Winston-Salem, NC (My Sportsbook) - James Johnson made the game-winning layup with 0.8 seconds left, and the sixth-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons made sure Duke's stay atop the rankings would be a short one, dealing the Blue Devils a 70-68 defeat at Lawrence Joel Coliseum. Johnson totaled 13 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks for a fierce Wake Forest (17-1, 4-1 ACC) defense that held the Blue Devils (18-2, 5-1) to just 33.3 percent shooting overall. Al-Farouq Aminu posted 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Jeff Teague contributed 11 points, as the Demon Deacons bounced back after a loss to unranked Virginia Tech last week that knocked the school out of the top spot in the rankings. The Demon Deacons improved to 5-24 all-time against No. 1 opponents, with their last such win coming against Duke in 1992. Despite outrebounding the Demon Deacons 15-11 on the offensive end and 47-43 overall, Duke could not overcome its 4-of-22 effort from three-point range, as its 10-game winning streak came to a screeching halt. Kyle Singler was the leading scorer for the Blue Devils with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Gerald Henderson had 20 points and eight boards in the loss. Jon Scheyer provided 13 points in a losing effort for the Blue Devils, who were making their first appearance at No. 1 since the final week of the 2005-06 season.
Final Score: (2) Connecticut 71, DePaul 49
Rosemont, IL (My Sportsbook) - Jerome Dyson led the way with 18 points as No. 2 Connecticut topped DePaul, 71-49, at Allstate Arena. Jeff Adrien recorded a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for the Huskies (19-1, 8-1 Big East), who have won eight in a row after their only loss, to Georgetown. A.J. Price added 12 points and Hasheem Thabeet scored 11 in the victory. Dar Tucker posted a game-best 20 points for the Blue Demons (8-13, 0-8), losers in eight consecutive games. Will Walker contributed 12 points with a team-high six rebounds.
Final Score: (21) Villanova 67, (3) Pittsburgh 57
Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - Reggie Redding recorded a career-high 18 points to go with seven rebounds and Dante Cunningham added 15 points, as No. 21 Villanova upended third-ranked Pittsburgh, 67-57, in the final collegiate sporting event to be played at the Wachovia Spectrum. Scottie Reynolds had a tough shooting night but still ended with 10 points, while Corey Fisher scored nine for Villanova (16-4, 4-3 Big East). The Wildcats won back-to- back games for the first time since ending December on a four-game win streak and defeated a ranked opponent for the first time this season. DeJuan Blair, coming in averaging a double-double with 14.7 points and 12.7 rebounds per game, battled foul trouble throughout and racked up just seven points and eight boards for Pittsburgh (18-2, 6-2), which has dropped two of its last four. Sam Young scored 14 points to go with nine caroms, while Brad Wanamaker and Levance Fields chipped in 13 and 11 points, respectively, for the previously top-ranked Panthers, who hit just 3-of-16 from behind the arc. The Spectrum, which opened back in 1967, hosted two NCAA Final Fours (1976, 1981) and was home to arguably the most memorable NCAA Tournament game of all-time on March 28, 1992, when Duke's Christian Laettner buried a game- winner at the overtime buzzer to knock off Kentucky in the 1992 East Regional Final.
Final Score: (5) North Carolina 80, Florida State 77
Tallahassee, FL (My Sportsbook) - Ty Lawson dribbled up the court and sank the winning three-pointer at the buzzer to lift fifth-ranked North Carolina to a thrilling 80-77 win over Florida State. Lawson scored 21 and pulled down nine rebounds for the Tar Heels (18, 4-2 ACC), who won despite getting just eight points and five rebounds from a foul-plagued Tyler Hansbrough. This was the first time in 56 games that Hansbrough didn't break double digits in scoring, but despite shooting just 38.1 percent from the field North Carolina managed to pull through for its fourth straight win. Danny Green added 20 points, seven rebounds and six steals, including one theft that led to a tying three-point play with just over a minute remaining. Toney Douglas had 32 points for the Seminoles (16-5, 3-3), who were coming off a 73-62 win at Virginia on Saturday. Uche Echefu had 14 points for Florida State.
