Top-ranked Tennessee looks to continue one of the best starts in school history when it hosts Middle Tennessee on Monday night in nonconference play at Knoxville, Tenn. The Volunteers (11-0) can move into a tie for the second-best start with a victory over the Blue Raiders. The 14-0 opening stretch in the 1922-23 season is the school's top beginning to a season. Tennessee concludes nonconference play against Norfolk State on Dec. 31 and the only test it has received thus far came in a 66-64 road win at Illinois on Dec. 14. The Volunteers have won seven games by more than 20 points, topped by last Tuesday's 84-36 rout of visiting Western Carolina. Tennessee's scoring margin of 25.2 is second best in the country. The Volunteers also rank second in scoring defense (55.9 points per game) and lead the nation in field-goal percentage defense (33.9). Tennessee blanketed Western Carolina in the first half to 15 points on 13.5-percent shooting in the first half. The Catamounts didn't have a single two-point basket in the half. Overall, Western Carolina shot 21.9 percent from the field and 15.4 percent (6 of 39) from 3-point range. "I don't know if I've coached in a game where I don't think they scored a two-point bucket in the first half," said Volunteers coach Rick Barnes, who is in his 38th campaign as a head coach. "But they were just coming in shooting it. ... Obviously, our talent was a major factor in the game." North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier continues to be a scoring force for Tennessee with a team-best 40 3-pointers while shooting a stellar 47.1 percent from long range. He had 19 points against Western Carolina and leads the squad with an 18.9 scoring average. Floor leader Zakai Zeigler (11.4) is shooting only 38.2 percent from the field but the reigning Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year is again being a pest on defense while averaging a team-high 7.6 assists. "Just competitive, like he always is," Barnes said of Zeigler. "Pressing a little bit offensively, but he'll be able to work that out." Middle Tennessee (9-3) has won four of its past five games, including a 67-65 home victory over Lipscomb on Thursday. The Blue Raiders have been successful at defending the 3-point line all season, and Lipscomb was just 4 of 18 from long range. Middle Tennessee lowered its defensive 3-point percentage to 24.4 percent -- the same mark as the Volunteers in co-leading Division I through Saturday. Jestin Porter fueled the win over Lipscomb with 14 points and eight rebounds. Essam Mostafa added 12 points and 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. Porter said the club's habits have been a key during the recent run of success. "We've been watching a lot of film and we've all locked in over these past few games," Porter said. Porter is averaging a team-best 15.8 points while making a team-leading 31 3-pointers for the Blue Raiders, whose losses have come against Murray State, Bradley and Belmont. Mostafa is averaging 13.2 points and a team-leading 8.9 rebounds, Jlynn Counter is at 11.1 points per game and Camryn Weston (10.7) also averages in double figures. The Volunteers hold a 9-2 lead in the all-time series but Middle Tennessee won the last matchup in stunning fashion. The Blue Raiders scored the final 15 points of the contest as they scored a 71-64 road win in the second round of the 2012 NIT. --Field Level Media

Way back on Nov. 6, 2018, shooting guard Robby Carmody played his first game at Notre Dame. The four-star recruit started for the Irish and produced 11 points in 14 minutes as Notre Dame defeated Illinois-Chicago by 17. Now, flash-forward six seasons and a similar number of injuries for Carmody -- including a torn labrum in his shoulder, a torn ACL in his left knee and a broken kneecap. The seventh-year graduate student will return Sunday to South Bend, Ind., as he and Le Moyne (5-8) take on Notre Dame (6-5). Carmody played in just 22 games during his five injury-interrupted years at Notre Dame before spending last season at Mercer. He has started six of the past eight games for the Dolphins and scored in double figures in each of his past six. He'll likely play more minutes on the Joyce Center floor tonight than he did in any appearance for Notre Dame -- his career-high of 22 set in November 2019. Carmody paces Le Moyne in scoring (11.8 points per game) and 3-point percentage (44.8). Forwards Ocypher Owens (11.7 points, 7.9 rebounds) and Dwayne Koroma (11.5 points, 6.5 rebounds) also average double figures. But this is more than a homecoming for one Le Moyne player. The Dolphins, who are in their second year of transitioning to Division I, are hunting for their first win over a power-conference team. Last season, Le Moyne fell to Georgetown, Villanova and Penn State. This season, the Dolphins opened with a four-point loss at Syracuse before losing by 41 at UConn. Sunday's game is their last chance until the 2025-26 campaign. Notre Dame, meanwhile, plays its final nonconference contest before spending the rest of the season tangling with Atlantic Coast Conference teams. The Irish beat Dartmouth by 12 in their most recent outing on Dec. 11. While the Irish were taking finals last week, Le Moyne won 80-76 at Dartmouth. Notre Dame continues to try to figure out how to operate without do-everything point guard Markus Burton. Since Burton injured his knee six games ago, Braeden Shrewsberry has averaged 18.3 points and hit 21 3-pointers while junior forward Tae Davis has averaged 17.2 points. "The thing I'm proud about (Braeden's) last two games is he has been efficient," said head coach Micah Shrewsberry, noting his son's 16-of-29 shooting over the past two games. "That's been a product of cleaning up some things offensively for all of us -- and some of his teammates finding him and getting him open shots." --Field Level Media

Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg has high expectations for sixth-year guard Brice Williams. "A two-way player that I think has a chance to play at the next level," Hoiberg said. "No doubt about it with his positional size and overall skill level." Williams will look to display those qualities for a second straight game on Sunday when the Cornhuskers meet Murray State in the first round of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu. Williams certainly played like a pro on Dec. 13 in Nebraska's most recent game, an 85-68 Big Ten Conference win over Indiana. He scored 30 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists as the Cornhuskers (7-2) closed the game on a 21-4 run to even their conference record at 1-1. The team's leading scorer at 18.9 points per game, Williams is hitting 40.6 percent of his 3-pointers (13 of 32). In fact, he's just percentage points shy of the rare 50-40-90 club as he's making 49.5 percent from the field and 89.1 percent at the foul line. Wisconsin transfer Connor Essegian (13 points per game) and Juwan Gary (11) are the other double-figure scorers for Nebraska. Meanwhile, the Racers (6-4) are looking to bounce back from an 84-74 loss Wednesday night at Indiana State in Missouri Valley Conference play. They trailed 41-26 at halftime and simply couldn't make enough stops, enabling the Sycamores to convert 56.9 percent from the field (29 of 51). Murray State was picked third in the MVC's preseason poll after returning a pair of key players in point guard JaCobi Wood and forward Nick Ellington. Wood leads four double-figure scorers at 15 points per game and also dishes out 5.4 assists, while Southern Illinois transfer AJ Ferguson is averaging a career-high 12.3 points. "When we play at our level, our A game, this is a really good basketball team," said Racers coach Steve Prohm. "If you don't play up to your capability, up to your level, you're just average." Murray State has won both previous matchups with the Cornhuskers, in 1990 and 2000. --Field Level Media

