Columbus, Ohio ? Jamar Butler scored 18 points, and Greg Oden had 17 points and 14 rebounds to help No. 2 Ohio State beat Penn State for the second time in eight days, 68-60 on Wednesday night.
Daequan Cook added 12 points and Ron Lewis 11 for the Buckeyes (25-3, 13-1), who hold a one-game edge with two games left in the Big Ten race.
The win set the stage for a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown Sunday when top-ranked Wisconsin, still smarting from Tuesday night’s 64-55 loss at Michigan State, comes to town. The winner is assured of at least a share of the Big Ten title.
Geary Claxton had 15 points for the Nittany Lions (10-16, 1-12), who have lost their last 12.
No. 3 Florida 63, S. Carolina 49
Gainesville, Fla. – Al Horford scored 20 points, Chris Richard added a season-high 14 and the Gators rebounded from their first loss in more than two months.
Florida (25-3, 12-1) clinched the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship and improved to 17-0 at home.
Tre Kelley led the Gamecocks (13-13, 3-10) with 19 points.
No. 5 N. Carolina 83, North Carolina State 64
Chapel Hill, N.C. – Brandan Wright scored 24 points and the Tar Heels pulled away for an easy victory.
Tyler Hansbrough added 20 points for North Carolina (24-4, 10-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), which used a huge second-half run to avenge an upset loss earlier this month and move into first place in the league standings.
The Tar Heels’ superior depth even extended to the coaching staffs. N.C. State (14-12, 4-9) played the second half without coach Sidney Lowe, who for several days had been suffering from flulike symptoms and at halftime was taken to a hospital with dehydration. Assistant Monte Towe ran the team in the second half.
No. 12 Georgetown 75, Cincinnati 65
Cincinnati – Jeff Green scored 21 points and had a tone-setting block, helping the Hoyas extend their winning streak to 10 games.
Georgetown (21-5, 11-2 Big East) took control with a 13-point run late in the first half, and the league’s toughest defense held off its worst team.
Cincinnati (10-17, 1-2) has dropped nine in a row.
No. 13 S. Illinois 58, Indiana St. 50
Terre Haute, Ind. – Tony Young scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half to help the Salukis beat the Sycamores and win the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title outright.
Jamaal Tatum also scored 15 points for Southern Illinois (24-5, 14-3), which won its 10th straight.
Marico Stinson led Indiana State (12-16, 5-12) with 17 points, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Sycamores’ fifth straight loss.
No. 20 Louisville 72, St. John’s 48
Louisville, Ky. – Terrence Williams scored 16 points to go with four rebounds and four assists the Cardinals rolled over listless St. John’s.
Louisville (20-8, 10-4 Big East) won its fourth straight and eighth in its last 10 games by playing with the kind of urgency that’s fueled its improbable return to the Top 25.
Derrick Caracter added 12 points as Louisville strengthened its grip on third-place in the Big East.
Anthony Mason Jr. led the Red Storm (15-13, 6-9) with 19 points.
No. 21 BYU 76, Colorado St. 67
Provo, Utah – Keena Young scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half and the Cougars won their eighth straight.
BYU (21-6, 11-2) remained alone in first place in the Mountain West Conference with three games left.
Miami 68, No. 24 Virginia 60
Coral Gables, Fla. – Jack McClinton scored 14 points, including two late 3-pointers to help the Hurricanes beat the Cavaliers.
McClinton’s three-pointer with 1:06 left put Miami (11-16, 4-9 ACC) ahead for good, 61-58.
Sean Singletary scored 17 points to lead Virginia (18-8, 9-4).
Tennessee 69, No. 25 Alabama 66, OT
Knoxville, Tenn – Chris Lofton scored 20 points, JaJuan Smith added 16 and the Vols rallied to beat the Crimson Tide in overtime.
Tennessee (19-9, 7-6 SEC) improved to 15-0 at home this season.
Reserve Mykal Riley led Alabama (19-8, 6-7) with 15 points.
