GAINESVILLE, Fla.-Grant Williams scored 20 points, Jordan Bowden added 17 off the bench and No. 3 Tennessee rallied to beat Florida 78-67 on Saturday for their 10th consecutive victory.
Admiral Schofield, who sat out much of the second half with four fouls, provided the biggest bucket with a 3-pointer from the corner with 41.3 seconds remaining. Jalen Hudson misfired on the other end, and the Gators were forced to foul in the waning seconds. Schofield's shot came after Williams appeared to get away with a travel in the lane.
Tennessee players mockingly performed the "Gator chomp" to fans after the final buzzer.
The Volunteers (14-1, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) have their first double-digit winning streak since 2008.
Williams, Bowden and Schofield did much of the heavy lifting in the latest one.
Williams made 8 of 11 shots to go along with nine rebounds and four assists. Bowden accounted for 14 consecutive points in the second half-with Schofield on the bench-and then Schofield delivered the knockout blow. Schofield finished with 14 points.
KeVaughn Allen led the Gators (9-6, 1-2) with 18 points.
Florida led 38-35 at the half thanks to nine 3-pointers. But coach Mike White's team made just three from behind the arc in the second half.
Still, the Gators had chances to pull off an upset. They twice allowed Williams to make baskets after two offensive rebounds in the second half and missed two treys in the final 1:14, including one off a turnover.
THE TAKEAWAY
Tennessee: The Volunteers have won five straight in true road games, a sign of their talent and depth.
Florida: The Gators went toe-to-toe with a top-five team, but just don't have the fire power to score 80 to beat many elite teams.
MULLEN HYPE
Florida football coach Dan Mullen addressed the sellout crowd before the game, crediting his team for a 10-win season that included a win against Michigan in the Peach Bowl.
"The Gator standard is to not be in second in the SEC, the Gator standard is about being first in the SEC," Mullen said. "The challenge for all of us, the challenge for the players, for coaches and everybody in Gator Nation, what we did last year was good enough for 10 wins and No. 6.
"This year we're going to ask you for a whole 'nother level. I challenge you to bring back that Gator standard not to be No. 2, but to be at a championship level."
No. 1 Duke 80,
No. 13 Florida State 78
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.-Cam Reddish hit a 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds left to lead No. 1 Duke past No. 13 Florida State, 80-78 on Saturday.
Reddish caught the ball on the wing off the inbounds pass and made a wide open 3-pointer to ensure that Duke (14-1, 3-0 ACC) would win its ninth straight game. He finished with 23 points on 9 of 15 shooting.
Duke played the second half without star freshman Zion Williamson, who left the game after getting poked in the eye late in the first half. He didn't return and had 11 points and eight rebounds in 17 minutes.
P.J. Savoy made a pair of free throws with 15.8 seconds left, just seconds after forcing a turnover, to put Florida State ahead 78-76 RJ Barrett, who finished with 32 points on 10 of 19 shooting, then hit the first of two free throws with 5 seconds left. He missed the second, but the Blue Devils retained possession after a review overruled a call on the floor that the ball had gone out of bounds of a Duke player setting up Reddish's shot.
Wiilliamson got hurt when he drove to the basket. Florida State's Trent Forrest hit the freshman in the face and Williamson landed hard on the court. He stayed down for several moments covering his face. He saw a trainer and went to the locker room just before the half ended. Williamson sat on the bench for the second half, but didn't play.
Mfiondu Kabengele came off the bench to record his third career double-double, recording tying a career-high with 24 points and 10 rebounds for Florida State (13-3, 1-2). Phil Cofer made five 3-pointers and had a season-high 21 points.
Florida State last hosted a No. 1 team exactly eight years ago, knocking off Duke 66-61 on Jan. 12, 2011. This time the Seminoles fell just short.
BIG PICTURE
Duke: The Blue Devils were on the ropes but pulled out a road victory in a tough environment, doing it without Williamson. Duke is 4-1 vs. top-15 opponents this season.
Florida State: The Seminoles missed out on their fifth win over a top-ranked team.
No. 4 Virginia 63, Clemson 43
CLEMSON, S.C.-Kyle Guy is happy for any win. He savors it just a bit more, though, when it comes on the road.
