Sporting Alert

College Football, NCAAB, NBA, NFL

Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball

Box Score: Johnson, Travis Help No. 19 Kentucky Beat No. 9 North Carolina, 80-72

by Leave a Comment

CHICAGO — Keldon Johnson scored 23 points and Reid Travis added 20 and No. 19 Kentucky beat No. 9 North Carolina 80-72 in the CBS Sports Classic at United Center on Saturday night. Box Score|Play-by-Play|Team Stats|Videos

Johnson, a freshman from South Hill, Virginia, shot 8 of 12 from the floor and connected on four 3-pointers, including three after the interval.

He scored 16 of his points in the second half.

http://gty.im/1070927680

Meanwhile, Travis added six rebounds, three steals and two blocks to his contribution on the night, while Tyler Herro scored 15 points and PJ Washington added 11 points, nine rebounds and a career-high eight assists for the Wildcats (9-2).

Cameron Johnson led North Carolina with 17 points, with Luke Maye ending with 16 points and six rebounds for the Tar Heels (8-3), who were playing Kentucky for the first time since the 2017 NCAA South Regional final.

Kenny Williams added 11 points, six rebounds and five assists for North Carolina, which beat then-No. 4 Gonzaga last week.

Kentucky was winning back-to-back games since the overtime 84-83 loss to Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 8.

Kentucky led 63-55, with a little over eight minutes remaining before Keldon Johnson nailed 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions and Washington also made another connection from long range later in the game and the Wildcats held on down the stretch.

As a team, Kentucky shot 44.4 percents from the field and scored 28 baskets on 24 assists. The Wildcats also scored 20 points off 17 turnovers. They struggled from 3-point range, though, making just 9 for 26.

North Carolina shot 42.2 percent, while going 7 for 19 from 3-pointers.

Reid Travis Guides No. 10 Kentucky Past UNC Greensboro 78-61

by Leave a Comment


LEXINGTON, Ky. — Reid Travis collected a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds and No. 10 Kentucky rallied to beat UNC Greensboro 78-61 at Rupp Arena on Saturday. Box Score // Play-by-Play // Team Stats // Videos

Travis, a senior forward from Minneapolis, shot 8 of 16 from the field and made 5 of his 6 attempts at the free throw line in his game-high 37 minutes of action.

Tyler Herro added 18 points and five rebounds and Keldon Johnson grabbed a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards for the Wildcats (7-1), who were winning for the seventh consecutive time since losing the season opener to Duke.

Francis Alonso led the way for UNC Greensboro with 22 points but struggled in the second half after scoring just three points after the interval.

Isaiah Miller chipped in with 12 points off the bench for the Spartans (7-2), who had won six straight games entering this clash.

UNC Greensboro led 40-37 at halftime and had a 55-50 with 13:08 remaining.

However, Kentucky used back-to-back 3-point plays to take a 56-55 lead and then dismissed the immediate resistance from the Spartans to pull away for the win.

As a team, Kentucky shot 48.3 percent from the field and dominated the boards 46-30.

The Wildcats will return to action next Saturday against Seton Hall in the Citi Hoops Classic in New York.

Meanwhile, UNC Greensboro will travel to Elon on Friday in its final road non-conference game.

No. 15 Tennessee Beats No. 24 Kentucky, 61-59

by Leave a Comment


LEXINGTON, Ky. — Lamonte Turner scored 16 points off the bench, including the crucial go-ahead 3-pointer with 26 seconds left and No. 15 Tennessee beat No. 24 Kentucky 61-59 on Tuesday (6).

Turner shot 6-of-10 from the field and made four 3-pointers, including the clutch bucket in the win.

“I tell coach to put him in all the time because he’s the most clutch guy I’ve been around,” Admiral Schofield said of Turner. “He’s a big-time shooter in my book. He puts the work in.”

Jordan Bowden added 13 points with eight rebounds and two steals, while Schofield finished with 12 points and six rebounds for the Volunteers (18-5, 8-3 Southeastern Conference), who shot 42 percent.

Grant Williams chipped in with 10 points and Jordan Bone grabbed six defensive rebounds and two steals for Tennessee, which won six straight to stay 1.5 games behind SEC leader No. 8 Auburn.

“Scoring was hard to come by, and we just stayed with it defensively,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “We stayed in it and were able to get it at the end.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 15 points, six assists, six rebounds and two steals and Quade Green chipped in with 15 points and four boards to lead Kentucky, which lost two in a row.

