Associated Press
The Top 25 roundup …
COLUMBUS, Ohio ó With the game on the line, Ohio State played like a No. 1 team.
That’s exactly what they might be soon.
Freshman Jared Sullinger scored 19 points and hit a three-point play with 13.2 seconds left to lift the second-ranked Buckeyes to a 69-66 victory over Penn State on Saturday.
On the heels of top-ranked Duke’s 66-61 loss at Florida State on Wednesday night, the victory will likely propel the Buckeyes (18-0, 5-0 Big Ten) to the No. 1 spot in next week’s rankings.
“If that does happen, the thing that excites me the most is that’s the second time we’ve been there in a few years,” said coach Thad Matta, whose 2006-07 Buckeyes ended the regular season as the top-ranked team. “I think it’s great for the program. I don’t know how many schools can say that they’ve been in that position. We’re definitely one of them.”
Fellow freshman Aaron Craft also had 19 points, a career-high, to go with seven assists and brilliant defense against Penn State (10-7, 3-3) star Talor Battle. Battle’s 3-pointer with 2 seconds left came up well short of extending the game.
No. 3 Kansas 63, Nebraska 60
LAWRENCE, Kan. ó Marcus Morris and Tyrel Reed hit free throws in the final seconds, and Kansas (17-0, 2-0 Big 12) rallied to remain unbeaten.
Kansas entered with a 15-game winning streak against the Huskers, but was thoroughly outplayed in a ragged first half and fell behind by 10 points quickly after intermission.
No. 4 Syracuse 67, No. 25 Cincinnati 52
SYRACUSE, N.Y. ó Rick Jackson had 15 points and 11 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season, leading Syracuse to the victory.
Syracuse (18-0, 5-0 Big East) is one win from matching the best start in program history.
No. 5 Pittsburgh 74, Seton Hall 53
PITTSBURGH ó In less than 48 hours, here come the Orange.
Senior center Gary McGhee matched a career high with 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, sending No. 5 Pittsburgh to a 74-53 victory over the Pirates on Saturday night.
“Once we got into the locker room, we knew what our next task was,” said Brad Wanamaker, who had seven assists, seven rebounds and no turnovers. “And that is Syracuse.”
No. 10 Connecticut 82, DePaul 62
ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) ó Kemba Walker scored 22 of his 31 points in the first half, Jeremy Lamb added 13 and Connecticut (14-2, 3-2) handed DePaul its 18th straight loss in Big East play.
No. 14 Texas A&M 91, No. 15 Missouri 89 OT
COLLEGE STATION, Texas ó Khris Middleton scored 28 points, including 11 in overtime, and Texas A&M picked up its 13th straight win.
The Aggies (16-1, 3-0 Big 12) trailed by one before Middleton swiped the ball from Marcus Denmon and converted a layup with 34 seconds remaining.
Middleton made three free throws to extend the lead to 91-87, and Missouri’s Laurence Bowers had a tip-in at the buzzer for the final margin.
No. 20 Wisconsin 76, No. 16 Illinois 66
MADISON, Wis. ó Jon Leuer scored 26 points and hit a critical 3-pointer down the stretch, powering Wisconsin to the victory. Jordan Taylor added 22 for the Badgers (13-4, 3-2 Big Ten), who rebounded from an overtime loss at Michigan State.
No. 18 Louisville 71, Marquette 70
LOUISVILLE, Ky. ó Kyle Kuric’s layup with 4 seconds remaining capped a furious rally by the Cardinals.
Louisville (14-3, 3-1 Big East) trailed by 18 with less than 6 minutes to go but closed the game on a 24-5 run fueled by guard Preston Knowles.
Duquesne 78, No. 19 Temple 66
PITTSBURGH ó Bill Clark had 22 points and Duquesne limited Temple to 31 percent shooting while earning its sixth consecutive victory.
Duquesne (11-5, 3-0 Atlantic 10) scored the game’s first 10 points and held leads of 19-1 and 22-2.
No. 21 Kansas State 94, Texas Tech 60
MANHATTAN, Kan. ó Jamar Samuels scored 22 points and Jacob Pullen added 21 to help Kansas State get the win.
Rodney McGruder added 16 points and Curtis Kelly had 12 for the Wildcats (13-5, 1-2 Big 12).
No. 22 Georgetown 74, Rutgers 65
PISCATAWAY, N.J. ó Austin Freeman scored 18 of his 25 points in the second half and Georgetown snapped a three-game losing streak.
Freeman, the Big East preseason player of the year, returned to form for the Hoyas (13-5, 2-4), who came in 1-4 in the conference, their worst start in 12 years.
Southern Miss 86, No. 23 Central Florida 69
HATTIESBURG, Miss. ó R.L. Horton scored 18 points and D.J. Newbill added 17 as the Golden Eagles beat a ranked team for the first time since 2004 and the first time on their home court since 1986. Gary Flowers and Maurice Bolden each had 16 points for the Golden Eagles (14-3, 3-1 Conference USA).
No. 24 Georgia 98, Mississippi 76
OXFORD, Miss. ó Gerald Robinson scored a season-high 22 points and the 24th-ranked Bulldogs (13-3, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) put all five starters in double figures in a 98-76 victory over Mississippi.