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College basketball: BYU upsets No. 1 Gonzaga; Kentucky takes over SEC lead

BYU forward Davin Guinn, left, and center Corbin Kaufusi celebrate after defeating top-ranked Gonzaga on Saturday night.
(Young Kwak / Associated Press)
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Eric Mika had 29 points and 11 rebounds to help Brigham Young upset No. 1 Gonzaga, 79-71, in Spokane, Wash., on Saturday night, ending the Bulldogs’ quest to go undefeated in the final game of the regular season.

Nigel Williams-Goss scored 19 points for Gonzaga (29-1, 17-1 West Coast), which was seeking to become the first team since Kentucky in 2014-15 to finish the regular season without a loss.

Mika’s basket with a minute left gave BYU (21-10, 12-6) a 73-71 lead. Gonzaga lost the ball on its next two possessions, and Corbin Kaufusi had a putback and Mika hit two free throws to put the game out of reach.

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The last team to finish the entire season undefeated was Indiana in 1975-76.

Gonzaga came out fired up and jumped to an 18-2 lead in the first five minutes, making seven of 10 shots.

The Zags cooled off and three consecutive three-pointers by BYU’s T.J. Haws cut Gonzaga’s lead to 26-22.

Mika’s basket cut Gonzaga’s lead to one point before the Bulldogs closed with a 10-5 run to take a 41-35 lead at halftime.

Zach Collins’ put-back gave Gonzaga a 58-46 lead midway through the second.

A technical foul on Gonzaga helped BYU cut its deficit to 58-53, and seemed to spark the Cougars. A pair of three-pointers by Nick Emery cut Gonzaga’s lead to one, and Mika’s basket gave the Cougars their first lead at 61-60.

The teams traded baskets until Mika put the Cougars ahead for good.

No. 11 Kentucky 76, at No. 13 Florida 66: Malik Monk scored 30 of his 33 points in the second half, Bam Adebayo added 18 points with 15 rebounds and the Wildcats rallied past the Gators to take over the Southeastern Conference lead.

While another week remains in SEC play for both teams, the Wildcats (24-5, 14-2) took an important step by twice rallying from eight points down to win the pivotal matchup. And they can thank Monk for making it happen as he scored 14 points during an 18-10 run that tied the game at 55 with 9:54 remaining.

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Adebayo scored six straight points before Monk added seven more in between lobbing a pass to Adebayo for a 70-60 lead with 4:04 left.

Monk sandwiched two free throws around layups by Isaiah Briscoe and Adebayo, points that proved critical in thwarting rally attempts by the Gators (23-6, 13-3).

KeVaughn Allen had 24 points and Justin Leon added 13 for Florida, which had won nine straight.

at No. 2 Villanova 79, No. 23 Creighton: Eric Paschall scored a season-high 19 points and Josh Hart added 16 to help the Wildcats clinch their fourth straight Big East regular-season title.

Kris Jenkins scored 15 points and Mikal Bridges had 11 for defending national champion Villanova (27-3, 14-3), which was without big man Darryl Reynolds (rib) for the fifth straight game. Reynolds is expected to return for the Big East Tournament.

Marcus Foster scored 25 points and Khyri Thomas had 17 for Creighton (22-7, 9-7), which has lost six of 10 after an 18-1 start.

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at Miami 55, No. 10 Duke 50: Bruce Brown scored 25 points, and the Hurricanes held the Blue Devils to a staggering 32 points below its season average.

Brown shot 11 for 18 and had four assists, while his teammates shot just 11 for 40 with four assists combined. Yet it was enough for the Hurricanes (20-8, 10-6 Atlantic Coast Conference), who dominated inside and outscored Duke 40-20 in the paint.

Frank Jackson and Luke Kennard each scored 16 points for Duke (22-7, 10-6), which lost its second straight to an unranked opponent after falling at Syracuse on Wednesday. Duke was without guard Grayson Allen, the team’s No. 3 scorer at 15 points per game sidelined by what the team said was a left ankle issue.

The Blue Devils came into Saturday averaging 82 points on 48 percent shooting. They shot just 32 percent against Miami.

No. 3 Kansas 77, at Texas 67: Josh Jackson scored 18 points and Frank Mason III added 16 to help the Jayhawks secure their 13th consecutive Big 12 regular-season championship outright. Devonte Graham and Dwight Coleby added points apiece for Kansas (26-3, 14-2 Big 12) which has won six straight games.

Jarrett Allen led Texas (10-19, 4-12) with 20 points. Andrew Jones added 18 for the Longhorns, losers of five straight games. Texas committed 15 turnovers, six by guard Kerwin Roach Jr., and Kansas converted them into 28 points.

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No. 8 North Carolina 85, at Pittsburgh 67: Justin Jackson scored 23 points, Joel Berry added 19 and the Tar Heels continued their march to the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title.

The Tar Heels (25-5, 13-3) have won four consecutive games following a loss to arch-rival Duke two weeks ago. North Carolina can clinch its second straight ACC regula- season crown and 31st overall with a win at No. 18 Virginia on Monday. The Tar Heels dominated the smaller Panthers (15-14, 4-12) in the paint, outrebounding Pitt, 48-28.

at Iowa State 72, No. 9 Baylor 69: Deonte Burton scored 22 points, including a crucial 3 with 1:17 left, and Iowa State beat No. 9 Baylor 72-69 on Saturday for its fifth straight win.