Guy and undefeated No. 4 Virginia have had plenty to celebrate on that front lately.
Guy had 13 points, De'Andre Hunter scored 12 and the Cavaliers improved to 15-0 with a 63-43 victory at Clemson on Saturday. It was also Virginia's 12th straight ACC road win, the fourth best such run in league history.
"It's not easy or everyone would be doing it," Guy said. "But we're bred a little bit differently. We train for this. Yeah, our legs are tired, but we've practiced for this endurance."
Clemson started the day with a national championship football parade and party just a few steps away at Death Valley. The basketball Tigers (10-6, 0-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) had hoped to add to the good feelings with their first win over Virginia since 2012.
Instead, the Cavaliers (3-0 ACC) turned up their trademark defense to make it a long afternoon for Clemson and keep their status as the only undefeated team left in the conference this season.
Virginia coach Tony Bennett preaches "road ball" to his players throughout the year, knowing how important it is to get your share of wins on the road in a competitive and difficult league like the ACC.
"If you're sound and your game doesn't change, regardless of the environment, it can allow you, if you're home or on the road, to stay true to that," Bennett said. "This team, they don't get outside of themselves."
That was a big reason the Cavaliers didn't flinch when Clemson cut a double-digit lead to 29-27 early in the second half on Marcquise Reed's driving basket. Virginia followed with an 18-5 run when it made five 3-pointers to restore the lead and cruised to its ninth straight victory over the Clemson.
Clemson started 0-3 in ACC play for the first time since losing its first five league games in 1999-2000.
Reed was Clemson's only double-figure scorer with 14 points, but he shot just 3 of 14 from the field and missed his five 3-point attempts.
Tigers forward David Skara said the players knew how difficult their opening stretch-road games at top-ranked Duke and Syracuse, home against No. 4 Virginia-was and were prepared for the possibility of losing them all. While disappointed, they're not discouraged, he said.
"We've got 15 (ACC) games left," he said. "We're still a good team."
THE BIG PICTURE
Virginia: The Cavaliers are steady, relentless and precise on both sides of the ball. Ty Jerome, a double-digit scorer, had not made a field goal in the opening half, yet hit two critical 3s in Virginia's decisive run in the second half. He finished with eight points.
Clemson: The Tigers have lost three straight ACC games, and each time they struggled to score early. They trailed Duke 40-33 at the break and lost 87-68, then were down 40-32 at Syracuse in a 61-53 loss. In this one, Clemson trailed by 12 points in the first half and, despite cutting things to 29-27 early in second, could not stay close.
FREAKY STATS
How's this for an oddball stat? Clemson has celebrated three national football championships in its history (1981, 2016 and 2018) and has had awful basketball shooting performances following two of them: The Tigers made just 19 of 73 (.260) shots in a loss to Duke on Jan. 23, 1982, and then shot just .259 (14 of 54) against the Cavaliers.
DEFENSIVE VIRGINIA
Clemson's bad shooting show, the fourth worst shooting performance in team history, means three of the Tigers poorest shooting games came against the Cavaliers. The worst ever came in 1994 when the Tigers shot .238 at Virginia, while the second worst came the next season, also at Virginia.
No. 7 Kansas 73, Baylor 68
WACO, Texas-Lagerald Vick did on his 22nd birthday for No. 7 Kansas what he also does in so many other games. He made some big 3-pointers, even if the ending was a bit shaky.
Vick scored 18 points with six 3-pointers before a couple of late turnovers as the Jayhawks held on for a 73-68 win at Baylor on Saturday.
"First 36 minutes, I thought he was great," coach Bill Self said, repeating what he also said after the rest of the team. "Made a couple of hard shots at the end of the clock. He played really well. He didn't play like a senior down the stretch."
Vick hit two of his 3s in an 11-3 run in the final 1:44 of the first half to put the Jayhawks (14-2, 3-1 Big 12) up by 10 at the break after they blew almost all of a 16-point lead. Kansas then led by double-digits for most of the second half before Baylor's eight consecutive points in the final minute, when Vick had two turnovers.
