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SATURDAY’S SNACKS: No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 3 Kansas among the winners

Ishmail Wainright, Christian James

Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield (24) and guard Christian James (3) leave the court after their NCAA college basketball game with Baylor, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, in Waco, Texas. Oklahoma won 82-72. (AP Photo/Rod Aydelotte)

AP

GAME OF THE DAY: No. 11 Michigan State 74, No. 7 Maryland 65

Denzel Valentine accounted for 17 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists and Bryn Forbes scored a game-high 25 points, but just as important were the contributions of Matt Costello. Costello provided an emotional spark for Michigan State, and he also produced 15 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.

IMPORTANT OUTCOMES

No. 1 Oklahoma 82, No. 13 Baylor 72: The Sooners completely outplayed Baylor for an important Big 12 road win. CBT’s Rob Dauster has more on why this was a big statement for Oklahoma to make.

No. 20 Duke 88, NC State 78: Grayson Allen scored 28 points and Brandon Ingram added 25 as the Blue Devils ended their three-game losing streak. What was important in this win was the fact that Duke held its own on the defensive glass, something that did not happen in those losses to Clemson, Notre Dame and Syracuse.

Oregon 86, UCLA 72: The question of who the best team in the Pac-12 is may not be resolved for quite some time, but after this week there’s no doubt that the Ducks deserve to be in the mix. Oregon moved to 5-3 in conference play with their win over UCLA, completing a sweep of the L.A. schools in the process. They’ve got scoring options at each position, and in Chris Boucher and Jordan Bell the Ducks have two rim protectors to call upon defensively. Dillon Brooks led the way Saturday with 25 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Wichita State 88, Bradley 54: The Shockers are healthy and rolling. They’re 8-0 in the Missouri Valley and already have a win at Northern Iowa under their belt. I’m not sure if they’re going to be able to land an at-large, but I do know this: you don’t want to see them in the NCAA tournament.

STARRED

Kevin Punter, Tennessee: Scoring a career-high 36 points was the senior who was 6-for-11 from 3-point range in an upset win over No. 24 South Carolina. Punter was also 14-for-15 from the free-throw line and helped the Volunteers close out a tight win.

Grayson Allen, Duke: It’s easy to snap a three-game losing streak when you’re all-american pops off for 28 points, seven assists and seven boards.

Jahmal McMurray, USF: McMurray played all 40 minutes Saturday, scoring 30 points to lead the Bulls to a 71-62 win at Houston.

Elijah Brown, New Mexico: Brown came off the bench to score 33 points on 15 shots as the Lobos picked up a win at San Jose State.

STRUGGLED

Butler’s Supporting Cast: Bulldogs not named Roosevelt Jones, Kellen Dunham and Kelan Martin were 2-for-14 from the floor with just 11 points as Butler lost at Creighton to fall to 2-5 in the Big East.

Wade Baldwin IV, Vanderbilt: Baldwin shot just 1-for-9 from the field, scoring seven points in the Commodores’ 19-point loss at No. 23 Kentucky.

Baylor: The Bears put together one of the ugliest defensive performances we’ve seen this season. Details here.

Cinmeon Bowers, Auburn: Bowers was 2-for-13 from the floor with three turnovers as the Tigers lost by 32 points at Florida.

Boston College: Notre Dame entered the day ranked 224th in defensive efficiency on KenPom. They lost star point guard Demetrius Jackson midway through the first half. And Boston College managed just 49 points on 28.6 percent shooting against them. That’s not good.

OTHER TOP 25 RESULTS


  • No. 3 Kansas rebounded from its disappointing loss at Oklahoma State by coming back to beat Texas 76-67. Perry Ellis scored 26 points and Wayne Selden Jr. 19 for the Jayhawks.
  • James Farr was outstanding off the bench, racking up 24 points and 15 rebounds, as No. 5 Xavier beat Seton Hall 84-76. The senior forward also had four assists and three blocked shots.
  • Another Big 12 team that rebounded from a loss earlier in the week was No. 6 West Virginia, which won 80-76 at Texas Tech. Jaysean Paige scored 22 points off the bench and Tarik Phillip added 20 for the Mountaineers.
  • Despite only shooting 36 percent from the field, No. 15 Miami beat Wake Forest at home for an ACC win. Ja’Quan Newton had 18 points for the Hurricanes.
  • No. 17 Louisville made the plays it needed to make down the stretch as they beat Georgia Tech 75-71 in Atlanta. Damion Lee led five Cardinals in double figures with 17 points, and Anas Mahmoud scored a career-high 15 in the win.
  • Maurice Watson Jr. scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half as Creighton beat No. 18 Butler 72-64. The win is a big one for the Bluejays, who are looking to return to the NCAA tournament after missing out last season.
  • No. 19 Iowa State followed up their win over No. 1 Oklahoma with a 73-60 win at TCU. Monte Morris led the way offensively with 18 points for the Cyclones, who limited TCU to 39.1 percent shooting.
  • No. 20 Duke ended its losing streak with an 88-78 win at NC State, a place where they’d lost the last three meetings. Grayson Allen scored 28 points and Brandon Ingram 25 to lead the way for the Blue Devils.
  • No. 23 Kentucky won its 31st consecutive home game, beating Vanderbilt 76-57. Tyler Ulis scored 21 points and dished out five assists and Jamal Murray added 18 points and seven boards.
  • No. 24 South Carolina suffered its second loss of the season, as they fell at Tennessee 78-69. Kevin Punter led all scorers with 36 points, while Michael Carrera led the Gamecocks with 22 points and eight boards.
  • No. 25 Indiana started the game on a 10-0 run and never looked back as they throttled Northwestern at home. The Hoosiers moved to 7-0 in the Big Ten, but how good are they?

NOTABLES


  • Notre Dame blew out Boston College in the ACC despite a hamstring injury from guard Demetrius Jackson. Head coach Mike Brey said Jackson was day-to-day after the game as Bonzie Colson and Steve Vasturia stepped up for 16 points each.
  • Ben Simmons finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists while Tim Quarterman had the game-winning bucket as LSU beat Alabama on the road in the SEC.
  • UConn beat Georgetown at home for a non-conference win as Rodney Purvis had 17 points and Sterling Gibbs added 16 points.
  • Fresno State got a late bucket from Torren Jones (14 points, eight rebounds) to beat Air Force on the road in the Mountain West.
  • Saint Louis beat UMass for an Atlantic 10 road win as Marcus Bartley had 17 points.
  • UNLV shot 14-for-28 from the free throw line as they lost their first game in the Todd Simon era, 65-63, to rival Nevada.
  • Marshall remained a game behind UAB in the loss column in Conference USA thanks to their 78-75 win at Old Dominion. James Kelly led the way with 21 points, 12 rebounds and four steals.
  • Duncan Robinson scored 21 points and Derrick Walton Jr. added 19, 12 rebounds and six assists as Michigan won at Nebraska, 81-68.
  • Playing without the injured Stefan Moody (hamstring), Ole Miss lost 83-77 at rival Mississippi State.
  • Wichita State won again, whipping Bradley 88-54 at home. The Shockers have won nine straight and 12 of their last 13 games.
  • Pittsburgh rebounded from its disappointing loss to NC State with a 74-72 win over Florida State. Jamel Artis and Sterling Smith scored 16 apiece to lead the way.
  • Kyle Wiltjer scored 23 points and Eric McClellan 19 as Gonzaga rebounded from a slow start to win 71-61 at Pacific.