Kevin Knox ended with 10 points and Nick Richards grabbed a team-high eight rebounds for the Wildcats (17-7, 6-5), who shot 42 percent, but were only 3-for-14 from 3-pointers.

“I made mistakes at the end and cost them (players) the game,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said.

“I don’t ever like to in those situations, but this is a different team. They’re just too young to know what’s there and if they get in trouble, just call a timeout.”

The victory on Tuesday night saw Tennessee securing its first season sweep of Kentucky since the 1998-99 season.

The Vols defeated the then-No. 17 Wildcats 76-65 in the first meeting this season on Jan. 6.

“The biggest thing is that Tennessee beat Kentucky in Rupp tonight,” Schofield said. “That was our goal coming in here, and we got it done.”

NEXT TIME

Tennessee makes the trip Alabama on Saturday.

Kentucky visits Texas A&M on Saturday.

NCAA basketball Top 25 scores on Jan. 31

by Leave a Comment


MIAMI, FL — No. 7 West Virginia, No. 8 Kentucky and No. 12 North Carolina were among the winners in NCAA basketball Top 25 scores on Tuesday night. ESPN Video Highlights and Box Scores Here

No. 7 WEST VIRGINIA 85, IOWA STATE 72

Led by a career-high 23 points to go with 11 rebounds performance from Nathan Adrian, who shot 7-of-10 from the floor, West Virginia beat Iowa State 85-72 to improve to 6-3 in Big 12 conference play.

Esa Ahmad of West Virginia
Esa Ahmad of West Virginia at the free throw line against Kansas

Tarik Phillip added 15 points off the bench and Esa Ahmad scored with 14 points for the Mountaineers (18-4), who shot 48.3 percent from the floor overall and made 10 shots from 3-point range.

Matt Thomas had 19 points and seven rebounds for Iowa State (13-8, 5-4 Big 12), while Deonte Burton ended with 11 points, 10 rebounds, five rebounds and three steals in the win.

Donovan Jackson scored 11 points off the bench for the Cyclones, who were losing two straight.

West Virginia took a 19-9 lead midway through the first half and then fended off Iowa State’s challenge throughout the half to take a 44-40 advantage into the halftime break.

The Mountaineers then outscored the Cyclones 41-32 in the second half to seal their third straight victory.

No. 8 KENTUCKY 90, GEORGIA 81, OT

At the Rupp Arena in Lexington, star freshman Malik Monk scored 31 of his 37 points in second half and overtime to help No. 8 Kentucky beat Georgia 90-81 on Tuesday night and snapped a two-game skid.

It was the third time Monk was scoring 30 or more points this season and he now ties with Jamal Murray for the most 30-point games by a Kentucky freshman in a season, according to ESPN’s Stats and Information.

Isaiah Briscoe finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, while Bam Adebayo ended with 12 points and five boards for the Wildcats (18-4, 8-1 SEC), who were bouncing back from defeats to Tennessee and Kansas last week.

Kentucky was playing without point guard De’Aaron Fox because of illness.

J.J. Frazier had 23 points, five assists and three steals before fouling out for Georgia.

Yante Maten added 22 points, five rebounds and five assists and Derek Ogbeide had a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulldogs (13-9, 4-5), who lost for the third time in four games.

No. 12 NORTH CAROLINA 80, PITTSBURGH 78

Justin Jackson of North Carolina
Justin Jackson of North Carolina on the floor

At Dean E. Smith Center, the 12th ranked North Carolina held off Pittsburgh 80-78 in a closely-matched Atlantic Coast Conference game on Tuesday night.

Justin Jackson scored 20 points and grabbed six assists, Joel Berry II finished with 19 points and Isaiah Hicks added 18 and eight rebounds for the Tar Heels (20-4, 8-2 ACC).

Kennedy Meeks contributed 10 points, five rebounds and three blocks for North Carolina, which never trailed but also was challenged during the battle by the Panthers.

Meanwhile, Cameron Johnson tied a career high with 24 points and made a career-high six 3-pointers for Pittsburgh, which was losing for the seventh straight time.

Michael Young ended with 19 points and 10 rebounds, Jamel Artis had 17 points and Chris Jones scored 12 for the Panthers (12-10, 1-8).

In other NCAA basketball Top 25 scores on Tuesday night, No. 10 Wisconsin defeated Illinois 57-43, No. 22 Creighton beat No. 16 Butler 76-67 and No. 17 Maryland turned back the challenge of Ohio State 77-71.