Jared Butler hit a 3 with 54 seconds left and Mark Vital made a basket before Devonte Bandoo's 3 after Vick's second turnover in that span got the Bears within 72-68. The Jayhawks missed three free throws down the stretch.
Kansas had a 23-point lead with 6 1/2 minutes left, and had to hold on in that final frantic minute.
"Certainly the story that I'm leaving with is that we got a good road win today, not that we played like crap the last four minutes," Self said.
"We just have to do a better job of just finishing out games," Vick said.
Dedric Lawson added 17 points with five steals and five blocks for Kansas despite his season-low three rebounds. Devon Dotson scored 14 points while freshman Ochai Agbaji had 10 in his second game.
Butler had 14 points to lead Baylor (9-6, 1-2), while Vital and Bandoo each had 11. Makai Mason scored 10.
Baylor, playing without second-leading scorer Tristan Clark (knee surgery), missed its first 15 shots from the field over the first 10 minutes. The Bears fell behind 18-2 before Butler had three 3s in an 18-4 run. The Bears were within 22-20 on a free throw by Mason with just under 4 minutes left in the half, though they never got closer.
"Usually, we play through Tristan," Butler said. "So it was kind of different, a different feel. It was kind of difficult, and that kind of threw off our rhythm a little bit."
BIG PICTURE
Kansas: The Jayhawks played their second game since 7-foot center Udoka Azubuike's season-ending wrist surgery. Agabaji, the 6-5 freshman guard from Kansas City, has contributed in both games. He was 4-of-5 shooting and had a 3 late in the first half Saturday.
"He's becoming one of our best players and he's poised and he made a couple of athletic plays," Self said.
Baylor: The Bears just couldn't build on the momentum of their home win Tuesday against No. 20 Iowa State, which then was coming off a 17-point home win over the Jayhawks last weekend.
No. 11 Auburn 93, Georgia 78
AUBURN, Ala.-Jared Harper had 22 points and seven assists while he and No. 11 Auburn rebounded from a rough night to beat Georgia 93-78 on Saturday.
Harper and the Tigers (12-3, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) looked sharper at home than in an 82-67 loss at Mississippi, but still struggled to put away a team that was blown away by No. 3 Tennessee a week ago.
The Bulldogs (9-6, 1-2) threatened to make it close through much of the second half to avoid a repeat of that 46-point road loss to the Volunteers.
Harper got off to a strong start and then reclaimed control down the stretch.
Auburn built up a 16-point lead midway through the second half, but Georgia chipped away at it enough to remain within striking distance.
Georgia had a chance to cut it to single digits when Auburn's inbounds pass sailed over Wiley's head. But Harper stole the ball at the other end and fired a pass to Dunbar for a dunk and 82-69 lead with 4:08 left.
Dunbar got a steal of his own on the Bulldogs' next possession to set up Chuma Okeke's dunk to help ensure a comfortable victory.
Harper didn't waste any time showing this performance would be different from than 3-of-14, nine-point game against the Rebels. The Auburn point guard hit two early 3-pointers and added a couple more before his day was done.
Bryce Brown had 15 points and made 3 of 4 3-pointers for Auburn. Anfernee McLemore also scored 15 points and added nine rebounds. Samir Doughty and Malik Dunbar each scored 11 points.
William Jackson Jr. led Georgia with 16 points, Nicolas Claxton added 15, and Teshaun Hightower had 12. Rayshaun Hammonds had nine points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
BIG PICTURE
Georgia was fairly competitive throughout after getting blown out 96-50 by Tennessee last Saturday.
Auburn was more efficient and balanced than the Ole Miss game, when Brown fired up 19 3s. The Tigers hit 50 percent (34 of 68) after shooting a cold 33 percent against the Rebels.
Louisville 83, No. 12 North Carolina 62. Updates with new lead. With AP Photos.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.-Louisville went from suffering a confidence-jarring loss against a long-struggling Atlantic Coast Conference program to handing Roy Williams his worst home loss in 16 seasons with North Carolina.
Tough to explain? Even the Hall of Famer had a hard time with that.
"We never really got into the game," Williams said after Saturday's 83-62 defeat to the Cardinals. "I'd like to give you a brilliant answer as to why, but I can't give you that brilliant answer."
