Arizona State’s next two games are on the road against No. 1 Arizona in Tucson on Wednesday and No. 7 Houston on Sunday, which means a win over struggling Kansas State at home in the Sun Devils’ most recent game was essential.

“This was much needed, this outcome, just for the morale of the group,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said after the Sun Devils (10-6, 1-2 Big 12) gave Kansas State its third straight loss to start conference play.

Arizona State snapped a four-game losing streak with the 87-84 win, the 48th victory by six points or less dating back to the 2019-2020 season.

“When you start losing, you feel like, when are you going to win again?” Hurley said.

Arizona State persevered despite being short-handed.

Guard Bryce Ford (hip) and forward Marcus Adams Jr. (back) did not play against Kansas State.

According to Hurley, Ford is likely to return against Arizona or Houston, while Adams is out indefinitely.

Arizona State, which improved with its interior play against Kansas State, will need that element against an Arizona team that ranked No. 2 nationally in average rebounding margin (14.5 a game) entering the week.

The Sun Devils outrebounded Kansas State 48-34, with a 30-18 advantage on the defensive glass. Arizona State is 1-6 when losing the rebounding battle.

Santiago Trouet led all players with 10 rebounds against Kansas State, while 7-foot-1 freshman Massamba Diop had nine and Allen Mukeba recorded eight.

The Sun Devils outscored Kansas State 50-28 in the paint and recorded 10 blocked shots, five by Diop.

Arizona (16-0, 3-0) similarly dominated Kansas State inside in its 101-76 home victory Jan. 7, winning the rebounding battle 55-32 and scoring more in the paint by a total of 56-36.

The Wildcats are coming off an 86-73 victory at TCU on Saturday.

They outrebounded TCU 38-32, led by 10 by 7-2 post player Motiejus Krivas.

Diop going against Krivas inside will match Diop’s athleticism and agility against Krivas’ physicality.

“Our guys probably got to figure out how to find a few more advantages with that physicality,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said regarding how TCU was competitive in rebounding. “All in all, I’m happy with how our guys responded and with all the adversity that we faced.”

Arizona’s 16-0 start matches the second best in program history, trailing only the 2013-14 team that started 21-0.

The Wildcats’ current six-week run at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 matches their third-best streak. The 2013-14 team holds the record of eight straight weeks atop the rankings.

Koa Peat had 20 points against TCU, his most since producing 30 on defending NCAA champion Florida in the season opener Nov. 3.

Jaden Bradley scored all 17 of his points in the second half, including 10 in the last two minutes to secure the double-digit lead. Anthony Dell’Orso came off the bench to add 17.

Bradley noted Arizona’s versatility, including when players step up while others might be struggling and the team’s inside-outside strength.

“We got Koa, Tobe (Awaka), Big Mo (Krivas) — forces in the paint, and they make it easier for us guards to get open shots,” Bradley said. “We’re just playing off each other, making it easy for each other. That’s the goal at the end of the day.”

–Field Level Media

ACC Player of the Week Tre Donaldson’s 23 points, five assists and three steals powered Miami to a 81-69 victory over Notre Dame on Tuesday in South Bend, Ind., the Hurricanes’ 10th consecutive win.

The streak is the longest for Miami since the team won its first 10 games in the 2017-18 season. The Fighting Irish lost their third consecutive game.

Malik Reneau scored 17 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and collected a career-high five steals for the Hurricanes (15-2, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). Shelton Henderson also scored 17 points and Dante Allen added 11, but Ernest Udeh Jr. went scoreless, playing a season-low 12 minutes due to foul trouble.

Jalen Haralson extended his double-digit scoring streak to 15 games as he scored 18 points for Notre Dame (10-7, 1-3). Sir Mohammed scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field off of the bench.

The Hurricanes won the points-in-the-paint battle 40-28 as they were able to consistently get to the rim.

Notre Dame jumped out to an early 6-0 lead as Miami went scoreless for the first four minutes of the game.

The game was tied at 39 at halftime as Mohammed had 11 points. Henderson topped the Hurricanes with 10 first-half points.

Following the intermission, Miami held Notre Dame to three points over the first 5:48, building a double-digit lead that it never relinquished.

Donaldson scored 17 second-half points as the Hurricanes built a lead as large as 71-58 on a Henderson 3-pointer with 4:08 to play.

