GAME OF THE NIGHT: No. 11 Kansas 71 Florida 65
Kansas trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half, however, behind an energized crowd and the best offensive outing of the season for sophomore Wayne Selden, the Jayhawks stormed back going on a 17-0 run to take a six-point lead with under 4:30 to play. The win also saw Cliff Alexander’s first career double-double.
IMPORTANT OUTCOMES
No. 1 Kentucky 63, No. 6 Texas 51
The Wildcats didn’t shoot well, were heavily outrebounded to start the first half and wre tied heading into halftime. But the frontline and their defense led the charge against No. 6 Texas. Willie Cauley-Stein was a force on both ends, as he helped spark an 18-2 run that started the second half. Kentucky still has non-conference meetings with No. 12 North Carolina, UCLA and No. 5 Louisville left in the month of December.
Yale led for the first 33 minutes, but almost let the win slip from its hands as UConn stormed back late. Down two, with seconds remaining, Jack Montague hit his only field goal of the night, a baseline three -- the same shot Jonathan Holmes connected on in Texas’ win over UConn on Sunday -- to hand the Huskies their third straight loss. The Bulldogs are a real threat in the Ivy League, and tonight was further proof. Justin Sears went for 12 points and 15 rebounds.
Boston College 69, Providence 60
The Friars have been a pleasant surprise this season after reaching the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade a season ago. However, they’ve dropped two straight. One was two the No. 1 team, but Friday PC suffered a tough loss to former conference foe, Boston College. Kris Dunn and Carson Desrosiers accounted for 39 of the team’s 60 points. LaDonate Henton and Tyler Harris were both held to single digits.
STARRED
Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky: White platoon or blue platoon, Willie Cauley-Stein was staying on the floor for Kentucky. The junior center recorded 21 points, 12 rebounds, five steals and three blocks in top-ranked Kentucky’s win over Texas.
Wayne Selden, Kansas: The sophomore guard scored 27 points (7-of-25 shooting) in three games in the Orlando Classic. On Friday night, Selden scored at the rim and hit from the perimeter, going for a season-high 21 points.
Olivier Hanlan, Boston College: In the biggest win of the year for BC, Hanlan scored a team-high 24 points, grabbed eight rebounds with three assists and three steals.
STRUGGLED
UConn: The Huskies were beat up on the boards and saw the same shot take them down for the second time this week. It also hasn’t been a good start to the season for the entire American Athletic Conference.
LaDontae Henton, Providence: After scoring a career-high 38 points in a win over Notre Dame, one of the nation’s best scorers has gone cold. The 3 points, off 1-of-8 shooting on Saturday had a lot to do with Kentucky, but on Friday night in a loss to Boston College, Henton was 4-of-16, again being held to single digits.
Florida’s second half: The Gators offense was great in the first half, but that changed in the second half with an improved effort from the Kansas defense. Florida shot 19 percent lower in the second half than it did in the first. The result was an 18-point lead vanishing, as the Gators left with their fourth loss of the season, one more than the entire 2013-14 season.
TOP 25
- No. 1 Kentucky 63, Texas 51
- No. 5 Louisville 82, FIU 57
- No. 11 Kansas 67, Florida 57
- No. 22 Oklahoma 82, Missouri 63
NOTABLES
- Boston College avenge last season’s loss to Providence with a 69-60 win. Olivier Hanlan went for 24 points and eight rebounds
- Stephen F. Austin dropped Long Beach State. Good win for the Lumberjacks. The 49ers are now 5-5 and will have a five-game road trip to end out the month. Here are their opponents: No. 13 San Diego State, No. 6 Texas, St. John’s, Syracuse, No. 5 Louisville
- Montrezl Harrell recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 boards in Louisville’s win over FIU
- SMU trailed Wyoming by six in the second half, but turned that into a 13-point win. Nic Moore had 25 points.
- Fairfield upset Manhattan, 67-54, in the MAAC season-opener
- Pittsburgh beat crosstown rival Duquesne, 76-62
- Minnesota topped Western Carolina by 20
- Coastal Carolina upset Auburn, 58-54. The Bruce Pearl era is under .500
- Ryan Spangler (18), Buddy Hield (17) and Isaiah Cousins (16) were three Sooners in double figures in No. 22 Oklahoma’s win over Missouri.