MILWAUKEE — Three dribbles. One deep breath.
MILWAUKEE — Three dribbles. One deep breath.
Marquette’s Katin Reinhardt went through his typical routine before each of his two crucial free throws with 11.6 seconds left of a tie game against No. 1 Villanova.
Reinhardt hit both. The Wildcats missed two chances to tie on a layup and a putback at the buzzer.
The fun was just beginning for Marquette.
The Golden Eagles (14-6, 5-3 Big East) roared back from a 17-point deficit for a season-defining, 74-72 victory over the Wildcats (19-2, 7-2).
It was the second time Marquette beat a No. 1-ranked team. The Golden Eagles beat Kentucky in the 2003 NCAA Tournament.
Their fans partied at the Bradley Center in a court-storming frenzy, celebrating as if coach Al McGuire was still pacing the Marquette sideline.
“I don’t even know what to say,” Reinhardt said. “You dream of these types of moments.”
The senior guard transferred to Marquette following stints with NCAA Tournament squads at UNLV and Southern California. He’s been through these kinds of edge-of-your-seat moments.
Reinhardt finished with 19 points, going 4 of 7 from 3-point territory and 5 of 6 from the foul line. But he was upset about that one missed free throw when he stepped to the line with 11 seconds left.
“Every time I go to the free throw line, I have the same routine. One, two, three — three dribbles I have. Breathe in, breathe out and let it fly,” he recounted.
Marquette beat its second straight Top 10 opponent after having defeated then-No. 7 Creighton 102-94 last week.
Villanova, which had been ranked No. 1 for a total of seven weeks this season, had two chances to tie on the final possession. Jalen Brunson missed a layup and Darryl Reynolds couldn’t convert on an offensive rebound.
“You’ve got to put a whole 40 minutes together. Sometimes you get on the road and a team gets hot,” coach Jay Wright said. “If you don’t finish the 40 minutes, they’ll get you.”
Reinhardt’s 3 from the right wing tied the game at 72 with 1:04 left.
Mikal Bridges had a season-high 20 points for Villanova.
No. 18 W. VIRGINIA 85, No. 2 KANSAS 69
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Esa Ahmad broke out of a shooting slump with a career-high 27 points to lead West Virginia.
The Mountaineers (16-4, 5-3 Big 12) beat Kansas (18-2, 7-1) for the fourth straight time in Morgantown and snapped the Jayhawks’ 18-game winning streak.
Ahmad scored West Virginia’s first eight points against Kansas and finished 10 of 17 from the field.
Josh Jackson matched a season high with 22 points before fouling out for Kansas.
TENNESSEE 82, No. 4 KENTUCKY 80
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Robert Hubbs III scored 25 points and Tennessee snapped Kentucky’s seven-game winning streak.
Tennessee (11-9, 4-4 Southeastern Conference) beat Kentucky (17-3, 7-1) in Knoxville for the second straight season and earned its first victory over a top-five team since an 83-76 triumph over No. 3 Pittsburgh on Dec. 11, 2010.
Admiral Schofield scored 15 points, Grant Williams had 13 and Lamonte Turner added 10 for Tennessee.
Malik Monk scored 25 points, Bam Adebayo had 21 and De’Aaron Fox added 17 for Kentucky.
No. 12 VIRGINIA 71, No. 14 NOTRE DAME 54
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — London Perrantes scored 22 points and Virginia pulled away late for its 10th straight win over Notre Dame.
Isaiah Wilkins finished with 13 points and nine rebounds, and Devon Hall added 11 points and nine boards for the Cavaliers (16-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who improved to 4-1 on the road in league play.
Bonzi Colson led the Irish (17-4, 6-2) with 20 points.
No. 13 LOUISVILLE 106, PITTSBURGH 51
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored a career-high 29 points and Anas Mahmoud added 14 while making all seven of his shots for Louisville.
The Cardinals (17-4, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) rebounded from a close loss at No. 10 Florida State on Saturday by handing the reeling Panthers the second-worst loss in the program’s 111-year history.
Louisville held Pitt (12-8, 1-6) to 25 percent shooting (13 of 51) and never let the Panthers in the game.
Michael Young led Pitt with 12 points.
The Cardinals outscored Pitt in the paint 52-12, outrebounded the Panthers 48-26 and poured it on long after things had been decided.
The result was Pitt’s worst loss since falling to Westminster College 106-13 in 1905, the year the basketball program started.
No. 15 WISCONSIN 82, PENN ST. 55
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Bronson Koenig scored 20 points and Wisconsin shut down Penn State in the second half.
The Badgers (17-3, 6-1 Big Ten) started to shake off the Nittany Lions (11-10, 3-5) after Ethan Happ came alive.
Happ asserted himself to open the second half, scoring on the Badgers’ first two possessions to spark a 13-2 run that put Wisconsin up 52-38 on Vitto Brown’s 3-pointer.
Brown finished with 16 points, while Happ added 14 and eight rebounds.
Payton Banks and Tony Carr led the Nittany Lions with 12 points apiece.
No. 20 PURDUE 83, MICHIGAN ST. 73
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Caleb Swanigan had 25 points and 17 rebounds for Purdue.
The Boilermakers (17-4, 6-2 Big Ten) have won three straight, helping them have their best eight-game record in the conference since 2010-11.
The Spartans (12-9, 4-4) have lost three straight and four of five, forcing them to turn it around soon to improve their chances of playing in a 20th straight NCAA Tournament.
Michigan State’s Miles Bridges did his part with 33 points, breaking Scott Skiles’ freshman scoring record of 32 set in 1983 against Ohio State.
No. 22 MARYLAND 67, RUTGERS 55
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Melo Trimble fueled a second-half surge that put Maryland in control and the Terrapins remained in first place in the Big Ten.
Trimble scored 17 points and freshman Kevin Huerter had 11 for the Terrapins (18-2, 6-1), who own their best record after 20 games since the 1998-99 season.
Corey Sanders scored 15 points for the Scarlet Knights (12-9, 1-7), who went 10 for 24 at the free throw line in losing for the eighth time in nine games.
No. 23 SOUTH CAROLINA 98, AUBURN 69
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Duane Notice tied career highs with 27 points and six 3-pointers for South Carolina.
Notice had scored 22 points combined in his previous four games, but like most of his Gamecock teammates let it fly from long range early and often to open a big first-half lead over the Tigers (13-7, 3-5).
Notice and Sindarius Thornwell had four 3-pointers in the first half while Justin McKie hit two as the Gamecocks (16-4, 6-1) led 48-27 at the half.
Anfernee McLemore had a career-best 18 points to lead Auburn.