Notre Dame committed a season-high 18 turnovers against Miami’s pressure defense. The Hurricanes scored 19 points off the Fighting Irish’s giveaways, while Notre Dame managed just six points off eight Miami turnovers.

Notre Dame’s leading rebounder, Carson Towt, dealt with foul trouble throughout the evening and finished with seven boards and four points on three field-goal attempts.

–Field Level Media

John Blackwell pulled up and drilled a 25-footer as time ran out, lifting Wisconsin to a 78-75 win over Minnesota in a Big Ten matchup on Tuesday in Minneapolis.

Blackwell’s teammates chased him for a lap around the floor to celebrate the dramatic end to the Badgers’ rally.

Blackwell finished with 27 points on 8-for-14 shooting, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range, to lead Wisconsin (12-5, 4-2 Big Ten). Braeden Carrington, who began his career at Minnesota, finished with a career-high 21 points off the bench while Nolan Winter added 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Jaylen Crocker-Johnson scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Minnesota (10-7, 3-3). Isaac Asuma contributed 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Cade Tyson scored 14 points and Langston Reynolds notched 12 points and 10 assists before fouling out.

Wisconsin led in the final minutes until the Golden Gophers evened the score, 75-75, when Tyson squared his feet at the top of the key and made a 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds to go.

The Badgers quickly regrouped. Blackwell dribbled the ball across halfcourt as the seconds ticked down, rose for a shot over a Gopher and watched it drop through the net as the buzzer sounded.

The shot prevented overtime on the road for Wisconsin, which trailed 35-28 at halftime and fell behind 41-30 after Crocker-Johnson’s three-point play with 18:23 to go.

A turnaround jump shot by Tyson gave Minnesota a 57-52 lead with 10:42 to go, but Wisconsin responded with a 14-0 run.

Blackwell made a 3-pointer on the Badgers’ next possession to start the spree. Carrington followed with a 3-pointer to give Wisconsin a 58-57 lead with 9:36 remaining.

After a pair of free throws by Blackwell, Carrington made two more 3-pointers to punctuate the run. His shot with 7:27 left increased Wisconsin’s lead to 66-57.

The Gophers kept closing the gap, only for the Badgers to widen it again. A Nick Boyd free throw with 24 seconds left pushed Wisconsin’s lead to 75-72, which set up Tyson’s short-lived heroics.

The Badgers finished 14 of 33 from 3-point range while the Gophers hit 5 of 18 beyond the arc.

–Field Level Media

SMU will likely be back at full strength as it seeks to snap a two-game losing streak against surprising Virginia Tech when the teams square off on Wednesday in an Atlantic Coast Conference game in Dallas.

The Mustangs (12-4, 1-2 ACC) return home after an 82-75 loss at then-No. 6 Duke on Saturday. Jaden Toombs led SMU with a career-high 23 points in the loss while B.J. Edwards had 20 points and Corey Washington and Jaron Pierre Jr. each had 11 points for the Mustangs, who played without leading scorer Boopie Miller (illness).

Toombs, a freshman making his first start after missing preseason workouts and SMU’s first seven games of the year, had the best game of his career, scoring 15 points in the first half alone.

The Mustangs committed 21 turnovers without Miller but still put up a fight against Duke. They were within three points with 1:15 to play before succumbing to their second straight loss since beating then-No. 12 North Carolina on Jan. 3 and moving into the AP Top 25.

“Our guys battled without our leading scorer and did a terrific job of hanging in there,” SMU coach Andy Enfield said. “Had a chance to win with under two minutes left when it was a one-possession game. Now we will go back Dallas and try to get healthy.”

Miller is set to be back in the lineup on Wednesday, but his minutes could be limited.

The Hokies (13-4, 2-2) carry some momentum built from a 78-75 home win over Cal on Saturday. Amani Hansberry scored 15 points and Jailen Bedford added 13 as Virginia Tech snapped a two-game losing streak and matched its win total from last season.

Christian Gurdak had 12 points in the victory, with Neoklis Avdalas and Jaden Schutt each scoring 11 and Tobi Lawal hitting for 10.

“We’re going to have a lot of (tight games),” Virginia Tech coach Mike Young said. “I wish it weren’t so, but it’s a really good league. Good, good teams, and we’re going to have to respond time in and time out. We head to Dallas now to battle SMU and we will be ready to compete.”

