NCAA News Wire
Top 25 roundup: Coach K earns win No. 999
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
DURHAM, N.C. — Freshman guard Tyus Jones matched his season high with 22 points as fifth-ranked Duke drubbed Pittsburgh 79-65 Monday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, giving coach Mike Krzyzewski his 999th career coaching victory.
Krzyzewski’s first chance at reaching the 1,000-win mark comes Sunday afternoon against St. John’s at New York’s Madison Square Garden. That is the same venue where he passed Bob Knight as the all-time winningest Division I men’s coach on Nov. 15, 2011, picking up No. 903 against Michigan State.
Center Jahlil Okafor scored 14 points, guard Rasheed Sulaimon had 13 and guard Quinn Cook added 11 for Duke (16-2, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). The Blue Devils have won two games by double-digit margins since back-to-back losses threatened to alter the course of their season.
Sophomore forward Jamel Artis poured in a career-high 21 points for Pittsburgh (13-6, 3-3). Guard Chris Jones had 13 points and forward Michael Young added 11 points for the Panthers.
Georgetown 78, Villanova 58
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Freshman forward Isaac Copeland came off the bench to score a career-high 17 points and senior guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera also had 17 points as Georgetown’s pressure defense was too much for No. 4 Villanova in a convincing Big East upset.
The Hoyas (13-5, 5-2 Big East) built a 22-point lead at halftime after forcing the Wildcats (17-2, 4-2) into 10 first-half turnovers.
Villanova, which won their first 13 games of the season, was paced by guard Ryan Arcidiacono with 16 points.
Kansas 85, Oklahoma 78
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The 11th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks built a 20-point lead in the first half, then fell behind in the second half before making a final surge to beat 19th-ranked Oklahoma at Allen Fieldhouse.
Sophomore guard Brannen Greene canned a 3-pointer with 3:20 remaining as part of a 16-9 run the Jayhawks (15-3, 4-1 Big 12) used to end the game.
Kansas led 39-19 midway through the first half, but the Sooners (12-6, 3-3) led by as many as four on a three-point play by junior guard Buddy Hield with 4:56 left in the second half.
Hield finished with a game-high 26 points, but the Jayhawks’ late charge enabled Kansas to win its 18th straight at home.
Texas 66, TCU 48
FORT WORTH, Texas — The 17th-ranked Longhorns refused to give the Horned Frogs a foothold as both scrapped for traction in the Big 12 race. Texas already had a 10-point lead when it reeled off a 14-0 run in the second half to secure a victory at Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center.
The Horned Frogs (14-4, 1-4) were coming off their first victory in two seasons in Big 12 play, but Texas stiff-armed TCU’s effort to make it back-to-back wins. The Longhorns (14-4, 3-2) established a 10-point lead midway through the first half and smothered the Horned Frogs on the defensive end.
Texas blocked nine shots and held TCU to 33-percent shooting from the field. Guard Javan Felix paced the Longhorns with 15 points. Forward Kenrich Williams topped the Horned Frogs with 10 points.
