LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Frank Mason III scored 21 points, Josh Jackson had 20 points and a pair of big 3-pointers, and No. 2 Kansas rallied past No. 4 Kentucky 79-73 on Saturday night in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.
The Challenge’s marquee matchup between college basketball’s two winningest programs ended with the Jayhawks earning their second straight win over the Wildcats on Kentucky’s home floor. Three-point shooting was critical for Kansas (19-2) as it shook off an 0-for-8 first half to make 5 of 11 after halftime, with Jackson’s consecutive 3s starting things for the Jayhawks. They shot 59 percent in the second half.
Malik Monk and Derek Willis each had 18 points for Kentucky (17-4), which dropped its second straight.
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No. 3 GONZAGA 96, PEPPERDINE 49
MALIBU, Calif. (AP) - Przemek Karnowski scored 16 points and Silas Melson had 15, helping Gonzaga easily roll past Pepperdine.
The Bulldogs are the last unbeaten team in the country and could lead the AP Top 25 for only the second time in their history after both No. 1 Villanova and No. 2 Kansas lost this week.
Gonzaga (22-0, 10-0 West Coast Conference) has matched its longest ever winning streak at 22 games.
The Bulldogs shot 58.6 percent and held the Waves to 30.2 percent shooting. They took immediate command over outmanned Pepperdine (6-16, 2-8), using a superior height advantage to jump out to a 27-8 lead.
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SYRACUSE 82, No. 6 FLORIDA STATE 72
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - Andrew White scored 24 points, John Gillon had 21 points and matched his career high with 11 assists, and Syracuse earned its first victory over a ranked team.
Tyler Lydon had 14 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high six blocks for the Orange (13-9, 5-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who led 44-26 at halftime. Tyler Roberson added 10 points and seven boards.
Dwayne Bacon and Jonathan Isaac each had 19 points for Florida State (18-4, 6-3), and Xavier Rathan-Mayes finished with 16. Isaac also grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked two shots.
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No. 5 BAYLOR 78, MISSISSIPPI 75
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - Manu Lecomte scored 17 points, leading Baylor to the win in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.
Baylor (20-1) rallied from a 15-point deficit in the first half to win its fifth straight game. The Bears trailed 50-40 early in the second half, but pushed ahead to take their first lead at 56-54 with 10:25 left after Johnathan Motley made a pair of free throws.
It was a close game from that point forward. Lecomte hit a decisive 3-pointer with 23 seconds left that made it 78-72 and sent many of the Ole Miss fans to the exits.
Sebastian Saiz and freshman Breein Tyree scored 20 points apiece for Ole Miss (12-9).
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MIAMI 77, No. 9 NORTH CAROLINA 62
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) - Freshman Bruce Brown scored a career-high 30 points, and Miami snapped North Carolina’s seven-game win streak.
The Hurricanes (14-6, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) had success with a swarming zone defense. The Tar Heels’ point total was a season low and 27 below their average, and they shot only 35 percent.
Miami also had a 41-36 edge in rebounding against the Tar Heels (19-4, 7-2), who lead the nation in that category.
Ja’Quan Newton added 18 points and seven rebounds for the Hurricanes, whose biggest lead was 55-33.
Justin Jackson led North Carolina with 21 points. Joel Berry II went 0 for 8 and scored two points, 13 below his average.
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COLORADO 74, No. 10 OREGON 65
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - Derrick White scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half, keying Colorado’s upset of Oregon that snapped the Ducks’ 17-game winning streak.
Xavier Johnson added 13 points as the Buffaloes (12-10, 2-7 Pac-12) kept the Ducks winless in seven trips all-time in Boulder.
Payton Pritchard’s 19 points led the Ducks (19-3, 8-1), who lost for the first time since Nov. 21 against Georgetown.
White had a pair of 3-pointers early in the second half that put the Buffaloes ahead 45-39 while Colorado’s stifling defense was keeping the Ducks out of rhythm at the other end of the court. And he had a 3-pointer, a three-point play and two free throws in an 11-1 run that gave Colorado a 64-52 lead.
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GEORGETOWN 85, No. 11 BUTLER 81
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -L.J. Peak scored 22 points and Jessie Govan beat the shot clock with a key 3-pointer with 1:03 left, helping Georgetown to the win.
Govan and Rodney Pryor each finished with 20 points as the Hoyas (12-10, 3-6 Big East) stopped the Bulldogs’ 14-game home winning streak with their second straight victory against a ranked opponent. They were coming off a 71-51 win against No. 16 Creighton on Wednesday.
Kelan Martin scored 22 points for Butler (18-4, 7-3), which lost for the first time in five games. Andrew Chrabascz had 16 points.
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GEORGIA TECH 62, No. 14 NOTRE DAME 60
ATLANTA (AP) - Josh Okogie made a fast-break layup as time expired, Tadric Jackson had a career-high 25 points and Georgia Tech earned another surprising victory over a ranked opponent.
The inexperienced Yellow Jackets (13-8, 5-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), in their first year under coach Josh Pastner, already had two wins over top-10 opponents before taking down the Fighting Irish (17-5, 6-3).
Notre Dame’s Matt Farrell went up for a short jumper but missed off the rim with 7 seconds remaining. Jackson grabbed the rebound, tossed the ball to a streaking Okogie, and McCamish Pavilion erupted in cheers.
Ben Lammers, the only player on either team to play the entire game, had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Georgia Tech.
V.J. Beachem scored 23 points for the Irish, and Bonzie Colson had 13 points and 13 rebounds.