Final Score: (7) Louisville 80, South Florida 54
Louisville, KY (My Sportsbook) - Edgar Sosa had 16 points, including four three-pointers, as the seventh-ranked Louisville Cardinals dominated the South Florida Bulls, 80-54, at Freedom Hall. Samardo Samuels added 14 points for the Cardinals (16-3, 7-0 Big East), who improved their winning streak to eight games. Earl Clark finished with 12 points and seven boards. Terrence Williams pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. Dominique Jones paced South Florida (7-13, 2-6) with 19 points and seven boards. Jesus Verdejo had 10 points and five assists for the Bulls, who have dropped four of their past five.
Final Score: (10) Xavier 69, Charlotte 47
Cincinnati, OH (My Sportsbook) - B.J. Raymond had 23 points and 10 rebounds, as the 10th-ranked Xavier Musketeers handled the Charlotte 49ers, 69-47, at the Cintas Center. Kenny Frease finished with 17 points to help lead the Musketeers (18-2, 6-0 Atlantic 10), who have won their last nine games. C.J. Anderson had 10 points and five boards, while Dante' Jackson ended with nine points. Derrick Brown had a game-high 11 rebounds. Charlotte (6-13, 1-5) was paced by Charlie Coley, who had 12 points. Lamont Mack finished with 11 points and four boards for the 49ers, who have lost seven of its last eight games.
Final Score: Providence 100, (15) Syracuse 94
Providence, RI (My Sportsbook) - Sharaud Curry led the way with a season-high 22 points and four assists as the Providence Friars upended the struggling 15th-ranked Syracuse Orange, 100-94, in a Big East showdown at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. Curry connected on 3-of-4 shots from beyond the arc while Marshon Brooks went 4-of-6 from long distance en route to 17 points for Providence (14-6, 6-2 Big East), which has rebounded from a two-game slide by winning each of its past three outings. Geoff McDermott and Jonathan Kale contributed 15 and 14 points, respectively, as the Friars had six players in double figures. Jonny Flynn logged a career-high 35 points and a game-high six assists, connecting on 12-of-22 field goals including 4-of-9 from three-point range. Eric Devendorf found twine on 6-of-13 from long distance in totaling 27 points for the Orange (17-5, 5-4), who after winning 16 of their first 17 games, have dropped three straight and four of five outings. All three setbacks during the recent stretch had come against Top-25 teams and by double figures, before Wednesday's loss in which Syracuse committed 21 turnovers. Rick Jackson had 14 points and 10 rebounds while Paul Harris collected eight points, six boards, two blocks and three steals in the setback.
Final Score: (18) Memphis 85, East Carolina 64
Greenville, NC (My Sportsbook) - Antonio Anderson posted a game-high 26 points, and added five rebounds and eight assists as 18th-ranked Memphis extended its streak over conference opponents to 48 games with an 85-64 dispatching of East Carolina at Minges Coliseum. Tyreke Evans chipped in 18 points and four assists for the Tigers (17-3, 6-0 C-USA), who have reeled off 11 consecutive wins overall and have not lost to an opponent in Conference USA dating back to an 80-74 setback to UAB on March 2, 2006. Robert Dozier added 11 points while Pierre Henderson-Niles had nine points and a game-high 10 boards. Jamar Abrams picked up 18 points and eight rebounds for the Pirates (10-9, 2-4), who have dropped four of five. Sam Hinnant finished with 17 points and Darrius Morrow added eight points and seven rebounds.
Final Score: Cincinnati 65, (25) Georgetown 57
Cincinnati, OH (My Sportsbook) - Deonta Vaughn scored 20 points and grabbed five rebounds, leading Cincinnati to a 65-57 win over 25th-ranked Georgetown. Mike Williams totaled 12 points and six boards for the Bearcats (14-7, 4-4 Big East), who have won four of their last five. Dion Dixon added 10 points in the win. Chris Wright had 15 points to pace the slumping Hoyas (12-7, 3-5), whose skid has reached four games. Greg Monroe finished with 10 points and eight rebounds for Georgetown, which had won all four previous meetings with Cincinnati.
