No. 1 Rank Not Kind To Uconn
Top 25
Kerry Kittles scored a career-high 37 points and No. 15 Villanova sent Connecticut to a resounding 96-73 defeat Saturday in the Huskies’ first home game as the nation’s topranked team.
The Wildcats (12-2 Big East, 19-5) extended their winning streak to 11 games and threw themselves into the race for the Big East title. They trail the Huskies by one game and each has four remaining.
They also ended Connecticut’s 18-game regular-season winning streak, a conference record, and handed the Huskies (13-1, 20-2) their first home loss in 27 games, dating to a 1993 loss to Jackson State in the first round of the NIT.
(3) Kansas 78, Kansas St. 67
Jerod Haase scored 21 points and the Jayhawks (9-2 Big Eight, 20-3), making full use of a big height advantage, turned back a Wildcats rally at Manhattan, Kan.
The Jayhawks haven’t lost at the home of their arch rivals since 1983.
Kansas State (2-9, 11-12) lost its fifth straight and ninth in 10 games, but not before giving the Jayhawks a scare.
(4) Kentucky, 87, Florida 77
Rodrick Rhodes scored 23 points, Tony Delk had 19 and seldom-used guard Chris Harrison came off the bench to hit three 3-pointers to spark the Wildcats at Lexington, Ky.
Florida (7-5 Southeastern, 13-8) received a career-high 30 points from Dan Cross, who hit all 16 of his freethrow attempts. Kentucky improved to 10-2, 18-4.
(24) Minn. 66, (8) Michigan St. 57
Voshon Lenard broke out of a shooting slump to score 17 points, and the Gophers shut down the Spartans at Minneapolis.
The Gophers (8-4 Big Ten, 17-7) crept within 1 games of the leagueleading Spartans, winners of nine of their last 10 games.
Michigan State’s (10-3, 18-4) Shawn Respert scored 17, eight below his average.
Oklahoma 94, (9) Missouri 89
Ryan Minor scored 11 of his 32 points during a crucial second-half run that helped carry the Sooners at Norman, Okla.
Oklahoma (6-4 Big Eight, 19-6) ran its record to 13-0 at home this season. Missouri (7-3, 18-4) only led once and was hampered by foul trouble - four players fouled out. There were 55 fouls called and 81 free throws.
(10) Arkansas 85, Mississippi 70
Corliss Williamson made seven free throws and Scotty Thurman hit two 3-pointers during a 13-0 run that helped the Razorbacks beat the Rebels at Fayetteville, Ark.
The run began after the Rebels (3-9 SEC, 8-14) had scored 11 straight for a 20-18 lead. The spurt by Arkansas (9-4, 21-5) started when Williamson made two free throws with 9:24 to play in the half. He made four more and then Corey Beck darted under the basket, then passed to Thurman, who made a 3.
Seton Hall 82, (11) Syracuse 74
Seton Hall put itself back in the NCAA Tournament picture and spoiled Lawrence Moten’s recordsetting day by handing the Orangemen their third straight loss at East Rutherford, N.J.
The win was the first against a ranked team for the Pirates (7-7 Big East, 16-8) and only their fourth in 31 conference games against Syracuse (10-4, 17-6).
Moten surpassed Seton Hall’s Terry Dehere as the Big East’s alltime leading scorer. He came into the game needing 12 points to break Dehere’s record of 1,320 points. However, by the time he hit a driving layup with 3:26 to play to get the record, Seton Hall had a 78-64 lead and the game was all but over.
(14) W. Forest 73, (20) Ga. Tech 62
Randolph Childress, held scoreless for 24 minutes, helped ignite a 12-0 second-half run as the Demon Deacons beat the visiting Yellow Jackets.
Wake Forest (8-4 ACC, 17-5) opened a two-game lead over Georgia Tech (6-6, 16-9) in the battle for fourth place.
It was Wake Forest’s first ACC game this season to be decided by more than 10 points.
Travis Best scored 29 for the Yellow Jackets, his seventh straight 20-point game.
(18) Alabama 86, Auburn 73
Jason Caffey scored 20 points and Eric Washington added 18 on timely 3-point shooting as the visiting Crimson Tide defeated the Tigers.
Auburn (6-7 SEC, 13-9) tried desperately to cut into a 12-point Alabama (8-4, 18-6) lead in the final 3:52, getting three 3-pointers from Moochie Norris and one from Ray Donald. But Alabama survived despite missing five free throws in the final minutes.
(21) Iowa St. 108, Colorado 68
Fred Hoiberg scored a career-high 41 points, the most by an Iowa State player in more than seven years, as the Cyclones routed the Buffaloes in Ames, Iowa.
Iowa State (5-6 Big Eight, 19-7) won by its biggest margin in a conference game in a complete turnaround from its first meeting with Colorado (2-9, 11-11). Colorado beat Iowa State 71-57 earlier this season, committing 31 turnovers.
Hoiberg’s 41 was the most at Iowa State since Lafester Rhodes set the school record of 54 points against Iowa on Dec. 19, 1987.
(22) Oklahoma St. 93, Nebraska 53
Randy Rutherford scored 22 points and the Cowboys held the Cornhuskers without an inside point for the first 29 minutes as OSU rolled in Stillwater, Okla.
Seven-foot center Bryant Reeves added 20 points for the Cowboys (8-2 Big Eight, 18-7), and his presence defensively caused problems for Nebraska (3-7, 16-9).
The Cornhuskers shot just 33 percent and didn’t score inside until Chris Sallee put back a miss with 10:53 left. That was also Nebraska’s first field goal of the second half.
By then, Oklahoma State led 65-30 and Reeves had been pulled after trying two 3-pointers.
Jaron Boone, who scored 20 points, was Nebraska’s only threat on offense. The Cowboys received balanced scoring from the start and had five players score in double figures.
(23) Miss. St. 60, Tennessee 52
Darryl Wilson scored 17 points and the visiting Bulldogs started the second half with a 12-2 run to beat the Volunteers.
Mississippi State improvd to 9-3 SEC, 17-5 while Tennessee dropped to 2-11, 8-14.
(25) Purdue 94, Northwestern 57
In West Lafayette, Ind., Cuonzo Martin scored 25 points and set a school career record for 3-pointers as the Boilermakers defeated the Wildcats to move to within a half-game of first-place Michigan State in the Big Ten.
Purdue improved to 9-3, 18-6 and Northwestern dipped to 1-12, 5-17.