BYU claimed the ESPN Events Invitational’s Magic Bracket championship on Friday, beating Dayton 83-79 in the title game at Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
The Cougars (6-1) bested Miami on Thanksgiving Day to reach the meeting with the Flyers. Richie Saunders led all scorers with 29 points on Friday, with his biggest shot coming with just under three minutes left. Saunders broke a 70-all tie with a 3-pointer, and the Cougars controlled the game the rest of the way.
Read More: Around the Big 12: Cougars Win ESPN Events Invitational
BYU sits at No. 9 in the nation, and its only loss came to No. 3 Connecticut in Boston. The Cougars have a light week this week; their only game comes on Wednesday against California Baptist in Salt Lake City.
Wildcats Race to Two Easy Wins
Motiejus Krivas led all scorers with 20 points on Saturday, as No. 2 Arizona hammered Norfolk State 98-61 in Tucson. The Wildcats also routed Denver by a 103-73 score on Monday.
Arizona (7-0) was due for a breather week after taking down UCLA and Connecticut in consecutive weeks. The Wildcats also own a win over Florida and have played one of the nation’s toughest schedules.
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Arizona faces just one game this week, but it’s a big one: the Wildcats will host Auburn on Saturday.
Dak’s Double-Double Moves Buffaloes to 7-0
Bangot Dak scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against Washington on Friday, helping Colorado to an 81-68 win over the Huskies in the championship of the Acrisure Holiday Classic in Palm Desert, Calif.
Colorado moved to 7-0 after beating San Francisco on Thursday and Washington on Friday. The Buffaloes locked down on the Huskies, holding them to just 33% from the floor.
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Five players reached double figures for Colorado in the Washington game, and Barrington Hargress dished out eight assists. The Buffaloes play California Baptist on Monday and travel to Colorado State on Saturday.
Cyclones Earn Three Wins in Vegas
Iowa State edged St. John’s with a healthy Tamin Lipsey, then beat both Creighton and Syracuse without him, going 3-0 at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.
The Cyclones (7-0) answered several questions with their biggest win of the season. Lipsey got injured against the Red Storm, but Iowa State didn’t miss a beat after Monday’s one-point win.
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Against Creighton, Iowa State forced 17 turnovers in a 78-60 win, and Syracuse coughed the ball up 19 times in a 95-64 rout. The Cyclones get a breather in Alcorn State on Wednesday, but they travel to top-ranked Purdue on Saturday.
Cowboys Lock Down Northwestern
Oklahoma State held Northwestern to 16% shooting from behind the 3-point arc, overcoming the Wildcats in the second half to win 86-81 in Chicago.
Anthony Roy scored 16 points in the final eight minutes, his only points in the entire game. Jaylen Curry added 18 points as Oklahoma State stayed perfect on the season. The Cowboys will face Sam Houston on Tuesday and Grand Canyon on Saturday.
Jayhawks Upset Volunteers in Vegas
Melvin Council Jr. scored 17 points and Kansas came up with its biggest win of the season, beating previously unbeaten Tennessee on Wednesday to finish third place in the Players Era Festival.
Kansas (6-2) held Tennessee to 41% shooting to earn its third straight win. The Jayhawks also knocked off Notre Dame and Syracuse while in Vegas. For the year, Kansas has only lost to ACC giants Duke and North Carolina.
Kansas faces another difficult week, as it will host Connecticut on Tuesday and Missouri on Sunday.
Houston Goes 2-1 in Sin City
Houston took its first loss of the season to Tennessee on Tuesday, which it sandwiched between wins over Syracuse and Notre Dame at the Players Era Festival.
The Cougars (7-1) were never out of the game with the Volunteers, but constantly found themselves chasing. Tennessee took the lead at the 12:32 mark and Houston never got even again, spending the rest of the game between one and four points behind. Kingston Flemings scored 25 points against the Vols to lead all scorers.
Houston has not played a road game all year and won’t until Big 12 play. The Cougars host Florida State on Saturday.
Knights Improve to 7-1
Central Florida held VMI to 28% shooting in its home non-conference meeting, an 82-57 win over the Keydets. The Knights also bested Quinnipiac 102-91 to end the week 2-0.