It was as mystifying a performance from No. 12 UNC-which had started league play with two road wins as it was a strong effort from Louisville following Wednesday's overtime loss to Pittsburgh.
First-year coach Chris Mack said there was "some soul searching" after that setback, which snapped Pitt's 23-game losing streak in ACC regular-season games. The Panthers had lost by 25 points at home to the Tar Heels a few days earlier.
Louisville (11-5, 2-1) responded by strolling into Chapel Hill, jumping on UNC early and turning a 43-34 halftime lead into an unexpected rout.
"I've been around the game enough to know you can be humbled on any given night and then erase a bitter feeling a few nights later," Mack said. "I don't know how football coaches do it, they get one game a week."
Connecticut transfer Steven Enoch had season highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Cardinals, causing all kinds of matchup problems with his 6-foot-11 frame and strength to post up deep in the paint. Dwayne Sutton added 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to flirt with a triple double, helping the Cardinals shoot 52 percent while hitting 11 3-pointers.
More importantly, the Cardinals controlled the glass (40-31) against one of the nation's best rebounding teams, keeping the Tar Heels from getting loose in transition (four fast-break points) with solid defense.
"Angry should be the motto for this team-playing angry and aggressive," Enoch said. "That's how it's always been for Louisville basketball."
Kenny Williams scored 12 points for the Tar Heels (12-4, 2-1), who spent most of Saturday looking like a team searching for something-anything-to build around. They shot 35 percent, including 3 of 22 on 3-pointers, and committed 11 second-half turnovers.
BIG PICTURE
Louisville: The Pitt loss certainly was a low point considering the Panthers had lost 25 of 26 games against league teams since February 2017. The Cardinals didn't spend much time sulking, instead hitting their first seven shots with four 3-pointers to quickly set the tone.
"Our locker room was pretty glum, I didn't help the matter when I walked in and got after them," Mack said of the Pitt loss. "I thought their response was pretty good.
"But I said at one point to our coaching staff: 'Hey, we could come in here and play really hard and play really well and play together and still lose. Good teams do that.' So yeah, a little surprised, but pleased with our guys' effort and attitude and response from the Pittsburgh game."
UNC: It was hard to see this coming. The Tar Heels had won four straight, the first three by at least 20 points followed by a victory at 15th-ranked rival North Carolina State on Tuesday night. Yet all that momentum vanished in a woeful performance that included bad shooting, a poor performance on the glass and defense that frequently failed to beat the Cardinals to a spot.
"I'm a little bit of a loss, but that's OK," Williams said. "It happens in coaching. We have a wonderful group of kids that we've got to prepare better, and we've got a head coach that's trying but not doing very well."
BIG MARGIN
Roy Williams' previous worst margin of defeat in Chapel Hill with UNC was a 69-53 loss to rival Duke in March 2013. It was also UNC's worst home loss since January 2002, an 87-58 loss to Duke under former coach Matt Doherty during an 8-20 season.
Mississippi 81, No. 14 Mississippi St 77
STARKVILLE, Miss.-Blake Hinson strolled onto his rival's home court, hit a few huge 3-pointers, scored a career-high 26 points and looked like he had the time of his life doing it.
If the Mississippi freshman had any nerves in a big Southeastern Conference road game, he sure didn't show it.
Hinson poured in basket after basket, Breein Tyree added 19 points and Ole Miss rallied for an 81-77 win over No. 14 Mississippi State on Saturday. With a wide grin and relaxed demeanor, Hinson acted like the breakout performance was something he does every day.
"It was super fun," Hinson said. "I love basketball, and this was a great basketball atmosphere. I was loving every part of it."
Ole Miss (13-2, 3-0 SEC) won its 10th straight, continuing its surprising run of great basketball under first-year coach Kermit Davis.
Mississippi State (12-3, 0-2) had a two-point lead at halftime and stretched that advantage to 48-39 in the opening minutes of the second half. But the Rebels wouldn't go away-Hinson hit three straight 3-pointers at one point-and Ole Miss pulled ahead 70-62 with seven minutes left.
"We did obviously a horrible job on Blake Hinson," Mississippi State coach Ben Howland said. "We knew what he was. He's a 3-point shooter. He really got going."
