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Ninth-ranked Wildcats rally to overcome Pitino’s No. 13 Cards

Louisville's Otis George looks on as Kentucky's Patrick Sparks sinks the last of three free throws with .6 seconds left to win the game. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press
Louisville's Otis George looks on as Kentucky's Patrick Sparks sinks the last of three free throws with .6 seconds left to win the game. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

Patrick Sparks made three free throws with 0.6 seconds left to cap his 25-point performance and complete Kentucky’s 60-58 comeback win over Louisville and Rick Pitino.

The No. 9 Wildcats (7-1) trailed 32-16 at halftime and were down 58-57 after Larry O’Bannon hit two free throws for the No. 13 Cardinals (6-2) with 15.2 seconds to go.

The Wildcats snapped a two-game losing streak to their archrivals and former coach Pitino.

O’Bannon scored 16 to lead Louisville.

(2) Kansas 64, South Carolina 60: At Lawrence, Kan., Russell Robinson scored four points in the final 36 seconds, allowing the Jayhawks (7-0) to escape with the win over a Gamecocks (5-2) team that led most of the game. The unranked Gamecocks, 17-point underdogs in their first road game, came out with a full-court pressure defense and seized an 11-0 advantage over the fumble-fingered Jayhawks.

(4) Oklahoma St. 79, UNLV 67: At Las Vegas, Joey Graham scored 20 points and John Lucas added 17 to help the Cowboys (8-0) defeat the Rebels (3-4). The Cowboys were 15 of 20 from the foul line, including 5 of 7 in the final three minutes. Romel Beck had a game-high 25 points for UNLV.

(6) Wake Forest 89, No. 14 Texas 88: At Winston-Salem, N.C., Chris Paul had 23 points and a career-high 12 assists, and Eric Williams added 19 points, helping the Demon Deacons (9-1) hold of the Longhorns (7-2). Kenton Paulino missed an 18-foot jumper just before the buzzer that would have won it for the Longhorns. P.J. Tucker led the Longhorns with 27 points and 13 rebounds.

(7) Duke, 78, Oklahoma 67: At New York, J.J. Redick had 19 of his 26 points in the second half and Daniel Ewing had 12 of his 17 after halftime, leading the Blue Devils (8-0) to a come-from-behind victory over the Sooners (6-2). The Blue Devils trailed 39-29 at half and rallied to their fourth 8-0 start in the last five seasons. Taj Gray had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Sooners.

(8) Syracuse 74, Drexel 54: At Syracuse, Hakim Warrick scored 21 points, and Darryl Watkins had 14 points and 13 rebounds for his first career double-double in the Orange’s (9-1) win over the Dragons (3-4). Syracuse outrebounded Drexel 44-17. Chaz Crawford led Drexel with 15 points.

(10) Pittsburgh 73, Coppin St. 42: At Pittsburgh, Chris Taft scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to help the Panthers (8-0) defeat the Eagles (2-7). Carl Krauser added 17 points for the Panthers, who are off to an 8-0 start for the third year in a row. Pittsburgh also has won 23 consecutive non-conference games.

(16) Iowa 88, W. Carolina 75: At Iowa City, Iowa, Jeff Horner scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half and almost single-handedly broke open the game for the Hawkeyes (9-1), who went on to defeat the Catamounts (5-7). Pierre Pierce led Iowa with 21 points – 13 in the first half – while Greg Brunner had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Horner finished 7 for 10 from the field and had 10 assists.

(17) Alabama 87, Tennessee St. 79: At Tuscaloosa, Ala., Chuck Davis scored 24 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked seven shots to lead the Crimson Tide (9-1) over the Tigers (5-7). Kennedy Winston scored 19 points for Alabama, while Earnest Shelton had 15.

(19) George Washington 85, Towson 69: At Washington, Pops Mensah-Bonsu scored 15 points and Ricky Lucas added 13 of his season-high 14 points in the second half to help the Colonials (7-1) beat the Tigers (3-7). Lawrence Hamm led Towson with 18 points.

(20) Mississippi St. 80, Xavier 74: At Cincinnati, Winsome Frazier emerged from a deep shooting slump by scoring 20 points, and the Bulldogs (9-2) beat the Musketeers (2-4). The Bulldogs won their 14th straight road game, the longest current streak in Division I. Mississippi State shot a season-high 54 percent from the field. Xavier has lost three consecutive home games.

(21) Michigan St. 63, Delaware St. 45: At East Lansing, Mich., Chris Hill had 14 points, including four 3-pointers, Kelvin Torbert added 12 points and Shannon Brown had 10 to guide the Spartans (6-2) over the Hornets (2-6). Jahsha Bluntt had 11 points for the Hornets, who haven’t played a home game. Michigan State shot 52 percent overall, and had 13 of its 19 assists in the second half.

(25) Cincinnati 81, Northwestern St. 65: At Cincinnati, Jason Maxiell scored 21 points, including 14 in the second half, to lead the Bearcats (7-0) to the win over the Demons (5-5) in the Las Vegas Holiday Classic.