News Tribune

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Nolan Smith scored 28 points and No. 5 Duke made its case to return to the top of the national rankings by routing Georgia Tech 79-57 on Sunday night.

Kyle Singler added 15 points and Ryan Kelly had 10 for the Blue Devils (25-2, 12-1 ACC). A technical foul on coach Mike Krzyzewski inspired the overwhelming run that carried Duke to its sixth straight win and 10th victory in a row in conference play.

Duke, the reigning national champion and preseason No. 1, slipped from that perch after a loss in mid-January but could return to the top spot Monday when the new poll is released. All four teams ahead of the Blue Devils — Kansas, Ohio State, Texas and Pitt — lost in the past week.

Iman Shumpert and Moe Miller had 13 points apiece, but they couldn’t keep the Yellow Jackets (11-15, 3-9) from losing their sixth straight ACC game.

No. 11 Purdue 76, No. 2 Ohio State 63

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — E’Twaun Moore scored a career-high 38 points to lead Purdue past Ohio State, capping a week that saw the top four teams in the AP Top 25 lose a game.

Moore tied a career high with seven 3-pointers. He surpassed 2,000 points during a flurry of 13 in the final 3:49 of the first half, becoming the fifth player in school history to reach the milestone.

JaJuan Johnson added 13 points and six rebounds for Purdue (22-5, 11-3 Big Ten), which avenged an 87-64 loss at Ohio State on Jan. 25.

Jared Sullinger scored 25 points and Jon Diebler added 11 for the Buckeyes (25-2, 12-2), who have lost two of three after winning their first 24 games.

With losses in the past week by No. 1 Kansas, No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Pittsburgh, the Buckeyes entered the game in line to reclaim the No. 1 ranking they dropped after losing at Wisconsin on Feb. 12.

No. 10 Wisconsin 76, Penn St. 66

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Keaton Nankivil scored 22 points and tied a career-high by hitting all five of his 3-point attempts to lead Wisconsin to its 20th consecutive win coming off a loss.

Jon Leuer added 22 points and 10 rebounds as the Badgers (20-6, 10-4 Big Ten) reached 20 wins for the eighth time in the last nine seasons after having four 20-win seasons in the first 103 years of the program.

The Badgers’ win, coupled with No. 11 Purdue’s upset of No. 2 Ohio State, puts Wisconsin one game behind the Boilermakers and two behind the Buckeyes in the conference race.

Talor Battle led Penn State (14-12, 7-8) with 23 points.

Leuer reached double figures for the 33rd consecutive game and Wisconsin avenged a 56-52 loss to Penn State three weeks ago when Battle scored 20 of his 22 points after halftime.

No. 14 Florida 68, LSU 61

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton each scored 17 points and Florida moved back into a tie for the overall Southeastern Conference lead.

Their fifth consecutive win puts the Gators (21-5, 10-2) in a tie with Alabama with two weeks remaining in the regular season.

Walker made three 3-pointers and all four of his free throw attempts. Boynton was 5 of 12 from the field and made six of his seven foul shots.

Vernon Macklin added 16 points and seven rebounds for Florida, which played without starting forward Chandler Parsons, who has a thigh bruise.

Ralston Turner scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half for the Tigers (10-17, 2-10), who have lost 10 straight.

No. 23 Temple 66, Saint Joseph’s 52

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Lavoy Allen had 12 rebounds and became Temple’s career leader in that category.

Allen scored 14 points for the Owls (21-5, 11-2 Atlantic 10) and passed John Baum on the school’s career rebounding list. Baum, Temple’s radio analyst, grabbed 1,042 rebounds in only three seasons. Allen, a 6-foot-9 senior forward, helped the Owls win their eighth straight game overall and ninth straight over their city-rival Hawks (7-19, 2-10).

Allen, who has 1,045 rebounds, scored eight points during Temple’s 14-4 run late in the second half that broke the game open.

Allen sparked the Owls with a one-handed jam and a nifty spin move down the lane that gave them a 14-point lead. He was 7 of 10 from the field and grabbed 10 defensive rebounds.