Young, Oklahoma Get Best of Texas Tech at Home
The Oklahoma Sooners turned to their star on Tuesday night to help them earn a top-10, conference win on their home floor. Trae Young scored 22 of his 27 points in the second half to lift the ninth-ranked Sooners over the No. 8 Texas Tech Red Raiders, 75-65, in Big 12 play. Young shot 6-of-11 in the second half after going just 1-for-12 from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. The early Player of the Year favorite added nine assists and four steals in the Sooners' 11th straight win on their home floor. The star's explosive second half helped the Sooners shoot 56 percent as a team after halftime, this against a Red Raiders team that entered the game with the fourth-best scoring defense in the country by allowing 59 points per game. Christian James added 15 points, while Khadeem Lattin finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, and seven blocked shots for Oklahoma. The Sooners improved to 13-1 overall and 3-1 in conference play, and will most likely move up in the top 10. The Red Raiders got 19 points from Keenan Evans, but shot just 37 percent from the floor in their second loss overall and first in conference play. They will be in another top-10 showdown when they host No. 2 West Virginia on Saturday. The Sooners play host to No. 16 TCU that same day in another tough matchup.
West Virginia Hangs on at Home Against Baylor
The newly second-ranked team in the country, West Virginia, had a tough time on their home floor against unranked Baylor on Tuesday night. Jevon Carter's go-ahead three-pointer with 57.5 seconds left helped the Mountaineers survive against the Bears with a 57-54 victory. West Virginia pulls off the win despite shooting just 31 percent on the night, as they still hold the nation's longest win streak at 15 games. That is their longest win streak since putting up 22 wins in a row in the 1988-1989 season. Their 19-of-61 shooting on Tuesday led them to their lowest point total of the season. They still sit with their highest rank in the AP Polls since December of 1959. A year ago Tuesday it was the Bears who came in as the top-ranked team in the country, but got blown out by a score of 89-68. Manu Lecomte had 13 points, while Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. added his eighth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Bears' record drops to 11-5 overall and 1-3 in the Big 12 and they will visit Iowa State on Saturday. The Mountaineers move on to visit the ninth-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders that same day.
Purdue Edges Michigan on the Road
The fifth-ranked Purdue Boilermakers felt the wrath of the tough Big Ten Conference on Tuesday night, but somehow survived in Ann Arbor. Isaac Haas hit the tie-breaking free throws with four seconds left to give the Boilermakers a tough 70-69 win over the Michigan Wolverines. The win moves them to 5-0 in conference play, as they are unbeaten in Big Ten play for the first time since the 1989-1990 campaign. They have now won 12 in a row, while also snapping the Wolverines' win streak at seven games. Charles Matthews had a chance for the Wolverines late, but lost handle of the ball during a drive in the final seconds and could not get the last-second heave to fall. Zavier Simpson led the scoring for the 3-2 Wolverines with 15 points. The Boilermakers were led by Carsen Edwards' 19 points and Haas's 17 on the road. They will move on to battle the Minnesota Golden Gophers on the road Saturday afternoon. The Wolverines will take on the other top-5, Big Ten team, and their in-state rival, Michigan State in East Lansing on Saturday.
The Oklahoma Sooners turned to their star on Tuesday night to help them earn a top-10, conference win on their home floor. Trae Young scored 22 of his 27 points in the second half to lift the ninth-ranked Sooners over the No. 8 Texas Tech Red Raiders, 75-65, in Big 12 play. Young shot 6-of-11 in the second half after going just 1-for-12 from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. The early Player of the Year favorite added nine assists and four steals in the Sooners' 11th straight win on their home floor. The star's explosive second half helped the Sooners shoot 56 percent as a team after halftime, this against a Red Raiders team that entered the game with the fourth-best scoring defense in the country by allowing 59 points per game. Christian James added 15 points, while Khadeem Lattin finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, and seven blocked shots for Oklahoma. The Sooners improved to 13-1 overall and 3-1 in conference play, and will most likely move up in the top 10. The Red Raiders got 19 points from Keenan Evans, but shot just 37 percent from the floor in their second loss overall and first in conference play. They will be in another top-10 showdown when they host No. 2 West Virginia on Saturday. The Sooners play host to No. 16 TCU that same day in another tough matchup.
West Virginia Hangs on at Home Against Baylor
The newly second-ranked team in the country, West Virginia, had a tough time on their home floor against unranked Baylor on Tuesday night. Jevon Carter's go-ahead three-pointer with 57.5 seconds left helped the Mountaineers survive against the Bears with a 57-54 victory. West Virginia pulls off the win despite shooting just 31 percent on the night, as they still hold the nation's longest win streak at 15 games. That is their longest win streak since putting up 22 wins in a row in the 1988-1989 season. Their 19-of-61 shooting on Tuesday led them to their lowest point total of the season. They still sit with their highest rank in the AP Polls since December of 1959. A year ago Tuesday it was the Bears who came in as the top-ranked team in the country, but got blown out by a score of 89-68. Manu Lecomte had 13 points, while Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. added his eighth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Bears' record drops to 11-5 overall and 1-3 in the Big 12 and they will visit Iowa State on Saturday. The Mountaineers move on to visit the ninth-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders that same day.
Purdue Edges Michigan on the Road
The fifth-ranked Purdue Boilermakers felt the wrath of the tough Big Ten Conference on Tuesday night, but somehow survived in Ann Arbor. Isaac Haas hit the tie-breaking free throws with four seconds left to give the Boilermakers a tough 70-69 win over the Michigan Wolverines. The win moves them to 5-0 in conference play, as they are unbeaten in Big Ten play for the first time since the 1989-1990 campaign. They have now won 12 in a row, while also snapping the Wolverines' win streak at seven games. Charles Matthews had a chance for the Wolverines late, but lost handle of the ball during a drive in the final seconds and could not get the last-second heave to fall. Zavier Simpson led the scoring for the 3-2 Wolverines with 15 points. The Boilermakers were led by Carsen Edwards' 19 points and Haas's 17 on the road. They will move on to battle the Minnesota Golden Gophers on the road Saturday afternoon. The Wolverines will take on the other top-5, Big Ten team, and their in-state rival, Michigan State in East Lansing on Saturday.