Georgetown can surpass its win total from a year ago and start 2-0 in the Big East for the first time since 2015-16 when it faces Seton Hall on Sunday night in Newark, N.J. The Hoyas (9-2, 1-0 Big East) are coming off an impressive 81-57 home win over Creighton on Wednesday, when they shot 10 of 16 from 3-point range. "I thought it's the best defensive effort that we've had since our tenure here," said Georgetown second-year coach Ed Cooley, whose team went 9-23 last season. "I just thought that our attention to detail and our preparation was outstanding." Hoyas guard Jayden Epps was the Big East Player of the Week last week -- the first Hoya to receive that honor since Mac McClung in 2019 -- and leads four players averaging double figures with 16 points a game. The junior, in his second season at Georgetown since transferring from Illinois, is shooting 40.3 percent from 3-point range. Thomas Sorber is next at 14.8 points per game. Micah Peavy, a grad transfer from TCU, is averaging 14 points, and Malik Mack is at a 12.3 points pace. Georgetown is averaging 76.9 points as a team and allowing just 64.2 points a game. Offense has been the biggest issue for a Seton Hall team (5-7, 0-1) that has only three holdovers from last year's NIT championship squad. Seton Hall is shooting 40.7 percent from the floor and ranks among the worst in the nation in shots attempted per game (53.4). The Pirates have broken 70 points as a team just once this season and average 60.9 per game. Isaiah Coleman had a career-high 22 points in Tuesday's 79-67 road loss to Villanova, but again, the Pirates struggled to make shots, shooting just 39 percent from the field (23 of 59). Coleman (12.9 points per game) and Chaunce Jenkins (11.7) are the only Pirates scoring in double figures. Seton Hall had ugly nonconference losses to Fordham and Monmouth and fell 66-63 to in-state rival Rutgers on a last-second shot by Scarlet Knights star Dylan Harper on Dec. 14. After his team fell to Villanova for its third loss in a row, Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway said on his postgame radio show that it was time to make some changes. "I'm starting to question some of my guys on my team's desire to want to play this game at a high level, and it's starting to get to us, right?" Holloway said. "In order to play this game, you got to be into it no matter what. Whether it's your night, whether it's not your night, you got to find something to bring to the team to help you, to help us win. "We got some guys on this team that just care about them, and that's hurting us," he continued, "and I got to do something about it, and I'm going to do something about it." Seton Hall has won the past seven meetings with Georgetown. --Field Level Media

North Carolina State has had time to assess some of its recent shortcomings, and with the bulk of the Atlantic Coast Conference schedule approaching, Sunday would be a good day for coach Kevin Keatts to get a look at his refreshed team. The Wolfpack will play their last non-conference game when hosting Rider at Raleigh, N.C. NC State (7-4), a loser of four of its past six games, has been off since a Dec. 14 loss at then-No. 10 Kansas. "When we don't have two or three of our good guys play well, it's a long night for us," Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts said. "What I'm trying to do is get guys to do other things when they're not scoring the basketball." NC State has won 19 of its past 20 non-conference home games, with the exception coming earlier this month against Texas. Rider (4-8), mired in a six-game losing streak, has a quick turnaround after Friday's 79-66 setback at Penn. A rapid change of fortunes might not be in the works for the Broncs until rough spots are sorted out. "It's not registering with this team yet," Rider coach Kevin Baggett said. "It's not ingrained in them yet." NC State is tops among Atlantic Coast Conference teams with a plus-4.6 rate in turnover margin. The Wolfpack have averaged 21 points per game off turnovers in their seven wins this season. The Broncs allowed only two points off their turnovers in the Penn game. But other glitches surfaced. "A lot of it was self-inflicted," Baggett said. "We make mistakes on offense and defense. Too many breakdowns. Things we work on in practice, things we watch on film." Perhaps the good thing for the Broncs came with Zion Cruz's season-high 16 points Friday night. That included two 3-point baskets. Marcus Hill has been a good source of offense for NC State, posting 16.3 points per game across the team's past four outings. Getting Michael O'Connell untracked could boost the Wolfpack. O'Connell has a total of 14 points across the past four games. "I'm not worried about him," Keatts said of O'Connell. "Here's the thing about him. He's really tough on himself. He'll figure it out." --Field Level Media

A lack of scoring depth and shoddy ball security can put any team in peril, no matter the opponent. Just ask Oklahoma State. After surviving a scare from Tarleton State on Wednesday night, the Cowboys know they must accelerate their focus and execution on Sunday when in-state foe Oral Roberts visits Stillwater. Marchelus Avery will look to be a building block for Oklahoma State (7-3) after notching his first double-double of the season. Avery contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds against Tarleton State, providing a steady hand in the second half as the Cowboys turned a 12-point deficit late in the first half into a 66-61 victory. "I love it that he has ambition and fire and he's playing hard and he's having fun," Cowboys head coach Steve Lutz said. "But we also have to be disciplined with what we're doing. But we need him to score. He rebounded the ball well (Wednesday), which he's gotten better at." While he might not blossom into a reliable offensive option for a time, freshman reserve Andrija Vukovic is slowly making his presence known for the Cowboys. The 6-foot-10 Vukovic tallied his first career field goal while playing two minutes late in the first half against Tarleton State. The Serbian also is helping facilitate the attack by providing screens. "He went from coming here not being able to make a sprint, having to redo it and redo it," teammate Abou Ousmane said. "To see him actually being able to produce, play hard and play our brand of basketball, it's beautiful to see." Oral Roberts, meanwhile, continues to look for growth from its own freshman. JoJo Moore paced the Golden Eagles (3-8) during Monday's 86-50 loss at Texas Tech, scoring 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting. Moore is working to complement leading scorer Isaac McBride (15.4 points per game), who is coming off a season-low, six-point effort Monday. Entering the season, Oral Roberts head coach Russell Springmann said the program was "excited to welcome a lot of newcomers into our program" and felt "this group has done a really good job connecting with each other and playing extremely unselfishly." --Field Level Media

Southern California can close out the 2024 portion of its schedule with a four-game winning streak on Sunday when the Trojans host Southern University in Los Angeles. USC (8-4) has rebounded from a three-game losing skid by winning its last three games, the most recent a 90-69 rout of Cal State Northridge on Wednesday. Chibuzo Agbo improved his season scoring average to 12.7 points per game with his 23 against the Matadors, and Desmond Claude complemented a career-high-matching nine assists with 21 points. Claude, a junior guard, is averaging a team-high 14.7 points along with 3.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game against 2.3 turnovers for the Trojans. "A player (who) people wondered if he could be a point guard, there's not a lot of point guards who play a whole season and can have a nine-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio and score the ball at the rate that he hit," Southern California coach Eric Musselman said of Claude. After struggling offensively in their three-game losing streak, in particular notching 36 and 60 points in losses to Saint Mary's and then-No. 12 Oregon, the Trojans have registered at least 85 points in each of their last three games. Southern (5-6) faces Southern California for the second time in program history -- the Trojans won a 2004 matchup 91-58 -- in the Jaguars' second game of a weekend swing through Los Angeles. Southern dropped an 89-73 decision at Loyola Marymount on Friday despite PJ Dobuol's 19-point, 10-rebound performance off the bench. Doubol is part of a newcomer contingent that Jaguars coach Kevin Johnson said gives Southern depth, particularly in the backcourt. "We added some guys who help our guard play," Johnson said. "Last year, we had a little attrition with injuries down the stretch. We're better in that area this year." Southern heads into Sunday's game with eight players averaging between Doubol's 6.1 points and Michael Jacobs' team-leading 11.5 per game. Of that group, however, Tidjiane Dioumassi -- a 2023-24 All-Southwestern Athletic Conference second-team selection -- missed the Loyola Marymount loss after he had returned from a previous two-game absence for the Jaguars' 74-61 loss at Ole Miss on Tuesday. --Field Level Media

