Top 25 roundup: No. 1 UConn takes down No. 18 Creighton

 

[January 18, 2024]  Tristen Newton had a team-high 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists as No. 1 UConn topped No. 18 Creighton 62-48 on Wednesday night in Storrs, Conn.

Despite shooting just 35.7 percent, the Huskies (16-2, 6-1 Big East) led by as many as 22 in their first game as the AP's top-ranked team since 2009.

UConn dominated Creighton (13-5, 4-3) on the glass, pulling down 21 offensive rebounds in the win. Alex Karaban and Cam Spencer added 13 points apiece for the Huskies.

Steven Ashworth had 14 points, Baylor Scheierman added 12 and Ryan Kalkbrenner chipped in with 11 for Creighton, which had won four straight. Kalkbrenner added eight rebounds and five blocks.

No. 4 North Carolina 86, Louisville 70

RJ Davis scored 21 points and the Tar Heels cruised for all except a second-half stretch, topping the Cardinals for their seventh straight victory at Chapel Hill, N.C.

Armando Bacot had 19 points and Louisville transfer Jae'Lyn Withers notched 15 points for North Carolina (14-3, 6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), which is 8-0 in home games. Cormac Ryan added 14 points, and Harrison Ingram had 10. The Tar Heels, who have their longest winning streak in Hubert Davis' three seasons as head coach, shot 48.3 percent from the field.

Skyy Clark's 16 points, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield's 15 points and Tre White's 12 points led Louisville (6-11, 1-5), which has lost five of its past six games.

No. 5 Houston 77, No. 25 Texas Tech 54

Jamal Shead scored a career-high 29 points and added 10 assists while pacing the host Cougars to a victory over the Red Raiders.

Shead shot 12-for-16 from the floor as the Cougars (15-2, 2-2 Big 12) extended their homecourt winning streak to 15 games. It marked a bounce-back effort for Houston, which dropped a pair of road conference games last week.

Kerwin Walton scored 18 points for Texas Tech (14-3, 3-1). The Red Raiders shot just 36.7 percent and committed 14 turnovers, which turned into 17 points.

No. 8 Kentucky 90, Mississippi State 77

Antonio Reeves scored a game-high 27 points and the Wildcats opened up a 20-point, first-half lead en route to a win over the Bulldogs in Lexington, Ky.

Rob Dillingham added 16 points for Kentucky and Tre Mitchell contributed 15, making all five of his shots from the field. The Wildcats (13-3, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) canned 55.6 percent of their field-goal tries and earned a 27-10 advantage in free-throw attempts, connecting on 23.

Tolu Smith III scored 26 points for the Bulldogs (12-5, 1-3) and Trey Fort added 13, but they didn't get enough help. Freshman guard Josh Hubbard, their second-leading scorer, made 1 of 11 shots and tallied only three points.

Jan 17, 2024; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Tristen Newton (2) shoots against the Creighton Bluejays in the second half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

No. 12 Arizona 82, Southern California 67

Caleb Love scored a team-high 20 points and Keshad Johnson had a double-double as the Wildcats defeated the Trojans in Tucson, Ariz.

Love made 5 of 12 3-point attempts for Arizona (13-4, 4-2 Pac-12), which never trailed and led by as many as 19 points in the second half. Johnson had 10 points and 13 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.

Freshman Bronny James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, finished with 11 points and career highs in assists (six) and rebounds (five) for USC (8-10, 2-5). The Trojans were missing Isaiah Collier (hand) and Boogie Ellis (hamstring).

No. 13 Auburn 80, Vanderbilt 65

Jaylin Williams scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half as the Tigers grabbed a big early lead en route to a win over the Commodores in Nashville.

Johni Broome added 15 points and 12 rebounds as Auburn (15-2, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) won its 10th straight game. The Tigers' bench, led by Dylan Cardwell's 12 points, outscored Vanderbilt's 29-18.

Tyrin Lawrence (15 points), Jason Rivera-Torres (14), Ezra Manjon (12) and Malik Presley (11) scored in double figures for Vanderbilt (5-12, 0-4).

No. 15 Oklahoma 77, West Virginia 63

Jalon Moore scored 16 points to lift No. 15 Oklahoma to a 77-63 win over West Virginia in Norman, Okla.

Sophomore Otega Oweh added 12 points, a career-high 10 rebounds and five steals to help the Sooners (14-3, 2-2 Big 12) stop a two-game losing streak.

Noah Farrakhan led the Mountaineers (6-11, 1-3) with 14 points. RaeQuan Battle added 12 points, and Quinn Slazinski had 10.

LSU 89, No. 22 Ole Miss 80

Jordan Wright scored a game-high 27 points, three teammates joined him in double figures and the Tigers defeated the Rebels in Baton Rouge, La.

Jalen Cook added 16 points, Tyrell Ward scored 11 and Mike Williams III had 10 for LSU (11-6, 3-1 SEC).

Jaylen Murray scored 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, Allen Flanigan scored 20, Matthew Murrell had 19 before fouling out and Jaemyn Brakefield added 13 points and nine rebounds before also fouling out for Ole Miss (15-2, 2-2).

--Field Level Media

[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]
 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.