Top 25 roundup: Clemson knocks off No. 3 North Carolina

 

[February 07, 2024]  PJ Hall scored 25 points and Joseph Girard III had 21 as Clemson upset No. 3 North Carolina 80-76 on Tuesday night in Chapel Hill, N.C.

It marked just the second time in 62 tries that Clemson (15-7, 5-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) had won in Chapel Hill. Clemson's other win at Dean Smith Center happened in overtime in 2020.

The Tigers, who earned a victory that surely will boost their NCAA Tournament resume, also got nine rebounds from Hall. He and Girard combined for 9-of-20 shooting from 3-point range. Ian Schieffelin added 14 points and 11 boards.

The Tar Heels (18-5, 10-2) fell to an unranked opponent for the second time in three games. Armando Bacot led the way for North Carolina with 24 points and 13 rebounds, while RJ Davis had 22 points and Harrison Ingram added 11.

No. 1 UConn 71, Butler 62

Cam Spencer scored 20 points and Donovan Clingan added 18 to lead the Huskies to a hard-fought win over the Bulldogs in Hartford, Conn.

Clingan also pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds. Hassan Diarra added nine points off the bench as the Huskies (21-2, 11-1 Big East) earned their 11th consecutive victory.

DJ Davis led Butler (15-8, 6-6) with 21 points. Jahmyl Telfort added 17 points while Posh Alexander produced eight points, five boards and five assists as the Bulldogs saw a four-game winning streak end.

No. 5 Houston 79, Oklahoma State 63

Jamal Shead scored a game-high 23 points, and the Cougars' Division I-leading defense swarmed over the visiting Cowboys.

Emanuel Sharp contributed 16 points as Houston (20-3, 7-3 Big 12) shook off a Saturday loss at Kansas. The Cougars logged 11 steals against Oklahoma State, forced 17 turnovers and scored 24 points off them.
 

Javon Small led the Cowboys (10-13, 2-8) with 18 points, buoyed by 12-for-14 foul shooting. John-Michael Wright scored 13 with three 3-pointers.

No. 13 Baylor 79, No. 23 Texas Tech 73

RayJ Dennis scored a game-high 21 points and the Bears used a strong second-half shooting display to beat the Red Raiders in Waco, Texas.

Dennis added five assists and four steals for the Bears (17-5, 6-3 Big 12), who connected on 13 of 20 field-goal attempts (65 percent) following the break. Baylor also got 17 points and seven rebounds from Yves Missi and 14 points from Jayden Nunn en route to its third straight win.

Joe Toussaint finished with 18 points and Darrion Williams posted 17, but the Red Raiders (16-6, 5-4) still dropped their third straight game. Chance McMillian had 15 points, while Pop Isaacs was limited to 11 on 4-of-12 shooting.

No. 14 Iowa State 70, Texas 65

Milan Momcilovic scored 13 points and Tamin Lipsey hit a clutch 3-pointer as the Cyclones held off the Longhorns in Austin, Texas.

Lipsey finished with 12 points and Curtis Jones 11 in the Cyclones' balanced attack. Eight of the nine players who saw the court for Iowa State (17-5, 6-3 Big 12) scored at least five points.

Dylan Disu hit for 28 points to lead all scorers, with Max Abmas netting 13, all in the second half, and Dillon Mitchell 10 for Texas (15-8, 4-6).

No. 15 South Carolina 68, Ole Miss 65

Collin Murray-Bowles scored 16 points to lead a balanced offense and the Gamecocks held off the Rebels in Columbia, S.C.

Myles Stute and Ta'Lon Cooper added 12 points each for South Carolina (20-3, 8-2 Southeastern Conference). The Gamecocks won their sixth straight game.

Allen Flanigan scored 26 points, Matthew Murrell had 17 and Jaylen Murray added 10 to lead Ole Miss (18-5, 5-5), which dropped its second game in a row.

No. 17 Kentucky 109, Vanderbilt 77

Antonio Reeves scored 24 points and the Wildcats never trailed while rolling to a victory over the Commodores in Nashville, Tenn.

Standout reserve Rob Dillingham added 20 points and nine assists as Kentucky (16-6, 6-4 SEC) bounced back from a 103-92 loss to Tennessee on Saturday and won for just the second time in the past five games.

Feb 6, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard RJ Davis (4) looks to pass to forward Armando Bacot (5) as Clemson Tigers center PJ Hall (24) and guard Chase Hunter (1) defend in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Evan Taylor made five 3-pointers and scored 20 points for Vanderbilt (6-16, 1-8), which lost for the eighth time in nine games.

No. 18 Dayton 94, Saint Joseph's 79

Nate Santos and Kobe Elvis each scored 21 points, helping the Flyers handle the Hawks in Philadelphia.

Javon Bennett added 18 points for the Flyers, who won for the 16th time in 17 games. DaRon Holmes II added 13 for Dayton (19-3, 9-1 Atlantic 10), Enoch Cheeks had 12 points and Elvis dished out 10 assists.

Cameron Brown led Saint Joseph's (15-8, 5-5) with 19 points, and Lynn Green III followed with 18. Xzayvier Brown chipped in 15 points off the bench for the Hawks, who dropped their fourth straight game against the Flyers. Rasheer Fleming collected 14 points for Saint Joseph's, which had won five of its previous six games overall.

Oklahoma 82, No. 21 BYU 66

Javian McCollum scored 20 points -- 13 in the final four minutes -- to help the Sooners knock off the Cougars in Norman, Okla.

Milos Uzan added 16 points for the Sooners (17-6, 5-5 Big 12), who won for the second time in three games. Rivaldo Soares added 12 points.

Fousseyni Traore, making his second consecutive start, scored 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting for the Cougars (16-6, 4-5), who had a two-game winning streak snapped. Dallin Hall added 17 points, going 4-for-7 from beyond the arc, and Spencer Johnson scored 10.

Nevada 77, No. 22 Utah State 63

Nick Davidson logged 25 points and 10 rebounds as the Wolf Pack upset the Aggies in Logan, Utah.

Kenan Blackshear added 18 points for Nevada (18-5, 5-4 Mountain West), which canned 52.9 percent of its field-goal attempts.

Ian Martinez scored 16 points for Utah State (19-4, 7-3), which has lost consecutive games for the first time this season. The Aggies are now in a four-way tie for first in the Mountain West.

No. 24 San Diego State 77, Air Force 64

Reese Waters shot 5-for-8 from 3-point distance for all 15 of his points to help the Aztecs defeat the Falcons in a Mountain West matchup in Colorado Springs.

Jaedon LeDee had 14 points and nine rebounds, Micah Parrish also scored 14 points and Lamont Butler contributed 11 for the Aztecs (18-5, 7-3 MWC), who moved into a four-way tie for first in the Mountain West. The Aztecs shot 70 percent in the first half, including 8-for-11 from 3-point distance, to build a 45-20 lead.

Jeffrey Mills and Beau Becker scored 15 points each to lead Air Force (8-14, 1-9), which has lost 12 of its past 13 games.

No. 25 New Mexico 91, Wyoming 73

Donovan Dent had 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds to lead the Lobos to a victory over the Cowboys in Laramie, Wyo.

Jaelen House added 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists, Jamal Mashburn Jr. had 15 points and Mustapha Amzil finished with 13 points for New Mexico (19-4, 7-3 Mountain West).

Wyoming (12-11, 5-5) was led by Brendan Wenzel's 20 points and five rebounds. Sam Griffin added 19 points.

--Field Level Media

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