Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett Dominate NC State, Kentucky Upset, Top Highlights
Joe Tansey@JTansey90
Featured ColumnistFebruary 17, 2019
If the Duke Blue Devils and Kentucky Wildcats are as dominant as they were Saturday for the rest of the season, they could be on a collision course for the national championship in April.
Duke stormed past NC State behind a triple-double from R.J. Barrett and yet another strong performance out of Zion Williamson.
While Duke caught our attention for a bit Saturday, it was Kentucky who stole the show, trampling top-ranked Tennessee at Rupp Arena.
In addition to the headlines made by two of the sport's marquee programs, a star out of the Big South Conference joined an elite group of scorers.
Saturday's AP Top 25 Scoreboard
No. 5 Kentucky 86, No. 1 Tennessee 69
No. 2 Duke 94, NC State 78
No. 3 Gonzaga 79, San Diego 67
No. 4 Virginia 60, Notre Dame 54
No. 6 Michigan 65, No. 24 Maryland 52
No. 7 Nevada 82, Wyoming 49
No. 8 North Carolina 95, Wake Forest 57
No. 12 Purdue 76, Penn State 64
No. 14 Kansas 78, West Virginia 53
No. 15 Texas Tech 86, Baylor 61
No. 16 Louisville 56, Clemson 55
No. 17 Florida State 69, Georgia Tech 47
No. 23 Iowa State 78, No. 18 Kansas State 64
No. 19 LSU 83, Georgia 79
No. 21 Iowa 71, Rutgers 69
No. 22 Virginia Tech 70, Pittsburgh 64
Barrett Impresses in Front of Mayweather
Zion Storms Through NC State Defense
Montgomery's Thunderous Follow for UK
Iowa's Miraculous Game-Winner at Rutgers
South Dakota State's Halfcourt Buzzer-Beater
Beard Irate with Texas Tech Walk-Ons After Alley-Oop
Simpson's Sweet Hook Shot
Steal and Slam For Texas' Roach
Fernando Finishes Off Maryland Alley-Oop
Dunbar Sprints Down Court for Auburn Block
Penn State Poster Jam
Barrett Records Duke's 1st Triple-Double Since 2006
The latest impressive feat achieved by a Duke freshman came Saturday in the home victory over NC State, as Barrett became the first Duke player since Shelden Williams in 2006 to record a triple-double, per ESPN Stats & Info:
Barrett scored 23 points, brought down 11 rebounds and handed out 10 assists to help Duke move to 11-1 in the ACC.
Williamson, who scored a team-high 32 points, had some fun critiquing Barrett after the game, per Luke DeCock of the News and Observer:
Since losing to Syracuse at home on January 14, the Blue Devils have reeled off nine straight victories—but they have only knocked off three ranked teams during the streak.
Starting with Wednesday's clash at Cameron Indoor Stadium with rival North Carolina, the Blue Devils finish their ACC slate with three clashes against ranked foes, two of which are against the Tar Heels.
Kentucky Handles Tennessee at Home
Kentucky took out all of its frustration from losing on a last-second shot to LSU on Tuesday on the top-ranked Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday.
The Wildcats were in control for most of the second half and were able to absorb a push made by the Vols in the middle of the final stanza.
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes had nothing but praise for how John Calipari's team performed, per The Athletic's Kyle Tucker:
The victory moved Calipari's record against No. 1 teams to 5-4, which is the only winning mark out of 87 coaches with seven or more games versus top-ranked programs, per ESPN Stats & Info:
Saturday's emphatic victory vaulted the Wildcats into the conversation for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, and there's a strong chance that happens, as five of their final six SEC regular-season games are against unranked foes.
However, the one matchup against a ranked opponent comes against Tennessee on March 2, which carries more intrigue now since the Vols will be motivated to prove Saturday's showing was just a fluke.
Campbell's Clemons Joins 3,000-Point Club
Campbell senior Chris Clemons became the ninth player in NCAA Division I history to eclipse the 3,000-point mark Saturday in his team's loss to Presbyterian.
Clemons reached the milestone with 5:45 left in the contest, and he told NCAA.com's Andy Katz after the game that the moment still hadn't registered.
"It's still kinda surreal right now," Clemons said. "I haven't been able to really think about how amazing or how unprecedented it is."
As College GameDay's official Twitter account noted, Clemons can move into eighth place on the all-time Division I scoring chart with three points in his next game against High Point:
Clemons could have more company in the elite club soon, as South Dakota State's Mike Daum sits at 2,943 career points, per SB Nation's Mike Rutherford.
Sunday's AP Top 25 Schedule
Ohio State at No. 11 Michigan State (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
No. 9 Houston at Tulane (2 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network)
No. 13 Villanova at St. John's (5 p.m., FS1)
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.