Mikel Brown Jr. returned from an eight-game absence and scored 20 points to lead No. 23 Louisville to an 85-71 home victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday.
Brown had been sidelined by a back injury. The 6-foot-5 freshman point guard went 7 for 11 from the field in his fourth 20-point game of the season and added a team-high six assists.
Neither team shot particularly well in the first half, but the Cardinals (14-5, 4-3) warmed up toward the end as they outscored the Hokies 14-3 over the final 3:54 to take a 37-22 halftime lead.
Virginia Tech (15-6, 4-4) shot just 24.2% (8 for 33) before intermission. The point total and shooting percentage in the first half were both the second-lowest of the season for the Hokies.
Jailen Bedford led the Hokies with 24 points, and Ben Hammond added 18. Amani Hansberry had 11 of his 12 points in the second half.
No. 5 Duke 90, Wake Forest 69: Cameron Boozer scored 32 points to lead dominating interior play that helped the Blue Devils (18-1, 7-0) win at home.
The star freshman big man made 11 of 20 shots to go with nine rebounds and four assists, controlling large stretches with his scoring and his playmaking ability to passing out of oncoming double-teams.
Juke Harris scored 20 of his 23 points after halftime for the Demon Deacons (11-9, 2-5), who have lost six of eight.
No. 18 Clemson 77, Georgia Tech 63: Jake Wahlin and Nick Davidson scored 13 points apiece and Clemson got hot from long range iin Atlanta, bouncing back from its first ACC loss.
After making only 4 of 16 beyond the 3-point stripe in the first half, the Tigers (17-4, 7-1) went 7 of 12 over the final 20 minutes.
Kowacie Reeves Jr. had 19 points for Georgia Tech (11-9, 2-5), which trailed by as many as 16 before rallying down the stretch.
NC State 81, Pittsburgh 72: Quadir Copeland scored 20 points and had nine assists, Ven-Allen Lubin had 17 points and 12 rebounds and the Wolfpack won at Pitt.
Paul McNeil Jr. added 15 points on five 3-pointers and, along with Copeland and Lubin, led a surge over the final eight minutes to send the Wolfpack (14-6, 5-2) to their fourth win in five games and seventh in their last nine.
Roman Siulepa had 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Panthers (8-12, 1-6), who have lost five of their last six.
Miami 85, Syracuse 76: Malik Reneau had a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double, Tre Donaldson and Shelton Henderson each added 16 points and Miami (16-4, 5-2) won at Syracuse (12-8, 3-4).
Reneau picked up his sixth double-double of the season, and was 8 for 12 from the floor and 1 for 2 from beyond the arc. He also dished five assists to tie Donaldson for a team-high.
The Hurricanes snapped a two-game skid after winning their first four games of conference play.
SMU 83, Florida State 80: Jaron Pierre Jr. had 28 points to help SMU (15-5, 4-3) hold off the Seminoles (8-12, 1-6) in Dallas.
Lajae Jones buried a 3-pointer to give FSU a 72-69 lead with four minutes remaining. Pierre had baskets on both ends of a three-point play by B.J. Edwards in a 7-0 run, and the Mustangs stayed in front from there. Edwards made two free throws with eight seconds left to set the final margin.
Pierre made 11 of 18 shots with four 3-pointers for the Mustangs. Edwards totaled 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Boopie Miller had 11 points and six assists, and Samet Yigitoglu grabbed 11 rebounds and scored six points.
Robert McCray V totaled 21 points and nine assists to pace FSU.
California 78, Stanford 66: John Camden, formerly of Virginia Tech and Delaware, had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the visiting Bears (15-5, 3-4) in the ACC’s Golden State rivalry game. Justin Pippen added 18 points and six assists.
Cal’s DJ Campbell, a former Kecoughtan High star, had a productive 11 minutes off the bench. He made all three of his shots, including a 3-pointer, for seven points and grabbed four rebounds.
Jeremy Dent-Smith had 20 points and three steals for the Cardinal (14-6, 3-4). Freshman star Ebuka Okorie had 14 points, sinking 12 of 14 free throws but just 1 of 16 tries from the floor.
Notre Dame 68, Boston College 64: Braeden Shrewsberry scored 22 points and Jalen Haralson added 17 for the host Irish (11-9, 2-5), who overcame a double-digit deficit.
The Eagles took a 35-24 lead into the half after opening the game on an 8-0 run. The Irish flipped the script in the second half, turning a 13-point deficit into a seven-point advantage with 2:57 remaining.
Carson Towt had 13 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass.
Fred Payne led the Eagles (9-11, 2-5) with 18 points to go with five rebounds and four assists. Landstown High graduate Donald Hand Jr. had 17 points and six rebounds.