UCF (7-1) trailed Quinnipiac at halftime before coming up with 55 points in the second half. Jeremy Foumena scored 18 points in that game to lead the Knights’ attack. Central Florida has won six straight, mostly against weak opponents. The Knights face another lesser side Saturday when they host Towson.
Frogs Upset Reigning Champions
Brock Harding’s jumper in the final minute pushed TCU ahead of Florida, and the Frogs hung on for their biggest win of the season. TCU then topped Wisconsin to claim the Rady Children’s Invitational title.
Jace Posey scored 21 points for TCU (5-2), which has won five of six since its season-opening slip to New Orleans. Since that upset, the Frogs’ only loss has come to sixth-ranked Michigan. TCU hosts Notre Dame on Friday and North Texas on Sunday.
Bears Edge Aztecs in Vegas
Tounde Yessoufou scored 18 points as Baylor salvaged a 2-1 trip to Las Vegas by beating San Diego State 91-81 on Wednesday.
The Bears (5-1) also defeated Creighton on Monday before losing to St. John’s on Tuesday. Baylor played the last two games without senior JJ White, who picked up a foot injury against the Bluejays.
Baylor will host Sacramento State on Tuesday before visiting Memphis on Saturday in its first true road game.
Red Raiders Rebound With Two Wins
Texas Tech bounced back from getting shellacked by Purdue, beating New Orleans on Wednesday and Wyoming on Sunday.
JT Toppin scored 27 points against the Cowboys, as the Red Raiders finally wore down Wyoming for a 76-72 win. New Orleans proved much easier, falling 82-50. Texas Tech (6-2) has now won 44 straight home non-conference games. The Red Raiders’ losses have come at Illinois and to Purdue in the Bahamas.
Texas Tech will play a neutral-site game Sunday in Fort Worth, as it will meet LSU.
Sun Devils Take Second in Maui
Maurice Odum scored 79 points in three games, as Arizona State beat Texas and Washington State before losing the Maui Invitational final to USC.
The Sun Devils (6-2) played four games total on the islands, as they faced and beat Hawai’i before jumping from Oahu to Maui. Arizona State beat Texas 87-86 behind 36 points from Odum, then won 100-94 over Washington State. Odum scored 17 against the Trojans and the Sun Devils were tied at the half, but USC’s 60% shooting proved too much.
Arizona State faces a virtual home game Saturday, as it will face Oklahoma in the Suns’ arena in Phoenix. While technically a neutral site, Mortgage Matchup Center is just 10 miles from Arizona State’s campus.
Utes Best Rebels to End Skid
Utah edged Mississippi 75-74 in the Acrisure Classic consolation game Wednesday, ending a two-game losing streak.
The Utes (6-2) hadn’t played a Power 5 opponent all season before facing Mississippi. They landed in the consolation game after losing Tuesday to Grand Canyon, falling 68-58. In that game, Don McHenry scored 16 points for Utah, but the Utes lost despite not giving up a single 3-point shot.
Utah faces its first true road game Tuesday at California, and will host California Baptist on Saturday.
Eagles Stun Bearcats
Day Day Thomas scored 17 points, but Cincinnati fell behind early against Eastern Michigan and never recovered, losing 64-56 at home to the Eagles on Wednesday.
The loss was especially galling for the Bearcats (5-2) given that both squads had just faced Louisville. Cincinnati had played well in a 10-point loss to the Cardinals, while EMU fell by 41 points two days earlier. But Eastern started this game hot and Cincinnati never got started. The Bearcats trailed by 17 in the first half and chased the game from there.
Cincinnati did defeat NJIT 94-67 on Monday to earn a split. The Bearcats host Tarleton State on Monday before visiting in-city rival Xavier for the Crosstown Shootout on Friday.
Hoosiers Hammer Wildcats
Kansas State started its visit to Indiana in a 20-4 hole and never climbed out, taking an 86-69 loss to the Hoosiers in Bloomington.
The Wildcats (5-2) got as close as two points, but Indiana built the lead back to 12 by the break and started the second half on a 1o-2 run. The game was academic from there; Kansas State never again got closer than 10 points.
The Wildcats host Bowling Green tonight before returning to Power 5 competition on Saturday, when they’ll host Seton Hall.
