Monk scores 47, hits key 3 as Kentucky tops North Carolina
Monk rarely complied, setting a Kentucky freshman record with 47 points and hitting the go-ahead three-pointer with 16.7 seconds left to lead the sixth-ranked Wildcats past No. 7 North Carolina 103-100 at the CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas on Saturday.
“If you watched that game, if you never liked basketball, you’re going to start liking basketball,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said.
[...] Kenny Williams’ desperation three at the buzzer got lodged between the rim and backboard.
“Heck of a college basketball game if you don’t care who won,” North Carolina coach Roy Williams said.
Monk hit 18 of 28 shots, including 8 of 12 three-point attempts, scoring in various ways in a performance that was the most points in Division I this season.
Joel Berry II returned from injury to score 23 points for the Tar Heels, but was slowed by foul trouble in the second half.
[...] at the CBS Sports Classic, Aaron Holiday and Bryce Alford each scored 20 points, Isaac Hamilton added 17 points and T.J. Leaf had 13, two coming on a steal and layup that sparked the decisive run for the Bruins (12-0).
Dusan Ristic tied a season high with 18 points and the Wildcats (10-2) had to hold off a furious rally by the Aggies (7-3) in Houston for their fourth straight win.
Lauri Markkanen added 17 points and seven rebounds, and Kobi Simmons chipped in 14 points for the Wildcats.
Jordan McLaughlin scored 19 points, including a go-ahead floater in the lane with 48 seconds left, and USC remained undefeated.
Josh Hawkinson scored 21 points and the host Cougars (6-5) staged a comeback in the last six minutes to defeat the Broncos (5-7) when Charles Callison came up with the game-saving block.
Braxton Huggins scored 24 points and teammate Ian Baker added 19 with eight assists and seven rebounds to lead the Aggies (10-2).
The host Sun Devils (6-5) suffered through a poor second half of shooting and coach Bobby Hurley was ejected with two technical fouls midway through the half.
Josh Fortune shook off a miserable offensive slump with a season-high 15 points and the host Buffaloes (8-3) beat the Division II Tigers.
Kansas considered the matchup with the Wildcats (5-4) a home game even though it was played in Kansas City, Mo., just down the road from its campus in Lawrence.
Al Freeman scored a season-high 19 points and made a career-best five three-pointers as the Bears (10-0) returned to Fort Hood.
The Demon Deacons (8-3) missed a pair of three-point shots that could have tied it before Bluiett got the rebound and was fouled.
Kelan Martin scored 28 points and Kamar Baldwin added a season-high 14 for the Bulldogs (10-1) in the Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis.
Seeking a good tuneup for next week’s rivalry game against No. 6 Kentucky, Louisville never looked back en route to its 14th championship in 15 years in the Billy Minardi Classic, named for the late brother-in-law of Cardinals coach Rick Pitino.
Coach Bob Huggins earned his 800th win as the host Mountaineers (9-1) used a 37-4 first-half run to cruise to the victory.
Purdue opened the second half with a 12-2 run to cut a 14-point halftime deficit to four and then went on a 10-0 run midway through the half to take a lead.
#16 S. Carolina 77, S. Florida 66: PJ Dozier scored 11 of his 23 points in the closing minutes as the visiting Gamecocks (9-1) rebounded from their only loss of the season while improving to 2-1 without leading scorer and rebounder Sindarius Thornwell, who has been suspended indefinitely for violating athletic department policy.
Dwayne Bacon scored 16 points and Florida State dominated inside to earn its seventh consecutive victory in the opening game at the Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise, Fla.
Senior Kevin Johnson scored a career-high 18 points as the host Bearcats (9-2) rolled to the highest-scoring game of coach Mick Cronin’s 11-year career.
Ruthy Hebard had a season-high 28 points and 17 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season, and the visiting Ducks (9-2) swamped the Vikings (4-4).