COLLEGE BASKETBALL NOTES
Cold snap: NC State scores 24 vs. Hokies
No. 23 North Carolina State was held to a stunningly low point total, beaten by No. 12 Virginia Tech 47-24 on Saturday in the Wolfpack’s lowest-scoring output of the shot-clock era.
Kerry Blackshear had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the visiting Hokies (18-3, 7-2 ACC), who led the entire way despite playing without point guard Justin Robinson.
Virginia Tech didn’t put up huge numbers, shooting just 36 percent and making 7 of 21 3-pointers. But N.C. State (16-6, 4-5) made just 9 of 54 shots, including 2-for-28 from 3-point range.
It was N.C. State’s lowest output since managing 12 points in a win against Duke in the 1968 ACC tournament, nearly two decades before the implementation of the shot clock.
The visiting Volunteers (20-1, 8-0 SEC) surpassed the 15-game streak they had from February 1915 to January 1917 and are off to their best start in conference play since also going 8-0 in 1981-82.
Texas A&M (8-12, 1-7) lost for the fifth time in the last six games.
The visiting Hoosiers (13-9, 4-7 Big Ten) stopped their longest losing streak in nearly eight years.
The Spartans (18-4, 9-2) have dropped two straight for the first time this season. Michigan State converted just 8 of 22 free throws.
The host Jayhawks (17-5, 6-3 Big 12) came into the showdown of Big 12 title contenders having lost two straight and three of four.
The Red Raiders fell to 17-5 and 5-4.