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No. 15 WISCONSIN 61, RUTGERS 54
NEW YORK (AP) - Ethan Happ scored seven of his career-high 32 points in overtime, helping Wisconsin get the win at Madison Square Garden.
Happ was 12 for 18 from the field. He was the only player for Wisconsin (18-3, 7-1 Big Ten) to shoot above 50 percent; the Badgers shot 33.3 percent (20 for 60) from the field, including a 3-for-25 performance from 3-point range.
Corey Sanders had 15 points for the Scarlet Knights (12-10, 1-8), who lost for the ninth time in 10 games.
Rutgers finished with a 44-41 rebound advantage, but the Scarlet Knights committed 19 turnovers that turned into 17 points for the Badgers.
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No. 16 CREIGHTON 83, DEPAUL 66
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Khyri Thomas scored 18 points and Marcus Foster had 15, leading Creighton to the win at home.
Justin Patton added 14 points as Creighton (19-3, 6-3 Big East) won for the first time in three games since star point guard Maurice Watson Jr. was shelved by a major knee injury.
Billy Garrett Jr. scored 18 points and Brandon Cyrus had 12 for the Blue Demons (8-13, 1-7).
Creighton has won 10 of its last 11 meetings with DePaul, including eight of nine since joining the Big East in 2013.
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No. 17 DUKE 85, WAKE FOREST 83
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - Luke Kennard hit a 3-pointer with 6.6 seconds left, helping Duke rally for the road win.
Kennard finished with 34 points - one shy of his career high - and Grayson Allen had 19 for the Blue Devils (16-5, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference). Kennard was 6 for 6 from 3-point range and Allen went 5 for 11 from beyond the arc.
Duke appeared to be headed for its fourth loss in five games before Kennard took over in the second half. He scored 12 of Duke’s final 15 points.
Bryant Crawford scored a career-high 26 points, John Collins added 20 and Keyshawn Woods finished with 15 for Wake Forest (12-9, 3-6).
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No. 18 WEST VIRGINIA 81, TEXAS A&M 77
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - Jevon Carter had 19 points and nine rebounds, helping West Virginia hold on for the win.
West Virginia opened a 51-31 lead on Daxter Miles Jr.’s 3-pointer early in the second half. But the Mountaineers needed two free throws by Esa Ahmad with 4.4 seconds left to finish off the Aggies.
Ahmad went 6 for 12 at the line and finished with 14 points. Miles scored 10 points for West Virginia (17-4), which was coming off an 85-69 win against No. 2 Kansas on Tuesday.
Carter made four 3-pointers and also had two steals in 34 minutes.
Admon Gilder scored 24 points for the Aggies (11-9), and Tyler Davis had 19 points and 18 rebounds. JC Hampton went 5 for 6 from 3-point range and finished with 21 points.
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No. 21 SAINT MARY’S 72, SANTA CLARA 59
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - Jock Landale had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Saint Mary’s held off a late charge by Santa Clara.
The Gaels (19-2, 9-1 West Coast Conference) won their fourth straight game and beat Santa Clara for the 14th time in their past 16 meetings.
Emmett Naar added 15 points and nine assists for Saint Mary’s, which led 53-37 with 10 minutes left before the Broncos rallied within 55-50 with six minutes remaining. The Gaels made 11 of 12 free throws in the final five minutes to secure the victory.
Nate Kratch led Santa Clara (12-11, 6-4) with 19 points, including 14 in the first half.
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No. 22 MARYLAND 85, MINNESOTA 78
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Justin Jackson had a career-high 28 points and 10 rebounds, making all five of his 3-point attempts, and Maryland earned its sixth straight win.
Jackson and fellow freshman Kevin Huerter combined to go 10 for 12 from 3-point range. Huerter finished with 19 points and Melo Trimble added 13 points, nine assists and seven rebounds as the Terrapins (19-2, 7-1) kept pace with Wisconsin in a tie for first place in the Big Ten.
Akeem Springs led the Gophers (15-7, 3-6) with a season-high 23 points, but they lost their fifth consecutive game despite a 41-31 rebound advantage and a 21-10 assist-to-turnover ratio.
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No. 23 SOUTH CAROLINA 63, MISSOURI 53
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - Sindarius Thornwell had 16 points and 11 rebounds and South Carolina beat Missouri.
Rakym Felder had 12 of his 13 points in the first half and was 3 of 4 from 3-point range for the Gamecocks (17-4, 7-1 Southeastern Conference).
Russell Woods had 18 points and eight rebounds and K.J. Walton added 12 points for Missouri (5-15, 0-8).
The Gamecocks’ defense set the tone, holding the Tigers to 35.7 percent from the field, including 1 of 17 from 3-point range. South Carolina entered ranked first nationally in 3-point defense, holding opponents to 26.4 percent, and had four blocks, six steals and 16 points off 15 Missouri turnovers.
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No. 25 FLORIDA 84, OKLAHOMA 52
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - Kevarrius Hayes scored a career-high 20 points to help Florida roll to the road win in the Big 12-SEC Challenge.
Canyon Barry scored 15 points and Devin Robinson had 13 for the Gators (16-5), who have won two in a row since dropping consecutive games to South Carolina and Vanderbilt.
Florida scored a season-high 106 points against LSU on Wednesday, and then held Oklahoma to 27.7-percent shooting.
Rashard Odomes scored 13 points for the Sooners (8-12), and Kameron McGusty had 10.
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