NCAA Basketball Top 25 Scores
Tuesday, Jan. 31

No. 7 WEST VIRGINIA 85, IOWA STATE 72
No. 8 KENTUCKY 90, GEORGIA 81, OT
No. 10 WISCONSIN 57, ILLINOIS 43
No. 12 NORTH CAROLINA 80, PITTSBURGH 78
No. 22 CREIGHTON 76, No. 16 BUTLER 67
No. 17 MARYLAND 77, OHIO ST. 71

NCAA Basketball Top 25 and Live ESPN3 Schedule on Jan. 31

by Leave a Comment


INDIANAPOLIS – NCAA basketball Top 25 and ESPN3 schedule on Tuesday, January 31. After a lightened day of action among the ranked teams on Monday, the pace picks up today with six fixtures involving AP Top 25 ranked teams, while the ESPN3 schedule returns another busy day. Following livescores and Gamecast at NCAA.com and ESPN.com. ESPN3.com and WatchESPN will provide live online stream of selected games.

No. 16 Butler v No. 22 Creighton

Tuesday’s NCAA basketball schedule includes one ranked v ranked matchup, as the sixth-ranked Bulldogs entertain the Bluejays, who are 22nd in the latest poll.

NCAA basketball: Butler v Creighton

Game time for this one is set for 7:00 PM ET and will take place at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, with live coverage on Fox Sports 1 USA. The game can be streamed live on Fox Sports GO.

Butler (18-4, 7-3 Big East) is coming off an 85-81 defeat to Georgetown on Saturday night, but has won four of the last five overall.

The Bulldogs will certainly be looking for a quick bounce back and start as seven-point favourites against a Creighton team that seems to be struggling to adjust without Maurice Watson Jr., who is out for the rest of the season due to an injury.

Creighton (19-3, 6-3 Big East) snapped a two-game skid with an 83-66 victory over DePaul on Saturday, with Khyri Thomas, Marcus Foster and Justin Patton all scoring in double figures in the win.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Entering Tuesday night’s game, Butler will look to Kelan Martin to lead the offense. Martin, who scored 22 points against Georgetown, has scored 20 or more points in two of his last four games and is averaging 16.6 points and 5.5 rebounds this season.

For Creighton, junior guard Marcus Foster is averaging 18.2 points per game and Justin Patton is contributing 14.0 points and 6.5 rebounds this season for the Bluejays.

SERIES MEETING

Creighton leads the all-time series against Butler 8-6 and has won two of the last three games.

OTHER TOP 25 FIXTURES

Meanwhile, after losing both fixtures last week and dropping in the AP Top 25 rankings, No. 8 Kentucky will hope to leap back up against Georgia at Rupp Arena.

Kentucky basketball Malik Monk
Kentucky basketball star Malik Monk

The Wildcats (17-4, 7-1 SEC) are coming off defeats to Tennessee and Kansas – consecutive losses for the first time this season – but are 16.5 point favourites to beat the Bulldogs in Lexington.

Georgia (13-8, 4-4 SEC) was edged by Texas, 59-57, in its last outing last week and has lost two of the last three games overall this term.

Kentucky freshman guard Malik Monk leads the SEC in scoring this campaign, at 21.7 points per game, while fellow freshman De’Aaron Fox is scoring 15.9 and leads the conference in assists per game, at 5.7.

Bulldogs talented forward Yante Maten is scoring 19.7 points per game, the second-most behind Monk in the SEC, and pulling 7.7 rebounds for third in league rankings.

Elsewhere, No. 7 West Virginia (17-4, 5-3 Big 12) travels to face Iowa State (13-7, 5-3 Big 12); No. 10 Wisconsin (18-3, 7-1 Big Ten) goes to Illinois (13-9, 3-6 Big Ten); No. 12 North Carolina (19-4, 7-2 ACC) entertains Pittsburgh (12-9, 1-7 ACC), while No. 17 Maryland (19-2, 7-1 Big Ten) is at Ohio State (13-9, 3-6 Big Ten).