The Bulldogs would rally, and Nick Weatherspoon hit a 3-pointer with 1:22 left to tie it at 77. The Rebels finally went ahead for good when Tyree made a driving layup with about 50 seconds left, quieting a Humphrey Coliseum crowd that topped 10,000.
The 6-foot-7 Hinson made 8 of 16 shots, including 5 of 11 from 3-point range. Terence Davis added 12 points. Tyree had a good game-and hit some clutch shots in the final minutes-despite a left shoulder injury early in the contest that kept him off the court for a few minutes.
"In a game like that," Tyree said. "Adrenaline takes over. While I was on the court, no pain."
Mississippi State used a 14-0 run midway through the first half to take a 32-21 lead, but Ole Miss closed the gap to 41-39 by halftime. Quinndary Weatherspoon had 11 points in the first half for the Bulldogs. Hinson and Devontae Shuler both scored 10 for the Rebels.
Mississippi State was led by Quinndary Weatherspoon's 18 points. Lamar Peters added 16.
TECHNICAL FRENZY
It was a rowdy atmosphere at Humphrey Coliseum for one of the best games between these rivals in a decade. That passion sometimes turned into shenanigans-Ole Miss earned three technical fouls while Mississippi State had one.
Kermit Davis had a lot of good things to say about his team after Saturday's win, but he wasn't happy with that development.
"We deserved it," Davis said. "I apologize. I haven't had player technicals in a long, long, long time. You've got to compose yourself. That's on me. We'll get that one fixed."
KERMIT IN STARKVILLE
Davis knows Starkville quite well. He grew up in the town, where his dad was the head coach of the Bulldogs in the 1970s. Davis also played for the Bulldogs in the early 1980s.
"Some things run through your mind as a kid who grew up in this building," Davis said. "It was a little strange early, but when the ball tips, you're just coaching like mad for your players."
BIG PICTURE
Ole Miss: The Rebels were picked to finish last in the SEC this season, but that looks very unlikely at this point. Hinson picked a great time to have a big game, and the rest of the Rebels were tough in a very loud road environment.
Mississippi State: It's another tough loss for the Bulldogs, who looked great during nonconference play but have dropped two straight in the league. Mississippi State has to get its defense back in order if it's going to be a factor in the SEC race.
Kansas State 58, No. 20 Iowa State 57
AMES, Iowa-No. 20 Iowa State appeared to have done just enough to survive on a snowy and sleepy Saturday in Ames.
Barry Brown had other ideas.
Brown hit a layup with four seconds left and Kansas State stunned Iowa State 58-57 on Saturday, handing the Cyclones their second straight loss.
Brown had 23 points to lead the Wildcats (12-4, 2-2 Big 12), who closed the game on a 10-2 run for their first road win of the year. Iowa State (12-4, 2-2) didn't score over the final 2:42.
"Biggest thing, it's a tough loss," Cyclones coach Steve Prohm said. "Brutal loss."
Iowa State, which hasn't won since blowing out Kansas last week, was up seven with five minutes left. Brown hit two free throws with 16 seconds left to make it 57-56 Iowa State, and Lindell Wigginton missed the front end of a subsequent one-and-one for the Cyclones.
Brown, who finished 9 of 20 from the floor, then drove through the paint for the winner-which came on the heels of a 21-point comeback against West Virginia in K-State's last game.
Brown scored eight of K-State's final 10 points after hitting a late layup to help beat the Mountaineers.
"I just tried to make the plays when opportunity presents itself," Brown said. "My teammates and coach believe in me when it comes down to the wire. They believed in me to come down and make a play."
Nick Weiler-Babb had 11 points and five assists to lead the Cyclones. Iowa State responded to its 77-60 win over the Jayhawks with a 73-70 loss at Baylor and a sloppy finish against the Wildcats.
"I think everybody jumped and ran with one game. Now your character is tested, and you've got to go back to work," Prohm said.
Big 12 preseason player of the year Dean Wade, who had been out since the middle of December with a torn tendon in his right foot, returned for the Wildcats. He had two points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes.