LSU has had a good pre-conference run. The Tigers (9-2) have two more tune-ups, beginning with a game against New Orleans on Sunday afternoon in Baton Rouge, La. "We're (two weeks) out from the start of SEC play. We've got to get better," LSU coach Matt McMahon said. "There's got to be an urgency and a purpose that we work with on a daily basis." McMahon said he was pleased with his team's reaction to a 74-64 loss to SMU on Dec. 14 in its preparation for what turned into a 99-53 victory over Stetson on Tuesday. The Tigers scored the first 17 points of the game, held a 37-point halftime lead and led by as many as 49. "I think the loss to SMU is something that we needed," guard Cam Carter said, "because I feel like winning a lot, you kind of get a little comfortable and you get used it. Sometimes, you need to get hit in the mouth like that." LSU has played three full games since losing forward Jalen Reed, still its second-leading rebounder (6.5 per game) and third-leading scorer (11.1), to a season-ending knee injury. "We have to make adjustments and play a little differently," McMahon said. "These opportunities to get game action are just priceless." Reed's absence leaves the Tigers more perimeter oriented. Their remaining four double-figure scorers are all guards, led by Carter (16.6) and Jordan Sears (15.0). LSU hosts Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 29 before its SEC opener versus visiting Vanderbilt on Jan. 4. New Orleans (2-8) periodically has found itself serving as a tune-up for nonconference opponents during pre-league play. The Privateers have lost by 24 or more points in road games against Kansas State, Baylor, Iowa and Texas -- the most recent being a 98-62 loss against the Longhorns on Thursday in which they fell behind 16-0. First-year coach Stacy Hollowell said New Orleans, which lost its Southland Conference opener 73-70 at Nicholls on Dec. 7, will benefit from facing the power opponents "if we can maintain our sanity through this stretch." The Privateers are led by James White with 18.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Jah Short is the only teammate averaging in double-figure points (12.0). --Field Level Media

Aiming to extend a five-game winning streak and continue its return to relevance, Georgia will host Charleston Southern in Athens, Ga., on Sunday afternoon. Georgia (10-1) is off to its best start since the 2001-02 campaign, when it began the season 11-1. Nearing the end of the non-conference slate, the Bulldogs hope to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. Georgia hasn't won a tournament game since 2002. The Bulldogs average 83.1 points per game and allow just 63.4 -- both improved marks from last season, when their average was 74.7 points in both categories. Georgia put its improved play on full display Thursday in its most recent game. The Bulldogs went ahead 23-0 against Buffalo before routing the outmatched Bulls 100-49. Five-star freshman phenom Asa Newell scored 16 points, as did De'Shayne Montgomery. A Mount St. Mary's transfer, Montgomery made his season debut after gaining academic eligibility. Joining an offense that balances four double-digit scorers, Montgomery already has contributed for his new team. "De'Shayne was terrific. We're really excited for him," Georgia coach Mike White said. "It was exciting for all of us to see him out there. He worked hard, and that's kind of who he is. ... He plays with great energy, plays with joy, he's a high-level competitor." Montgomery averaged 13.2 points per game for Mount St. Mary's, earning rookie of the year honors in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference a season ago. Newell leads the Bulldogs with an average of 16 points per game, followed by Silas Demary Jr.'s 13 and Dakota Leffew's 12.4. Charleston Southern (3-10) prepares for its fifth and final power-conference opponent following losses at Clemson, LSU and Georgia Tech. The Buccaneers did pull a stunner on Nov. 30, earning an 83-79 win at Miami. Since then, Charleston Southern has dropped three of four, including Thursday's 86-69 defeat at North Alabama. The Buccaneers are led by preseason Big South All-Conference selection Taje' Kelly, who averages 18.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. "In my opinion, Taje' is one of the best players in the league," Charleston Southern coach Saah Nimley said. "But he's so humble, so hungry to learn. He's always asking questions. He's a big lead-by-example guy." Following Kelly, RJ Johnson adds 12.8 points per game and Daylen Berry chips in 11.8. --Field Level Media

A TCU team battered by injuries will have one more game to tweak its lineup before Big 12 Conference play begins next week when it hosts Montana State on Sunday afternoon in Fort Worth, Texas. The Horned Frogs (6-4) lost starting point guard and leading scorer Frankie Collins (11.2 points per game) for the rest of the season after he underwent surgery for a broken foot sustained Dec. 8 in a loss to Vanderbilt. Brendan Wenzel, one of the Horned Frogs' top 3-point shooters at 45.7 percent, missed the team's 58-49 win against South Alabama on Monday because of a sprained ankle. TCU will tip off Big 12 play on Dec. 30 at Arizona. "The rotation thing, it's called injuries, who you've got and the next guy up," TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. "We literally had four guys in boots at practice the other day. I've never seen that before in my life." An inexperienced TCU roster will have to work together on the fly as a team. The one returnee who saw significant minutes last season, Ernest Udeh Jr. (9.1 points, 8.4 rebounds per game), has shot 54.3 percent from the field. "Frankie is a big part of our team," Udeh said. "What he brings to our team on offense and defense is something we are going to miss. We are all sad about it, but we still have to go out and win some games." Vasean Allette scored 14 points against South Alabama. The Toronto native, who was the top ranked Canadian player in the class of 2023 by 247sports.com, has started the last three games for TCU. Sunday also will mark the last game for the Bobcats (5-7) before they begin Big Sky play on Jan. 2. Montana State dropped an 83-80 setback at UC-Riverside on Wednesday, although Brandon Walker went off for a season-high 31 points and Max Agbonkpolo scored 20. An honorable mention All-Big Sky player last year as a freshman, Walker leads the Bobcats with an average of 15.7 points per game this season. "I've told these guys all non-conference, we have to continue to see the forest from the trees," Montana State coach Matt Logie said. "We put this schedule together so we would face adversity, so we could grow, so we could get better." --Field Level Media