NCAA Basketball Top 25 Schedule

Tuesday, January 31

No. 17 Maryland at Ohio State 7:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Pittsburgh at No. 12 North Carolina 7:00 PM ESPN2, WatchESPN
No. 22 Creighton at No. 16 Butler 7:00 PM FS1, Fox Sports GO
Georgia at No. 8 Kentucky 9:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
No. 10 Wisconsin at Illinois 9:00 PM BTN
No. 7 West Virginia at Iowa State 9:00 PM ESPN2, WatchESPN

ESPN3 Schedule

Central Michigan at Buffalo 7:00 PM ESPN3
Kent State at Eastern Michigan 7:00 PM ESPN3
Miami (OH) at Bowling Green 7:00 PM ESPN3
Toledo at Ball State 7:00 PM ESPN3
Akron at Northern Illinois 8:00 PM ESPN3
Denver at Oral Roberts 8:00 PM ESPN3
Bethesda at Grand Canyon 9:00 PM ESPN3
Boise State at Colorado State 9:00 PM ESPN3

No. 8 Duke back in action, AP Top 25 games: Jan. 7

by Leave a Comment


DURHAM, N.C., Sporting Alert – Jeff Capel will begin his duty as the acting head coach for Duke while Mike Krzyzewski recovers from lower back surgery.

Capel will lead the No. 8 Blue Devils into the ACC battle with Boston College at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday and many are eager to see how he will handle the situation.

Krzyzewski is expected to be out for at least a month but the veteran coach asserted confidence in his coaching staff and revealed that he will not interfere while he’s sidelined.

Duke Blue Devils vs. Boston College Eagles

Luke Kennard Duke Blue Devils
Luke Kennard stars for Duke in New York

Duke (13-2, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) bounced back from the defeat to Virginia Tech with a commanding 110-57 win over Georgia Tech on Wednesday with Grayson Allen returning from a one-game suspension and Harry Giles starting for the first time this season.

Boston College (8-7, 1-1) is coming off a 79-66 defeat to Wake Forest on Tuesday night, which snapped a two-game winning streak for the Eagles.

Boston College is also looking to end a losing streak against Duke of 11 games this weekend.

It will be the 22nd meeting between these two teams with the Blue Devils leading the all-time series 19-2.

Kennard Heads Duke Scoring Chart

Luke Kennard leads the Blue Devils in scoring at 21.0 points per game and he leads five of his teammates averaging double figures this season.

Kennard also ranks third in the ACC in scoring behind Michael Young and Jamel Artis of Pittsburgh.

Jayson Tatum is averaging 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds across seven games, Grayson Allen is scoring 15.9 points, Amile Jefferson is averaging 13.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, while freshman guard Frank Jackson is putting out 12.0 points per game.

Harry Giles Finding His Feet

Freshman talent, Giles, who started his first game in a Duke uniform against Georgia Tech in midweek, collected his first college double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Giles has played four games since returning from injury, while his 17 minutes on Wednesday was a second-high.

Jerome Robinson, who is ranked fourth in the ACC in scoring at 20.6 points per game, leads Boston, with Ky Bowman getting 11.9 points and A.J. Turner at 10.0 points.

OTHER AP TOP 25 SCHEDULE

Johnathan Motley of Baylor
Johnathan Motley of the Baylor Bears

In other games on Saturday, No. 18 Butler, fresh off of its upset win over No. 1 and defending champion Villanova, will visit Georgetown at 12:00 ET, the Nova Wildcats are hosting Marquette at 7:30 PM, while No. 7 West Virginia will try to bounce back from Tuesday’s defeat to Texas Tech against TCU.

Elsewhere, No. 2 Baylor will aim to stay undefeated this term when it entertains Oklahoma State, No. 5 Gonzaga, the only other NCAA Division I team with a 100-percent record this season, will try to improve to 16-0 against Portland on the road.

Third-ranked Kansas host Texas Tech at Allen Fieldhouse, while No. 6 Kentucky battles against Arkansas at home and No. 14 North Carolina face-off with NC State in an ACC classic.

NCAA COLLEGE BASKETBALL
AP TOP 25 SCHEDULE, STREAM
SAT., JAN. 7

NO. 18 Butler at Georgetown 12:00 PM FOX, Fox Sports GO
TCU at No. 7 West Virginia 1:00 PM ESPNU, WatchESPN
Boston College at No. 8 Duke 2:00 PM ACCN, WatchESPN
No. 21 Virginia Tech at No. 12 Florida State 2:00 PM ACCN, WatchESPN
No. 9 Louisville at Georgia Tech 2:00 PM ACCN, WatchESPN
No. 10 Creighton at Providence 2:00 PM CBSSN
St John’s at No. 16 Xavier 2:30 PM FS1, Fox Sports GO
Clemson at No. 23 Notre Dame 3:00 PM ESPNU
Illinois at No. 25 Indiana 5:00 PM ESPNU, WatchESPN
Tennessee at No. 24 Florida 5:15 PM ESPN2, WatchESPN
No. 15 Oregon at Washington State 7:00 PM PAC12
Oklahoma State at No. 2 Baylor 7:00 PM ESPNN
Texas Tech at No. 3 Kansas 7:15 PM ESPN2, WatchESPN
Marquette at No. 1 Villanova 7:30 PM FS1
NC State at No. 14 North Carolina 8:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Arkansas at No. 6 Kentucky 8:30 PM SECN, WatchESPN
No. 22 Cincinnati at Houston 9:00 PM ESPNU, WatchESPN
Colorado at No. 17 Arizona 9:30 PM PAC12
No. 5 Gonzaga at Portland 10:00 PM ESPN3
No. 19 Saint Mary’s at San Francisco 11:00 PM

