CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) – De’Andre Hunter scored 21 points and Ty Jerome had 14 and a career-high 12 assists as No. 4 Virginia started fast and routed No. 9 Virginia Tech 81-59 on Tuesday night.
Kyle Guy added 15 points for the Cavaliers (16-0, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who never trailed in the first meeting of the programs in which both were ranked in the top 10. Virginia also remained one of two unbeaten teams in the country along with Michigan, which was idle.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 19 points and Ahmed Hill 14 to lead Virginia Tech (14-2, 3-1), which was seeking the first 15-1 start in program history. The Hokies also hoped to repeat last year’s 61-60 overtime victory at John Paul Jones Arena, but they trailed by double figures after 12 minutes and never got within single digits the rest of the way.
Virginia could hardly miss in the first half, making 10 of 14 3-point tries, including one by Kihei Clark at the buzzer to make it 44-22. The Hokies, meanwhile, were just 2 for 9 from deep and shot 35 percent (7-for-20) from the field compared to 68 percent (17-for-25) for the Cavaliers in the half.
Virginia finished 13 for 23 from 3-point range and shot 58.5 percent overall (31-for-53).
• No. 3 Tennessee 106, Arkansas 87
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Lamonte’ Turner and Jordan Bowden combined to score 40 points off the bench, and No. 3 Tennessee whipped Arkansas for its 11th consecutive victory.
Turner scored 21 points and hit 6 of 8 shots. Bowden was 6-of-7 shooting and 5 of 6 from 3-point range en route to 19 points, and Tennessee’s bench outscored Arkansas’ 50-23.
Tennessee last won 11 straight in the 2007-08 season. Tennessee (15-1, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) is off to its fastest start since that 2007-08 campaign, when the Vols won 16 of their first 17.
Grant Williams scored 18 points for Tennessee and made all 14 of his free-throw attempts. Admiral Schofield scored all 17 of his points in the second half, and Kyle Alexander added 12 points.
Isaiah Joe scored 23 points, Mason Jones had 18, Reggie Chaney 11 and Daniel Gafford 10 for Arkansas (10-6, 1-3).
• No. 10 Nevada 72, Boise State 71
BOISE, Idaho – Cody Martin hit a 3-pointer with 4.5 seconds remaining to help No. 10 Nevada beat Boise State.
Boise State (8-9, 3-1) had a chance to win it, but Justinian Jessup’s long 3-point heave at the buzzer fell short.
Nevada seemed to have the game on cruise control early in the second half, never allowing the Broncos to get any closer than seven points, but the Wolf Pack (17-1, 4-1) remained in constant foul trouble. Starters Trey Porter and Caleb Martin were on the bench with four fouls with just over nine minutes remaining in the game.
Boise State took its first lead of the second half at 69-68 with 2:10 remaining on two free throws by Alex Hobbs. Cody Martin tied it by hitting one of two from the line with 1:52 left. Hobbs answered with a layup 10 seconds later to give the Broncos a 71-69 advantage. Nevada, however, turned up its defensive intensity and stifled two subsequent Boise State possessions, setting up Martin’s winner.
• No. 12 Kentucky 69, Georgia 49
ATHENS, Ga. – Ashton Hagans silenced a hostile crowd by scoring a season-high 23 points, leading No. 12 Kentucky over Georgia.
The Wildcats (13-3, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) pulled away in the second half for their third straight victory.
Hagans, a freshman who initially committed to Georgia out of high school but wound up signing with Kentucky, was booed by the sellout crowd at Stegeman Coliseum each time he touched the ball.
Georgia (9-7, 1-3) led by five in the opening minutes before going to the locker room down 35-31.
• No. 13 North Carolina 75, Notre Dame 69
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Nassir Little scored all 11 of his points in the final 11 minutes, and No. 13 North Carolina beat Notre Dame.
Coby White had 17 points while Luke Maye added 14 points and 10 rebounds and Cameron Johnson finished with 11 points for the Tar Heels (13-4, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). UNC used a late 12-1 run to bounce back from its most lopsided home loss under Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams.
Prentiss Hubb scored 18 points, John Mooney had 16 points and 19 rebounds, and D.J. Harvey added 15 points for the Fighting Irish (11-6, 1-3).
• No. 15 Marquette 74, Georgetown 71
WASHINGTON – Sam Hauser scored a career-high 31 points, Theo John tied a career-high with 14 points and No. 15 Marquette held on to beat Georgetown despite Markus Howard – the nation’s fourth leading scorer – playing just three scoreless minutes due to lower back tightness.
John blocked Georgetown’s James Akinjo’s drive with four seconds left as Marquette (15-3, 4-1) won its fourth straight game.
Georgetown (12-6, 2-3) was led by Mac McClung with 24 points while Jessie Govan added 14 points and nine rebounds. McClung’s desperation 3-point heave from half court was off the mark.
• No. 16 Buffalo 88, Western Michigan 79
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Jeremy Harris had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 16 Buffalo held off upset-minded Western Michigan.
Nick Perkins added 14 points for the Bulls (16-1, 4-0 Mid-American Conference), who trailed by 11 in the first half and struggled to shake free of WMU until the very end. Buffalo had won its first three MAC games by a combined 70 points.
The Broncos (6-11, 0-4) went on a 15-0 run in the first half and led 33-22, but Buffalo rebounded quickly and led 43-39 at halftime.
• Wake Forest 71, No. 17 North Carolina State 67
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Freshman Jaylen Hoard had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Wake Forest blew a 22-point lead before recovering in time to top No. 17 North Carolina State.
Graduate transfer Torry Johnson added 11 points for the Demon Deacons (8-8, 1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). That included a critical jumper with 1:19 left in a one-point game, along with two free throws with 13.3 seconds left that helped the Demon Deacons (barely) survive a wild night in Winston-Salem.
Wake Forest led 42-27 at halftime, and then 51-29 with a flurry out of the break. But the Wolfpack (14-3, 2-2) made a move with 15 straight points to get back in it, and then fought all the way back to tie it at 58 on Devon Daniels’ floater with 7:46 left.
• LSU 83, No. 18 Mississippi 69
OXFORD, Miss. – Tremont Waters scored 20 points, Kavell Bigby-Williams had 14 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks, and LSU beat No. 18 Mississippi.
LSU (13-3, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) used an early 8-0 run in the second half to take a 48-39 lead. The Tigers maintained a healthy advantage from that point, playing tight defense and forcing several turnovers.
Ole Miss (13-3, 3-1) had its 10-game winning streak snapped. The Rebels hadn’t lost since Nov. 24, when they fell 71-57 to Cincinnati. Terence Davis led Ole Miss with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
• No. 24 Mississippi State 71, Florida 68
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Quinndary Weatherspoon converted a three-point play with 3.4 seconds left to lift No. 24 Mississippi State over Florida 71-68.
Lamar Peters scored all 16 of his points in the first half, and Tyson Carter added 12 for Mississippi State (13-3, 1-2 Southeastern Conference).
KeVaughn Allen had 17 points for Florida (9-7, 1-3), and Andrew Nembhard had 13 points. Noah Locke had 12 points for the Gators, who had won eight straight against Mississippi State.
