No. 5 Xavier upsets No. 1 Villanova, 90-83, in Big East battle

J.P. Macura got Xavier rolling with 19 points off the bench, and freshman point guard Edmond Sumner had 19 points and nine assists as fifth-ranked Xavier got the win that had eluded it, knocking off top-ranked Villanova, 90-83, on Wednesday night in Cincinnati.

The Musketeers (25-3, 13-3) led most of the way in the first matchup of Top 5 teams since the Big East Conference was reconfigured, pulling away at the end against the only team they’d never beaten in league play.

Villanova (24-4, 13-2) was the first No. 1 team to play in the Cintas Center, which opened for the 2000-01 season. The Wildcats couldn’t overcome foul trouble or Xavier’s balance, losing for only the second time in their last 18 games.

Xavier got ahead by 15 points late and held on with free throws.

Kris Jenkins scored 22 for Villanova but fouled out with 8:47 left. Daniel Ochefu also sat most of the second half with four fouls.

No. 7 North Carolina 80, at North Carolina State 68: Brice Johnson had 22 points and 11 rebounds and the Tar Heels (23-5, 12-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) beat the Wolfpack (14-14, 4-11) for the 19th time in 21 meetings. Justin Jackson added 17 points for North Carolina, which trailed early by 13 points. Anthony Barber scored 32 points for North Carolina State.

Wisconsin 67, at No. 8 Iowa 59: Bronson Koenig scored 15 points and the Badgers (18-10, Big Ten) handed the Hawkeyes (20-7, 11-4) their third loss in four games. Peter Jok scored 21 points for Iowa, which fell a game behind league-leading Indiana.

No. 11 Louisville 67, at Pittsburgh 60: Quentin Snider scored 14 points, Damion Lee added 13 and the Cardinals (22-6, 11-4 ACC) broke a 58-58 tie with 3:10 left by scoring eight in a row. Ryan Luther finished with a career-high 17 points for the Panthers (19-8, 8-7).

at No. 21 Texas A&M 68, Mississippi State 66: Danuel House had 16 points, including two free throws with 2.1 seconds remaining, to lift the Aggies (21-7, 10-5 Southeastern Conference) to their third win in a row. Craig Sword tied it 66-66 with a jump shot with 24 seconds left for the Bulldogs (12-15, 5-10) before freshman Quinndary Weatherspoon fouled out on House’s shot attempt that led to the winning free throws.