Tuesday’s Men’s Top 25 College Basketball Games

No. 17 Maryland 77, Ohio State 71

COLUMBUS

Justin Jackson had 22 points and 12 rebounds as No. 17 Maryland held off Ohio State down the stretch. The Buckeyes pulled within one point four times in the second half but the Terps always had an answer. A jumper by Melo Trimble with 32 seconds left put Maryland up 75-71, and Jared Nickens hit two free throws with 14 seconds left to seal it. Trimble had 13 points and Anthony Cowan added 11 as Maryland (20-2, 8-1 Big Ten) won their seventh straight. The Terps haven’t lost since Jan. 1 and have won all six of their games on the road this season.

No. 7 West Virginia 85, Iowa State 72

AMES, IOWA

Nathan Adrian scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as No. 7 West Virginia overwhelmed Iowa State for its third straight win. Tarik Phillip had 15 points for the Mountaineers (18-4, 6-3 Big 12), who hit 10 3s and forced 16 turnovers in winning their third road game in league play. West Virginia’s pressure defense got the typically sure-handed Cyclones out of rhythm in the second half. A late 9-0 run capped by a layup by Jevon Carter put the Mountaineers up 70-55 with 5:36 left, sending some Iowa State fans to a rare early exit. Matt Thomas scored 19 points for Iowa State (13-8, 5-4), which lost at home to a top 10 team for the second time in 15 days.

No. 10 Wisconsin 57, Illinois 43

CHAMPAIGN, ILL.

Ethan Happ scored 14 points and led the way in No. 10 Wisconsin’s rout over Illinois. Wisconsin (19-3, 8-1 Big Ten) started the game with a 16-2 run and never trailed. Much of the hot start came from the open 3-pointers Illinois allowed Wisconsin’s players to take — the Badgers shot 7 of 23 from 3-point range in the game. The Badgers big men dominated the game in the post, out-rebounding Illinois 45-36, including 19-6 on the offensive boards. Nigel Hayes scored 11 points and added eight rebounds for Wisconsin. Malcolm Hill and Maverick Morgan both had 10 points for Illinois (13-10, 3-7).

No. 12 North Carolina 80, Pittsburgh 78

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.

Justin Jackson scored 20 points and No. 12 North Carolina held on to beat Pittsburgh. Joel Berry II had 19 points, Isaiah Hicks added 18 and Kennedy Meeks finished with 10 for the Tar Heels (20-4, 8-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). The league leaders never trailed but also never got comfortable against the last-place Panthers. Cameron Johnson matched a career high with 24 points and hit a career-best six 3-pointers, Michael Young finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds and Jamel Artis had 17 points for Pitt (12-10, 1-8), which lost its seventh straight but kept this one tight throughout by shooting nearly 56 percent.

No. 22 Creighton 76, No. 16 Butler 67

INDIANAPOLIS

Justin Patton, Khyri Thomas and Marcus Foster all scored 15 points, and No. 22 Creighton made 13 3-pointers as it ran away from No. 16 Butler. The Bluejays (20-3, 7-3 Big East) have won two straight to move into second place in the conference standings. Kamar Baldwin finished with 14 points for Butler (18-5, 7-4), which has lost two straight at home. Creighton’s shooters were simply too much for the Bulldogs. After Butler scored the first five points of the second half to take a 38-37 lead, the Bluejays went on a 17-4 run to make it 54-42 with 14:05 left. The Bulldogs answered with seven straight points to make it a five-point game, but Creighton quickly rebuilt a double-digit lead and the Bulldogs couldn’t get closer than seven again. Creighton finished 13 of 21 on 3s, shooting a season-high 61.9 percent. The Bluejays earned their 20th win for the 17th time in 19 seasons.

Associated Press