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Zion Leads Duke Past UVA, Wisconsin Stuns Michigan and Top Jan. 19 Highlights
January 20, 2019
Duke freshman Zion Williamson delivered a few more must-see moments Saturday, when he helped the Blue Devils win their ACC clash with Virginia.
Williamson produced yet another unreal slam dunk in the first half and showed off his prodigious athleticism with a key block in the second half of the 72-70 victory.
The defeat was the first of the season for the Cavaliers, who were the lone unbeaten team in the nation for a few hours after Wisconsin upset Michigan at the Kohl Center.
In addition to Michigan and Virginia, two other top-10 teams lost Saturday, while Kentucky came out on top of a marquee clash in the SEC.
Saturday Top 25 Scoreboard
No. 1 Duke 72, No. 4 Virginia 70
Wisconsin 64, No. 2 Michigan 54
No. 3 Tennessee 71, Alabama 68
No. 5 Gonzaga 89, Portland 66
West Virginia 65, No. 7 Kansas 64
Baylor 73, No. 8 Texas Tech 62
No. 9 Virginia Tech 87, Wake Forest 71
No. 10 Nevada 67, Air Force 52
No. 12 Kentucky 82, No. 14 Auburn 80
No. 13 North Carolina 85, Miami 76
No. 17 NC State 77, Notre Dame 73
No. 18 Ole Miss 84, Arkansas 67
Texas 75, No. 20 Oklahoma 72
No. 21 Houston 69, South Florida 60
No. 24 Mississippi State 71, Vanderbilt 55
Purdue 70, No. 25 Indiana 55
Zion Runs Floor, Produces Highlight-Reel Slam
Zion Rises for Emphatic Block
Zion Powers Through the Paint
Badgers Seal Upset with Reuvers Dunk
Cheatham Posterizes Oregon
Avery Johnson Beside Himself After Bama's Last-Second Travel
West Virginia Knocks Off Kansas at Home
Sir Charles Gives Bryce Brown His Stamp of Approval
Wild Back-And-Forth to End Bucknell-Lehigh
Illinois State Produces 2-Handed Backhand Slam
North Alabama Defeats Stetson on Halfcourt Winner
Williamson, Barrett Were Focused on Rebounding from Syracuse Loss
A rare home loss to Syracuse inspired Williamson and fellow freshman R.J. Barrett during the buildup to the Virginia game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Williamson admitted the squad's mood turned after the loss to Syracuse and that it helped the Blue Devils come out on top Saturday, per Luke DeCock of the News and Observer.
"[The Syracuse loss] kind of changed the whole mood at practice," Williamson said. "Me and R.J., we're roommates, we were talking about it the whole week, not even just this game, but in the future. Go out there and handle our business."
Williamson and Barrett were historically dominant Saturday, as they became the first freshmen duo to score 25-plus points in two games in a season since Kansas State's Michael Beasley and Bill Walker during the 2007-08 season, per Stats.com:
Stats By STATS @StatsBySTATSToday marked the 2nd time this season @DukeMBB freshmen RJ Barrett (30) and Zion Williamson (27) scored 25+ points in the same game. They're the first Division I freshman duo to do that twice in a season since Kansas State's Michael Beasley and Bill Walker in 2007-08. https://t.co/oqskHYsBiv
In addition, Williamson and Barrett became the first duo since Davidson's Seth Curry and Kyle Ohman in 2008 to be teammates to score more than 25 points each against Virginia, per The Athletic's Patrick Stevens:
While the win was important for the Blue Devils, they still have plenty of work to do in the ACC, as they are one of six programs tied for first in the conference standings, and they have road trips to Virginia, Virginia Tech and North Carolina remaining.
Beilein Reacts To Michigan's 1st Loss Since National Championship
Michigan's 17-game winning streak came to an end Saturday, as they fell by 10 points to Wisconsin.
The defeat was the first suffered by the Wolverines since the 2018 National Championship and the second since February 6, 2018, versus Northwestern.
Despite the long gaps in losses, head coach John Beilein admitted to The Athletic's Brendan F. Quinn that he remembers the defeats more:
With the winning streak behind them, the Wolverines must recenter their focus toward Minnesota, the team they host Tuesday.
The next four games present difficult tests for Michigan to stay atop the Big Ten, as Indiana, Ohio State and Iowa follow the Golden Gophers on the schedule.
Pearl Impressed with Kentucky's Talent
Kentucky survived a back-and-forth battle with Auburn to earn an important win in SEC play.
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl admitted the Wildcats' physicality wore down the Tigers and was the reason John Calipari's team walked away with a victory, per The Athletic's Kyle Tucker:
Conversely, Calipari admitted he had no idea how the Wildcats left Auburn Arena with a victory because Auburn rallied from being down double digits in the second half, per Josh Vitale of the Montgomery Advertiser:
The road win should push Kentucky into the top 10 of the AP Top 25 on Monday, and it kept it one game behind Tennessee in the SEC regular-season standings.
Auburn faces a tough climb up the SEC with a 2-2 conference record, and the schedule doesn't get easier for the Tigers, with road trips to South Carolina and Mississippi State coming up.
Sunday AP Top 25 Schedule
No. 11 Florida State at Boston College (Noon ET)
Providence at No. 15 Marquette (Noon ET)
Illinois at No. 23 Iowa (1 p.m. ET)
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