TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Ben Eblen grabbed a loose ball and made 1-of-2 free throws with 2.8 seconds remaining to help Alabama preserve a 68-66 victory over No. 12 Kentucky on Tuesday night.
The Wildcats, who had nearly erased a 20-point deficit, rebounded the missed foul shot but couldn’t get a good shot off at the buzzer. Terrence Jones dribbled across midcourt and heaved a wild 3-pointer in traffic that caromed high off the backboard.
The Crimson Tide (11-7, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) had lost the last five meetings with the league powerhouse and had been 2-7 against ranked teams under coach Anthony Grant.
This time, Alabama surged to a 52-32 lead with a 15-2 spurt over the first five minutes of the second half before the Wildcats (14-4, 2-2) rallied.
No. 9 BYU 83, TCU 67
PROVO, Utah — The Cougars (18-1, 4-0 Mountain West) went on a 12-0 run to take a 25-7 lead with 10:40 left in the first half and never looked back.
No. 23 Illinois 71, No. 17 Michigan State 62
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illini (14-5, 4-3 Big Ten) led 53-43 on a 3-pointer by Brandon Paul with 13:08 to play, but they had to hold off a late charge from the Spartans (12-6, 4-2) and ultimately won with seven free throws from four players that built a two-point lead back up to 65-57 with 5:25 left.
No. 23 Georgetown 80, Seton Hall 75
NEWARK, N.J. — The Hoyas (14-5, 3-4 Big East) went 8-for-9 from the free-throw line in the final 2:11.
Oklahoma 83, Texas Tech 74
NORMAN, Okla. — Cade Davis matched his career high with 25 points and the Sooners (9-9, 1-3) snapped a 12-game skid in the Big 12.
Tennessee 59, Georgia 57
ATHENS, Ga. — Brian Williams hit the biggest shot of his life in improbable fashion, somehow managing to put back a buzzer-beater as he was falling down to give the Volunteers (12-6, 2-2 SEC) the victory.
“Like Kobe (Bryant),” Williams said, beaming. “The one-footed fadeaway.”
Women
No. 11 Notre Dame 80, No. 16 Georgetown 58
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Skylar Diggins scored 17 of her 22 points in the first half and the Fighting Irish (16-4, 5-1 Big East) rolled past the Hoyas (14-5, 2-3).
The Associated Press
