Category: NCAA Basketball

Portland Pilots (7-16, 2-8 WCC) at Pepperdine Waves (9-13, 3-6 WCC) Malibu, California; Saturday, 10 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Pepperdine hosts Portland after Zion Bethea scored 26 points in Pepperdine's 98-90 win against the San Diego Toreros. The Waves have gone 6-5 at home.

Kentucky is fourth in the SEC with 38.0 points per game in the paint led by Otega Oweh averaging 8.6. The Razorbacks are 1-6 in SEC play. Arkansas ranks ninth in the SEC scoring 35.5 points per game in the paint led by Adou Thiero averaging 9.4.

UNLV Rebels (11-10, 5-5 MWC) at Nevada Wolf Pack (11-10, 3-7 MWC) Reno, Nevada; Saturday, 10 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: UNLV visits Nevada after Dedan Thomas Jr. scored 22 points in UNLV's 76-71 loss to the Utah State Aggies. The Wolf Pack are 8-4 on their home court.

DeAndre Craig had 16 points, including four points in the final 2.8 seconds, in Denver's 69-68 victory over Kansas City on Thursday night. Craig was fouled with 2.8 seconds left and hit the first of two free throws to cut Denver's deficit to 68-66. He missed the second but grabbed the offensive rebounds, was fouled as he made the tying layup and hit the and-1 free throw with 1.1 seconds remaining to cap the scoring.

Sai Witt finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds to propel Austin Peay to an 86-77 overtime victory over Bellarmine on Thursday night, handing the Knights their 12th straight loss. Anton Brookshire hit four 3-pointers and scored 21 with five assists for the Governors (9-13, 4-5 Atlantic Sun Conference). Isaac Haney went 6 of 12 from the field (4 for 8 from 3-point range) and scored 17.

Dain Dainja scored 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds, Colby Rogers scored all his 14 points in the second half and No. Memphis beat Tulane 68-56 on Thursday night. PJ Carter also scored 14 points for Memphis (17-4, 6-2 American Athletic Conference).

Brandon Walker scored 17 points and added five rebounds. Agbonkpolo shot 4 for 10, including 2 for 7 from beyond the arc to finish with 12 points. The Hornets (6-15, 2-6) were led by Julian Vaughns, who posted 19 points.

Taylor Jones scored 17 points, Madison Booker added 16 and No. 5 Texas defeated Missouri 70-61 on Thursday night for its fifth straight win and 18th in a row at home. Jones scored 11 in the first half for Texas (21-2, 7-1 Southeastern Conference), which began its home winning streak in January 2024. Booker had nine points in the third quarter, when the Longhorns outscored Missouri 19-10 and led for the first time.

Braxton Stacker had 19 points in Southeast Missouri State's 90-79 win against UT Martin on Thursday night. Stacker shot 6 for 8 (3 for 4 from 3-point range) and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line for the Redhawks (12-10, 7-4 Ohio Valley Conference). Rob Martin scored 18 points and added seven assists.

Robert Carpenter scored 16 points off of the bench to help lead New Mexico State past Middle Tennessee 61-57 on Thursday night. Carpenter added seven rebounds for the Aggies (12-9, 5-3 Conference USA). Peter Filipovity scored 12 points and added nine rebounds and four steals.

Khristian Lander had 28 points in Western Kentucky's 78-74 victory over UTEP on Thursday night. Lander shot 11 for 15, including 4 for 6 from beyond the arc for the Hilltoppers (13-8, 4-4 Conference USA). Don McHenry scored 20 points, shooting 5 for 11 (2 for 6 from 3-point range) and 8 of 11 from the free-throw line.

Brice Williams scored eight points in overtime and finished with 27 as Nebraska ended a six-game losing streak with an 80-74 win over No. 18 Illinois on Thursday night. The Huskers (13-8, 3-7 Big Ten) never trailed while knocking off a third ranked opponent in the same season for the first time since 2013-14. Illinois (14-7, 6-5) lost for the first time in 10 meetings with the Huskers and for the first time in four visits to Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Serena Sundell scored 23 points and had eight assists, and No. Kansas State beat Iowa State 87-79 in overtime on Thursday night for its 14th straight home win. Jaelyn Glenn scored five points and Sundrell hit a 3-pointer during a 10-2 surge to open the extra period.

Kentrell Garnett scored 15 points as Louisiana beat Texas State 70-61 on Thursday night. Garnett shot 5 for 11, including 3 for 6 from beyond the arc for the Ragin' Cajuns (7-15, 5-5 Sun Belt Conference). Chancellor White scored 14 points while shooting 5 for 7, including 4 for 5 from beyond the arc.

Artese Stapleton scored 16 points as Eastern Illinois beat Western Illinois 71-59 on Thursday night. Stapleton added six rebounds for the Panthers (7-15, 3-8 Ohio Valley Conference). Nakyel Shelton scored 15 points and added seven rebounds.