Top 25 roundup: Florida rallies, stuns No. 2 Tennessee
Colin Castleton scored 20 points and Kyle Lofton added 14 points and four assists, leading Florida to a 67-54 win over No. 2 Tennessee on Wednesday in Gainesville, Fla.
Tennessee led by as much as six points in the second half before Florida responded with a game-changing 13-0 run to take a 5-12 lead 55-46 and end the game from there. The Gators shot 43.8 percent from the field and 35 percent (7 of 20) from beyond the arc.
Zeigler led Tennessee (18-4, 7-2 Southeastern Conference) with 15 points, while forward Olivier Nkamhoua and guard Santiago Vescovi added 11 points each. The Vols fought off the field all night, shooting just 27.9 percent, including 5 of 25 (20 percent) from 3-point range.
The Gators (13-9, 6-3) have beaten a top-two team at home in consecutive seasons after beating No. 2 Auburn 63-62 last February.
#1 Purdue 80, Penn State 60
Mason Gillis came off the bench and scored a career-high 29 points to lead the Boilermakers past the Nittany Lions in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Purdue (22-1, 11-1 Big Ten) won its ninth straight and swept the season series with Penn State (14-8, 5-6) losing for the fifth time in its last eight games.
While Penn State did a solid job of narrowing down national player of the year nominee Zach Edey, Gillis notched a career-best nine 3-pointers in 12 attempts and set a new Mackey Arena record for triples in a game. Purdue posted a season-high 14 3-pointers as a team.
Gillis came into the game on Wednesday averaging just 5.4 points and had never scored more than 14 points in a game in his career. According to Purdue, Gillis’ 29 points were the most by a major conference player to come off the bench this season.
No. 14 Marquette 73, Villanova 64
Tyler Kolek had 20 points and Kam Jones added 18 as the Golden Eagles retained part of the Big East lead with a win over the Wildcats in Milwaukee.
Marquette (18-5, 10-2 Big East) took control late with a 14-1 run over six minutes, extending the lead to 71-62 after two free throws from Olivier-Maxence Prosper with 14 seconds to go . Villanova went 7 1/2 minutes without a field goal until Caleb Daniels dunk with 10 seconds left.
Daniels and Eric Dixon each had 14 points for Villanova (10-12, 4-7).
No. 16 Xavier 85, No. 17 Providence 83 (OT)
Jack Nunge scored a game-high 23 points in a Big East overtime thriller in Cincinnati, while Souley Boum and Colby Jones each added 20 to lead No. 16 Xavier past 17th-ranked Providence.
Noah Locke beat the Friars (17-6, 9-3 Big East) by 22 points. Ed Croswell contributed 21 points and nine rebounds and Bryce Hopkins added 10 and 13 respectively for Providence, ending his three-game winning streak. Jared Bynum’s 3-point attempt from the left baseline rattled in and out with two seconds left to allow the Musketeers (18-5, 10-2) to walk away with the win.
Xavier played his first game without older striker Zach Freemantle, who will be out for at least four weeks with a left foot injury.
#25 Auburn 94, Georgia 73
Allen Flanigan scored a game-high 22 points and Johni Broome added 19 points and 18 rebounds as the Tigers drove to a victory over the visiting Bulldogs in the Southeastern Conference game.
Flannigan shot 8-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, while Broome hit 8-of-11 from the floor in addition to combining a career high in rebounds. Wendell Green Jr. had 18 points and six assists, and KD Johnson finished with 13 points for Auburn (17-5, SEC 7-2).
Georgia (14-8, 4-5) was led by Mardrez McBride, who had a season-high 20 points while shooting 6 of 8 from the arc. Kario Oquendo added 10 points and Jusaun Holt finished with nine points.
