DETROIT (AP) — Coen Carr scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half to help No. 9 Michigan State hold off Oakland for a 79-80 win on Saturday.
The Spartans (11-1) have won three straight since losing their only game this season, a six-point setback to No. 3 Duke.
The Golden Grizzlies (6-7) led for much of the first half and were ahead by as much as seven points before trailing the entire second half.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and Oakland coach Greg Kampe, who are friends, coordinated to wear custom-made holiday sweaters. Izzo’s had “naughty list” on it with his likeness arguing with a referee. Kampe’s had “nice list” on it with him bumping fists with an official.
NO. 6 PURDUE 88, NO. 21 AUBURN 60
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Trey Kaufman-Renn had 18 points and six rebounds, and Braden Smith added 11 points and a season-high 14 assists to help Purdue blow out Auburn.
C.J. Cox scored 14 points, making four 3-pointers, as the Boilermakers (11-1) won their third straight game since getting routed at home by then-No. 10 Iowa State two weeks ago. Purdue improved to 3-1 in the annual Indy Classic by shooting 55.9% from the field.
Kevin Overton had 22 points and Keyshawn Hall added 14 to lead Auburn (8-4), which has dropped three of four. The Tigers and Oakland are the only Division I teams to play four top-10 opponents this season, but Auburn is 0-4 in those matchups — losing each of the last three by at least 28 points.
NO. 8 HOUSTON 94, NO. 14 ARKANSAS 85
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Emanuel Sharp scored 22 points, Kingston Flemings added 21 and Houston used some excellent long-range shooting to beat Arkansas.
The Cougars (11-1) shot 44% from 3-point distance (11 for 25) and 52% from the field overall in winning their fifth straight game.
Freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. led Arkansas (9-3) with 27 points and seven assists. Malique Ewin added 20 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the Razorbacks, who had won four in a row.
NO. 11 LOUISVILLE 94, MONTANA 54
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Sananda Fru scored a season-high 18 points to lead five players in double figures as Louisville beat Montana.
Just like Tuesday, when they lost 83-62 at No. 20 Tennessee, the Cardinals (10-2) played without star freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr., who sat out with a back injury. While Louisville started slowly against the Grizzlies (6-7), the Cardinals never trailed and eventually pulled away, ending the first half on a 17-0 run to lead 42-20 at halftime.
Fru, a 6-foot-11 forward from Germany, made all seven of his shots in a 14-point first half, which tied his previous season high. The junior finished 9 of 11 and tied a season high with eight rebounds.
Isaac McKneely finished with 16 points and made 4 of 6 3-pointers for Louisville, which shot 52.3%. Ryan Conwell added 14, while J’Vonne Hadley scored 13 and Khani Rooths had 10.
NO. 12 NORTH CAROLINA 71, OHIO STATE 70
ATLANTA (AP) — Henri Veesaar dunked in the winning basket with 7.2 seconds remaining off a pass from stumbling Seth Trimble, and North Carolina held off Ohio State.
Trimble, playing his first game since breaking his left forearm in a Nov. 9 training mishap, wanted to shoot but tripped as he spun into the lane. As the senior guard was falling to the court, he managed to dish the ball to Veesaar, who slipped past his defender for the emphatic slam.
Ohio State had one last chance to pull off the upset. Actually, two.
John Mobley Jr. missed a 3-pointer, only to have Devin Royal grab the offensive rebound right under the basket. He went back up ahead of the horn, but Caleb Wilson blocked the shot to preserve the win for the Tar Heels.
Trimble, who played with a wrap covering much of his left arm, and Veesaar both finished with 17 points. Caleb Wilson led North Carolina (11-1) with 20.
Trimble also did a stellar defensive job on Ohio State star Bruce Thornton, who was held to 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting. He came into the game hitting 60.2% from the field.
Royal led the Buckeyes (8-3) with 18 points.
KENTUCKY 78, NO. 22 ST. JOHNS 66
ATLANTA (AP) — Otega Oweh scored 20 points, Jayden Quaintance made a big first impression and Kentucky stifled St. John’s in the second half, beating former coach Rick Pitino.
St. John’s (7-4) had a 41-33 lead after Zuby Ejiofor converted a three-point play with 16:07 remaining. But Kentucky (8-4) turned up the defensive pressure and took control, ripping off a 14-0 run and holding the Red Storm without a field goal for nearly nine minutes.
When Oziyah Sellers finally put one in for St. John’s with 7:10 to go, the Wildcats had pushed out to a double-digit lead. It was Kentucky’s most impressive performance in a sluggish season that knocked the powerhouse program out of The Associated Press Top 25.
NO. 23 VIRGINIA 80, MARYLAND 72
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Dallin Hall scored a season-high 20 points, Jacari White had a spectacular dunk and scored 15, and Virginia beat Maryland in the first meeting since 2018 between the former Atlantic Coast Conference rivals.
Hall went 8 of 8 from the field for the Cavaliers (10-1). Devin Tillis added 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting on a night when Virginia’s leading scorer, Thijs De Ridder, went 1 of 8 from the field and scored five points.
David Coit led Maryland (6-6) with 15 points and Myles Rice added 12.
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