South Carolina will host Radford on Sunday afternoon in Columbia after posting an emotional rivalry win. The Gamecocks (8-3) upset in-state rival No. 25 Clemson 91-88 in overtime on Tuesday. Leading scorer Collin Murray-Boyles racked up 15 of his 22 points in the second half for South Carolina, which has won five consecutive games and six in a row at home. Myles Stute scored a season-high 19 points on five 3-pointers against Clemson. Last season, he averaged 8.3 points per game as the Gamecocks tied a school record with 26 wins and went to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. While he's off to a slow start this season -- Stute is shooting 34.6 percent from 3-point range (18 of 52) and is averaging 6.1 points per game, both below last season's numbers -- he still has the confidence of Gamecocks coach Lamont Paris. "He's a worker that has a process," Paris said. "He doesn't have that process because he's shooting the ball well or poorly. He shoots it well because he has that process. He's a professional in terms of the way he approaches the work. There's no lack of belief, there's been a lack of performance to some degree to his standard, but no lack of belief on his end or on mine. I believe when he lets it go it should go in most of the time." The Highlanders (10-4) posted a season-high point total when they pounded Division III Virginia-Lynchburg 122-63 in a home game on Friday. Jarvis Moss and Jonas Sirtautas each scored 19 points to lead the Highlanders. Chace Davis, Xavier Foster and Truth Harris came off the bench to add 12 points apiece. It's been a breakout season for Moss, who leads Radford in scoring with an average of 15.7 points per game. The senior transferred from Davidson, where he played in 17 games and scored 18 points in 2023-24. The Gamecocks are the fourth team from a power conference on Radford's non-conference schedule and the last chance to fine-tune things before Big South play begins for the Highlanders on Jan. 2. "We've had a brutal non-conference schedule," coach Darris Nichols said. "Every year we are going to challenge ourselves. We went out west, came back home and now have a quick turnaround to South Carolina." -- Field Level Media

West Virginia will look to take another step toward the Top 25 in its final tune-up for the Big 12 Conference gauntlet when it hosts struggling Mercyhurst on Sunday afternoon in Morgantown, W.Va. The Mountaineers (8-2) have won four straight games, the past three at home, with the most recent an 84-61 triumph over Bethune-Cookman on Dec. 14. Javon Small led West Virginia with 27 points in the victory, which kept the Mountaineers perfect in six home games. Small has scored at least 20 points in five of the team's past seven games, and he has posted double-digit points in all 10 of the Mountaineers' contests. West Virginia's four-game winning streak, which began with an overtime victory against then-No. 24 Arizona in the third-place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis, is the program's longest since December 2022. The past two victories, over mid-majors North Carolina Central and Bethune-Cookman, came despite the absence of star guard Tucker DeVries, who is out with an undisclosed upper-body injury. Freshman Jonathan Powell is expected to start his second consecutive game in DeVries' stead. Powell, who had 14 points and sank four 3-pointers in the Dec. 14 win, closely mirrors the playing style of DeVries. "We've done some nice things," West Virginia coach Darian DeVries said. "There's certainly been some moments, too, when you see some of the disconnect on offense. We've had to keep it fairly simple as guys are trying to learn new roles and new positions during these games." The Mountaineers begin Big 12 play on Dec. 31 at No. 8 Kansas. Mercyhurst (6-8) heads to Morgantown after a 62-60 loss at Binghamton on Wednesday. The Lakers dropped their second straight game and fourth in their past five outings by giving up a layup at the buzzer off an inbounds play. Jeff Planutis led Mercyhurst with 13 points in the defeat, while Shemar Rathan-Mayes added 12 and Aiden Reichert had 11. Planutis is atop the Lakers' season scoring stats, contributing 14.9 points per contest. The Mountaineers, who were No. 45 in the KenPom rankings entering the weekend, are -- by far -- the best team Mercyhurst has faced this season. The Lakers were No. 355 in the 364-team rating. --Field Level Media

Virginia's only senior is heating up as the nonconference schedule concludes Sunday with a visit from American to Charlottesville, Va. Taine Murray matched his career high with 14 points on Wednesday as the Cavaliers (6-5) took their first home loss of the season against No. 21 Memphis. The swingman from New Zealand played 26 minutes off the bench in the 64-62 defeat to the Tigers, making 5 of 9 shots from the field. Murray had scored a combined 10 points in his previous five games. "He was damn good (Wednesday)," Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said. "We didn't talk a lot about Taine Murray at all, and he came in the game and affected the game in a major way. ... He played like a senior, and he was ready for his moment." Murray's parents made the long trip from New Zealand and saw him equal his career high, previously set in November 2021 against Iowa. "His effort was fantastic," interim Virginia coach Ron Sanchez said. "He played with an unbelievable amount of passion on both ends." The Eagles (6-5) are coming off a loss on Wednesday at Saint Joseph's, which snapped their five-game winning streak. American is 0-5 on the road this season. Greg Jones and Matt Rogers each scored 19 points in the 84-57 setback against the Hawks. American fell behind 30-11 in the first 10 minutes and never recovered. "Saint Joe's came out and punched us in the mouth," Eagles coach Duane Simpkins said. "They did to us what we've been doing the past few games. "They did a tremendous job of just jumping on us right away and we never really could get our footing." The leading scorers entering play Sunday are Isaac McKneely (12.2 points per game) and Elijah Saunders (10.5) for Virginia, and Rogers (14.6), Colin Smalls (12.5) and Elijah Stephens (11.6) for American. Virginia is 5-1 all-time against American, including a 91-70 victory in the most recent meeting on Dec. 28, 2006. --Field Level Media

For two teams that haven't met since 2003, there could be plenty of familiarity when Detroit Mercy faces Wisconsin in Madison, Wis., on Sunday afternoon. Over the offseason, Detroit Mercy (5-8) hired longtime Michigan State assistant coach Mark Montgomery as its new head coach, so he brings plenty of knowledge about the Badgers. having scouted them so regularly while coaching in the Big Ten. Wisconsin coach Greg Gard sees a resemblance to Michigan State in the Titans due to Montgomery's presence. "I see some tendencies offensively," Gard said. "I know they have had to deal with some roster shuffling lately. There are some things offensively in terms of some patterns that I recognize. But they are doing things with some three-quarters-court pressure and a little bit of zone Michigan State doesn't do. There are some, but it's not a complete replica of Michigan State." Wisconsin (9-3) comes in feeling a bit better about itself after snapping a three-game losing streak on Dec. 14 with an 83-74 win over Butler in Indianapolis. The Badgers have four players averaging in double figures in scoring: John Tonje (20.0 points per game), John Blackwell (14.3), Max Klesmit (12.2) and Nolan Winter (10.6). The Titans come in following a 73-60 loss at Northern Kentucky on Wednesday, their third straight defeat. Detroit Mercy is led in scoring by Orlando Lovejoy (13.7 ppg) and Mak Manciel (13.4), but due to injuries, Montgomery has entrusted six freshmen to learn on the fly. Grant Gondrezick II had 12 points and Nate Johnson added 11 points against Northern Kentucky. They highlight the freshman contributors. "They are definitely growing up," Montgomery said. "They are giving me everything they can. They are playing hard and they are competing. We just need a little bit more." Detroit Mercy is looking to snap an 18-game losing streak against Big Ten opponents. The Titans last defeated a Big Ten team in 1997 when they knocked off Michigan State 68-65. --Field Level Media

