College basketball Saturday kicked off with two top ten teams getting challenged in ranked showdowns during Rivalry Week, and only one of them escaping with a victory. That one was not the fifth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers, who fell to the 13th-ranked LSU Tigers, 82-80, in overtime. Javonte Smart had a career-high 29 points, including a big rebound and game-winning free throws with just 0.6 seconds left on the clock. The freshman is from the local area and is now leading his hometown team to the promise land in the SEC, giving them their second big upset in the past two weeks. They also upset the fourth-ranked Kentucky Wildcats on a late tip-in at Rupp Arena.
Skylar Mays added 23 points, including a game-tying three-pointer with 1:16 left in regulation to force overtime. The win for the Tigers pulls them in to a tie with the Volunteers atop the SEC with a 12-2 conference record. They got this big victory despite playing without starting point guard Tremont Waters, while handing the Volunteers their third loss of the season, and second in the past week. Admiral Schofield led the former No. 1 team with 27 points, while Grant Williams added 18 on the road. They will return home on Wednesday night to host Ole Miss, while the Tigers will be at home on Tuesday night to battle the Texas A&M Aggies.
Meawhile, the third-ranked Virginia Cavaliers had to rally, but did just that to avoid an upset on the road with a 64-52 win over the 18th-ranked Louisville Cardinals. De'Andre Hunter had a career-high 26 points, including 19 in the second half to help his team rally from a 12-point deficit on the road. The win for Virginia is their fourth in a row, as they keep at least a share of the ACC lead, with North Carolina and Duke playing later in the day. The Cardinals have been deflated since blowing a big lead late at home against the Blue Devils a couple weeks back, as they have dropped five of their past seven games overall.
The Cavaliers use a 12-1 run over a span of 4:36 in the second half to jump ahead of the Cardinals, which ended up with them handing the home team their 10th loss of the season. Hunter made all six of his shots after halftime, including two three-pointers, as he shot 9-of-11 from the floor overall. Mamadi Diakite added 14 points, while Jay Huff came off the bench to score 12 points, including eight in the first half. They will return home on Wednesday night when they host Georgia Tech. The Cardinals may very well drop out of the AP Top 25, but they will the road to visit Boston College that same night.
Skylar Mays added 23 points, including a game-tying three-pointer with 1:16 left in regulation to force overtime. The win for the Tigers pulls them in to a tie with the Volunteers atop the SEC with a 12-2 conference record. They got this big victory despite playing without starting point guard Tremont Waters, while handing the Volunteers their third loss of the season, and second in the past week. Admiral Schofield led the former No. 1 team with 27 points, while Grant Williams added 18 on the road. They will return home on Wednesday night to host Ole Miss, while the Tigers will be at home on Tuesday night to battle the Texas A&M Aggies.
Meawhile, the third-ranked Virginia Cavaliers had to rally, but did just that to avoid an upset on the road with a 64-52 win over the 18th-ranked Louisville Cardinals. De'Andre Hunter had a career-high 26 points, including 19 in the second half to help his team rally from a 12-point deficit on the road. The win for Virginia is their fourth in a row, as they keep at least a share of the ACC lead, with North Carolina and Duke playing later in the day. The Cardinals have been deflated since blowing a big lead late at home against the Blue Devils a couple weeks back, as they have dropped five of their past seven games overall.
The Cavaliers use a 12-1 run over a span of 4:36 in the second half to jump ahead of the Cardinals, which ended up with them handing the home team their 10th loss of the season. Hunter made all six of his shots after halftime, including two three-pointers, as he shot 9-of-11 from the floor overall. Mamadi Diakite added 14 points, while Jay Huff came off the bench to score 12 points, including eight in the first half. They will return home on Wednesday night when they host Georgia Tech. The Cardinals may very well drop out of the AP Top 25, but they will the road to visit Boston College that same night.
