About the fourth or fifth time that A.J. Dybantsa crashed to the floor, and he looked up at an official in both shock and vain, one of the most talented freshmen in college basketball must have finally figured out that he wasn't going to get a call. Dybantsa still poured in 24 points while leading No. 10 BYU to an 83-73 victory over Kansas State on Saturday, the first true road game for the Cougars all season.
Braden Smith sets Big Ten’s career assists record as No. 5 Purdue defeats Wisconsin 89-73
Smith is averaging 9.6 assists per game and entered Saturday leading all Division I players in that category.
Stirtz scores 27 points, No. 25 Iowa holds off a comeback try by UCLA in 2nd half for a 74-61 win
UCLA, in its second season in the Big Ten, was making its first appearance in Iowa City since 1990.
Missouri holds off No. 22 Florida 76-74 in SEC opener
Anthony Robinson II had 19 points and eight rebounds as Missouri held off No. 22 Florida 76-74 on Saturday night in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. Mark Mitchell added 14 points, Jacob Crews had 13 and Trent Pierce scored 10 off the bench in his first game this season for the Tigers (11-3, 1-0). Jayden Stone scored Missouri's first eight points and finished with nine after missing the previous seven games with a hand injury.
Braden Smith sets Big Ten’s career assists record as No. 5 Purdue defeats Wisconsin 89-73
Braden Smith became the Big Ten’s career assists leader, Fletcher Loyer scored 20 points and No. 5 Purdue defeated Wisconsin 89-73 on Saturday night. Smith had 12 assists to increase his career total to 893 and break the record formerly held by Cassius Winston, who compiled 890 career assists with Michigan State from 2017-20.
Mirkovic’s 13 points, 10 rebounds help No. 20 Illinois top Penn State 73-65 at Philly’s Palestra
David Mirkovic had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Kylan Boswell scored 18 points to lead No. 20 Illinois to a 73-65 win over Penn State on Saturday night at the Palestra. Keaton Wagler scored 16 points and Zvonimir Ivisic added five blocked shots for the Illini (11-3, 2-1 Big Ten) in the first of a 12-day stretch in which they play three of four conference opponents on the road. Kayden Mingo scored 16 points for a Penn State, which is trying to end a two-year run of missing the NCAA Tournament.
Onetime NBA draft pick James Nnaji of Baylor gets frequent boos in college debut at TCU
Onetime NBA draft pick James Nnaji drew plenty of boos in his college debut with Baylor at TCU. The 7-foot center from Nigeria finished with five points and four rebounds in the Bears’ 69-63 loss to the Horned Frogs.
Stirtz scores 27 points, No. 25 Iowa holds off a comeback try by UCLA in 2nd half for a 74-61 win
Bennett Stirtz scored 27 points and No. 25 Iowa held off a second-half comeback attempt by UCLA for a 74-61 win on Saturday. The Hawkeyes (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten) led by as many as 24 points in the first half and 20 points early in the second half before the Bruins (10-4, 2-1) stormed back. UCLA went on an 18-2 run early in the second half and closed within 61-57 with 3:13 remaining before Iowa pulled away.
UCLA’s second-half surge can’t erase ‘unbelievably soft’ start in loss to No. 25 Iowa
Donovan Dent finishes with 25 points, but UCLA can't complete a comeback from an 18-point halftime deficit in a 74-61 loss to No. 25 Iowa.
Stanford beats No. 13 Louisville, gets first ranked win in Kyle Smith era
Stanford earned an 80-76 win against No. 13 Louisville on Jan. 2. Here's how it happened
Acuff scores 29 points to lead No. 18 Arkansas to a 86-75 win over No. 19 Tennessee
Freshman Darius Acuff Jr. scored a career-high 29 points, including a key 3-pointer with just over two minutes left in the second half.
Onetime NBA draft pick James Nnaji of Baylor gets frequent boos in college debut at TCU
James Nnaji, a 2023 NBA draft pick making his college debut for Baylor, was booed when he entered the game at TCU and every time he touched the ball after that. The jeers were loud the couple of times the 7-foot center tried to protest a call, and Baylor coach Scott Drew made sure to get Nnaji out of the game after the 21-year-old Nigerian picked up a fourth foul with 4:42 remaining in the Horned Frogs' 69-63 victory in their Big 12 opener Saturday. Imagine the delight of the TCU fans — and the chagrin of the solid Baylor contingent among them in a meeting of conference rivals with campuses 100 miles apart — if Nnaji had been forced to make the walk to the bench with a fifth foul.
Darryn Peterson gets back on the court, but not for long enough as No. 17 Kansas loses
Darryn Peterson got back on the court for No. 17 Kansas, though couldn't stay long enough to help the Jayhawks get a win. Peterson scored 23 of his 26 points in the first half after missing the last two games. Peterson missed seven games with a hamstring injury in November.
No. 1 Arizona cruises past Utah 97-78 to remain undefeated
Tobe Awaka and Jaden Bradley each scored 18 points and No. 1 Arizona cruised past Utah.
Boopie and the Mustangs: SMU point guard leads the way in win over No. 12 UNC to open ACC play
Boopie and the Mustangs could become quite a hit in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Miller had 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting and tied his career high with 12 assists, Washington scored nine of the Mustangs' first 11 points after halftime Saturday to put them ahead to stay after coach Andy Enfield wasn't even sure he would be back on the court, and SMU won its ACC opener 97-83 over the No. 12 Tar Heels.