Top 25 roundup: No. 3 Duke demolishes Hartford
RJ Barrett pumped in 27 points and pulled down 15 rebounds as third-ranked Duke eventually overwhelmed Hartford in an 84-54 victory Wednesday night at Durham, N.C. Zion Williamson, despite missing a couple of dunks, poured in 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Duke (8-1). He also added a few rim-jarring jams and supplied a late-game flip off the backboard so Barrett, his freshman classmate, could dunk. J.R Lynch's 13 points and Jason Dunne's 12 points paced Hartford (3-7), which couldn't overcome 21 turnovers and lost for the third time this season by double digits. Duke, which has won three games in a row, struggled from the perimeter, making only 5 of 26 shots from 3-point range. However, Barrett was 3-for-4 from long range and 10-for-14 overall from the floor. No. 13 Texas Tech 65, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 47 The host Red Raiders stayed unbeaten by pulling away from the pesky Golden Lions in Lubbock, Texas, and their customary defensive performance was a big reason why. Jarrett Culver paced a balanced Texas Tech scoring attack with 13 points, Matt Mooney added 11 and everybody in a home uniform had a hand in another stifling defensive performance. Entering the game, the Raiders (8-0) led the country in field-goal defense, allowing opponents to make only 34 percent. The Golden Lions (2-6) were the latest victim to Texas Tech's rangy and physical defense. Martaveous McKnight scored 27 points to lead Pine Bluff, but nobody else scored more than four as Arkansas-Pine Bluff shot just 32.6 percent. No. 14 North Carolina 97, UNC Wilmington 69 Cameron Johnson scored 13 of his 21 points in the first half as the host Tar Heels defeated the Seahawks in Chapel Hill, N.C. Nassir Little came off the bench and scored 14 points, while Luke Maye and Kenny Williams added 11 points apiece for the Tar Heels (7-2). Maye also had nine rebounds. North Carolina played without starting point guard Coby White, a freshman who led the team in scoring in the previous three games who sat with a sore ankle. The Seahawks (4-6) had a stretch with just three points across nearly nine minutes. No. 15 Virginia Tech 89, VMI 68 Justin Robinson scored 18 points and Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 15 in the Hokies' rout over the visiting Keydets in Blacksburg, Va. Alexander-Walker scored 10 first-half points and got help from Robinson and P.J. Horne, who each scored 10 before the break as the Hokies (7-1) took control after the first five minutes. Garrett Gilkeson led the Keydets (5-5) with career-high 21 points in the 135th meeting between the two schools. No. 17 Buffalo 89, La Moyne 55 Senior guard CJ Massinburg had a triple-double as the Bulls recovered from a sluggish first half to stay undefeated in beating visiting Le Moyne. Buffalo used a 25-1 run in the second half to pull away, turning a 58-48 lead into an 83-49 cushion with 2:53 to play. The Bulls held Le Moyne without a field goal for a 10-minute stretch. Massinburg finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists while adding four steals for Buffalo (8-0). Zay Jennings had 16 points off the bench to lead the Division II Dolphins (5-4). No. 19 Ohio State 77, Illinois 67 Keyshawn Woods had 18 points to lead the visiting Buckeyes to victory over the Fighting Illini in Chicago. The Buckeyes (8-1, 2-0 Big Ten) outscored the Illini 23-7 in an eight-minute stretch of the second half for a 71-58 lead. Illinois (2-7, 0-2) ran off seven straight points to make it 71-65 before a Kyle Young basket with 2:22 left gave the Buckeyes a 73-65 lead to quell the rally. No. 21 Villanova 69, Temple 59 Jermaine Samuels scored all 15 of his points in the second half, helping the Wildcats rally over the visiting Owls. Samuels broke a 47-47 tie with a 3-pointer with 5:14 left in the game, highlighting a 12-0 Villanova run that wrested control from the Owls in a game that was as hard-fought as one would imagine from Philadelphia rivals. Samuels added four free throws in the final four minutes as Villanova (7-2) won the second of its four straight games against the Big Five in its city. Nate Pierre-Louis tallied a game-high 19 points for Temple (7-2). Minnesota 85, No. 24 Nebraska 78 Amir Coffey scored a career-high 32 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished six assists, and the host Golden Gophers rallied to beat Cornhuskers in Minneapolis. Jordan Murphy had 18 points and 13 rebounds for his 52nd career double-double, surpassing Jim Brewer (51) for the Golden Gophers' all-time record. Daniel Oturu added 10 points and nine rebounds for Minnesota (7-2, 1-1 Big Ten). Isaac Copeland Jr. had 17 points and seven rebounds to lead the Cornhuskers. Isaiah Roby had 15 points and Glynn Watson had 14 for Nebraska (7-2, 1-1), which had its three-game winning streak end. --Field Level Media
