Top 25 roundup: Keaton Wagler erupts, No. 11 Illinois bests No. 4 Purdue

Keaton Wagler poured in a career-high 46 points and his teammates drilled four consecutive 3-pointers down the stretch to rally No. 11 Illinois to a Big Ten victory over No. 4 Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., on Saturday afternoon

Wagler, a freshman guard, finished 13 of 17 from the field, an Illinois-record 9 of 11 from 3-point range and 11 of 13 at the line to set the Mackey Arena mark for points by a visiting player.

David Mirkovic added 12 points and eight rebounds as the Fighting Illini (17-3, 8-1 Big Ten) canned 18 of 38 3-point tries to earn their ninth win in a row and stay within one game of Nebraska in the conference race.

Braden Smith shrugged off a second-half high ankle sprain to produce 27 points and 12 assists for Purdue (17-3, 7-2), which lost its second straight game since reeling off a nine-game winning streak. Trey Kaufman-Renn added 12 points, and Omer Mayer contributed 11 off the bench.

No. 1 Arizona 88, West Virginia 53

Brayden Burries scored 13 of his game-high 22 points in the first half as the top-ranked Wildcats led wire-to-wire against the Mountaineers in Tucson, Ariz., to claim their biggest Big 12 victory margin since joining the league last year.

Koa Peat added 17 points for Arizona (20-0, 7-0) while Motiejus Krivas notched 11 points and 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double. Anthony Dell’Urso contributed 12 points, and Tobe Awaka grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.

Chance Moore paced West Virginia (13-7, 4-3) with 12 points. Honor Huff and Treysen Eaglestaff added 10 apiece as the Mountaineers trailed 43-23 at halftime and never got closer.

No. 2 Connecticut 75, Villanova 67 (OT)

Alex Karaban grabbed an offensive rebound with 1:24 left in overtime and sank two free throws to break the game’s 11th tie and lead the Huskies to the Big East victory over the Wildcats in Hartford, Conn.

Karaban recorded all of his 17 points after halftime and added eight rebounds for UConn (19-1, 9-0), which extended its winning streak to 15 games – the program’s longest since a 19-game run by the 1998-99 national champions.

Solo Ball paced the Huskies with 24 points while Tarris Reed added 10 points and 11 rebounds. Tyler Perkins and Duke Brennan posted 16 points apiece for Villanova (15-5, 6-3) while Brennan added 14 rebounds.

No. 5 Duke 90, Wake Forest 69

Cameron Boozer racked up 22 of his 32 points in the second half as the Blue Devils ran away from the Demon Deacons for a victory at Durham, N.C.,

Patrick Ngongba II added 13 points and Isaiah Evans had 11 for the Blue Devils (18-1, 7-0 ACC), who shot 50% from the field and enjoyed a 43-22 rebounding advantage. Boozer shot 11-for-20 with three 3-pointers from the field to go with 7-for-7 free-throw shooting. He also provided a team-high nine rebounds.

Juke Harris’ 23 points and Cooper Schwieger’s 12 points paced Wake Forest (11-9, 2-5), which lost its second game in a row. Omaha Biliew added 11 points and Tre’Von Spillers had 10.

No. 12 Texas Tech 90, No. 6 Houston 86

Donovan Atwell knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers in a 34-second span, then went 3 of 4 from the free-throw line in the final 22 seconds to lift the Red Raiders to a victory over the Cougars at Lubbock, Texas.

J.T. Toppin led Texas Tech (16-4, 6-1 Big 12) to its second home win against a ranked foe in an eight-day span with 31 points and 12 rebounds. Atwell and Jaylin Petty scored 18 apiece and combined to go 10 of 14 from 3-point range, while Christian Anderson scored 12 points with nine assists.

The Red Raiders snapped the Cougars’ program record 16-game road winning streak and spoiled a record-setting performance by Houston freshman Kingston Flemmings. It was just enough to offset Flemmings’ 42 points, the most ever for a Cougars freshman. Houston (17-2, 5-1 Big 12) allowed 90 points in regulation for the first time since 2018.

No. 7 Nebraska 76, Minnesota 57

Pryce Sandfort scored 22 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, and the Cornhuskers relied on a second-half surge to beat the Golden Gophers and remain unbeaten in Minneapolis.

Jamarques Lawrence and Sam Hoiberg added 14 points apiece for Nebraska (20-0, 9-0 Big Ten), which outscored Minnesota 46-21 in the second half after trailing by six points at the break.

Bobby Durkin scored 16 points on 6-for-13 shooting to lead Minnesota (10-10, 3-6), which lost its fifth game in a row. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson and Cade Tyson added 12 points apiece.

