'Nova coasts in first game at No. 1

The Associated Press SIDELINE SCARE: North Carolina coach Roy Williams makes a point from the bench during the Tar Heels' road game Tuesday night against Boston College. Williams left the bench in the second half complaining of vertigo but is expected to be at the team's next practice and game, a school athletic spokesman said Wednesday. Williams returned to shake hands with Boston College coach Jim Christian after the ninth-ranked Tar Heels' 68-65 victory.
The Associated Press SIDELINE SCARE: North Carolina coach Roy Williams makes a point from the bench during the Tar Heels' road game Tuesday night against Boston College. Williams left the bench in the second half complaining of vertigo but is expected to be at the team's next practice and game, a school athletic spokesman said Wednesday. Williams returned to shake hands with Boston College coach Jim Christian after the ninth-ranked Tar Heels' 68-65 victory.

ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Josh Hart scored 18 points and No. 1 Villanova celebrated its first game as the nation's top team with an 86-59 victory over DePaul on Tuesday night.

Kris Jenkins made three three-pointers and finished with 13 points as the Wildcats (21-3, 11-1) rolled to their 13th win in their last 14 games. They moved two games clear of fifth-ranked Xavier for the Big East lead after the Musketeers lost 70-56 at Creighton.

Villanova turned 19 DePaul turnovers into 19 points in its debut in the top spot of The Associated Press' poll. The Wildcats had climbed to No. 2 on six occasions before Oklahoma and North Carolina lost last weekend, clearing the way for them to ascend to No. 1.

Eli Cain scored 15 points for DePaul (8-16, 2-10), which shot 41 percent from the field in its fourth loss in five games.

Creighton 70

No. 5 Xavier 56

OMAHA, Neb. -- Maurice Watson scored a career-high 32 points and Creighton rode a fast start to the upset.

The Bluejays (16-9, 7-5 Big East) used an early 16-0 run to take a 17-point lead 9 minutes into the game and then held off the Musketeers after they pulled within five with 6 minutes left.

Watson scored 22 points in the second half and finished off the Musketeers with a bank-in high off the glass, a layup and then a steal and layup to make it 66-53 with 1:54 to play.

Xavier (21-3, 9-3) got 17 points from Jalen Reynolds and 14 from James Farr. The Musketeers' five-game winning streak ended as they shot a season-worst 30 percent from the field, including 1 of 21 from three-point range.

No. 7 Virginia 67

Virginia Tech 49

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Anthony Gill scored 16 points and Virginia turned the tables on its state rival Virginia Tech for its seventh-straight win.

Isaiah Wilkins added a career-best 14 points and Malcolm Brogdon had 12 for the Cavaliers (20-4, 9-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). Virginia avenged a 70-68 loss to the Hokies in Blacksburg on Jan. 4 in what rates as their worst performance of the season, and extended their winning streak at John Paul Jones Arena to 17 games.

Freshman Justin Robinson scored 16 points and classmate Chris Clarke had 11 in his first action for the Hokies (13-12, 5-7) since breaking his right foot in late December.

No. 18 Purdue 82

No. 8 Michigan State 81, OT

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Raphael Davis made one of two free throws with 4.6 seconds left in overtime to help Purdue pull off the upset.

The Boilermakers (20-5, 8-4 Big Ten) snapped a seven-game losing streak in the series despite blowing an 18-point second-half lead, trailing by four late in regulation and allowing the Spartans to tie it at 81 with 11.5 seconds left.

Davis broke the tie with the decisive free throw, giving him 24 points. A.J. Hammons wrestled the second shot away from Michigan State (20-5, 7-5) to seal it.

Hammons had 19 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks.

Denzel Valentine led the Spartans with 27 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists.

No. 9 North Carolina 68

Boston College 65

BOSTON -- Playing most of the second half without coach Roy Williams, who left the bench after complaining of vertigo, North Carolina rallied for the win thanks to 20 points from Justin Jackson.

The Eagles, who have not won an Atlantic Coast Conference game this season, led the whole way until Theo Pinson hit two free throws with under 4 minutes remaining. After BC retook the lead, Marcus Paige hit a three-pointer to make it 62-60.

The Tar Heels (20-4, 9-2) snapped a two-game losing streak.

Dennis Clifford had 14 points and 13 rebounds for BC (7-17, 0-11).

Carolina spokesman Steve Kirschner said Williams, 65, who has suffered from vertigo in the past, felt dizzy and returned to the locker room but was OK. Assistant Steve Robinson took over the coaching, and the Tar Heels eventually came around after falling behind by nine points in the first half.

No. 22 Kentucky 82, Georgia 48

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Jamal Murray scored 24 points and Tyler Ulis added 14 as Kentucky held Georgia to a season-low 22 percent shooting.

Picking up where he left off after a career-best 35 points on Saturday against Florida, Murray made 8 of 14 from the field including 6 of 10 from three-point range. His accuracy helped spur the Wildcats (18-6, 8-3 Southeastern Conference) to 52-percent shooting against a team that entered as the nation's No. 6 team and SEC leader in field-goal defense.

Georgia (13-9, 6-5) just couldn't make shots as its two-game winning streak ended. The Bulldogs closed the first half on a 0-for-17 drought and weren't much better in the second half as they trailed by 37 points in the final minutes.

Yante Maten's 16 points led the Bulldogs.

No. 25 Wichita St. 74, Drake 48

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Ron Baker and Shaq Morris had 11 points each and Wichita State won for the 13th time in 14 games.

Thirteen players scored for the Shockers (18-5, 12-1 Missouri Valley Conference), who moved within two victories of clinching at least a share of its third-straight league title.

Reed Timmer scored 20 points for Drake (6-19, 1-12), which lost for the 15th time in 17 games.

Wichita State was coming off just its second Valley loss in three seasons, as it fell at Illinois State 58-53.

Sports on 02/11/2016

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