KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Scottie Wilbekin had 21 points and six assists, and No. 3 Florida stepped up its defense in the second half to outlast Tennessee 67-58 Tuesday night for its 16th consecutive victory.
Michael Frazier II added 11 points to help the Gators (22-2, 11-0 SEC) beat Tennessee in Knoxville for just the second time in their last nine attempts. Frazier and Wilbekin both made key three-pointers down the stretch to put the game out of reach.
Jarnell Stokes had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Tennessee (15-9, 6-5), which was seeking a victory over a highly ranked opponent to boost its NCAA tournament hopes. Jordan McRae had 17 points and Josh Richardson 13.
After shooting 62.5 percent (15 of 24) in the first half, the Volunteers made only 29.2 percent (7 of 24) of their shots after halftime.
When the teams last met, Florida routed Tennessee 67-41 in Gainesville on Jan. 25 to hand the Volunteers their most lopsided loss in Cuonzo Martin’s three-year coaching tenure. Tennessee shot 26.8 percent (15 of 56) overall and 1 of 19 from three-point range in that game.
But the Vols still had reason to feel confident.
Tennessee entered the night having won seven of its past eight meetings with Florida at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Vols’ ugly performance in Gainesville last month ended a string of three consecutive Tennessee victories over Florida. And the Vols had a history of beating favored Florida teams.
Twelve previous times in this series, an unranked Tennessee team had faced a Florida team ranked 10th or higher. Tennessee entered the night with a 7-5 record in those games.
NO. 4 WICHITA ST. 78, S. ILLINOIS 67
WICHITA, Kan. - Ron Baker scored 19 points, Cleanthony Early added 18 and fourth-ranked Wichita State overcame a sloppy start to defeat Southern Illinois and remain unbeaten.
Tekele Cotton and Darius Carter added 12 points apiece for the Shockers, who became the first team to start 26-0 since Memphis in 2008.
Wichita State (13-0 Missouri Valley Conference) certainly had its hands full, especially with Southern Illinois guard Anthony Beane. He scored 25 points, getting to the rim at will until late in the game, when the Shockers finally started to double- and triple-team him.
NO. 15 MICHIGAN 70, NO. 22 OHIO ST. 60
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Nik Stauskas scored 15 points and Derrick Walton III added 13 - including three critical free throws with 1:55 left - to power No. 15 Michigan to a victory over No. 22 Ohio State.
The victory ended a nine-game losing skid over the last 11 years in Columbus for the Wolverines (18-6, 10-2 Big Ten), who came into the game tied for the top spot in the conference with Michigan State.
Walton added 10 rebounds and six assists. Zak Irvin chipped in with 10 points.
LaQuinton Ross had 24 points and Lenzelle Smith Jr. 13 for Ohio State (19-6, 6-6), which had a three-game winning streak snapped. The Buckeyes hadn’t lost to their arch rivals on their home court since a 61-50 setback on Jan. 15, 2003.
NO. 19 TEXAS 87, OKLAHOMA ST. 68
AUSTIN, Texas - Javan Felix scored 27 points, making six three-pointers and No. 19 Texas rolled to a victory over Oklahoma State, which played its first game without suspended star Marcus Smart.
Smart sat out the first of a three-game suspension by the Big 12 for shoving a Texas Tech fan. Without him, the Cowboys never had a chance.
Felix scored eight consecutive points that pushed Texas’ lead to 22 early in the first half. The Longhorns (19-5, 8-3) led 54-33 at halftime despite playing without leading scorer Jonathan Holmes, who sat out with a knee injury.
Le’Bryan Nash led Oklahoma State (16-8, 4-7) with 23 points.
TUESDAY’S GAMES Florida 67, Tennessee 58 Alabama 67, Mississippi 64
TODAY’S GAMES All times Central Kentucky at Auburn, 7 p.m.
Vanderbilt at South Carolina, 7 p.m.
Georgia at Mississippi St. , 8 p.m.
LSU at Texas A&M, 8 p.m.
THURSDAY’S GAME Arkansas at Missouri, 6 p.m.
SATURDAY’S GAMES Texas A&M at Vanderbilt, 12:30 p.m.
Mississippi St. at Auburn, 12:30 p.m.
Alabama at South Carolina, 3 p.m.
Mississippi at Georgia, 3 p.m.
Tennessee at Missouri, 3 p.m.
LSU at Arkansas, 4 p.m.
Florida at Kentucky, 8 p.m.
Sports, Pages 22 on 02/12/2014