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SUNDAY’S SNACKS: No. 5 Michigan State rolls, No. 16 Louisville falls

Brad Brownell, Jaron Blossomgame

Clemson head coach Brad Brownell, right, hugs Jaron Blossomgame after an NCAA college basketball game against Louisville, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016, in Greenville, S.C. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

AP

GAME OF THE DAY: No. 11 Villanova 60, No. 18 Butler 55

Villanova moved to 4-0 in the Big East with a hard-fought win at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Josh Hart was the best player on the floor, shooting 10-for-15 from the field and finishing with 22 points and 11 rebounds on the night. Roosevelt Jones scored 20 points to lead the way for Butler, but the versatile senior didn’t have a single assist. Defense and the continued growth of Hart are two reasons why Villanova remains the class of the Big East.

IMPORTANT OUTCOMES

Clemson 66, No. 16 Louisville 62: Clemson moved to 3-1 in the ACC with a four-point win over the Cardinals in Greenville (Littlejohn Coliseum’s undergoing major renovations this season). Jaron Blossomgame led the Tigers with 17 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Besides Clemson’s efforts why did Louisville, which escaped close calls against Wake Forest and NC State, suffer their first conference loss? Our Rob Dauster has more on that here.

No. 5 Michigan State 92, Penn State 65: Whipping Penn State isn’t a huge deal for Michigan State. But the return of Denzel Valentine is. The senior guard played 23 minutes, scoring ten points while also grabbing four rebounds and dishing out four assists. The star for the Spartans was Bryn Forbes, who scored at least 20 points in a game for the fourth straight game.

Illinois 84, No. 20 Purdue 70: Malcolm Hill scored 30 points and Kendrick Nunn 22 as the Fighting Illini knocked off the Boilermakers in Champaign. Illinois shot 54 percent from the field, so defense was Purdue’s biggest issue right? Not exactly.

STARRED

Valparaiso’s Alec Peters: Peters was nearly unstoppable in the Crusaders’ win at Detroit, as he scored 39 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

Richmond’s ShawnDre’ Jones: Jones shot 9-for-12 from the field and 12-for-13 from the foul line, scoring 35 points in a win at Fordham.

Saint Joseph’s DeAndre Bembry: 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a 72-67 win over Rhode Island.

Illinois’ Malcolm Hill and Kendrick Nunn: They combined to score 52 points on 17-for-27 shooting in their win over No. 20 Purdue.

STRUGGLED

Ohio State’s Jae’Sean Tate and Trevor Thompson: Tate and Thompson combined to score three points on 1-for-10 shooting from the field in the Buckeyes’ blowout loss at Indiana.

Saint Louis’ ball control: The Billikens made 14 field goals and committed 21 turnovers in their 72-56 loss to VCU.

Purdue’s Rapheal Davis: Davis played 21 minutes in a loss at Illinois, fouling out and failing to score.

THE REST OF THE TOP 25


  • No. 15 SMU moved to 15-0 on the season with an 88-73 win over UCF in Dallas. Ben Moore scored 23 points on 11-for-17 shooting while also grabbing six rebounds and dishing out three assists for the Mustangs, who played the second half without head coach Larry Brown.

OTHER NOTABLE RESULTS


  • Troy Caupain scored 14 points as Cincinnati held off USF 54-51 in Tampa. Cincinnati shot just 30.9 percent on the day, but 18 USF turnovers helped the visitors make up for that.
  • Indiana blew open its game with Ohio State during the latter stages of the first half, winning 85-60. Troy Williams led four Hoosiers in double figures with 23 points, and Thomas Bryant added 18 and 13 for Indiana (4-0 in the Big Ten).
  • In a matchup of teams undefeated in Horizon League play, Valparaiso took care of Detroit 92-74. Bryce Drew’s team scored 50 first half points, and Alec Peters racked up 39 points and 14 boards.
  • DeAndre Bembry and Aaron Brown combined to score 41 points to lead Saint Joseph’s to a 72-67 win over Rhode Island.
  • Marshall Wood sparked Richmond’s first half rally by scoring 17 straight points, finishing with 29, and ShawnDre’ Jones scored a career-high 35 to lead the Spiders to a 93-82 win at Fordham. Trey Davis finished with 11 assists and no turnovers for the Spiders.
  • Oakland rebounded from its loss to Valparaiso with an 86-61 win over UIC. Kay Felder tallied 26 points, four assists, three steals and two blocks for the Golden Grizzlies.
  • Pat Birt (27 points) and James Woodard (21) combined to shoot 12-for-16 from three as Tulsa won 81-67 at Tulane. As a team the Golden Hurricane shot 58.5 percent from the field and 13-for-20 from three.
  • Mo-Alie Cox scored 16 points and Melvin Johnson 15 as VCU won at Saint Louis. The Rams committed 17 turnovers but shot 47.8 percent from the field and 10-for-24 from three.
  • Wake Forest moved to 8-0 this season in games decided by six points or less with a 77-74 win over NC State in Winston-Salem. Devin Thomas scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Bryant Crawford added 17 and six assists for the winners.
  • Oregon completed their first home sweep of the Bay Area schools since the 2007-08 season with a 71-58 win over Stanford. Dillon Brooks led the way with 15 points, ten rebounds and seven assists, and Dwayne Benjamin and Tyler Dorsey added 12 apiece.