CINCINNATI— J.P. Macura got Xavier rolling with 19 points off the bench, and freshman point guard Edmond Sumner had 19 points and nine assists as fifth-ranked Xavier got the win that had eluded it, knocking off top-ranked Villanova 90-83 on Wednesday night.
The Musketeers (25-3, 13-3) led most of the way in the first matchup of Top 5 teams since the Big East was reconfigured, pulling away at the end against the only team they’d never beaten in league play.
Villanova (24-4, 13-2) was the first No. 1 team to play in the Cintas Center, which opened for the 2000-01 season. The Wildcats couldn’t overcome foul trouble or Xavier’s balance, losing for only the second time in their last 18 games.
Xavier got ahead by 15 points late and held on with free throws. The Musketeers dominated the boards 42-33.
Kris Jenkins scored 22 for Villanova but fouled out with 8:47 left. Daniel Ochefu also sat most of the second half with four fouls.
No. 7 UNC 80, N.C. STATE 68
RALEIGH, N.C. — Brice Johnson had 22 points and 11 rebounds to help North Carolina (23-5, 12-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) beat North Carolina State (14-14, 4-11).
Wisconsin 67,
No. 8 Iowa 59
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Bronson Koenig scored 15 points and Wisconsin (18-10, 10-5 Big Ten) upset Iowa (20-7, 11-4), handing the Hawkeyes their third loss in four games.
Michigan 72,
Northwestern 63
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Muhammad-Ali Abdur Rahkman scored 19 points and Aubrey Dawkins broke Michigan (20-9, 10-6 Big Ten) out of its long-distance shooting slump in time to salvage a win over Northwestern (17-11, 5-10).
No. 11 Louisville 67,
Pittsburgh 60
PITTSBURGH — Quentin Snider scored 14 points, Damion Lee added 13 and Louisville (22-6, 11-4 ACC) pulled away from Pittsburgh (19-8, 8-7) in the final minutes.
No. 21 Texas A&M 68,
Mississippi St. 66
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Danuel House had 16 points, including two free throws with 2.1 seconds remaining, to lift Texas A&M (21-7, 10-5 Southeastern Conference) to a victory over Mississippi State (12-15, 5-10).
No. 23 ND 69, Wake Forest 58
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Zach Auguste had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Notre Dame (19-8, 10-5 ACC) beat Wake Forest (11-17, 2-14).
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