North Carolina freshman Ian Jackson, playing in his hometown, poured in a season-high 24 points and RJ Davis made the go-ahead free throw as the Tar Heels rallied past No. 18 UCLA to win 76-74 on Saturday afternoon at the CBS Sports Classic in New York. North Carolina (7-5) overcame a 16-point deficit and led just twice -- after the game's first basket and after Davis' free throw with 13 seconds left -- to defeat a ranked opponent for the first time in five tries this season. Davis finished with 17 points, while teammate Seth Trimble had 12 points and helped force a key turnover in the final minute. Tyler Bilodeau racked up a season-high 26 points, Sebastian Mack scored 22 and Skyy Clark had nine points and four assists for the Bruins (10-2). No. 2 Auburn 87, No. 16 Purdue 69 Johni Broome played through a shoulder injury and recorded 23 points and 11 rebounds to help the Tigers notch a victory over the Boilermakers in a nonconference showdown at Birmingham, Ala. Broome made 10 of 15 field-goal attempts and Auburn (11-1) led by as many as 33 points during an easy victory. Tahaad Pettiford had 18 points and five assists and Denver Jones added 15 points for the Tigers, who have won four straight games. C.J. Cox scored 16 points and Trey Kaufman-Renn had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Boilermakers (8-4) but missed six of his seven free-throw attempts. Fletcher Loyer had 11 points for Purdue, which lost for the third time in four games. Ohio State 85, No. 4 Kentucky 65 Aaron Bradshaw scored 11 points against his former team in his first game in more than a month to help the Buckeyes upset the Wildcats at Madison Square Garden in New York. Bruce Thornton led the Buckeyes (8-4) with 30 points and John Mobley Jr. added 15 as they evened the all-time series at 11-11. Bradshaw missed seven games since Nov. 19 while the university investigated an alleged domestic incident. Otega Oweh scored 21 for the Wildcats (10-2). Andrew Carr chipped in 13 points. No. 5 Duke 82, Georgia Tech 56 Kon Knueppel paired 18 points with five assists, helping guide the Blue Devils to a rout of the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta. Khaman Maluach added 15 points and eight rebounds, while Cooper Flagg -- on his 18th birthday -- scored 13 points for Duke (10-2, 2-0 ACC), which won its sixth straight game. Baye Ndongo led Georgia Tech (5-7, 0-2) with 14 points, and Duncan Powell logged 13. The Yellow Jackets, who have dropped four of five games, shot 36.2 percent from the field. No. 7 Florida 99, North Florida 45 Will Richard scored a game-high 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting to lead the Gators to a comfortable victory over the Ospreys in Gainesville, Fla. Florida (12-0) continued what is their second-best start in program history and best since opening the 2005-06 campaign 17-0. That season the Gators won the first of back-to-back national championships. Jasai Miles and Liam Murphy each had 13 points to lead North Florida (7-6), which lost its second straight game and third in its past four. No. 9 Marquette 72, Xavier 70 David Joplin scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half to lead the No. 9 Golden Eagles past the Musketeers in Cincinnati. Kam Jones had 20 points, including seven clutch points in the final two minutes for Marquette (11-2, 2-0 Big East). Marcus Foster had 16 to lead Xavier while Jerome Hunter added 15 for Xavier (8-5, 0-2). After Jones made a free throw with 3.6 seconds left, Ryan Conwell lost his balance just across midcourt as Marquette's Chase Ross made an effort to disrupt his path to the basket. No foul was called as time ran out on Xavier, which lost its third straight, all to Top 25 opponents. No. 10 Oregon 76, Stanford 61 Kwame Evans Jr. led a balanced attack with 13 points, seven teammates added seven or more and the Ducks steamrolled the Cardinal at the San Jose Tip-Off event. Oregon (11-1) went on a 27-8 run to finish the first half and take control at 36-19. Stanford (9-3) finished the half with just three baskets in its last 16 attempts, mixing in five turnovers. The Cardinal's Maxime Raynaud produced 20 points and 13 rebounds for his nation-leading 10th double-double. No. 11 UConn 78, Butler 74 Alex Karaban scored 21 points and Liam McNeeley added 17 to help the Huskies edge the Bulldogs in Indianapolis for their sixth straight win. Butler (7-6, 0-2) got within two in the final minutes, but two 3-pointers from Karaban gave UConn (10-3, 2-0 Big East) a 74-69 edge with 59 seconds to play. Andre Screen scored a season-high 17 points to go with 10 rebounds for Butler, which overcame a 16-point deficit to tie the game late. Patrick McCaffery also scored 17. No. 13 Gonzaga 86, Bucknell 65 Graham Ike scored 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Bulldogs defeated the Bison in a nonconference game at Spokane, Wash. Ben Gregg came off the bench to score 15 points for the Bulldogs (9-3) and Nolan Hickman had 14, with those two players combining for seven 3-pointers. Point guard Ryan Nembhard added nine points, nine assists and six rebounds. Noah Williamson scored 16 points and Josh Bascoe added 14 for the Bison (4-8), who took their sixth consecutive defeat. Jayden Williams put up 10 points. No. 15 Houston 87, Texas A&M Corpus Christi 51 Emanuel Sharp scored 18 points and L.J. Cryer added 17 to lead the Cougars to a victory over the visiting Islanders. Terrance Arceneaux made his first start of the season for Houston, tallying 13 points, five rebounds and three assists. Arceneaux had been a key contributor in the sixth-man role for the Cougars (8-3) but got the starting nod after J'wan Thompson was ruled out with a foot injury. Garry Clark led Corpus Christi (7-6) with 17 points and nine rebounds, shooting 5 of 11 from the field. No. 17 Ole Miss 80, Queens 62 Sean Pedulla fired in a game-high 25 points and the Rebels pulled away late in the second half for a win over the Royals in Oxford, Miss. Pedulla, a transfer from Virginia Tech, canned 9 of 14 shots from the field for the Rebels (11-1), who earned their fifth win in a row. Maban Jabriel scored 15 points off the bench to pace Queens (7-6), which committed 21 turnovers. No. 20 Michigan State 86, Florida Atlantic 69 Coen Carr came off the bench to score 17 points and pull down eight rebounds, leading the Spartans past the Owls in East Lansing, Mich. Jeremy Fears and Jaden Akins each added 13 points and Jaxon Kohler grabbed 12 rebounds for Michigan State (10-2), which has won eight of its past nine games. Tre Carroll scored 24 points off the bench and Baba Miller added 12 points and seven rebounds in defeat for Florida Atlantic (7-6), which couldn't overcome a 4-of-22 shooting performance from 3-point range. Mississippi State 79, No. 21 Memphis 66 Riley Kugel came off the bench to score 19 points and lead the Bulldogs past the host Tigers. Mississippi State (11-1) shot 50 percent, 9 of 18, from 3-point range in the first half. The Bulldogs finished with a 41-15 advantage in bench points en route to their fifth straight win. PJ Haggerty led Memphis (9-3) with 24 points, and Tyrese Hunter added 19 points. No. 23 San Diego State 71, Cal 50 Nick Boyd bombed in five 3-pointers in a game-high, 17-point performance, Magoon Gwath anchored a relentless defense and the Aztecs shut down the Golden Bears in the nightcap of the four-team San Jose Tip-Off men's basketball showcase. BJ Davis and Miles Byrd chipped in with 12 points apiece, while Gwath had six points, a team-high 10 rebounds and three blocks for the Aztecs (8-2), who won their fifth straight. Jeremiah Wilkinson, despite 0-for-7 shooting on 3-point attempts, had a team-high 13 points for the Golden Bears (7-5), who lost for the fourth time in their past five games. Andrej Stojakovic, who shot 2-for-12 overall, added 10 points. No. 25 Clemson 73, Wake Forest 62 Five players scored in double figures for the Tigers in a victory over the visiting Demon Deacons. Chase Hunter finished with 16 points and went 4 of 7 from 3-point range to lead Clemson (10-3, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) to a bounce-back victory after consecutive overtime defeats. Jake Heidbreder added 15 points for the Tigers. Wake Forest (9-4, 1-1) was powered by 26 points from Hunter Sallis, while Cameron Hildreth chipped in 15 points. --Field Level Media

