Auburn guard Wendell Green Jr., right, and guard K.D. Johnson, center, celebrates after the Tigers beat Kentucky on Saturday in Auburn, Alabama. Butch Dill/Associated Press

AUBURN, Ala. — Walker Kessler scored 19 points and K.D. Johnson added 17, helping No. 2 Auburn keep its hot streak alive with an 80-71 victory over No. 12 Kentucky on Saturday.

The Tigers (18-1, 7-0 Southeastern Conference) rallied from a 10-point deficit to win their 15th straight in likely the biggest home game since Auburn Arena opened in 2010. It was big enough that the traditional football school had students set up tents Friday morning, camping out to make sure they got in.

The Tigers, who have matched the highest ranking in program history, made it worth the wait. Fans chanted No. 1 in the final moments, hoping to supplant Gonzaga.

Kentucky’s No. 2 scorer, TyTy Washington, only played eight minutes and scored four points before being helped off the court with a left ankle injury. He didn’t return. The Wildcats fall to 15-4, 5-2 in the SEC.

(5) BAYLOR 65, OKLAHOMA 51: Adam Flagler scored 16 points, and the Bears (17-2, 5-2 Big 12) defeated the Sooners (12-7, 2-5) in Norman, Oklahoma.

LJ Cryer added 14 points and Matthew Mayer had 12 for the Bears. The defending national champions bounced back to win both games this week after losing at home to Texas Tech and Oklahoma State the previous week. Baylor swept the regular-season series with Oklahoma and now has 14 straight wins away from home.

Advertisement

(6) DUKE 79, SYRACUSE 59: AJ Griffin hit five 3-pointers — the most by a Duke player this season – and the sixth-ranked Blue Devils (15-3, 5-2 ACC) routed visiting the Orange (9-10, 3-5).

Griffin was one of four players for Duke with 15 points, joining Paolo Banchero, Wendell Moore Jr. and Mark Williams. Banchero had 13 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.

(7) KANSAS 78, KANSAS STATE 75: Ochai Agbaji hit a baseline jumper with 9 seconds left to lift the Jayhawks (16-2, 5-1 Big 12) over the Wildcats (10-8, 2-5) in Manhattan, Kansas.

Agbaji’s shot gave Kansas its first lead since early in the first half and snapped K-State’s two-game winning streak against ranked foes. Agbaji scored 29 points.

(10) HOUSTON 79, EAST CAROLINA 36: Kyler Edwards had 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and the Cougars (17-2, 6-0 American) used a big first half to rout the Pirates (11-7, 2-4) in Houston.

Edwards scored 17 first half points as the Cougars built a 44-14 halftime lead. Edwards, who finished with six 3-pointers, has scored at least 23 points in each of the last three games and made at least six 3-pointers.

Advertisement

(11) VILLANOVA 85, GEORGETOWN 74: Collin Gillespie scored 28 points, Justin Moore added 19 and the Wildcats (14-5, 7-2 Big East) beat the Hoyas (6-10, 0-5) in Washington.

Gillespie connected on 6 of 9 3-pointers, including four in the second half. Villanova erased an eight-point, second-half deficit to continue its dominance over Georgetown. The Wildcats have won five of six over the Hoyas and 17 of the last 20.

(16) USC 79, UTAH 67: Drew Peterson scored 23 points and Boogie Ellis added 18 to power the Trojans (16-2, 6-2 Pac-12) over the Utes (8-12, 1-9) in Salt Lake City.

When the Utes finally got within single digits with 5:38 to play, Max Agbonkpolo dunked and Peterson hit a 3-pointer for USC.

(24) TENNESSEE 64, (13) LSU 50: Santiago Vescovi scored 16 points and the Volunteers (13-5, 4-3 SEC) beat the Tigers (15-4, 3-4) in Knoxville, Tennessee, avenging a 12-point loss two weeks ago.

Tennessee opened with a 14-0 run spanning more than six minutes. After leading by five at halftime, the Vols started the second half with an 8-2 spurt.

Advertisement

TCU 59, (15) IOWA STATE 44: Damion Baugh scored 23 points to help the Horned Frogs (13-3, 3-2 Big 12) upset the Cyclones (14-5, 2-5) in Ames, Iowa.

Baugh hit 11 of 17 shots, while TCU held the Cyclones to their lowest point total in the 50-year history of Hilton Coliseum. The previous low was 44 points against Tennessee in 2018.

(18) TEXAS TECH 78, WEST VIRGINIA 65: Terrence Shannon scored a season-high 23 points with a go-ahead three-point play and the Red Raiders (15-4, 5-2 Big 12) remained undefeated at home with a win over the Mountaineers (13-5, 2-4).

After West Virginia took its only lead in the second half on 3-pointer by Taz Sherman with 6:21 left, Shannon’s three-point play on the ensuing possession put the Red Raiders up 56-54. That layup when being fouled was part of Shannon making his last four field goal attempts, including back-to-back 3-pointers that extended the margin to 65-56, and a slam dunk with 1:12 left after the last of West Virginia’s 17 turnovers.

MISSOURI STATE 79, (22) LOYALA CHICAGO 69: Isiaih Mosley scored 40 points and the Bears (15-6, 6-2 MVC) beat Loyola Chicago  (14-3, 5-1) in Chicago, ending the Ramblers’ 10-game winning streak.

(23) TEXAS 56, OKLAHOMA STATE 51: Marcus Carr scored 14 points and made two free throws with five second remaining as the Lornhorns (14-5, 4-3 Big 12) defeated the Cowboys (10-8, 3-4) in Austin, Texas, to snap a two-game losing streak.

Advertisement

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

(15) TEXAS 68, TCU 47: Joanne Allen-Taylor and Audrey Warren combined to score 27 points and distribute nine assists as the Longhorns (14-3, 4-2 Big 12) continued their season-long road success with a win over the Horned Frogs (6-9, 2-4).

Coming off a statement win at No. 7 Iowa State, 66-48 on Wednesday, the Longhorns are now 6-1 on the road with four wins coming against ranked teams. Texas has now won four straight and nine of its last 11 meetings with the Horned Frogs and hold a 47-4 advantage all-time in the series.

(17) BYU 74, SAN DIEGO 63: Shaylee Gonzales scored a season-high 29 points and the Cougars (15-1, 5-0 WCC) pulled away in the third quarter to beat the Toreros (10-9, 2-3) in San Diego.

BYU (15-1, 5-0 West Coast Conference) has won seven consecutive games and ended a two-game skid against San Diego (10-9, 2-3).

(24) FLORIDA GULF COAST 66, JACKSONVILLE STATE 44: Tishara Morehouse scored 20 points, Kerstie Phills added 17 plus nine rebounds and the Eagles (17-1, 6-0 Atlantic Sun) rolled past the Gamecocks (14-4, 5-1) in Jacksonville, Florida.

Emma List added 14 points for the Eagles, who shot 49% in winning their 10th straight game.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.