MEN’S TOP 25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL Saturday’s games

No. 2 Villanova 79, No. 23 Creighton 63

VILLANOVA, PA.

Eric Paschall scored a season-high 19 points and Josh Hart added 16 to help No. 2 Villanova clinch its fourth straight Big East regular-season title with a victory over No. 23 Creighton. Kris Jenkins scored 15 points and Mikal Bridges had 11 for the defending national champion Wildcats, who were without big man Darryl Reynolds (rib) for the fifth straight game.

No. 3 Kansas 77, Texas 67

AUSTIN, TEXAS

Josh Jackson scored 18 points and Frank Mason III added 16 to help No. 3 Kansas beat Texas to secure its 13th consecutive Big 12 regular season championship outright. Devonte Graham and Dwight Coleby added points apiece for the Jayhawks (26-3, 14-2 Big 12) who have won six straight games.

No. 5 UCLA 77, No. 4 Arizona 72

TUCSON, Ariz.

Thomas Welsh scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half and No. 5 UCLA dominated the offensive boards to beat No. 4 Arizona in a Pac-12 showdown Saturday night. The Bruins (26-3, 13-3) snapped Arizona’s 21-game home court winning streak and dropped the Wildcats (26-4, 15-2) into a tie with Oregon for first place in the Pac-12 heading into the final week of the regular season.

No. 6 Oregon 75, Stanford 73

STANFORD, CALIF.

Jordan Bell scored on a putback with 14 seconds left to give No. 6 Oregon its second straight nail-biting victory in a rare Bay Area sweep as the Ducks beat Stanford. Bell’s game-winner followed Dillon Brooks’ last-second, tiebreaking 3-pointer three nights earlier at California to give Oregon (26-4, 15-2 Pac-12) its second sweep of its conference Bay Area rivals since 1976. The other came two years ago.

Tyler Dorsey scored 15 points to lead Oregon, while Brooks added 14.

No. 8 North Carolina 85, Pittsburgh 67

PITTSBURGH

Justin Jackson scored 23 points, Joel Berry added 19 and No. 8 North Carolina continued its march to the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title with a victory over Pittsburgh. The Tar Heels (25-5, 13-3) have won four straight following a loss to arch rival Duke two weeks ago. North Carolina can clinch its second straight ACC regular season crown and 31st overall with a win at No. 18 Virginia on Monday.

No. 11 Kentucky 76, No. 13 Florida 66

LEXINGTON, KY.

Not satisfied with making perimeter jumpers, Malik Monk drove to the basket to create numerous opportunities at the free throw line and found openings to feed his Kentucky teammates. The freshman guard wasn’t aware until afterward of how many points he had piled up, but he knew that they helped the 11th-ranked Wildcats earn their most important victory this season. Monk scored 30 of his 33 points in the second half, Bam Adebayo added 18 points with 15 rebounds and Kentucky rallied past No. 13 Florida to take over the Southeastern Conference lead.

No. 17 SMU 69, UConn 61

HARTFORD, CONN.

Shake Milton had 20 points and seven rebounds to lead No. 17 SMU over UConn. The Mustangs (25-4, 15-1 American Athletic Conference) won their 11th straight and haven’t lost since Jan. 12 at Cincinnati. Semi Ojeleye had 16 points, Ben Moore added 15 and Sterling Brown had 11. The Huskies (14-14, 9-7), who have dropped two straight after a four-game winning streak, were led by Kentan Facey’s 15 points.

No. 19 Florida State 76, Clemson 74

CLEMSON, S.C.

Xavier Rathan-Mayes scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half, including the go-ahead basket with 1:22 left, to lift No. 19 Florida State to a victory over Clemson. Jonathan Isaac of Florida State blocked Shelton Mitchell’s drive with 11 seconds left and, after Trent Forrest made a free throw for the Seminoles, Marcquise Reed came up short on a mid-range jumper with 5 seconds to go as the Seminoles held on to win their 23rd game in the regular season for the first time since 2008-09. Florida State (23-6, 11-5) kept pace in the Atlantic Coast Conference race, remaining two games behind league leader North Carolina entering the final week of the season. It was the latest in a string of near misses for Clemson (14-14, 4-12), which fell to 1-9 in ACC games decided by six points or less. The Tigers’ last five ACC losses came by a combined 12 points.

No. 25 Wichita State 86, Missouri State 67

SPRINGFIELD, MO.

Landry Shamet scored a career-best 23 points as No. 25 Wichita State clinched at least a share of the Missouri Valley Conference title for a fourth straight season with a victory over Missouri State. The title is the fifth in six seasons for the Shockers (27-4, 17-1), who have won 12 straight games and appear well on their way to a sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Shamet finished 9-of-12 shooting, 5 of 8 from 3-point range, while topping his previous best of 20 points — set against South Dakota State in December. Shaq Morris added 20 points for Wichita State, which has won 14 straight games over the Bears (16-15, 7-11), while Conner Frankamp had 14 points. Dequon Miller led Missouri State with 19 points, while Alize Johnson had 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Iowa 83, No. 24 Maryland 69

COLLEGE PARK, MD.

Freshman Jordan Bohannon scored a career-high 24 points, hitting 8 of 10 3-pointers to help Iowa breeze past fading No. 24 Maryland. Tyler Cook had 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawkeyes (16-13, 8-8 Big Ten), who improved to 2-7 on the road this season. Iowa led by seven at halftime and erased any shred of suspense by taking a 16-point lead with 10:28 remaining. The Hawkeyes went 16 for 26 beyond the arc in avenging a home loss to Maryland on Jan. 19.

Iowa State 72, No. 9 Baylor 69

AMES, IOWA

Deonte Burton scored 22 points, including a crucial 3 with 1:17 left, and Iowa State won its fifth straight. Monte Morris had 17 points with seven assists for the Cyclones (19-9, 11-5 Big 12), who have their longest winning streak in league play since a seven-game stretch in 2005. Johnathan Motley had 27 points and 11 rebounds for Baylor (23-6, 10-6).

Miami 55, No. 10 Duke 50

CORAL GABLES, FLA.

Bruce Brown scored 25 points, and Miami held No. 10 Duke a staggering 32 points below its season average on the way to beating the Blue Devils. Brown shot 11 for 18 and had four assists, while his teammates shot just 11 for 40 with four assists combined. Yet it was enough for the Hurricanes (20-8, 10-6 Atlantic Coast Conference), who dominated inside and outscored Duke 40-20 in the paint. Frank Jackson and Luke Kennard each scored 16 points for Duke (22-7, 10-6), which lost its second straight to an unranked opponent after falling at Syracuse on Wednesday. Duke was without guard Grayson Allen, the team’s No. 3 scorer at 15 points per game sidelined by what the team said was a left ankle issue.

Michigan 82, No. 14 Purdue 70

ANN ARBOR, MICH.

Moe Wagner scored 22 of his 24 points in the first half, outplaying everyone on Purdue’s vaunted front line and leading Michigan to a victory over the 14th-ranked Boilermakers on Saturday. Derrick Walton added 17 points and 11 rebounds in his final scheduled home game, and the Wolverines (19-10, 9-7 Big Ten) took another big step toward an NCAA Tournament berth. Michigan has won five of six, including victories over Michigan State, Wisconsin and Purdue.

Associated Press