Rocket Watts scored 20 points and No. 8 Michigan State produced a huge surge early in the second half to knock off No. 6 Duke 75-69 in the State Farm Champions Classic on Tuesday night in Durham, N.C.
The outcome gave the Spartans (3-0) their first victory in four all-time visits to Cameron Indoor Stadium, where fans weren’t permitted to attend because of coronavirus protocols on Duke’s campus.
Aaron Henry had 14 points for the Spartans, Julius Marble II chipped in 12 points, Joey Hauser supplied 11 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out, and Malik Hall had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Matthew Hurt provided 21 points and 13 rebounds for Duke, which shot 5-for-23 (21.7 percent) on 3-point attempts. Jaemyn Brakefield and Jalen Johnson added 11 points apiece, and Jordan Goldwire contributed 10 points.
No. 4 Wisconsin 82, Green Bay 42
Micah Potter paced five scorers in double figures with 14 points and Tyler Wahl notched a double-double of 11 points and 15 rebounds to boost the Badgers to a rout of the visiting Phoenix.
Wisconsin (3-0) led by as many as 43 points while connecting on 55.7 percent of its shots from the field. The Badgers’ success included 9-for-20 (45 percent) accuracy from long range. Nate Reuvers drilled a game-high three treys and finished with 13 points, matching teammate Aleem Ford. Brad Davison added 10 points.
Josh Jefferson finished with 12 points to lead the Phoenix (0-2), while Amari Davis chipped in nine points. Paris Taylor scored eight points and snagged five rebounds, tying PJ Pipes for the team lead. Wisconsin outrebounded Green Bay 45-25, including a 9-7 edge on the offensive glass.
No. 7 Kansas 65, No. 20 Kentucky 62
Jalen Wilson led the way in the second half, when he scored 21 of his 23 points, and the Jayhawks held on to beat the Wildcats in a cold-shooting game at the Champions Classic in Indianapolis.
Wilson had all of his team’s second-half baskets until Ochai Agbaji scored five points in 19 seconds to give Kansas a 60-55 lead with 2:26 to go. The Jayhawks (2-1) won despite shooting 29.9 percent from the field.
Kentucky (1-2) had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but Davion Mintz’s 3-point attempt went off the rim to end another poor shooting night for the Wildcats. They were 3 of 21 from long range after missing all 10 of their shots from behind the arc in a Sunday home loss to Richmond.
No. 9 Creighton 94, Omaha 67
Christian Bishop scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds, Denzel Mahoney added 17 points, and the Bluejays coasted to a win over the visiting Mavericks.
Antwann Jones added 12 points and six rebounds off the bench for Creighton (2-0). Marcus Zegarowski and Damien Jefferson contributed 11 points each, as five players scored in double digits. Zegarowski notched 11 assists to post a double-double.
Marlon Ruffin scored 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting to lead Omaha (1-3). Zach Thornhill was the Mavericks’ second-leading scorer with nine points.
No. 12 Villanova 87, Hartford 53
Justin Moore scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half to lift the Wildcats to a convincing victory over the Hawks in a “Bubbleville” event at Uncasville, Conn.
Moore, Cole Swider, Caleb Daniels and Brandon Slater each drained three 3-pointers for the Wildcats (3-1), who made 15 of 37 attempts (40.5 percent) from beyond the arc. Eric Dixon had 14 points and fellow bench players Swider and Slater each added 13.
Philadelphia native Traci Carter scored 13 points and Austin Williams added 11 for the Hawks (0-2), who made 7 of 23 attempts from 3-point range (30.4 percent).
No. 14 North Carolina 67, Stanford 63
Caleb Love scored 16 points as the Tar Heels overcame the Cardinal in a Maui Invitational semifinal in Asheville, N.C.
North Carolina’s starters each reached double figures in scoring, the Tar Heels erased a five-point deficit down the stretch and remained perfect in 13 all-time meetings with the Cardinal. North Carolina (3-0) meets No. 17 Texas in Wednesday’s matinee championship game.
R.J. Davis had 11 points for North Carolina, while Armando Bacot, Garrison Brooks and Leaky Black all scored 10 points. Brooks grabbed nine rebounds. Daejon Davis racked up 18 points, Oscar Da Silva had 13 points, Bryce Wills tallied 12 points and Ziaire Williams notched 10 points for Stanford.
No. 15 Virginia 76, St. Francis (Pa.) 51
Jay Huff scored 13 points and the Cavaliers won their 24th consecutive home opener with a victory against the Red Flash in Charlottesville, Va.
The Cavaliers (2-1) led wire-to-wire in their first-ever meeting against the Red Flash (1-2) and improved to 10-0 all-time against current members of the Northeast Conference.
Huff made 6 of 7 shots from the field and Virginia shot 51.7 percent (30 of 58). Kadin Shedrick added 12 points, Sam Hauser scored 11 and Trey Murphy III had 10. Bryce Laskey (12 points) and Mark Flagg (11) scored in double figures for St. Francis, which shot just 36.0 percent (18 of 50) overall and 29.2 percent (7 of 24) from 3-point range.
No. 17 Texas 66, Indiana 44
Matt Coleman III scored 16 points and the Longhorns rode a smothering defensive effort to defeat the Hoosiers in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational in Asheville, N.C.
Courtney Ramey added 13 points for the Longhorns (3-0) and Andrew Jones scored 12. Texas limited Indiana to just 23.9 percent shooting and scored 17 points off 14 Indiana turnovers. The Longhorns will play No. 14 North Carolina in the Maui finals.
Trayce Jackson-Davis led Indiana (2-1) with 17 points. The Hoosiers shot just 20 percent (2 of 10) from 3-point range and lost starting guard Al Durham to an apparent lower leg injury in the second half.
-Field Level Media