No. 8 Gonzaga 68, San Francisco 66

The Bulldogs survived at the buzzer after the Dons missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer to extend their win streak to 14 games in a victory in Spokane, Wash.

This was the Bulldogs’ 34th straight win over the Dons in their 100th meeting for a 78-22 record all-time. Jalen Warley led Gonzaga (21-1, 9-0 West Coast Conference) with a game-high 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting, while Davis Fogle and Tyon Grant-Foster each chipped in 15 points off the bench.

San Francisco (13-9, 5-4) almost played spoiler by making three straight 3-pointers to cut the lead to 68-66 with 1:02 left after going 3:22 without scoring. Junjie Wang’s 3-point shot with three seconds left bounced off the front of the rim before the Bulldogs’ Fogle corralled the rebound with no time left. Legend Smiley was 5-for-6 from 3, scoring 18 points for the Dons. Ryan Beasley had 14 points and four made 3-pointers, and Vukasin Masic tallied 11 points.

No. 9 Iowa State 84, Oklahoma State 71

Milan Momcilovic scored 29 points on 8-of-12 shooting, and the Cyclones held on for a win over the Cowboys in Stillwater, Okla.

Joshua Jefferson added 20 points for Iowa State (18-2, 5-2 Big 12), which won its second straight game after sustaining back-to-back losses. Tamin Lipsey added 13 points. The Cyclones shot 62.1% from the floor in the first half on the way to a 51-21 halftime lead.

Kanye Clary scored 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting to lead Oklahoma State (14-6, 2-5). Jaylen Curry also finished with 19 points. The Cowboys cut the deficit to as little as 10 points with 1:41 left but never were able to cut the deficit to single digits after falling behind 23-4.

No. 10 Michigan State 91, Maryland 48

Jeremy Fears Jr. dominated with 17 points and 17 assists as the Spartans routed the Terrapins at East Lansing, Mich.

Carson Cooper added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Spartans (18-2, 8-1 Big Ten), who converted 60.7% of their field goal attempts, including 9-of-19 3-point shooting. Fears’ gaudy assist total was the most by a Michigan State player since Mateen Cleaves had 20 in a game on March 4, 2000, against Michigan.

Elijah Saunders scored 13 points for Maryland (8-12, 1-8) and David Coit added 11. The Terrapins again experienced trouble offensively, shooting 33.3% from the floor.

No. 13 BYU 91, Utah 78

A.J. Dybantsa scored a career-high 43 points to lead the Cougars to the Big 12 victory over the Utes in Provo, Utah.

Dybantsa shattered the school’s freshman record set by Danny Ainge in 1977. He posted 24 of his points in the second half as BYU (17-2, 5-1) pulled away. Robert Wright III added 21 points as the Cougars shot 53.3% to sweep the season series.

Keanu Dawes paced Utah (9-11, 1-6) with 23 points and Terrance Brown added 22. They each hit four 3-pointers as the Utes canned 13 of 21 shots from beyond the arc. Utah was within 55-53 with 15 minutes to go when BYU broke it open with a 14-3 run.

No. 22 North Carolina 85, No. 14 Virginia 80

The Tar Heels got 17 second-half points from Jarin Stevenson and rallied for a win over the Cavaliers in ACC action in Charlottesville, Va.

Caleb Wilson scored 20 points for the Tar Heels (16-4, 4-3 ACC), who had lost their first three conference road games. It was the 14th 20-point game of the season for the freshman star. Seth Trimble added 16 points, Luka Bogavac had 14 and Derek Dixon added 11.

Thijs De Ridder led Virginia with 20 points and Malik Thomas, Sam Lewis and Chance Mallory each had 11.

No. 15 Vanderbilt 88, Mississippi State 56

Tyler Tanner scored 24 points and the Commodores ended a three-game losing streak by dominating the Bulldogs from start to finish in a victory in Starkville, Miss.

Tanner triggered a few surges and received plenty of help as Duke Miles added 17 points, Tyler Nickel had 13 and Devin McGlockton scored 10 for the Commodores (17-3, 4-3 SEC), who bounced back from a 93-68 loss at No. 20 Arkansas on Tuesday.

Vanderbilt’s defense was much improved after allowing more than 90 points in each of its last two games. The Commodores had 10 steals and forced 17 turnovers, leading to 28 points. Jayden Epps scored 14 off the bench to lead the Bulldogs (10-10, 2-5), who lost their fifth straight. Leading scorer Josh Hubbard (seven points), who entered the game averaging 21.7 points, saw his recent slump continue.