It’s the first time the teams will play in Dallas after squaring off for the first time ever in 2025, with SMU winning 81-75 in Blacksburg.

–Field Level Media

Nate Ament scored 10 of his career-high-tying 23 points in the two overtime periods to lead No. 24 Tennessee to an 87-82 victory over Texas A&M on Tuesday night in Knoxville, Tenn.

The final margin of victory represented the largest lead of the game for the Volunteers (12-5, 2-2 Southeastern Conference), who trailed most of the game. Tennessee didn’t grab its first lead until 5:29 remained in regulation.

Texas A&M (13-4, 3-1) had its six-game winning streak snapped.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 18 points and five assists for the Volunteers. Bishop Boswell finished with 13 points and 11 boards, and Felix Okpara contributed 10 points and 12 rebounds. Tennessee enjoyed a 60-35 rebounding advantage.

Jacari Lane led the Aggies with 20 points and nine assists, and Pop Isaacs had 16 points and six rebounds. Ruben Dominguez finished with 15 points, and Rashaun Agee scored 11 points and collected nine rebounds.

There were eight lead changes in the final 5:29 of regulation. Ament and Boswell each made one of two free throws in the closing 13 seconds of regulation to tie the game at 71 and force the first overtime.

In the first OT, Ament had a field goal and two free throws to account for Tennessee’s points. His shot at the buzzer rolled off the rim and the game went to a second OT.

The Aggies briefly took the lead at 79-77 in the second extra period on a 3-pointer by Isaacs, but the Vols tied the game 29 seconds later on an Ament bank shot. Jaylen Carey’s putback with 1:14 remaining put Tennessee up 83-80, and the Vols used three free throws in the final 12 seconds — two by Ament, one by Carey — to seal the win.

Tennessee struggled shooting in the first half. The Vols had one stretch midway through the half when they missed nine straight shots, which became 13 misses in 15 attempts. The poor shooting created an 11-point deficit (26-15) with 6:47 remaining.

The Vols recovered to put together a 10-2 run late in the half and trim the Texas A&M advantage to 28-27. Tennessee trailed 34-30 at the break after shooting 29% from the floor, including 3 of 15 from long range.

The Aggies didn’t shoot much better (36.7%) in the first half but made seven 3-pointers on 21 attempts.

–Field Level Media

Nick Davidson scored 25 points off the bench as No. 22 Clemson won its eighth consecutive game Tuesday night, defeating Boston College 74-50 in Clemson, S.C.

Davidson, a transfer from Nevada, notched his season-high scoring total as Clemson improved to 15-3, 5-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Davidson shot 8 of 11 from the floor, including 4 of 6 from behind the arc. Carter Welling and RJ Godfrey each added 10 points and eight rebounds apiece for the Tigers.

Fred Payne poured in 20 points as the Eagles (7-10, 0-4) lost their fourth straight game.

Boston College led 16-13 midway through the first half after Jayden Hastings made one of two free throws. Clemson then responded with a 16-2 run and wouldn’t trail for the remainder of the game. All of Clemson’s points during that surge were scored by Davidson, who went on an absolute tear while swishing a trio of 3-pointers and throwing down a highlight-worthy one-handed dunk.

Davidson tack on another 3-pointer before someone else scored for the Tigers, making it 19 consecutive points scored for him in the first half.

Clemson led by 25 points, 66-41, when Welling knocked down a free throw with about eight minutes to play in the second half.

Boston College turned the ball over 19 times and Clemson flipped those errors into 24 points. Meanwhile, the Eagles only scored three points off 10 cough-ups from the Tigers.

The victory goes down as another impressive win for Clemson, which is eyeing what would be its third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth under coach Brad Brownell. The Tigers entered this game ranking 21st nationally in scoring defense, allowing their opponents to score just an average of 65.6 points per game. They’re now 11-0 on the season when holding opposing teams below that number.

For Boston College, the 0-4 start in league play puts the Eagles at the bottom of the ACC standings. If they finish in the bottom three in the conference, they’ll miss the ACC Tournament for the second straight year.

–Field Level Media

No. 16 Virginia scored the first 14 points of the game and held on for a 79-70 victory at No. 20 Louisville in Atlantic Coast Conference action Tuesday night.