Monk pours in 47; Kentucky holds off North Carolina, 100-103

by Leave a Comment


LAS VEGAS, Sporting Alert — Malik Monk poured in a career-high 47 points and made eight 3-pointers, and No. 6 Kentucky pulled off a thrilling 1003-100 victory over No. 7 North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday.

The freshman sensation put on a show for the gathering at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas – shooting 18 of 28 from the floor and 8 for 12 from long-range.

Monk’s tally was also the highest by a Kentucky freshman in program history and he said he knew it would have been a special night after hitting the first couple of shots.

Fellow freshman De’Aaron Fox finished with a career-high as well after scoring 24 points to go along with 10 assists.

Edrice Adebayo ended with 13 points and seven rebounds before fouling out.

Justin Jackson scored a career-high 34 points to lead North Carolina, which made the game very interesting down the stretch after trailing for a big portion of the contest.

Joel Berry II returned from a sprained ankle injury to collect 23 points, seven assists and five rebounds for the Tar Heels (10-2).

After trailing for most of the game, North Carolina rallied to knot the score at 95-95 with 2:51 left with a pair of free throws from Tony Bradley.

However, Monk buried back-to-back 3-pointers in the final minute to seal the win as the Wildcats (10-1) picked up their third win in a row.

Kentucky led 56-51 at halftime with Monk accounting for 27 of the total on 10 of 16 shooting during the period.

Both teams matched each other with 44 points apiece in the paint, but the Wildcats won the rebound battle 39-35.

Kentucky shot 54 percent from the field and 56 percent from long-range.

North Carolina shot 53 percent from the field overall as well as from 3-pointers.

Kentucky will now travel to rival No. 11 Louisville for another difficult matchup on Wednesday.

North Carolina will entertain Northern Iowa on Wednesday as well.

Monk Scores 23, No. 1 Kentucky Beats Cleveland State 101-70

by Leave a Comment


LEXINGTON, Ky., Sporting Alert — Talented freshman Malik Monk poured in 23 points, and No. 1 Kentucky trounced Cleveland State 101-70 in the Bluegrass Showcase on Wednesday. Kentucky v Cleveland St. Box Score

Monk, who was matching his career-best, shot 8 of 12 from the floor and hit 4 of his 6 shots from long-range in 31 minutes.

The college rookie also scored 23 points in the 69-48 win over Michigan State on Nov. 15.

“We have great chemistry,” Monk said. “Although we never played that much together, we know where we are on the court.

“That’s another thing that makes this team so close.”

Fellow freshman guard Deaaron Fox added a double-double with 16 points and 11 assists and Edrice Adebayo finished with 14 points and seven rebounds for the Wildcats (5-0) who won their fifth straight game to start the new season.

Senior Mychal Mulder scored 13 points for the second game in a row and another freshman, Wenyen Gabriel, collected his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds to go with six assists for Kentucky in the win.

The Wildcats, who replaced Duke as the No. 1 team in the country earlier this week, were without leading scorer Isaiah Briscoe after the sophomore guard sat out the game with a back injury.

He was listed as day-to-day.

“We played well,” Fox said. “Without Isaiah today, people stepped up and we ended up getting the win.”

Rob Edwards tallied a game-high 28 points and Bobby Word added 14 for Cleveland State (1-3).

“We’re trying to do everything from the outside and that’s hard against a team like Kentucky because their guards really come after you and play defense,” Vikings coach Gary Waters said.

“And you know what the crazy part about it is? They enjoy doing it.”

Kentucky, which blasted to a 16-2 lead, shot a season-best 52 percent, dominated the Vikings 25-7 in the assist column and outrebounded them 47-36.

The Wildcats will next be in action in the Showcase on Friday night against UT Martin.