Two weekends ago, when Missouri had a chance to knock off the No. 1 team in the nation in a home game, the Tigers came through with a nine-point win over Kansas. Last weekend, when Illinois had a chance to beat the No. 1 team in a home game, the Illini lost on a layup at the buzzer by Tennessee's Jordan Gainey. That's the thin difference between the Tigers (10-1) and the Illini (7-3) heading into the annual Braggin' Rights matchup in St. Louis on Sunday. Good seats at Enterprise Center are going for more than $500 on the resale market for the border war being contested for the 42nd consecutive season. For the winning team (and its fans), the victory will feel about as good as beating No. 1. "I think these are the games that are so good for our sport," Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. "We've talked about the uniqueness of it: 11,000 (fans) of theirs, 11,000 of ours. The gold and black. The orange and blue. And what that's truly like -- because it is so different." "It's important for us to try to control the other side of the border," Missouri coach Dennis Gates told Hoops HQ. "In the border war, we've been able to get a win versus No. 1 Kansas and now we focus on Illinois on the other side of our border. We have to try to protect both sides." While Missouri does have the upset of the Jayhawks on its resume, there is not much else there. The Tigers have fashioned their 10-game winning streak entirely at home with Cal (Gates' alma mater) as the only other non-buy game. The Tigers are getting things done as a swarm: Eleven players are averaging at least 10 minutes per game, which enables them to play pressure defense at all times. "They're a very, very deep team playing 13 guys," Underwood said, "which makes them very, very challenging to prepare for." The Tigers rank eighth nationally per KenPom in turnover percentage (23.2 percent of all possessions). Their leading scorer, sixth man Caleb Grill (13.6 ppg), has not played since sustaining a neck injury Nov. 27 vs. Lindenwood, but he practiced on Saturday. Duke transfer Mark Mitchell (13.5 points per game), Indiana transfer Tamar Bates (12.3 ppg) and Anthony Robinson II (11.5 ppg, 2.5 steals per game) are Missouri's other top options. Illinois doesn't go as deep as Missouri, but freshman point guard Kasparas Jakucionis has been doing enough for two players. The projected lottery pick has scored at least 20 points in each of Illinois' past five games and averages 16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per contest. However, he also paces the Big Ten with 4.0 turnovers per game. --Field Level Media

Kwame Evans Jr. led a balanced attack with 13 points, seven teammates added seven or more and 10th-ranked Oregon steamrolled Stanford 76-61 in the opener of the San Jose Tip-Off men's basketball event Saturday night. No. 23 San Diego State beat Cal 71-50 in the nightcap of the nonconference doubleheader. Facing a longtime Pacific-12 Conference foe for the first time since leaving for the Big Ten, Oregon (11-1) broke away from an 11-9 deficit in the game's eighth minute with equal parts adequate offense and suffocating defense. Nate Bittle's layup gave Oregon the lead for good with 11:49 left, after which the deep Ducks showed their strength in numbers. Evans, Bittle, Jadrian Tracy, Keeshawn Barthelemy, Brandon Angel, Ra'Heim Moss, TJ Bamba and Supreme Cook contributed scoring to a 27-8 half-finishing run that put Oregon in control at 36-19. After losing its lead, Stanford (9-3) finished the half with just three baskets in its last 16 attempts, mixing in five turnovers. Stanford's Aidan Cammann opened the second half with a 3-pointer to close the gap to 14, but Tracey and Evans dropped in two free throws apiece sandwiching a Jackson Shelstad jumper as the Ducks opened a 20-point advantage and never looked back. Evans recorded all but three of his points came at the foul line, making 10 of 12. Oregon enjoyed a 22-7 advantage in free throw points. Shelstad was the only other Duck scoring in double figures with 10. He made five of his 10 shots as Oregon hit at a 43.6 percent rate but was just 6 of 22 from behind the arc. Bittle and Bamba finished with nine points apiece, Cook and Barthelemy eight each, and Angel and Tracey seven apiece for the Ducks, who have won two in a row since their lone loss to UCLA on Dec. 8. Bittle had a team-high nine rebounds, while Bamba grabbed eight. Stanford star Maxime Raynaud was the game's leading scorer with 20 points. He also found time for a game-high 13 rebounds to complete a nation-leading 10th double-double. Raynaud made 8 of 14 shots, but got little support from his teammates, who went a combined 15-for-48. Benny Gealer, who made 4 of 6 shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, added 10 off the Stanford bench. The Cardinal, who had won three straight, shot 37.1 percent overall and 26.7 percent (8 of 30) on 3-pointers. --Field Level Media

Jim Larranaga is stepping down immediately as coach of the Miami Hurricanes, multiple outlets reported Thursday. The school has scheduled a news conference for Thursday afternoon. Larranaga, 75, led the Hurricanes to their first Final Four in school history in 2023, losing to eventual champion UConn in the semifinals -- but Miami has had rough going since. The Hurricanes are off to a 4-8 (0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) start this season as grueling conference play is set to begin. Miami finished 15-17 last season, ending the campaign on a 10-game losing streak. The Miami Herald reported he was under contract through the 2026-27 season. Larranaga has a career record of 716-483 as the head coach at Miami (274-174, beginning with 2011-12 season), George Mason (273-164, 1997-2011) and Bowling Green (169-145, 1987-97). He also took George Mason to the Final Four in 2006. Larranaga is the winningest coach in Miami history and was in his 14th season. The Hurricanes made six NCAA Tournament appearances under Larranaga, advanced to the Sweet 16 twice and won two ACC regular-season titles. This season's team is made up of a collection of transfers and freshmen, and Larranaga had stated recently that the team had not jelled as he hoped it would. The Hurricanes don't play again until New Year's Day, when they will visit Boston College (7-5, 0-2) to begin the ACC portion of the season. Miami will reportedly name Bill Courtney as the interim coach. He went 60-113 as the head coach at Cornell from 2010-16 before joining Larranaga's staff in 2019. --Field Level Media

