Matthew Murrell and Jaemyn Brakefield scored 15 points apiece and ignited a decisive second half rally as No. 24 Mississippi defeated Georgia 63-51 on Saturday. Ole Miss (12-2, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) trailed 28-26 at halftime, but opened the second half with an 11-2 burst in less than four minutes, started by consecutive jumpers by Murrell and capped by consecutive baskets by Brakefield to build a 37-30 lead. Ole Miss responded with a 3-pointer by Brakefield and a Davon Barnes jumper and were never seriously threatened again.
West Virginia’s defensive effort lifts them to victory over Oklahoma State
Saturday could have been a lot of things for a West Virginia team coming off their biggest win of the season. It ended up being an absolute thumping of Oklahoma State as the Mountaineers cruised to a 69-50 victory at the WVU Coliseum. It was the perfect opportunity for a potential let-down spot for West Virginia.
Koby Brea hits seven 3-pointers as No. 10 Kentucky hands No. 6 Florida its first loss, 106-100
Florida 106-100 on Saturday, handing the Gators their first loss of the season. The Gators (13-1, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) had cut an 80-69 Kentucky lead to 89-87 on Walter Clayton Jr.'s free throws with 4:40 remaining, but Lamont Butler hit a 3 as the shot clock wound down and added two free throws to help the Wildcats (12-2, 1-0) hang on. Clayton scored 33 points, 12 of those in Florida's 18-9 run before Butler's 3 with 3:42 left.
No. 11 Kentucky hands No. 5 Florida its first loss in SEC basketball opener
Kentucky basketball opened SEC play with a big win at Rupp Arena. Mark Pope's Kentucky Wildcats slowed Florida, handing the Gators their first loss.
Why are Big East basketball coaches wearing sweaters? League honors late Lou Carnesecca
Here's why basketball coaches in the Big East are wearing sweaters this weekend:
Michigan basketball’s Big Ten title quest begins with Los Angeles double dip; USC up first
Michigan basketball has high aspirations this year, starting with winning the Big Ten. That begins Saturday against USC in Los Angeles.
Dixon leads Villanova against DePaul after 28-point performance
DePaul Blue Demons (9-5, 0-3 Big East) at Villanova Wildcats (9-5, 2-1 Big East) Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania; Saturday, 12 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Wildcats -9.5; over/under is 146.5 BOTTOM LINE: Villanova hosts DePaul after Eric Dixon scored 28 points in Villanova's 73-65 victory over the Butler Bulldogs. The Wildcats have gone 7-1 at home.
Green Bay visits Northern Kentucky following Robinson’s 26-point performance
Green Bay Phoenix (2-14, 0-5 Horizon League) at Northern Kentucky Norse (8-7, 3-1 Horizon League) Highland Heights, Kentucky; Saturday, 1 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Norse -13; over/under is 139.5 BOTTOM LINE: Northern Kentucky hosts Green Bay after Trey Robinson scored 26 points in Northern Kentucky's 69-68 overtime win over the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons. The Norse have gone 7-2 at home.
Tennessee State faces Little Rock in conference showdown
Little Rock Trojans (8-5, 2-0 OVC) at Tennessee State Tigers (4-10, 0-3 OVC) Nashville, Tennessee; Saturday, 4:30 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Tigers -1; over/under is 143.5 BOTTOM LINE: Brandon Weston and Tennessee State host Johnathan Lawson and Little Rock in OVC play. The Tigers are 4-2 on their home court.
No. 2 Auburn plays Missouri, seeks 6th straight victory
The Missouri Tigers are 0-1 on the road. Missouri is 0-1 in games decided by less than 4 points. Auburn makes 50.8% of its shots from the field this season, which is 10.2 percentage points higher than Missouri has allowed to its opponents (40.6%).
No. 15 UCLA visits Nebraska after Essegian’s 20-point game
UCLA Bruins (11-2, 2-0 Big Ten) at Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-2, 1-1 Big Ten) Lincoln, Nebraska; Saturday, 2 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cornhuskers -1.5; over/under is 133.5 BOTTOM LINE: Nebraska hosts No. UCLA after Connor Essegian scored 20 points in Nebraska's 77-43 victory against the Southern Jaguars.
Maryland visits No. 9 Oregon after Cook’s 20-point outing
Maryland Terrapins (11-3, 1-2 Big Ten) at Oregon Ducks (12-2, 1-2 Big Ten) Eugene, Oregon; Sunday, 4 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: No. Oregon plays Maryland after Supreme Cook scored 20 points in Oregon's 109-77 loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Virginia hosts Louisville after Hepburn’s 26-point performance
The Cardinals have gone 2-1 against ACC opponents. Louisville averages 78.4 points while outscoring opponents by 6.8 points per game. Virginia is shooting 44.4% from the field this season, 0.3 percentage points lower than the 44.7% Louisville allows to opponents.
Eastern Illinois plays Western Illinois following Fruster’s 29-point showing
Western Illinois Leathernecks (7-7, 1-2 OVC) at Eastern Illinois Panthers (5-8, 1-1 OVC) Charleston, Illinois; Saturday, 4:30 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Panthers -3.5; over/under is 134.5 BOTTOM LINE: Eastern Illinois takes on Western Illinois after Zion Fruster scored 29 points in Eastern Illinois' 78-74 overtime win against the Lindenwood Lions. The Panthers have gone 5-0 in home games.
Diggins leads UMass against Richmond
UMass leads the A-10 averaging 40.1 points in the paint. Daniel Rivera leads the Minutemen scoring 7.6. The Spiders are 1-0 in A-10 play.