Monte Morris had 17 points with seven assists for the Cyclones (19-9, 11-5 Big 12), who have their longest winning streak in league play since a seven-game stretch in 2005. Johnathan Motley had 27 points and 11 rebounds for Baylor (23-6, 10-6).

No. 12 West Virginia 61, at Texas Christian 60: Daxter Miles Jr. made a free throw with 4.8 seconds left to help the Moutaineers win and stay in second place in the Big 12 Conference.

Miles went to the free throw line after a questionable foul against Jaylen Fisher, who never left the ground and appeared to make only slight incidental contact with the Miles.

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TCU (17-12, 6-10), which had tied the game on Alex Robinson’s free throw with 9.1 seconds left, had one more chance but Desmond Bane’s 3-pointer at the buzzer was well short. Jevon Carter had 15 points for West Virginia (23-6, 11-5), while Nathan Adrian added 13.

at Michigan 82, No. 14 Purdue 70: Moe Wagner scored 22 of his 24 points in the first half, outplaying everyone on Purdue’s vaunted front line and leading Michigan to victory.

Derrick Walton added 17 points and 11 rebounds in his final scheduled home game, and the Wolverines (19-10, 9-7 Big Ten) took another big step toward an NCAA Tournament berth. Michigan has won five of six, including victories over Michigan State, Wisconsin and Purdue.

The Boilermakers (23-6, 12-4) had their six-game winning streak snapped and could fall into a tie for first in the Big Ten with Wisconsin if the Badgers win at Michigan State on Sunday.

No. 15 Southern Methodist 69, at Connecticut 61: Shake Milton had 20 points and seven rebounds to lead the Mustangs to the road win. SMU (25-4, 15-1 American Athletic Conference) won its 11th straight and haven’t lost since Jan. 12 at Cincinnati. Semi Ojeleye had 16 points, Ben Moore added 15 and Sterling Brown had 11.

The Huskies (14-14, 9-7), who have dropped two straight after a four-game winning streak, were led by Kentan Facey’s 15 points. Freshman Christian Vital and Vance Jackson each added 14, while Rodney Purvis had 11.

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No. 18 Virginia 70, at North Carolina State 55: Freshman Kyle Guy scored 19 points to help the Cavaliers snap out of an offensive funk and end a four-game skid. Devon Hall added 18 points for the Cavaliers (19-9, 9-7 Atlantic Coast Conference), who shot 49% and made 11 of 16 three-pointers — a huge change from missing shot after shot during three particularly ugly offensive performances coming in.

The Wolfpack (15-15, 4-13) made a last-stand run to get within 59-51, only to see London Perrantes bury a three-pointer with 5:04 left then Hall put back his own miss to push the margin back to 13.

No. 19 Florida State 76, at Clemson 74: Xavier Rathan-Mayes scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half, including the go-ahead basket with 1:22 left, to lift the Seminoles to victory.

Jonathan Isaac of Florida State blocked Shelton Mitchell’s drive with 11 seconds left and, after Trent Forrest made a free throw for the Seminoles, Marcquise Reed came up short on a mid-range jumper with five seconds to go as the Seminoles held on to win their 23rd game in the regular season for the first time since 2008-09.

Florida State (23-6, 11-5) kept pace in the Atlantic Coast Conference race, remaining two games behind league leader North Carolina entering the final week of the season. It was the latest in a string of near misses for Clemson (14-14, 4-12), which fell to 1-9 in ACC games decided by six points or less. The Tigers’ last five ACC losses came by a combined 12 points.

at No. 20 St. Mary’s 70, Santa Clara 56: Jock Landale scored 17 points and Saint Mary’s beat Santa Clara in the West Coast Conference regular-season finale for both teams.

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Emmett Naar and Calvin Hermanson scored 13 points apiece for the Gaels (26-3, 15-3). Jared Brownridge and Matt Hauser scored 15 points apiece for Santa Clara (16-15, 10-8).

Iowa 83, at No. 24 Maryland 69: Freshman Jordan Bohannon scored a career-high 24 points, making eight of 10 three-pointers, to help the Hawkeyes breeze past the fading Terrapins.

Tyler Cook had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Iowa (16-13, 8-8 Big Ten), which improved to 2-7 on the road this season. The Hawkeyes, who led by seven at halftime and erased any shred of suspense by taking a 16-point lead with 10:28 remaining, made 16 of 26 shots beyond the arc in avenging a home loss to Maryland on Jan. 19. Kevin Huerter scored 13 points for Maryland (22-7, 10-6).

No. 25 Wichita State 86, Missouri State 67: Landry Shamet scored a career-best 23 points as the Shockers clinched at least a share of the Missouri Valley Conference title for the fourth season in a row.

The title is the fifth in six seasons for the Shockers (27-4, 17-1), who have won 12 straight games and appear well on their way to a sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Shaq Morris added 20 points for Wichita State, which has won 14 straight games over the Bears (16-15, 7-11), while Conner Frankamp had 14 points. Dequon Miller led Missouri State with 19 points, while Alize Johnson had 18 points and 12 rebounds.

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