UNDATED (AP) — Justin Moore scored 18 points and Collin Gillespie had 14 to lead No. 6 Villanova to a 67-53 win over Syracuse in the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday night.
Jermaine Samuels added 13 for the Wildcats in their 22nd win at Madison Square Garden since 2014. The Wildcats improved to 7-2. Jimmy Boehim led the Orange with 21 points and Joe Girard III had 11 for Syracuse, which is 5-4. The Wildcats have a Sweet 16 rematch with Baylor on Saturday. Baylor beat Villanova last March in the Sweet 16.
In other T25 action:
— Ochai Agbaji scored 23 points, Christian Braun added 20 and eighth-ranked Kansas tuned up for this weekend’s return of the Border War with a 78-52 blowout of UTEP on Tuesday night. David McCormack and Mitch Lightfoot added eight points apiece for the Jayhawks, who led by 21 at halftime and weren’t threatened the rest of the way. Souley Boom had 18 points and Keonte Kennedy 11 for UTEP.
—Oscar Tshiebwe scored 18 of his 23 points after halftime despite being in foul trouble, TyTy Washington Jr. added 14 points and both Wildcats keyed small runs to help No. 10 Kentucky top Southern 76-64 on Tuesday night for its seventh consecutive victory. game.
— J.D. Notae recorded his first career double-double and No. 12 Arkansas rolled to a 86-66 win against Charlotte on Tuesday night in nonconference action. Notae finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds as the Razorbacks took control of the game in the first half and never let up.
—Terrence Shannon, Jr. had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Texas Tech continued its run of Jimmy V Classic upsets in an offensively anemic 57-52 overtime win over No. 13 Tennessee on Tuesday night. Tuesday’s game was classic in title only. Offense was hard to find at Madison Square Garden, where the Vols missed a whopping 34 of 40 3-pointers overall and shot only 27% overall in regulation from the floor.
— Isaiah Mobley had a career-high 23 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 16 Southern California beat Eastern Kentucky 80-68. The Trojans improved to 9-0 overall, and they’re off to their best start since 2016-17 when they opened 14-0. Mobley hit a career-high five 3-pointers. Mobley hit a career-high five 3-pointers and his rebounds tied a career high. The Colonels dropped their fourth in a row and fell to 5-5 overall. They were led by Braxton Beverly with 16 points. The Colonels outscored USC 43-39 in the second half, when they hit five straight 3-pointers over the game’s closing minutes.
