No. 5 Florida overcomes 14-point deficit to beat South Carolina
South Carolina forward Collin Murray-Boyles (30) shoots on Florida guard Will Richard during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Will Richard scored on a driving layup with 4.8 seconds remaining to lift No. 5 Florida — down 14 points in the the second half — past South Carolina, 70-69 on Wednesday night.
Richard finished with 22 points for the Gators (17-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference). He drove left from the top of the key and banked in the go-ahead layup.
Jacobi Wright’s desperation 3-pointer was off the mark as South Carolina (10-9, 0-6) continued its worst start in SEC play since the 2013-14 season.
Walter Clayton Jr. had 16 points for the Gators — who trailed 52-38 with 12:46 to play — and set the program record with a 3-pointer in his 42nd straight game.
No. 7 HOUSTON 70, UTAH 36
HOUSTON (AP) — Milos Uzan scored 14 points, L.J. Cryer added 13 points and No. 7 Houston routed Utah for its 11th straight win.
J’Wan Roberts had 11 points and Terrance Arceneaux scored 10 points for the Cougars (15-3, 7-0 Big 12). Houston won its 33rd consecutive home game, which is the longest active streak in the nation.
Houston shot 43% from the field and was 5 of 18 on 3-pointers.
Gabe Madsen scored eight points and Keanu Dawes added seven points and nine rebounds for Utah (11-7, 3-4), which had its three-game winning streak snapped. The Utes shot 30% from the field and were 5 of 17 on 3-pointers.
No. 12 KANSAS 74, TCU 61
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Hunter Dickinson had 16 points to lead five Kansas players scoring in double figures as the 12th-ranked Jayhawks won 74-61 at TCU on Wednesday night after trailing by 14 points in the first half.
AJ Storr scored 10 of his 12 points after halftime for the Jayhawks (14-4, 5-2 Big 12). His stepback jumper with 11:30 left put them ahead to stay, right after the junior guard had turnovers on consecutive possessions, and ignited a 14-2 run he ended with a jumper.
Zeke Mayo added 13 points and Shakeel Moore 11. Flory Bidunga had 10 points and 10 rebounds, giving the 6-foot-9 freshman his first career double-double, along with four blocked shots.
Noah Reynolds had 14 points to lead TCU (10-8, 3-4), which has alternated wins and losses the past eight games. Vasean Allette had 13 points and Brendan Wenzel had 11.
No. 13 TEXAS A&M 63, No. 16 MISSISSIPPI 62
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Manny Obaseki hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 13 seconds left to cap an 11-2 closing run in No. 13 Texas A&M’s victory over No. 16 Mississippi.
Obaseki’s contested shot from the corner gave Texas A&M (15-4, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) its only lead of the game. Jaemyn Brakefield missed a shot for Ole Miss (15-4, 4-2) with two seconds remaining.
Zhuric Phelps led Texas A&M with 14 points. Obaseki added 12 in 18 minutes in a reserve role, and Pharrel Payne had 10 points.
Sean Pedulla led Mississippi with 16 points. Malik Dia and Jaylen Murray each had 12, and Jaemyn Brakefield added 10.
No. 20 ST. JOHN’S 78, XAVIER 71
NEW YORK (AP) — Zuby Ejiofor scored six of his 16 points in overtime and No. 20 St. John’s erased a 16-point deficit in the second half to rally past Xavier.
Kadary Richmond had a season-high 19 points for the Red Storm (17-3, 8-1 Big East). They have won six straight and 12 of 13 in their second season under Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino.
Returning to the AP Top 25 this week with its highest ranking in a decade, St. John’s moved back into first place in the conference standings, a half-game ahead of No. 10 Marquette.
RJ Luis Jr. scored all 16 of his points after halftime, and Simeon Wilcher also finished with 16 for the Red Storm. Richmond added seven rebounds, five assists and three steals before a boisterous crowd of 14,545 at Madison Square Garden.
Ryan Conwell had 21 points for the Musketeers (12-8, 4-5), who had won three in a row. Dailyn Swain scored 16 before being helped off the court with an apparent leg injury late in the second half.