regular-season win over Oklahoma and the final scheduled game between them as Big 12 rivals.

No. 14 Illinois 97, Michigan 68

Terrence Shannon Jr. poured in 31 points and the Illini rolled to a 97-68 victory over the Wolverines in Champaign, Ill.

Shannon shot 11-for-15 from the field, including 5 of 8 on 3-point attempts. Coleman Hawkins supplied 17 points, five rebounds and five assists for Illinois (18-6, 9-4 Big Ten), which holds the second spot in the conference behind second-ranked Purdue. Marcus Domask tossed in 13 points and Quincy Guerrier added 10 with seven rebounds.

Terrance Williams II had 17 points and six rebounds for last-place Michigan (8-17, 3-11). Olivier Nkamhoua and Tarris Reed Jr. each contributed 13 points and combined for 11 rebounds.

No. 16 Dayton 75, Duquesne 59

DaRon Holmes II tallied game highs of 24 points and 11 rebounds, helping the host Flyers defeat the Dukes in the Atlantic 10 matchup.

Nate Santos added 15 points and eight rebounds for Dayton (20-4, 10-2 A-10), while Koby Brea scored 12 points off the bench. The Flyers improved to 12-0 at home.

Jimmy Clark III led Duquesne (14-10, 4-7) with 14 points, and Jake DiMichele added 12. The Dukes haven’t won at UD Arena since February 2012.

No. 17 Creighton 94, Georgetown 72

Baylor Scheierman made program history with a triple-double and Trey Alexander snapped out of a shooting slump as the Bluejays rolled past the visiting Hoyas in Omaha, Neb.

In stuffing the stat sheet with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, Scheierman became the first Creighton player ever to register double figures in points, rebounds and assists in one game. Meanwhile, Alexander drained his first six shots from beyond the arc on his way to scoring 26 points. Ryan Kalkbrenner added 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting for Creighton (18-7, 9-5 Big East).

Supreme Cook scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Georgetown (8-16, 1-12), which lost its ninth straight. Jayden Epps scored 17 points and Dontrez Styles contributed 13 for the Hoyas.

No. 19 BYU 90, UCF 88

Jaxson Robinson scored 21 points and Noah Waterman added 17 points and nine rebounds as the Cougars held on for a victory over the Knights to finish off the season sweep between two new Big 12 Conference rivals in Provo, Utah.

Trevin Knell also scored 17 points and Dallin Hall added 10 as the Cougars (18-6, 6-5 Big 12) turned a strong start into their third consecutive home victory. BYU improved to 13-2 in its own building.

Darius Johnson scored 20 points and Jaylin Sellers added 17 as UCF (13-10, 4-7) lost for the fourth time in its games while going 1-3 in four consecutive games against ranked teams. The first three were Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas Tech. The Knights’ lone victory in the stretch was a 74-63 decision vs. Oklahoma on Feb. 3.

No. 20 Wisconsin 62, Ohio State 54

Steven Crowl had 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Badgers over the Buckeyes in a Big Ten contest in Madison, Wis.

AJ Storr had 14 points and 12 rebounds and Tyler Wahl had 10 points and seven rebounds for Wisconsin (17-8, 9-5 Big Ten), which snapped a four-game losing streak.

Bruce Thornton had 18 points and five assists for Ohio State (14-11, 4-10), which has lost six of its last seven.

Pittsburgh 74, No. 21 Virginia 63

Blake Hinson scored 27 points and the Panthers snapped the Cavaliers’ eight-game winning streak in Charlottesville, Va.

Pittsburgh (16-8, 7-6 ACC) knocked down 14 3-pointers, won its fourth straight game and improved to 6-2 on the road this season.

Reece Beekman scored 19 points and Isaac McKneely had 15 for Virginia (19-6, 10-4).

No. 22 Kentucky 75, Ole Miss 63

Antonio Reeves scored 15 points to lead four Wildcats scorers in double figures in their victory over the Rebels in Lexington, Ky.

Reed Sheppard was next with 13 points for Kentucky (17-7, 7-4 SEC), which bounced back from an 89-85 nonconference home loss against Gonzaga on Saturday. The Wildcats took the lead for good with more than five minutes left in the first half, held a 14-point advantage at halftime and maintained a safe edge throughout the second half.

Matthew Murrell and Jaemyn Brakefield scored 16 each to lead the Rebels (18-6, 5-6), who fell to 1-5 in conference road games this season.

Illinois State 80, No. 23 Indiana State 67

Freshman Johnny Kinziger pumped in a career-high 31 points and the Redbirds ruined the Sycamores’ first game as a ranked team in 45 years, pulling an upset in the Missouri Valley Conference in Terre Haute, Ind.

Myles Foster added 19 points and 12 rebounds for Illinois State (12-14, 6-9 MVC), which shot 51.8 percent from the field and led for nearly 38 minutes. Kendall Lewis added a game-high 13 rebounds as the Redbirds notched their most significant win in coach Ryan Pedon‘s two seasons.

Julian Larry scored 20 points for Indiana State (22-4, 13-2), which saw its nine-game winning streak end. Isaiah Swope added 18 points.

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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.
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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.
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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.
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