No. 1 Kansas, No. 2 Auburn fall that is overall a wild Wednesday with men’s hoops

On By Littum

Wednesday evening offered an appetizing buffet of hangers, where no. 1 and no. 2 team fell away from home, and the two-time defending national champions bounced back after a tough stretch. Here’s what you need to know:

Creighton stuns no. 1 Kansas, 76-63

Creighton celebrates in victory over No. 1 Kansas

The unranked Bluejays give the no. 1 Kansas its first loss of the season, 76-63.

This is the second consecutive season that Creighton has beaten a No. 1 team at home, defeating Dan Hurley’s Huskies last season in Omaha.

After a tough 0-3 stretch in late November, Creighton found itself outside the top 25. But Greg McDermott’s crew was ready for the Jayhawks to come to town, securing a 13-point victory over Bill Self’s undefeated team.

The Bluejays’ home crowd rocked as Creighton rolled to a 41-31 halftime lead. Kansas stormed back into the game early after halftime, going on a 9-0 run to open the second half and pull within one point of the home team. That knot was quickly untied, however, as Creighton went on an 11-0 run to surge ahead 51-40 over the next 90 seconds.

The Bluejays kept the Jayhawks at arm’s length for the rest of the game, eventually leading by 16 after three minutes before closing out the win.

Kansas turned the ball over just five times to Creighton’s fifteen, but the Jayhawks were unable to capitalize, scoring just 12 points off double-digit turnovers.

Creighton was on fire from beyond the arc, shooting 41%, including six threes from Bluejays guard Pop Isaacs, who led the game in scoring with 27 points.

Kansas standout Hunter Dickinson was surprisingly uninvolved in this matchup, recording six points on just four shots in the loss.

Kansas will look to get back on track against Missouri on Sunday, and Creighton will try to carry that momentum into a matchup with UNLV on Saturday.

No. 9 Duke holds on to No. 2 Auburn its first loss, 84-78

Duke basketball celebrates Auburn win

Duke gets its first top-five win of the year, handing Auburn its first loss of the season.

The Blue Devils led 43-36 at halftime of this top-10 matchup and did not relinquish the lead for the rest of the game. Duke led by as much as 12 early in the second half, but the Tigers clawed their way back into the game and pulled within two after seven minutes. The Blue Devils responded quickly with a three-pointer and ignited the Cameron Crazies as Cooper Flagg and company closed out the final few minutes comfortably.

Auburn’s offense went cold late in the second half, going 4-16 from the field in the final seven minutes. The Tigers did not make a shot from the four-minute mark to the 45-second mark from outside the charity stripe.

The Blue Devils picked up the pace against Auburn, registering 16 fast break points to the Tigers’ zero on the night.

Flagg again led Duke in scoring, with 22 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Auburn center Johni Broome matched Flagg’s double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds of his own in the loss.

Duke opens ACC play with Louisville on Sunday and Auburn travels home to take on Richmond while the Tigers look to get back on track.

No. 6 Iowa State gives the no. 5 Marquette its first loss of the season, 81-70

Iowa State celebration

Iowa State remains undefeated at home, beating Marquette 81-70.

The Cyclones jumped out to a 46-37 halftime lead and were able to hold off the Golden Eagles for the final 20 minutes. Marquette made a push midway through the second half and went on a 12-3 run to tie the top-10 game 61-61 with nine minutes remaining. But Iowa State responded immediately, going on a 14-0 run over the next six minutes to seal the win.

Iowa State’s efficient offense was too much for the Golden Eagles, shooting 51% from the field compared to Marquette’s 39%. The Cyclones’ Keshon Gilbert paced his team in scoring, with 24 points and eight assists on the night.

Marquette star Kam Jones struggled from the field in his team’s first loss, going 6-21, including 1-5 from beyond the arc.

The Golden Eagles will look to bounce back at home against No. 11, Wisconsin on Saturday, while the Cyclones will face Jackson State on Sunday.

No. 25 UConn Survives No. 15 Baylor, 76-72

UConn men's basketball celebrates victory over Baylor

The UConn Huskies secured a much-needed win over the Bears to improve to 6-0 at home on the year.

UConn plummeted in the rankings after suffering three losses in four days in the Maui Invitational, but Dan Hurley’s squad bounced back Wednesday night against No. 15 Baylor.

The Huskies trailed by double digits in the first half, but were able to pull within a point at halftime. The final 20 minutes were much closer, with neither team able to put the other away. However, UConn was able to capitalize on the Bears’ mistakes, scoring 21 points off 10 turnovers.

UConn also outscored Baylor from the charity stripe, recording 26 points from the line to the Bears’ 12.

The Huskies were led offensively by freshman Liam McNeeley, who dropped 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in the win. Baylor was led by guard Robert Wright, who went an impressive 9-15 from the field with four assists.

Hurley’s team will look to build off of this big win when they face Texas, the No. 7 Gonzaga and Xavier in the next three games.