Baylor is back in the Associated Press Top 25 after a two-week hiatus -- checking in at No. 25 -- and will return to action after more than two-week break when the Bears host Arlington Baptist on Friday night in Waco, Texas. By all accounts, this should be a tuneup as Baylor prepares for Big 12 play. The Bears (7-3) will host Utah in the league opener on New Year's Eve. For Baylor coach Scott Drew, all he wants for the new calendar year is a healthy team, and the break should have provided plenty of rest. The Bears have battled several injuries already as Langston Love, VJ Edgecombe and Jeremy Roach are among the notable players who have missed action. "We're praying for a healthy team so we can all get better during this time," Drew said following Baylor's 94-69 victory over Norfolk State on Dec. 11. "We're just trying to get everybody healthy." Baylor has won three of its last four games, including the victory over Norfolk State in which it scored 55 points in the second half. Edgecombe delivered the play of the night with a thunderous two-handed dunk. "I was on the bench, so I had a great view of it," teammate Norchad Omier said. "His head was above the rim. He does stuff like that in practice, so I want to say I was not surprised, but I was surprised. That was crazy." All eyes will remain on Edgecombe going forward, as he's arguably the most talented player on the Bears. The projected lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft is averaging 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. "He's good for a SportsCenter play," Drew said, referring to the dunk. "But what's more VJ is, you see he gets on the floor, you see he had nine rebounds, you see he had three steals. "A lot of elite freshmen, it's based just on scoring. When they get to the NBA, they've got max-deal guys that have been in the league for 10, 12 years. Now, what else can you do? That's what VJ brings is somebody that doesn't have to score to affect the game." Omier leads the Bears in scoring with an average of 15.9 points per game while Robert Wright III is at 12.9. Baylor is averaging a robust 96.2 points in five games at home this season. Arlington Baptist (1-9), a Division II school in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), continues to grind through a difficult stretch. The Patriots have been outscored by more than 20 points a game and are averaging 17.8 turnovers per game. The latest setback was 124-120 to Howard Payne on Dec. 14. There were some silver linings coming out of that game, though. Isaiah Melvo scored 30 points and J'son Murray added 23 to go with 18 rebounds -- including 13 offensive rebounds -- to earn NCCAA DII National Student-Athlete of the Week honors. In talking about the Patriots' desired style of play, coach Bubba Jennings told the team's website: "We want to play a fast-paced game, pushing the ball on every possession. We will also play full-court defense, pressuring the ball and forcing an up-tempo game." --Field Level Media

No. 12 Oklahoma will look to extend its unbeaten start to the season on Sunday afternoon when it concludes its non-conference schedule against Prairie View A&M in Norman, Okla. Needless to say, Sooners coach Porter Moser has grown fond of his team as it has bolted to a 12-0 record. "Our character is togetherness, toughness, spacing and playing the right way," Moser said. "Defensively we want five guys trying to stop the ball." Oklahoma is off to its best start since 2015-16, when the team won its first 12 games and advanced to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament. The Sooners' current surge has been led by reclassified freshman Jeremiah Fears. Fears, who is averaging a team-best 18 points per game, could be a senior in high school had he not graduated early and enrolled at Oklahoma in July. His four-point play with 11 seconds remaining helped the Sooners record an 87-86 win over then-No. 24 Michigan on Dec. 18 at the Jumpman Invitational. Oklahoma is coming off an 89-66 home win against Central Arkansas on Monday. In addition to Fears, the Sooners are helped by fellow guards Duke Miles (12.1 points per game) and Kobe Elvis (9.8). "Those three guards have each had a game over 25 points this year," Moser said. "It gives you some depth that different guys can contribute like that scoring-wise. Duke really gets it going defensively, too. His energy and aggressiveness defensively has been really good." The Sooners' ability to push the pace into the open court is something Moser wants to become a team focus. He marveled at the team's creativity, even if it's something he didn't possess as a player. "We want to run," Moser said. "We have two athletic guys leading the break. There are some things based on my playing experience and coaching experience I can teach. I really can't teach the underhand lob from the elbow and come in there (to dunk)." Prairie View A&M (1-11) is ranked last of 364 teams in scoring defense at an average of 94.2 points per game. The Panthers also are last in opponent field-goal percentage, as teams shoot 53 percent from the floor against them. After they opened its season with a 111-90 home win against the College of Biblical Studies on Nov. 4, the Panthers have lost 11 straight road games. Prairie View A&M lost 64-46 at Rice last Sunday. Nick Anderson scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Panthers, who held a 27-23 halftime lead. Anderson leads the Panthers in scoring at 18.9 points per game. "It's difficult, obviously, but we're up to the task," Prairie View A&M coach Byron Smith said. "It gives a lot of these kids a chance to see some different places. From a basketball standpoint, it does make it a bit tough." --Field Level Media

Ole Miss carries an 11-1 record into its pre-conference finale at Memphis on Saturday. The No. 16 Rebels have won five games in a row since a two-point loss to then-No. 13 Purdue late last month, their only blemish to date. Ole Miss was not at its best in the latest outing, an 80-62 victory against Queens last Saturday, but that outcome did demonstrate the versatility that the Rebels have developed in the buildup toward Southeastern Conference play. Three-point shooting has been a significant part of the team's success, but the Rebels had a sub-par performance against Queens. They rank sixth in the SEC in both 3-pointers made per game (9.4) and 3-point shooting accuracy (36.3 percent), but against Queens they shot 7 of 27 (25.9 percent). "How do you win a basketball game on a night where the shots are not going down?" Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said. "You've got to find another category." For the Rebels, that category was field-goal attempts. They took 14 more shots than the Royals and wound up with eight more field goals. A key to that advantage was ball security, as Ole Miss committed just eight turnovers to Queens' 21. The Rebels logged 11 steals, consistent with their average of 10.4 steals per game (tied for eighth in the country). "That gave us more shots than our opponent," Beard said of the steady ballhandling. When the 3-pointers weren't falling, Ole Miss started getting the ball inside and finished with a 42-24 advantage in points in the paint. "That kind of opened things up for us," said guard Sean Pedulla, who led the Rebels with 25 points and made 9 of 14 field-goal attempts. Ole Miss knows overcoming a particular weakness won't be as easy against Memphis (9-3) or when SEC play begins next week. The Tigers are playing their final pre-league game before opening American Athletic Conference action next week. They are coming off a 79-66 home loss against Mississippi State on Dec. 21. The back-to-back games against SEC teams comes at the end of a nonconference schedule that also featured Missouri, UConn, Michigan State, Auburn, Clemson and Virginia. The Tigers are 5-2 against power-conference foes. "We asked for this schedule," Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said. "We're going to have to deal with it." Hardaway said, as he did after earlier losses to Auburn and Arkansas State, "This one loss isn't going to define who we are because it's about the entire season." But, he said the one disappointing thing about the defeat against Mississippi State was, "I didn't feel like we fought as hard as we could have. ... We've just got to keep growing and learn from every game that we lose." Memphis ranks 10th in the country in 3-point shooting accuracy (40.5 percent), but the Tigers have made just 26 percent (13 of 50) from long range in their past two games. As the Tigers try to finalize their rotation and roles entering conference play, Hardaway acknowledged, "We're playing a few guys a ton of minutes." Eight Memphis players are seeing double-digit playing time. The team's top three scorers -- PJ Haggerty (22.5 points per game), Tyrese Hunter (15.9 ppg) and Colby Rogers (11.6 ppg) -- are averaging 37.0, 35.3 and 31.8 minutes, respectively. --Field Level Media