"He still has no rhythm and no conditioning, but he gets nine rebounds and got a big bucket late," Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. "It's not like riding a bike where you can just jump on and ride it."
THE BIG PICTURE
Iowa State: While K-State got Wade back, the Cyclones played with big man Cam Lard-who missed Saturday's game with a sprained ankle. Iowa State also said after the game that fellow big man Solomon Young will miss the remainder of 2018-19 with a groin injury, and the Cyclones will seek a medical redshirt.
Kansas State: Getting Wade back is huge as far as K-State's NCAA Tournament hopes are concerned, as was this win over the Cyclones. The Wildcats might be a factor in the Big 12 race after all.
NOT-SO CRITICAL STRETCH
Iowa State fell behind 37-26 to open the second half, but a late 14-2 run gave the Cyclones what looked like enough of a cushion to survive. Wigginton gave the Cyclones a 48-46 lead on a layup in the paint, and Weiler-Babb followed with a 3. Marial Shayok then hit a layup to cap a stretch of nine straight points for Iowa State and make it a 55-48 game. But Weiler-Babb missed a wide-open 3 with about 40 seconds left.
THE NUMBERS
Iowa State lost despite holding the Wildcats to 35.7 percent shooting from the floor. Kamau Stokes had 12 points for Kansas State. Shayok had a season-low nine points for the Cyclones. He entered play averaging 20.1 points per game. K-State outrebounded Iowa State 39-31. The Cyclones went just 6 of 12 from the line.
No. 23 Oklahoma 76, No. 25 TCU 74
NORMAN, Okla.-Back from suspension and back in the swing of things, Kristian Doolittle delivered for No. 23 Oklahoma on Saturday.
Doolittle hit a runner with less than three seconds left to lift the Sooners over No. 25 TCU 76-74, the latest sign that the junior is back to the form that made him a budding standout as a freshman.
Doolittle averaged 9.1 points per game over 25 starts his first year, but a suspension to start last season slowed his progress.
He's finally catching up. Doolittle led the Sooners (13-3, 2-2 Big 12) with 24 points and 10 rebounds, his first double-double since the final regular-season game of his freshman season.
After not scoring in double figures from the beginning of last season until Dec. 18, Doolittle has scored 12 or more points in five of the last six.
"I knew I had to be more aggressive, regardless of where I started off at," Doolittle said. "I've just been doing what the team needed me to do."
With Doolittle's big game-he also had a critical defensive rebound in the final minute that led to free throws-the Horned Frogs (12-3, 1-2) struggled to defend the inside for the second consecutive game. Earlier in the week, it was Kansas' Dedric Lawson that hurt TCU.
"I'd like to be more physical yet we've got all our guys in foul trouble at the same time," TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. "It's kind of a challenge we've got. We've got to look at some things better. Our defense was really good for us early in the year but it's let us down the last two games."
BIG PICTURE
Oklahoma: After playing road games at Kansas at Texas Tech, a pair of top 10 teams, in the first three games of Big 12 play, the Sooners needed to take advantage of a home game. They have six consecutive games against unranked opponents.
TCU: The Horned Frogs have dropped two consecutive games since having a nine-game winning streak end Wednesday at Kansas. While TCU has to be encouraged by Noi's play, it missed starting guard Jaylen Fisher, who was out for the third consecutive game with a knee injury.
HIGHLIGHT REEL
Oklahoma's Brady Manek reached up and blocked Alex Robinson's shot with his left hand with just under six minutes to play. Manek's blocked wound up in the hands of Miles Reynolds, who streaked up court, fired a bounce pass from halfcourt to Doolittle at the free-throw line. Doolittle's layup bounced out, but he grabbed the offensive rebound and finished to tie the game.
TURNING POINT
With 51 seconds to play, Oklahoma's Aaron Calixte stole the ball from RJ Nembhard and fed it ahead to Christian James, who finished and was fouled. His free throw put the Sooners ahead by one.
STAT OF THE NIGHT
TCU dominated the glass early, outrebounding the Sooners 30-14 in the first half, including 13 offensive rebounds. But Oklahoma turned things around in the second half, with a 22-12 rebounding edge after halftime. The Horned Frogs turned their 17 offensive rebounds into just eight second-chance points.