Auburn 76, No. 16 Florida 67

Keyshawn Hall scored 24 points and the Tigers ended the Gators’ five-game winning streak in Gainesville, Fla.

KeShawn Murphy added 16 points, Tahaad Pettiford had 11 and Kevin Overton scored 10 for the Tigers (13-7, 4-3 SEC), who won for the fourth time in five games.

Thomas Haugh recorded 27 points and 10 rebounds, Urban Klavzar scored 12 and Rueben Chinyelu added 10, though his seven rebounds left him short of what would have been his fifth consecutive double-double, for the Gators (14-6, 5-2).

Tennessee 79, No. 17 Alabama 73

Freshman Nate Ament scored a career-high 29 points and collected seven rebounds to lead the Volunteers to a solid victory over the Crimson Tide in SEC play at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 24 points for his ninth 20-point outing of the season as the Volunteers (13-6, 3-3 SEC) defeated Alabama for the fifth consecutive time.

Labaron Philon Jr. had 26 points and seven assists but was just 7-of-20 from the field for the Crimson Tide (13-6, 3-3). Latrell Wrightsell Jr. had 14 points, and Charles Bediako had 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting in his controversial “second” debut with the school. Bediako, a former professional player, spent two seasons at Alabama before going unselected in the 2023 NBA Draft.

No. 18 Clemson 77, Georgia Tech 63

Nick Davidson and Jake Wahlin scored 13 points apiece to lead the Tigers to a win over the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta.

Dillon Hunter and Ace Buckner added 12 points each for Clemson (17-4, 7-1 ACC), which rebounded from its first conference loss of the season on Tuesday. The Tigers trailed by as many as five points in the first half but outscored Georgia Tech 42-30 in the second half.

Kowacie Reeves Jr. led Georgia Tech (11-9, 2-5) with 19 points, while Lamar Washington scored 10. Baye Ndongo had five points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Yellow Jackets, who dropped their fourth game in five tries.

No. 19 Kansas 86, Kansas State 62

Flory Bidunga scored 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the visiting Jayhawks past the rival Wildcats in a Big 12 contest in Manhattan, Kan.

Melvin Council Jr. contributed 17 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds for Kansas (15-5, 5-2 Big 12). Elmarko Jackson scored 19 points, Bryson Tiller added 16 and Tre White chipped in 13 as the Jayhawks won their fourth straight game.

P.J. Haggerty led Kansas State (10-10, 1-6) with 23 points, and Andrej Kostic added 12 points as the only other Wildcat in double figures.

No. 20 Arkansas 85, LSU 81

Darius Acuff Jr. scored 24 of his career-high 31 points in the second half and the Razorbacks overcame an eight-point deficit before holding off the Tigers in Fayetteville, Ark., improving to 12-0 at home.

Acuff scored nine straight Arkansas points and had 12 of 15 as the Razorbacks (15-5, 5-2 SEC) turned a 59-56 deficit into a 71-67 lead with six minutes remaining. Meleek Thomas had 14 points, and Billy Richmond III had 11 points.

Mike Nwoko scored 14 points for the Tigers (13-7, 1-6), who led 45-37 2:05 into the second half. Dedan Thomas Jr. had 18 points and five assists, and Pablo Tamba had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Texas 87, No. 21 Georgia 67

Dailyn Swain scored 26 points and Tramon Mark added 23 as the Longhorns found another gear seven minutes into the second half and swamped the Bulldogs in SEC action in Austin, Texas.

The victory was the third over a ranked team for Texas (12-8, 3-4 SEC) in its past five games. Vokietaitis and Jordan Pope finished with 14 points each for Texas, which shot 68.8% from the floor after halftime.

Jeremiah Wilkinson led Georgia (16-4, 4-3) with 17 points, while Somto Cyril added 12 and Jordan Ross had 11. The Bulldogs trailed by as many as 23 points and missed nine of their final 11 field-goal attempts.

No. 23 Louisville 85, Virginia Tech 71

Mikel Brown Jr. returned to the lineup after a six-week absence and scored a team-high 20 points as the Cardinals cruised past the visiting Hokies.

Ryan Conwell added 15 points and six rebounds for Louisville (14-5, 4-3 ACC). J’vonne Hadley scored 14 points and grabbed six boards, while Sananda Fru tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Virginia Tech (15-6, 4-4) got a brilliant effort from Jailen Bedford, who scored 24 points and shot 6-for-8 from 3-point range. Ben Hammond added 18 points, including 4-for-5 3-point shooting. Hansberry tallied 12 points, including a trio of 3-pointers. The Hokies made 11 of 17 3-pointers in the second half to remain moderately competitive.

–Field Level Media