COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP
Virginia Tech can’t run with Louisville
Ryan McMahon scored 12 points in a span of 83 seconds in the second half, and No. 16 Louisville used a 14-3 run to pull away and beat No. 11 Virginia Tech 72-64 on Monday night in Blacksburg, Va.
It was the Cardinals’ 15th consecutive victory against the Hokies.
McMahon had scored just three points when he made three free throws with 11:53 to play. He then added three 3-pointers, the last with 10:30 left after a 3 by Ty Outlaw for the Hokies, to bolster the Cardinals (17-6, 8-2 ACC).
Kerry Blackshear Jr. scored 21 points and Nickeil Alexander-Walker 17 for the Hokies (18-4, 7-3).
Coming off decisive wins over South Carolina and Texas A&M, Tennessee remained atop The Associated Press poll for the third straight week.
The Vols received 48 of 64 first-place votes in the poll released Monday. No. 2 Duke had 12 first-place votes and No. 3 Virginia four. Gonzaga and Kentucky rounded out the top 5.
“These guys have worked hard,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said after the Texas A&M game. “They’ve really become a team. If you could’ve been in the huddle the last seven minutes, I didn’t have to say a word.”
Tennessee (20-1, 8-0 SEC) struggled against Vanderbilt in its first game at No. 1 and got off to a slow start against West Virginia. But the Vols stomped on the Gamecocks and Aggies by a combined 39 points to break a century-old school record with their 16th straight win.
While the top four remained the same, the top 10 became jumbled after Michigan and Michigan State lost.
The Wolverines dropped two spots to No. 7 after losing to Iowa. The Spartans fell three spots to No. 9 following a loss to Indiana. Michigan State also learned last week that guard Joshua Langford would not return this season because of a knee injury.