The Associated Press national player of the week in men's college basketball for Week 7 of the season: Anderson scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half and hit two free throws with 3.4 seconds left to cap Texas Tech's rally from a 17-point deficit to beat No. Duke 82-81 Saturday at Madison Square Garden. The 6-foot-3 sophomore guard also converted a three-point play with 1:14 left to give the Red Raiders an 81-77 lead against the previously-undefeated Blue Devils.
Nebraska to the Final Four? Why that pie-in-the-sky notion isn’t so unfathomable
Conference seasons kick into gear following light AP Top 25 holiday week
The week of Christmas is typically a slow time on the college basketball, with a handful of games before and after the holiday. This week is no different with nine ranked teams playing, most against lower-tier programs. The marquee game over the next two weeks will come on Jan. 2, when No. 2 Michigan hosts No. 24 Southern California.
Wagler powers No. 20 Illinois past Missouri 91-48 for biggest blowout in Braggin’ Rights rivalry
No. 1 Arizona routs Bethune-Cookman 107-71 after sluggish start
The Wildcats scored 50 points in the paint, grabbed 20 more rebounds and converted 36 points off Bethune-Cookman's 22 turnovers. Arizona point guard Jaden Bradley had 11 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals. Arizona is one of six remaining undefeated teams in Division I and has seven straight wins by at least 20 points, its longest streak since eight straight 20-point wins in 1929, according to Sportradar.
Dybantsa gets first BYU triple-double since 2016 to lead No. 10 Cougars past Eastern Washington
AJ Dybantsa had 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to lead No. 10 BYU to a 109-81 victory over Eastern Washington on Monday night. Dybantsa became the first player with a triple-double for the Cougars since Kyle Collinsworth against UAB on March 16, 2016. Richie Saunders had 22 points to help BYU (12-1) go unbeaten through a four-game homestand.
Burries scores 20 points, No. 1 Arizona runs away from Bethune-Cookman for 107-71 win
Brayden Burries scored 20 points, Ivan Kharchenkov added 14 and top-ranked Arizona overcame a sluggish start to rout Bethune-Cookman 107-71 on Monday night. The Wildcats (12-0) remained No. in this week's AP Top 25 after shutting down San Diego State on Saturday, but labored early on offense in the final game before their holiday break.
Wagler powers No. 20 Illinois past Missouri 91-48 for biggest blowout in Braggin’ Rights rivalry
Freshman guard Keaton Wagler made a career-best five 3-pointers and scored 22 points to lead No. 20 Illinois to a 91-48 rout of Missouri on Monday night. Sebastian Mack had 17 points off the bench to lead Missouri (10-3) as coach Dennis Gates left his reserves in for much of the second half with the game out of hand. After building a 16-point lead at halftime, the Illini poured it on with two 3-pointers from Ivisic in the opening minutes of the second half and finally pulled their starters with 2 1/2 minutes left.