MILWAUKEE – Katin Reinhardt hit two free throws with 11.6 seconds left, Jalen Brunson and Darryl Reynolds missed chances to tie near the basket in the final seconds, and Marquette upset top-ranked Villanova 74-72 on Tuesday night.
The Golden Eagles (14-6, 5-3 Big East) roared back from a 17-point deficit for a season-defining win over the Wildcats (19-2, 7-2), who have been ranked No. 1 for a total of seven weeks this season.
It was the second time Marquette beat a No. 1-ranked team. The Golden Eagles beat Kentucky in the 2003 NCAA Tournament.
Fans stormed the court at the Bradley Center for the kind of floor-stomping postgame celebration that harkened back to the days when coach Al McGuire paced the Marquette sideline. He would have been proud of the Golden Eagles' effort against Villanova. Marquette overcame poor free throw shooting and lackluster stretches in the first half to pull off the upset. Reinhardt's 3 from the right wing tied the game at 72 with 1:04 left.
His two free throws gave the Golden Eagles an even bigger lift. Brunson missed a layup before Reynolds missed a putback.
Mikal Bridges had a season-high 20 points for Villanova.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Esa Ahmad broke out of a shooting slump with a career-high 27 points to lead No. 18 West Virginia to an 85-69 victory over No. 2 Kansas on Tuesday night.
The Mountaineers (16-4, 5-3 Big 12) beat Kansas (18-2, 7-1) for the fourth consecutive time in Morgantown and snapped the Jayhawks' 18-game winning streak.
Ahmad led West Virginia in scoring over the first two months of the season but entered Tuesday's game with four straight games in single digits. He scored West Virginia's first eight points against Kansas and finished 10 of 17 from the field.
West Virginia blew a double-digit lead after halftime for the third straight game. Svi Mykhailiuk's 3-pointer put the Jayhawks ahead 59-58 midway through the second half. But that was their last lead.
Kansas then went nearly 3 minutes between field goals. Ahmad started and finished a 12-1 run with baskets to put the Mountaineers ahead 70-61 with 4:55 left.
Coach Bob Huggins had two stipulations for success for the Mountaineers: making free throws and not piling up turnovers.
West Virginia limited its turnovers to eight and went 19 of 23 from the line, making nine of their final 10.
West Virginia's Nathan Adrian added 11 points and Daxter Miles Jr. and Tarik Phillip each had 10.
Josh Jackson matched a season high with 22 points before fouling out for Kansas. Devonte' Graham added 17 points and Big 12 scoring leader Frank Mason III finished with 15, tying his third-lowest point total of the season.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Robert Hubbs III scored 25 points Tuesday night and Tennessee upset No. 4 Kentucky 82-80 to snap the Wildcats' seven-game winning streak.
Tennessee (11-9, 4-4 Southeastern Conference) beat Kentucky (17-3, 7-1) in Knoxville for the second consecutive season and earned its first victory over a top-five team since an 83-76 triumph over No. 3 Pittsburgh on Dec. 11, 2010.
Kentucky's defeat capped a night in which three of the nation's top four teams lost. Marquette beat No. 1 Villanova 74-72 and No. 2 Kansas fell 85-69 at No. 18 West Virginia.
In Kentucky's last visit to Knoxville, Tennessee erased a 21-point deficit to beat the Wildcats 84-77. No second-half comeback was necessary this time, as Tennessee pulled ahead for good with just over 4 minutes left in the first half.
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.
