LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Freshman Mikel Brown Jr. scored 20 of his 29 points in the first half and No. 12 Louisville held on to defeat No. 9 Kentucky 96-88. His 29 points on 8-of-16 shooting and 10-of-11 from the foul line were the most by a Louisville freshman since Edgar Sosa scored 31 in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Ryan Conwell added 24 points in the victory, and Sananda Fru contributed 10 points. Denzel Aberdeen led Kentucky with 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting. Otega Oweh and Collin Chandler added 12 each.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — No. 2 South Carolina suspended reserve guard Maddy McDaniel ahead of its game against rival Clemson. South Carolina announced the suspension on social media shortly before the game Tuesday night. Coach Dawn Staley is expected to discuss the suspension after the game. McDaniel is a 5-foot-9 sophomore from Upper Marlboro, Maryland. She played in 30 games as a freshman, averaging 3.1 points a contest. The suspension is the latest hit to South Carolina’s roster. The Gamecocks are without reigning SEC Tournament MVP Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins because of season-long injuries.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Joyce Edwards scored 18 points and Tessa Johnson 13 as No. 2 South Carolina held off Clemson 65-37 for its 15th straight victory over its state rival. The Gamecocks have had little difficulty with the Tigers in recent years, winning by an average of 48 points the past five contests. But Clemson was within five points right before halftime and trailed 45-35 entering the final period. South Carolina's defense took charge, limiting its rival to two foul shots in the fourth quarter. The Tigers shot 0-of-17 from the field the last 10 minutes.
UNDATED (AP) — Ohio State stayed atop the College Football Playoff rankings for the second straight week, while Indiana remained at No. 2 despite barely squeaking out a victory last week while third-ranked Texas A&M coasted. Alabama and Georgia rounded out the same top five as in last week’s season-opening rankings. Texas Tech jumped two spots to No. 6, moving one notch ahead of Mississippi.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Keyshawn Hall had 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, Elyjah Freeman scored 21 and No. 22 Auburn overwhelmed Wofford 93-62. Hall topped 20 points for the third time in as many games. The 6-foot-7 forward racked up 28 points in the season opener and then had 25 in the Tigers’ most recent outing. Freeman reached double figures for the first time. Auburn outrebounded the Terriers 48-27, with 20 of those being offensive boards. That led to a 20-7 advantage in second-chance points. Chace Watley led the Terriers with 11 points.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Darius Acuff Jr. led four Arkansas players in double figures to pace the No. 21 Razorbacks to a 93-56 win over Central Arkansas on Tuesday. Acuff, a freshman, has led the team in scoring in all three games. Karter Knox, the team’s second leading returning scorer, added 19 points while freshman Meleek Thomas chipped in 17 and Malique Ewin scored 10. Central Arkansas shot just 28% from the field and went 0-for-18 from 3-point range in the second half. Camren Hunter led the Bears with 16 points.
UNDATED (AP) — The Associated Press national player of the week in women’s basketball for Week 1 of the season is UConn forward Sarah Strong. The sophomore averaged 21.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists to go with two blocks and two steals in the top-ranked Huskies' wins over then-No. 20 Louisville and Florida State. She had a double-double in the season opener against the Cardinals. She followed that up with a 21-point, nine-rebound performance in just 23 minutes against the Seminoles. Baylor guard Taliah Scott is the runner-up. Scott had 24 points in then-No. 16 Baylor's win over then-No. 7 Duke to open the season.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Thomas Haugh had 20 points and 13 rebounds, Boogie Fland added 18 points and No. 10 Florida handed rival Florida State its first loss under new coach Luke Loucks, 78-76. The defending national champions nearly squandered a nine-point lead in the final six-plus minutes before making enough plays down the stretch to extend their winning streak in the series to five. Robert McCray V led the Seminoles with 29 points, and Kobe MaGee chipped in 14 points and nine rebounds.
