Top 25 Capsules: No. 7 West Virginia overwhelms Iowa State 85-72 on the road

AMES, Iowa – Nathan Adrian scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as No. 7 West Virginia overwhelmed Iowa State 85-72 on Tuesday night for its third straight win.

Tarik Phillip had 15 points for the Mountaineers (18-4, 6-3 Big 12), who hit 10 3s and forced 16 turnovers in winning their third road game in league play.

West Virginia’s pressure defense got the typically sure-handed Cyclones out of rhythm in the second half. A late 9-0 run capped by a layup by Jevon Carter put the Mountaineers up 70-55 with 5:36 left, sending some Iowa State fans to a rare early exit.

Matt Thomas scored 19 points for Iowa State (13-8, 5-4), which lost at home to a top 10 team for the second time in 15 days. The Cyclones lost to Kansas by four points on Jan. 16.

No. 8 Kentucky 90, Georgia 81, OT

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Malik Monk made two 3-pointers and scored eight of 37 points in overtime, and Bam Adebayo and Dominique Hawkins added baskets to help Kentucky end a two-game losing streak.

The Wildcats appeared headed to their third straight loss until Monk’s jumper with 8 seconds remaining in regulation tied the game at 76. Hawkins’ desperation heave from midcourt bounced off the rim as the horn sounded.

Monk’s first 3 game Kentucky a five-point lead. His second made it 85-81 and Adebayo followed with a slam off Monk’s lob for a six-point cushion. Isaiah Briscoe (23 points, 11 rebounds) made a free throw and Monk added two more with 43.3 seconds left to seal the win.

Adebayo had 12 points as Kentucky (18-4, 8-1 Southeastern Conference) avoided its longest losing streak since dropping its final four regular season games in 2008-09.

J.J. Frazier had 23 points before fouling out and Yante Maten added 22 for the Bulldogs (13-9, 4-5), who lost for the fourth time in six games.

No. 10 Wisconsin 57, Illinois 43

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Ethan Happ scored 14 points to lead Wisconsin.

Wisconsin (19-3, 8-1 Big Ten) started the game with a 16-2 run and never trailed.

Much of the hot start came from the open 3-pointers Illinois allowed Wisconsin’s players to take – the Badgers shot 7 of 23 from 3-point range in the game.

The Badgers big men dominated the game in the post, out-rebounding Illinois 45-36, including 19-6 on the offensive boards.

Nigel Hayes scored 11 points and added eight rebounds for Wisconsin.

Malcolm Hill and Maverick Morgan both had 10 points for Illinois (13-10, 3-7).

No. 12 North Carolina 80, Pittsburgh 78

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Justin Jackson scored 20 points and North Carolina held on.

Joel Berry II had 19 points, Isaiah Hicks added 18 and Kennedy Meeks finished with 10 for the Tar Heels (20-4, 8-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). The league leaders never trailed but also never got comfortable against the last-place Panthers.

Cameron Johnson matched a career high with 24 points and hit a career-best six 3-pointers, Michael Young finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds and Jamel Artis had 17 points for Pitt (12-10, 1-8), which lost its seventh straight but kept this one tight throughout by shooting nearly 56 percent.

The Panthers had a chance to win it at the buzzer after Artis took an inbounds pass with 4.8 seconds to play and hurried down the right side before uncorking an off-balance 3-pointer that caromed harmlessly off the glass.

No. 22 Creighton 76, No. 16 Butler 67

INDIANAPOLIS – Justin Patton, Khyri Thomas and Marcus Foster all scored 15 points and Creighton made 13 3-pointers.

The Bluejays (20-3, 7-3 Big East) have won two straight to move into second place in the conference standings.

Kamar Baldwin finished with 14 points for Butler (18-5, 7-4), which has lost two straight at home.

Creighton finished 13 of 21 on 3s, shooting a season-high 61.9 percent. The Bluejays earned their 20th win for the 17th time in 19 seasons.

Kelan Martin added 11 points for Butler, which has lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.

No. 17 Maryland 77, Ohio St. 71

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Justin Jackson had 22 points and 12 rebounds for Maryland.

The Buckeyes pulled within one point four times in the second half but the Terps always had an answer. A jumper by Melo Trimble with 32 seconds left put Maryland up 75-71, and Jared Nickens hit two free throws with 14 seconds left to seal it.

Trimble had 13 points and Anthony Cowan added 11 as Maryland (20-2, 8-1 Big Ten) won their seventh straight. The Terps haven’t lost since Jan. 1 and have won all six of their games on the road this season.

Jae’Sean Tate scored 20 points and Marc Loving added 18 for the Buckeyes (13-10, 3-7 Big Ten), who have lost three of their last four.