Duke Down 5 Spots; Kentucky No. 1 AP Top 25 Rankings: Week 3

by Leave a Comment


MIAMI, FL, Sporting Alert – Duke fell five places in The Associated Press men’s basketball top 25 rankings in Week 3, while Kentucky took over as the new No. 1 team in the country on Monday.

The Blue Devils (4-1) dropped out of the top five to No. 6 after going 2-1 in their three scheduled games last week.

Duke suffered a 77-75 final-seconds loss to Kansas in the Champions Classic last Tuesday before beating Penn State and Rhode Island to win the Hall of Fame Tip-off tournament at the weekend.

Kentucky collected 40 of 65 first-place votes to take over as the new No. 1 team, moving up one spot with 1,494 points.

The Wildcats (4-0) beat then-No. 13 Michigan State 69-48 and Duquesne, 93-59 last week to stay undefeated on the term.

Defending champion Villanova received 20 first-place and jumped one spot to No. 2 in the rankings after winning all four of its games last week.

The Wildcats (5-0) defeated Purdue, Western Michigan, Wake Forest and UCF to collect 1,469 points.

Indiana, North Carolina and the Jayhawks round out the top five.

After Duke, at No. 7 is Virginia, with Arizona, Xavier and Louisville completing the top 10.

Bluejays Make AP Top 25 Big Move

The biggest mover in the AP top 25 in Week 3 is Creighton, which picked up three wins last week, including an impressive 79-67 victory over Wisconsin to climb 10 slots to No. 12.

Gonzaga comes in at No. 11, but Oregon, following the 66-49 defeat to Baylor, slipped eight places to tie at No. 12, while UCLA and Saint Mary’s made their way into the top 15.

The newcomers in the rankings this week are Baylor and Florida State, while Cincinnati (24) and California (25) dropped out of the top 25.

Michigan State (2-2) dipped 11 places this week to No. 24 and Wisconsin is down seven spots to No. 16.

Syracuse, Purdue, West Virginia and Baylor round out 17 through 20, with Iowa State, at No. 21, Texas, at 22nd and Rhode Island, 23rd in the top 25 as well.

AP Top 25: Week 3
RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Kentucky (40) 4-0 1,494
2 Villanova (20) 5-0 1,469
3 Indiana (1) 3-0 1,348
4 North Carolina 4-0 1,319
5 Kansas 2-1 1,284
6 Duke 4-1 1,253
7 Virginia 3-0 1,126
8 Arizona 3-0 1,066
9 Xavier 5-0 1,039
10 Louisville 3-0 893
11 Gonzaga 3-0 816
12 Creighton 4-0 716
12 Oregon 2-1 716
14 UCLA 4-0 681
15 Saint Mary’s 3-0 665
16 Wisconsin 2-1 623
17 Syracuse 3-0 576
18 Purdue 2-1 571
19 West Virginia 3-0 466
20 Baylor 3-0 326
21 Iowa State 3-0 283
22 Texas 3-0 237
23 Rhode Island 4-1 198
24 Michigan State 2-2 184
25 Florida State 4-0 89

Complete Rankings On College AP Website

Dropped from rankings: Cincinnati 24, California 25

Others receiving votes: Michigan 83, Maryland 56, California 54, Miami 40, Cincinnati 34, Wichita St 29, Florida 27, Seton Hall 15, Virginia Tech 12, Butler 11, Dayton 11, Notre Dame 6, Colorado 4, Ohio State 2, Ohio 1, Rutgers 1, Tennessee State 1

Latest College Basketball Top 25 Scores: No. 1 Duke Goes Down

by Leave a Comment


NEW YORK, Sporting Alert – No. 7 Kansas took down No. 1 Duke, while second-ranked Kentucky roll over No. 13 Michigan in the latest college basketball scores on Tuesday.

Frank Mason III made a jumper with 1.3 seconds to play to guide seventh-ranked Kansas to a 77-75 victory over top-ranked Duke in the State Farm Champions Classic.

The Blue Devils (2-1) who trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half, managed to tie up the game at 75-75 with a 20-10 run.

However, Mason III hit the late winner out of a timeout to hand the Jayhawks (1-1) their first win of the season.

Senior Mason III finished with 21 points and five assists to lead Kansas, while Josh Jackson added 15 and Devonte’ Graham ended with 13 in the win for Kansas, which shot 51-percent and outrebounded Duke 38-29.

Luke Kennard scored 22 points on 7 of 10 shooting and led five Duke players in double figures.

Kennard also grabbed five rebounds and five assists.

Preseason All-American Grayson Allen, who struggled shooting the ball on the night, finished with 12 points on 4-for-15 shooting with Amile Jefferson also scoring 12 points but turned the ball over seven times before fouling out of the game.

