Thursday's Top 25 College Men's Basketball Capsules

Games played Jan. 23, 2014

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Nick Johnson scored 18 points, Brandon Ashley added 15 and top-ranked Arizona remained unbeaten with a 69-57 win over Colorado on Thursday night.

Arizona (19-0, 6-0 Pac-12) had a week off after blowing out rival Arizona State and raced out to an early 14-point lead.

Aaron Gordon added 12 points for Arizona, which overcame a 3-for-15 night from 3-point range and some missed free throws down the stretch to extend the best start in school history.

A year after nearly pulling off an upset in the desert, Colorado (15-5, 4-3) had no chance for late-game heroics in its third game without injured leading scorer Spencer Dinwiddie.

The Buffaloes struggled to slow Arizona's bevy of scorers and couldn't overcome the big early hole, falling to 0-16 against No. 1 teams. Xavier Johnson led Colorado with 21 points and Josh Scott added 15.


No. 6 FLORIDA 68, ALABAMA 62

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) - Michael Frazier II scored 18 points and made five 3-pointers to lead Florida over Alabama.

It was the 10th consecutive win for the Gators (16-2, 5-0 Southeastern Conference), matching last season's longest streak.

The Crimson Tide (8-10, 2-3) had its league-best 14-game SEC home winning streak snapped.

Florida went 8 of 10 from the free throw line over the final 47 seconds to halt any Alabama threat.

Frazier shot 5 of 13, all from 3-point range. Casey Prather scored 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting for the Gators. Scottie Wilbekin had 10 points and four assists.

Trevor Releford led Alabama with 14 points and Nick Jacobs had 12. The Tide was without No. 2 scorer Retin Obasohan, who strained his left hip flexor in Tuesday's practice.

The Gators, who earned win No. 100 for the four-man senior class, have won the last eight meetings and 10 of 11. Alabama has lost three of its last four overall.


No. 15 CINCINNATI 69, CENTRAL FLORIDA 51

CINCINNATI (AP) - Justin Jackson matched his career high by blocking seven shots and Sean Kilpatrick scored 19 points with a strong second half that carried Cincinnati past Central Florida for its 11th straight win.

Cincinnati (19-2, 7-0 American Athletic) is off to its best start since 2001-02, when it was in Conference USA. The Bearcats' winning streak is their longest since they opened last season with 12 wins.

And it's been mostly a matter of defense. The Bearcats have held their last 27 opponents under 70 points, the longest active streak in Division I. They took control of this one by opening the second half with an 18-5 run.

Central Florida (9-8, 1-5) has lost four in a row. The Knights were only 5 of 16 from the free throw line, had 14 turnovers and shot 34 percent from the field.


No. 17 OHIO STATE 62, ILLINOIS 55

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - LaQuinton Ross scored 18 points and Lenzelle Smith Jr. had 16 - including a critical 3-pointer in the waning moments - to help Ohio State end a four-game skid with a win over Illinois.

Aaron Craft added 11 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Buckeyes (16-4, 3-4 Big Ten), who had lost four in a row for the first time since 2007-08.

Joseph Bertrand had 19 points for the Illini (13-7, 2-5), who lost their fifth straight. They haven't won since Jan. 4 and play three of their next four games against ranked opponents.

Rayvonte Rice, averaging 17.4 points a game, was 0 for 8 from the field and went scoreless. The Illini have lost their last six Big Ten road games and fell to 1-4 against ranked teams this season.


No. 23 MEMPHIS 82, HOUSTON 59

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Shaq Goodwin had 20 points, Joe Jackson added 18 points and seven assists, and Memphis jumped out to a big lead early against Houston.

The Tigers (14-4, 4-2 American Athletic Conference) never trailed and led by 17 in the first half of their fourth win in five games.

Meanwhile, the Cougars (11-8, 3-3) have lost three of four.

TaShawn Thomas led Houston with 14 points and Brandon Morris added 13.

L.J. Rose had 10 assists for the Cougars, who shot 42.6 percent and committed 18 turnovers.

Memphis had 15 turnovers but overcame them with 59 percent shooting. The Tigers held a 48-36 advantage in the paint and outrebounded Houston 33-28.

Memphis lost its previous two conference home games to Cincinnati and Connecticut.