Malik Thomas scored 19 points as the Cavaliers (15-2, 4-1 ACC) won their fourth straight game and matched their win total from last season. Thomas was 6 of 8 from 3-point range.

Johann Grunloh added 16 points and Sam Lewis had 15 as Virginia defeated a ranked team for the first time since a 59-47 win against No. 14 Texas A&M on Nov. 29, 2023. The Cavaliers blocked nine shots and limited Louisville to 35.8% shooting.

Isaac McKneely, who played for Virginia the previous three seasons, scored a season-high 23 points to pace the Cardinals (12-5, 2-3). Ryan Conwell contributed 14 points and seven rebounds while J’Vonne Hadley added 11 points for Louisville, which fell to 9-2 at home and 2-4 against Top 25 foes.

Thomas hit 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions to put the Cavaliers up 46-34 with 16 minutes to play.

A putback by Thijs De Ridder gave Virginia its biggest lead at 56-41 with 12:25 remaining.

Conwell’s 3-pointer with 3:29 left pulled the Cardinals within 71-64, but Virginia’s Sam Lewis blocked Conwell’s layup to keep Louisville from getting closer.

The third 3-pointer of the game for the 7-foot Grunloh gave the Cavaliers a 74-64 cushion with 2:30 to play.

Two McKneely free throws pulled Louisville within 74-68 with 1:19 remaining. After McKneely and Conwell missed 3-pointers, Grunloh’s free throws put Virginia up 76-68.

Both teams put up more 3-point attempts than shots inside the arc. The Cavaliers shot 14 of 34 (41.2%) from 3-point range and the Cardinals made 10 of 38 (26.3%).

Virginia’s 14-0 start featured four 3-pointers, including a pair from Grunloh, while Louisville missed its first seven shots from the field.

The Cavaliers cooled off and the Cardinals pulled within 29-24 on Kasean Pryor’s jumper with 2:39 left in the half. Virginia led 33-28 at the break.

Jacari White returned for the Cavaliers after missing five games with a broken wrist on his left, non-shooting hand. He finished with five points in 12 minutes off the bench.

Freshman star Mikel Brown Jr. (16.6 points per game) missed his seventh straight game for Louisville with a lower-back injury.

–Field Level Media

Oziyah Sellers scored a season-high 24 points as host St. John’s pulled away in the second half of its wire-to-wire 92-68 victory over struggling Marquette Tuesday night in New York.

Sellers surpassed his season high set in Las Vegas against Baylor on Nov. 25. The senior guard finished three shy of his career high set last Jan. 25 for Stanford against Florida State.

Sellers shot 9 of 16 and made four 3s for his third 20-point game with St. John’s. His showing helped the Red Storm (12-5, 5-1 Big East) earn their third straight double-digit win since shooting 28.2% and blowing a 10-point lead in their 77-71 home loss to Providence on Jan. 3.

Zuby Ejiofor added 22 as St. John’s shot 50.8 percent and outrebounded Marquette 39-26. Bryce Hopkins contributed 10 of his 12 in the second half when the Red Storm outscored Marquette 52-34.

The Golden Eagles (6-12, 1-6) surpassed their loss total from last season. They hung around in the first half before getting dominated in the second.

Chase Ross paced Marquette with 20 points and freshman Nigel James Jr. followed up a 31-point showing against Villanova on Saturday by contributing 17.

The Golden Eagles shot 46.9% and committed 19 turnovers.

Marquette played without fourth-leading scorer Ben Gold due to an ankle injury the forward sustained in last week’s win over Xavier.

After getting out to a 15-4 lead in the opening minutes, the Red Storm allowed the Golden Eagles to hang around throughout the first half. Two free throws by Sellers opened an 11-point lead with 10:26 left, but the Red Storm frequently let the lead slip to five and settled in for a 40-34 lead by halftime.

The Red Storm expanded their lead to 53-42 when Sellers sank an off-balance 3 off an inbounds pass following an offensive rebound with 13:17 left and started putting things away a few minutes later.

Hopkins hit a difficult layup for a 61-47 lead with 10:36 left after Ross threw away an inbounds pass, Sellers hit a jumper for a 19-point lead a little over two minutes later and Dillon Mitchell dunked to cap a 13-0 run that hiked the lead to 70-47 with 7:26 left.