Brice Williams scored a game-high 25 points and Nebraska won the Diamond Head Classic with a 78-66 decision over Oregon State on Wednesday night in Honolulu. Berke Buyuktuncel added a career-high 16 points while Juwan Gary chipped in 14 as the Cornhuskers (10-2) earned their first in-season tournament title in 24 years. They connected on 53.2 percent of their field goals, led by Williams, who hit 9 of 13. Nate Kingz paced the Beavers (10-3) with 19 points, and Damarco Minor added 16 despite missing some time down the stretch when he drew his fourth foul with 5:32 left. But Oregon State sank just 39.6 percent of its shots from the field while being outrebounded 31-24. Williams, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, scored 15 second-half points. He produced a three-point play with 3:37 left for a 67-60 advantage, then sealed the outcome when he drove for a layup with 48.0 seconds remaining that made it 74-66. The final margin was the largest of a game that featured seven ties and 10 lead changes. Ultimately, the difference was that Nebraska carved out a 32-20 advantage on points in the paint. The main storyline before tipoff was which team would end a lengthy drought when it came to winning in-season tournaments. Nebraska last captured one in 2000, while Oregon State hadn't done it since 1989, when its star was Basketball Hall of Famer Gary Payton. Neither team led by more than six points in a first half where they took turns playing from in front. The Beavers used consecutive 3-pointers from Liutauras Lelevicius and Josiah Lake II to grab a 17-13 edge at the 9:39 mark. They still led by four before the Cornhuskers rattled off eight in a row to earn a 26-22 advantage on a 3-pointer by Connor Essegian with 6:11 remaining until the break. Oregon State rallied to tie it before Buyuktuncel powered home a layup with 12 seconds on the clock for a 34-32 Nebraska lead at halftime. --Field Level Media

When Nebraska meets Oregon State on Wednesday in Honolulu in the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic, it will have a chance to win its first tournament since the San Juan Shootout in 2000. If the Cornhuskers (9-2) pull it off, there's a good chance Juwan Gary will have something to do with it -- on both ends of the floor. The 6-foot-6, sixth-year senior averages 11.7 points per game and is coming off a 21-point outing in Monday night's 69-55 semifinal win over Hawaii. Gary is also an elite defender whose ability to guard multiple positions has Nebraska playing the best defense in coach Fred Hoiberg's six seasons. The Cornhuskers, who have allowed an average of 52.0 points per game in victories over Murray State and Hawaii at the tournament, are limiting the opposition to 36.3 percent field-goal shooting. "He can guard anybody one through five," Hoiberg said of Gary. "He does so many little things for his team and he's one of the elite offensive rebounders in the country." Fellow sixth-year senior Brice Williams (19.2 points) is coming off a 32-point outing Monday night for Nebraska, which is on a three-game winning streak. The Beavers (10-2) rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit in Monday's first semifinal to topple Oakland 80-74. Liutauras Lelevicius led a balanced attack with 17 points, producing a three-point play with 12 seconds left in regulation that forced overtime. Reigning West Coast Conference Player of the Week Michael Rataj added 13 points and seven rebounds one day after putting up 16 and 12, respectively, in a win over the College of Charleston. Winners of six in a row, Oregon State's hot start might surprise some, given the losses it incurred to the transfer portal after the program fell from Power 5 status. The departures included Jordan Pope (Texas) and Tyler Bilodeau (UCLA). But coach Wayne Tinkle felt the Beavers got deeper via their portal additions. "They're excited to be wearing the Oregon State uniform," he said. "Our balance of youth brings some real enthusiasm among with a good balance of mature guys." --Field Level Media

Chaz Lanier made five 3-pointers while scoring 23 points to help top-ranked Tennessee notch an 82-64 victory over Middle Tennessee on Monday night in nonconference play at Knoxville, Tenn. Zakai Zeigler had 17 points and a career-best 15 assists for the Volunteers (12-0), who trailed by six at halftime but pulled away over the final 13 minutes. The 12-0 start ties for the second best in program history, behind a 14-0 run to begin the 1922-23 season. Felix Okpara had 12 points and Jordan Gainey added 10 points and six rebounds for Tennessee. Camryn Weston recorded 24 points and four steals for the Blue Raiders (9-4), who had won four of their previous five games. Kamari Lands added 13 points for Middle Tennessee, which shot 40.7 percent from the field and was 9 of 30 (30 percent) from 3-point range. The Volunteers held a 40-29 rebounding edge while shooting 48.2 percent from the field and hitting 10 of 22 (45.5 percent) from behind the arc. Tennessee was down by six at the break and finally regained the lead at 52-51 on two free throws by Lanier with 12:21 left in the game. Lanier followed with a 3-pointer 26 seconds later, and Cade Phillips slammed home a ferocious dunk to cap a 9-0 run and give the Volunteers a six-point edge with 11:09 to play. Essam Mostafa later scored back-to-back hoops to bring Middle Tennessee within 59-58, but Tennessee followed with a 14-2 surge. The first six points came on free throws -- four by Zeigler, two by Okpara -- as the Volunteers pushed the lead back to seven with 7:14 remaining. After Middle Tennessee's Chris Loofe split two free throws, Lanier scored on a drive through the lane and Gainey drained a 3-pointer to make it 70-59 with 4:20 left. Mostafa split two free throws with 3:56 to go for the Blue Raiders before Lanier drilled a trey to make it 73-60 with 3:39 remaining, and Tennessee cruised to the finish. Weston scored 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the first half to help Middle Tennessee hold a 40-34 advantage. The Blue Raiders trailed 25-14 with 9:31 remaining in the half before outscoring the Volunteers 26-9 the rest of the period. After Zeigler scored four straight points to give Tennessee the 11-point lead, Middle Tennessee took over. The Blue Raiders scored 18 of the next 23 points to take a 32-30 lead, their first of the game, on Jestin Porter's trey with 3:06 left. Weston capped his explosive half by sinking a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left for the six-point advantage. --Field Level Media

Brice Williams scored 21 of his game-high 32 points in the second half Monday night as Nebraska advanced to the final of the Diamond Head Classic with a 69-55 win over Hawaii in Honolulu. Juwan Gary added 21 for the Cornhuskers (9-2), who will play Oregon State on Wednesday in the championship game. The Beavers scored an 80-74 overtime win over Oakland in the first semifinal. Marcus Greene scored 11 points, while Kody Williams and reserve Akira Jacobs each scored 10 for the Rainbow Warriors (7-4). But forward Gytis Nemeiksa, who averages 15 points per game and tallied 24 in a win Sunday night over Charlotte, missed all five shots from the field and mustered just one point in 24 minutes. Brice Williams ripped off seven of Nebraska's first nine points in the second half during a 9-2 run that gave the Cornhuskers the lead for good at 38-33 with 17:17 left. Gary added the team's next nine points and Williams took over after that with a three-point play, a short jumper and a layup that made it 54-43 with 7:51 remaining. The Cornhuskers canned 59.3 percent of their shots in the second half. The first half was played in two distinct segments. Hawaii controlled the first 12 1/2 minutes, playing solid defense and carving out points with good offensive execution. A layup by Jacobs gave the Rainbow Warriors a 22-14 lead at the 8:41 mark. Nebraska then ripped off 15 points in a 5:59 span, starting with a short hook from Brandon Meah and culminating with Williams' long 3-pointer from the wing with 1:04 left that gave it a 29-22 advantage. The Rainbow Warriors missed 11 straight shots and went 8:01 without a point. But they headed for halftime with momentum after a layup by Harry Rouhliadeff and Greene's buzzer-beating 3-pointer as the horn sounded, enabling Hawaii to slice the deficit to 29-27. Neither team shot better than 35.7 percent in the opening 20 minutes, but the Cornhuskers were more efficient on 3-pointers, going 5 of 12 while Hawaii was just 4 of 16. --Field Level Media