Top 25 roundup: No. 8 UNC tops No. 1 Duke after Williamson injury

[February 21, 2019]  North Carolina senior Luke Maye scored 30 points in his final appearance at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and the eighth-ranked Tar Heels took advantage of the absence of Duke's Zion Williamson for an 88-72 victory Wednesday night in Durham, N.C.

Williamson, the star forward for No. 1 Duke, left in the opening minute and didn't return after his shoe tore apart as he fell awkwardly to the court. He was assisted to the locker room, and soon after it was announced he would not return to the game because of an injury later termed as a "mild knee sprain" by Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Maye shot 14-for-24 from the floor, with many of the baskets in the lane that was minus Williamson's presence. Maye also pulled down 15 rebounds for the Tar Heels (21-5, 11-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who moved into a first-place tie with Duke (23-3, 11-2) and Virginia (23-2, 11-2).

RJ Barrett poured in 33 points with 13 rebounds while Cam Reddish scored 27 points as the freshman duo paced Duke's scoring. The Blue Devils were playing while holding the No. 1 ranking against North Carolina for the first time in 13 years.

San Diego State 65, No. 6 Nevada 57

Devin Watson recorded 15 points and eight assists as the host Aztecs upset the Wolf Pack.

Jeremy Hemsley also scored 15 points as San Diego State (17-9, 9-4 Mountain West) won its fourth straight and beat Nevada for the third consecutive time. The Wolf Pack were the highest-ranked team the Aztecs have ever defeated. They previously beat a No. 7 team on three occasions.

Caleb Martin had 20 points and seven rebounds but couldn't prevent the Wolf Pack (24-2, 11-2) from seeing their 10-game winning streak end. Jordan Caroline tallied a season-low eight points on 3-of-12 shooting, and Nevada also produced its lowest point total of the season.

No. 10 Michigan State 71, Rutgers 60

Cassius Winston scored 28 points, including 19 in the second half, to help the Spartans overcome a sluggish start and beat the visiting the Scarlet Knights in East Lansing, Mich.

It was the first game for Michigan State (22-5, 13-3 Big Ten) since Nick Ward was knocked out with a broken hand, an injury that required surgery and will keep him out for an indefinite amount of time. Xavier Tillman also scored a career-high 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Spartans.

Geo Baker scored 17 points to lead Rutgers (12-14, 5-11), while Ron Harper Jr. added 11. Eugene Omoruyi had nine points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Scarlet Knights.

No. 11 Marquette 79, Butler 69

Markus Howard scored a game-high 28 points while Theo John kicked in a double-double as the Golden Eagles took control of first place in the Big East Conference by beating the Bulldogs in Milwaukee.

John tallied 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Sam Hauser added 11 points for Marquette (22-4, 11-2), who jumped over Villanova atop the conference.

Butler (15-12, 6-8) got 27 points from Sean McDermott, plus 12 from Kamar Baldwin and 10 from Paul Jorgensen. However, it was not enough to keep the Bulldogs from dropping their 11th straight game against a Top 25 foe.

Florida 82, No. 13 LSU 77 (OT)

KeVaughn Allen scored 12 of his game-high 21 points in overtime, and Noah Locke made a pair of clinching free throws with 8.6 seconds left to lift the Gators over the Tigers in Baton Rouge, La.

The Gators (15-11, 7-6 Southeastern Conference) outscored LSU 18-13 in overtime, handing the Tigers (21-5, 11-2) their second loss in five overtime games this season. LSU had won 14 of its previous 15 games while Florida extended its winning streak to three.

LSU had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Tremont Waters, who struggled with 3-of-12 shooting on the night, missed a 30-footer at the buzzer, and the game went to overtime at 64. Naz Reid, who had 16 points and 15 rebounds, scored the Tigers' last seven points in regulation.

Georgetown 85, No. 17 Villanova 73

Mac McClung scored 21 points to lead the host Hoyas past the Wildcats in Washington.

Jessie Govan scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season. James Akinjo had 10 points and nine assists. The Hoyas (16-10, 6-7 Big East) had dropped three of their previous four games.

Phil Booth led Villanova (20-7, 11-3) with 26 points while Eric Paschall added 16. The Wildcats, who took a six-point defeat at St. John's on Sunday, have lost two in a row for the first time since December.

Syracuse 69, No. 18 Louisville 49

Elijah Hughes scored 11 of his 18 points in the second half as the host Orange cruised over the Cardinals.

Oshae Brissett had 16 points, and Buddy Boeheim highlighted his 14-point performance with four 3-pointers for Syracuse (18-8, 9-4 ACC). Tyus Battle added 11 points to reach double figures for the 22nd time in 26 games.

Jordan Nwora scored 11 points on just 3-of-13 shooting for Louisville (18-9, 9-5). The Cardinals shot 25.9 percent from the floor (14-for-54) and 21.4 percent from 3-point range (6-for-28) en route to their third loss in four games.

--Field Level Media

[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.