–Field Level Media

Devin Askew came off the bench to contribute a team-high 20 points along with seven assists to help visiting Villanova defeat Providence 88-82 on Tuesday night.

Villanova (14-3, 5-1 Big East), which had a 32-8 edge in bench points, has won all four of its conference road games.

The Wildcats received 15 points from Tyler Perkins and 14 from Duke Brennan, each of whom had eight rebounds.

Providence’s Jaylin Sellers led all scorers with 24 points. Jamier Jones scored 23 in his return after missing one game with a right shoulder injury. The Friars (8-9, 1-5) also received a 21-point performance from Stefan Vaaks.

Providence played without leading scorer Jason Edwards due to a foot injury. Edwards is averaging 17.2 points per contest.

Villanova made 10 of its 28 3-point attempts as Askew and Perkins each made three. Providence entered the game ranked last in the Big East in opponents’ 3-point field goal percentage (37.9%).

Villanova held its first double-digit lead after a Brennan dunk put the Friars up 33-23 with 5:37 left in the first half. The Wildcats stretched their lead to 13 at 42-29 on a Malachi Palmer three-point play with 2:15 remaining in the half.

Providence trailed 46-34 at halftime despite shooting 56% from the floor (14 of 25) in the first 20 minutes.

An 8-0 run pulled the Friars within five at 63-58 with 10:17 to play, but Villanova scored the next five points to regain a double-digit lead. Providence trailed by six with 1:52 left, but failed to get closer than five points the rest of the way.

Matt Hodge (11 points) and Palmer (10) were the other Villanova players who scored in double figures.

The loss dropped Providence’s home record to 6-3 and extended the team’s losing streak to three games.

–Field Level Media

Acceleration has not been a problem for No. 14 North Carolina, but maintaining its maximum speed for an entire contest has become a growing concern.

The Tar Heels (14-2, 2-1 ACC) will look to keep the pedal down throughout the game when they begin a West Coast swing with a meeting against Stanford on Wednesday.

Stanford (13-4, 2-2) recorded consecutive wins over then-No. 16 Louisville and Virginia Tech before losing 70-55 to then-No. 23 Virginia on Saturday.

“Good team,” Stanford coach Kyle Smith said of Virginia. “You’re going to have to play really well to beat them, especially beat them (at home). I felt good about the way we defended and rebounded, but you’ve got to put the ball in the basket.”

The Cardinal face another tough matchup against North Carolina, which rebounded from a loss at SMU to beat Wake Forest 87-84 at home on Saturday.

The Tar Heels won for the eighth time in their last nine games with a wire-to-wire victory over the Demon Deacons. North Carolina improved to 14-2 for the first time since 2015-16 with the win.

Henri Veesaar had 25 points and Caleb Wilson added 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Tar Heels, who led by 15 with 9:50 left before the Demon Deacons went on a 17-3 run.

“This is going to be our growth, for us as a team,” Tar Heels coach Hubert Davis said. “It’s not getting to that level, but it’s staying at that point. There were a number of times where we were up 12, 15 points, and in every one of those situations, we never took a step forward. We took our foot off the gas pedal on both ends of the floor.”

The game marked another example of North Carolina building a big lead before allowing opponents to rally late in games.

“Definitely some frustration,” Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble said. “I wouldn’t say concern. We know that it’s there, but we let teams make these runs and we have these lapses a little bit, and teams just take advantage of it. But I know that we can make that go away. I have no doubt in my mind. Some frustration, but no concern.”

The Tar Heels can avenge a 72-71 loss to Stanford in Chapel Hill last season. Stanford escaped with the victory after Jaylen Blakes scored with 1.5 seconds left.

The current Stanford squad is led by freshman guard Ebuka Okorie, who is averaging 22.1 points on 43.2% shooting.

Okorie had 31 points in Wednesday’s win over Virginia Tech before scoring 14 on 5-of-20 shooting against Virginia.

“(Okorie) is tough to guard,” Virginia coach Ryan Odom said. “… Certainly, he demands a double team at times.”

Senior guard Benny Gealer led Stanford with 15 points against Virginia and is third on the team in scoring at 10.8 points per game.

Stanford and North Carolina have both struggled from beyond the arc this season. The Cardinal are 14th in the league at 33.6% from 3-point range, while the Tar Heels are 13th at 33.7%.

–Field Level Media