No. 2 Michigan remains unbeaten in 89-61 rout of Villanova
- - No. 2 Michigan remains unbeaten in 89-61 rout of Villanova
The December 10, 2025 at 1:21 PM
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From left, Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg, guard Roddy Gayle Jr., center Aday Mara, forward Morez Johnson Jr., and guard Nimari Burnett react on the bench during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Villanova, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) ()
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Elliot Cadeau scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half to help Michigan build a 30-point lead, and the second-ranked Wolverines coasted to an 89-61 win over Villanova on Tuesday night.
The unbeaten Wolverines (9-0) are the only team since at least the 1995-96 season to win six straight games by at least 25 points with at least two of those victories against ranked opponents, according to Sportradar.
Michigan entered the game as the first team since Duke in 2009-10 to have a victory margin of 35-plus points in five straight wins, including two against ranked teams, according to Sportradar.
The Wolverines are off to their best start since opening 11-0 five years ago.
The Wildcats (7-2) had won seven straight — their longest winning streak in four years — under first-year coach Kevin Willard.
Villanova’s Devin Askew had 18 points, Christian Jeffrey scored 12 and Acaden Lewis added 11.
The Wildcats quickly found out how talented and deep second-year coach Dusty May’s Michigan team is.
The Wolverines went on an early 18-3 run, scored 15 straight midway through the first half and went into halftime with a 12-0 run.
Yaxel Lendeborg, a preseason All-American, scored just five points in the first half and the Wolverines still led 53-23 because they had 10 players with at least four points. Lendeborg finished with nine points.
Michigan didn’t have a second double-digit scorer until Aday Mara made two free throws midway through the second half. Mara finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.
NO. 5 UCONN 77, NO. 18 FLORIDA 73
NEW YORK (AP) — Solo Ball scored 19 points and UConn earned its fourth victory over a ranked opponent already this season, beating Florida in the Jimmy V Classic.
Alex Karaban added 13 points and Tarris Reed Jr. had 12 points and five rebounds in his return from a lingering ankle injury that caused him to miss the previous two games. Malachi Smith handed out nine assists as the Huskies (9-1) shot 50%, including 59.3% in the first half while building a seven-point halftime lead.
Ball went 6 of 14 from the field and drained a trio of 3-pointers in a matchup of power programs that have combined to win the past three NCAA titles.
Xaivian Lee led the defending champion Gators (5-4) with 19 points but shot 5 of 14 and missed six of seven 3-point tries. Thomas Haugh added 18 and Alex Condon finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Florida shot 42.4% in a rematch of last season’s second-round NCAA Tournament game that ended UConn’s hopes for a third consecutive national championship.
The Huskies won their fifth straight game since a 71-67 home loss Nov. 19 to then-No. 4 Arizona, now the top-ranked team in the country. UConn also has wins over Top 25 opponents BYU, Illinois and Kansas.
NO. 10 BYU 67, CLEMSON 64
NEW YORK (AP) — Robert Wright III made a 3-pointer as time expired after AJ Dybantsa scored 22 of his season-high 28 points in the second half, and BYU stormed back from a 21-point deficit to beat Clemson night in the Jimmy V Classic.
The Cougars (8-1) lost a six-point lead in the final 70 seconds but completed the comeback when Wright took an inbounds pass from Mihailo Boskovic and sank a 3-pointer from the right side that cleanly went in.
Dybantsa surpassed his previous high of 25 in the Cougars’ two-point loss to UConn on Nov. 15 in Boston. The freshman shot 9 for 17 and highlighted the biggest night of his college career with a one-handed dunk from the middle of the lane that put BYU up 62-56 with 1:10 left.
After his thunderous slam, Clemson rallied and a layup by Dillon Hunter tied it at 64 with 5 seconds remaining.
Wright added 17 points and Keba Keita contributed 10 on four dunks, including a slam that led to uneven rim and caused a nearly 20-minute delay with 11:40 left and BYU trailing by nine.
Jestin Porter led Clemson (7-3) with 17 points but the Tigers were outscored 45-21 in the second half. RJ Godfrey added 13 and Efrem Johnson contributed 10 as Clemson shot 36.2% overall, including 25.9% after halftime.
BYU shot 40.3% and survived an off night from Richie Saunders, who was held to five points. Saunders shot 2 for 11 and missed all seven 3-point tries.
Dybantsa was 2 for 6 in the first half when BYU allowed a 21-0 run and trailed 44-22 at halftime, but the forward hit an array of difficult shots to fuel the comeback.
Porter fueled Clemson’s big run, including a shot that rolled in as the shot clock expired. That helped the Tigers take a 43-22 lead after there were eight ties in the opening 13 minutes.
NO. 13 ILLINOIS 88, OHIO STATE 80
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Keaton Wagler scored 23 points and Illinois opened its Big Ten schedule with a victory over Ohio State.
David Mirkovic had 22 points, including 11 in the first eight minutes, and eight rebounds. Andrej Stojakovic scored 17 for the Fighting Illini (8-2, 1-0 Big Ten). It was Illinois’ 35th road win in league play since 2019-20, most in the conference.
Bruce Thornton led the Buckeyes (7-2, 1-1) with 34 points, six rebounds and six assists. The senior guard had 24 points in the first half when he was 9 of 10 from the field and 6 of 7 on 3-pointers.
Ohio State trailed 79-72 with 2:01 remaining before scoring four straight points to get within one possession. Devin Royal’s driving layup pulled the Buckeyes to 79-76, but Tomislav Ivisic’s 3-pointer with 44.7 seconds left put it out of reach. The junior center’s shot from the left corner hit the rim before bouncing up and going through the net.
The Illini made their first 13 foul shots and finished 29 of 32, their second-most free throws in a game this season. Wagler, Mirkovic and Stojakovic combined to go 23 of 24 from the line.
Royal scored 15 points and Christoph Tilly had 13 points and eight rebounds. The Buckeyes were 11 of 16 from the line in the second half and 15 of 21 for the game.
OSU took a 34-33 lead before Illinois scored 11 straight points, including five by Ivisic. The Illini were up 48-42 at halftime.
NO. 24 VIRGINIA 84, MARYLAND-EASTERN SHORE 60
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Sam Lewis scored 15 points, Thijs De Ridder added 13 and Virginia routed Maryland-Eastern Shore for its fourth straight victory.
Chance Mallory had 10 points, six steals and five assists for the Cavaliers (9-1).
Coming off wins at Texas and over Dayton in Charlotte, North Carolina, Virginia made its season debut in the AP Top 25. And with a 23-3 run midway through the first half, the Cavaliers showed they intend to stay there.
Virginia scored 80 points or more for the ninth time in its 10 games under first-year coach Ryan Odom. The Cavaliers’ total Tuesday was the most allowed by UMES this season.
For the second straight game, Odom stuck to a nine-man rotation until the final minutes.
UVA went 11 for 19 from 3-point range in the first half, taking a 46-32 lead to the locker room.
Jacari White, who set a program record by hitting 12 straight 3-pointers over the past three games, checked in 5:25 into the game and four seconds later, attempted a shot from beyond the arc that missed. That was one of the few things that didn’t fall Virginia’s way over the first 20 minutes.
Source: “AOL Sports”