Freshman Frank Jackson, who made the 3-point jumper to tie the game at 75-75 with 20 seconds left, added 11 points off the bench and Matt Jones, who logged 40 minutes on Tuesday night, ended with 11 also.

Duke, which again played without freshmen Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum and Marques Bolden who were all at courtside at Madison Square Gardens, played just six players in its full rotation, with Javin Delaurier only playing one minute.

Kentucky Dominates College Basketball Clash

In the other State Farm Champions Classic clash, talented freshman Malik Monk made seven 3-pointers on his way to scoring 23 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead No. 2 Kentucky to a 69-48 victory over Michigan State.

Isaiah Briscoe logged his second successive 21 point performance and Deaaron Fox finished with 12 points, six assists and four rebounds for the Wildcats (3-0), who scored 23 field goals on 17 assists.

No Michigan State players reached double figures in scoring, with Kenny Goins and Cassius Winston getting nine points each in the defeat.

Freshman point guard Miles Bridges was held to just six points on 2 of 11 shooting and turned the ball over nine times on a frustrating night for Tom Izzo’s team, which shot 5 for 26 from 3-point range.

Bridges led Michigan State with a game-high 12 rebounds, while Goins grabbed eight boards for the Spartans (0-2), who outrebounded Kentucky 44-40.

There were two upsets on Tuesday schedule, with top 10 teams Oregon and Wisconsin both falling.

The Ducks, playing without preseason All-American Dillon Brooks, were taken down 66-49 by a very talented Baylor side which was led by Manu Lecomte, who scored 18 points and Johnathan Motley, who added 17 in his Bears debut.

In the day’s other college basketball upset, No. 9 Wisconsin was defeated by No. 22 Creighton with Khyri Thomas finishing with 18 points, including 15 in the second half.

In other AP Top 25 college basketball scores Tuesday night, No. 5 North Carolina defeated Long Beach State 93-67, while No. 8 Virginia and No. 10 Arizona also picked up victories.

College Basketball Top 25 Scores
Tuesday, November 15

No. 7 KANSAS 77, No. 1 DUKE
No. 2 KENTUCKY 69, No. 13 MICHIGAN STATE 48
BAYLOR 66, No. 4 OREGON 49
No. 5 NORTH CAROLINA 93, LONG BEACH STATE 67
No. 8 VIRGINIA 72, ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN 32
No. 22 CREIGHTON 79, No. 9 WISCONSIN 67
No. 10 ARIZONA 78, CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD 66
No. 18 SYRACUSE 90, HOLY CROSS 46

Watch No. 2 Kentucky v No. 13 Michigan State, Preview

by Leave a Comment


Preview: No. 2 Kentucky v No. 13 Michigan State

NEW YORK, Sporting Alert – No. 2 Kentucky and No. 13 Michigan State will lock horns in a 2016 State Farm Champions Classic matchup here at Madison Square Garden in New York, Tuesday night.

TV Channels: ESPN, WatchESPN
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

The Wildcats (2-0), who have the top recruiting class for the 5th time in the past 8 seasons, are up and running on the season, winning their opening two games to start the new college basketball campaign.

However, head coach John Calipari is expecting a tough encounter against a Tom Izzo-coached Michigan State side that will be looking to bounce back from its season opener defeat.

“Go play a team that you know is going to play hard, you know is going to rebound, you know is going to fly,” Calipari said on Sunday.

“If you don’t get back on defense, they’re going to shoot layups. You know they get back. They rebound like crazy, that’s their hallmark. They rebound, they bang.

“Tom does a great job with his team and puts them in great positions like always and it will be a war.

“It’s going to be a tough game for us. We may start four freshmen, that’s a tough place to start four freshmen walking into Madison Square Garden in that level of a game.”

Isaiah Briscoe, who scored a career-high 21 points in the 93-69 victory Sunday night over Canisius, is averaging 19.0 points per game and shooting almost 63-percent from the floor.

Freshman De’Aaron Fox, who also scored a career-high 21 points against Canisius, leads Kentucky in assists per game with 7.5, while he’s also averaging 16.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per match after two outings.

Michigan State Looks To Bounce Back

Meanwhile, Michigan State started its campaign on a losing note after suffering a 65-63 defeat to No. 10 Arizona in the Armed Forces Classic in Friday night’s season opener in Honolulu.

However, the Spartans (0-1) have won four of the last five matchups with Kentucky, with the last meeting ending 78-74 in favour of the Big Ten ball club in this same Champions Classic.

“Michigan State just lost,” Kentucky head coach John Calipari said ahead of the game. “So we’re going to be playing a mean dog up in New York.”

He added on Sunday: “It will be hard. We got to practice and travel (Monday). Have dinner in New York City, and you play the next day. How much can I do?”

Michigan State will be led by a group of talent youngsters, led by freshman Miles Bridges, who scored 21.0 points and pulled down 7.0 rebounds in the defeat against Arizona.

Overall, Michigan State and Kentucky have met 23 times with Wildcats leading the series 12-11.

According to the oddsmakers, Kentucky is the 7.5-point favourite to beat Michigan State.

Men’s College Basketball ESPN3 Schedule On Nov. 13

by Leave a Comment


MIAMI,FL, Sporting Alert – The ESPN3 schedule for college basketball games streaming live and provided free on Sunday, November 13.

Topping the list of teams on the schedule this weekend is Wichita State, which plays host to Long Beach State at Charles Koch Arena in Kansas, at 8:00pm ET.

Sunday’s clash will see the Shockers (1-0), the preseason Missouri Valley favourites and the 49’ers (1-0), the preseason Big West Conference favourites, locking horns for the first time since 1981, according to the programs’ pregame notes.

Ahead of Sunday’s tip-off, Wichita State leads the head-to-head series with Long Beach State 5-4, with the Shockers leading the series 4-1 in their home state.

Wichita has also won the last two head-to-head meetings.

The 49’ers got their season underway at home on Friday night with a cruising 95-59 victory over Cal State Los Angeles.

Evan Payne led the way with 15 points and six rebounds for Long Beach State in the win Friday night, while Temidayo Yussuf (12pts), Justin Bibbins (12pts) and Gave Levin (11pts) also scoring in double figures.

“I don’t think any coach is satisfied this early in the season,” Long Beach State head coach Dan Monson said on the athletics website after the game.

“There’s so much to work on, but that being said, I think the biggest thing is consistency, and I think we were more consistent today.”

Also on the college basketball ESPN3 schedule on Sunday is SMU, which host Eastern Michigan in the second game of the 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project.

The Mustangs beat Gardner-Webb 72-44 in their season opener on Friday with junior forward Semi Ojeleye scoring 26 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in the win.

For Eastern Michigan, the Eagles will be looking to bounce back from the 93-90 double overtime defeat to Pittsburgh Friday night.

Ray Lee scored 27 points and Tim Bond added 21 in the defeat for Eastern Michigan.

Meanwhile, in AP Top 25 action, No. 2 Kentucky will play host to Canisius at Rupp Arena in Lexington, live at 6:00pm on ESPN2 after No. 6 North Carolina host Chattanooga on the same network at 4:00pm, while No. 16 UCLA host CS Northridge on PAC12 Network, starting at 9:00pm.

Tip-off for this game is 2:00pm ET.

College Basketball: ESPN3 Schedule
Sunday, November 13
Game Times EST

2:00 PM Johnson University Florida vs. The Citadel – ESPN3
2:00 PM Eastern Michigan vs. SMU – ESPN3
2:00 PM Jacksonville State vs. Missouri State – ESPN3
3:00 PM IU-Northwest vs. Loyola-Chicago – ESPN3
4:15 PM Bowling Green vs. South Dakota – ESPN3
5:00 PM Delaware vs. Bradley – ESPN3
6:00 PM Minnesota Morris vs. North Dakota State – ESPN3
8:00 PM Long Beach State vs. Wichita State – ESPN3

espn3

St Francis (BKN) at NC State 2:00 PM ACCN, WatchESPN
Bucknell at Wake Forest 2:00 PM ACCN, WatchESPN
Central Connecticut at Seton Hall 2:00 PM FS1
Chattanooga at No. 6 North Carolina 4:00 PM ESPN2
Drexel at Rutgers 4:00 PM BTN
UT San Antonio at Oregon State 5:00 PM PAC12
Canisius at No. 2 Kentucky 6:00 PM ESPN2
Holy Cross at South Carolina 6:00 PM SECN
Duquesne at Penn State 6:00 PM BTN
Yale at Washington 7:00 PM PAC12
Robert Morris at DePaul 7:00 PM FS1
Mercer at Florida 8:00 PM ESPNU
Alabama A&M at Missouri 8:00 PM SECN
Sacramento State at Nebraska 8:00 PM BTN
CS Northridge at No. 16 UCLA 9:00 PM PAC12