Sports
Marquette owns second half to roll past Butler 70-55
Feb 7, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles guard Adrien Stevens (10) defends Butler Bulldogs forward Michael Ajayi (5) during the first half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images Adrien Stevens scored a career-high 18 points and Chase Ross added 17 of his 19 points after halftime to lead Marquette’s second-half surge in a 70-55 win over Butler on Saturday afternoon in Milwaukee.
Stevens scored all of his points from 3-point range, making six of his nine attempts. The Golden Eagles (9-15, 4-9 Big East) made a season-high tying 14 3-pointers as a team, while shooting 45.2%, well above their 31.5% season average from the perimeter.
Ross made four 3-pointers with five assists and four rebounds. Nigel James Jr. tallied 16 points and four steals for Marquette, which won its third straight home game.
Finley Bizjack led Butler (13-11, 4-9) with 23 points for his 11th 20-point game of the season. He made 5 of 7 shots from 3-point range. Michael Ajayi paired eight points with 19 rebounds for the Bulldogs, who dropped their fourth straight game.
Butler was 32.8% from the floor and 28.6% from outside the arc, negating its 43-30 rebounding advantage.
Nine of the 3-pointers in Marquette’s perimeter barrage came in the second half. The Golden Eagles led 32-28 at halftime before opening the second half on a 22-9 run to create a 54-37 lead with 13:58 left.
During that stretch, Marquette made five 3-pointers, including one from Stevens and one each from Parham and Ross.
The Bulldogs eventually responded with a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 57-47 with 8:58 left, but a scoring drought of just over six minutes followed, preventing them from getting within single digits.
The teams traded runs early in the game, with Marquette remaining ahead even as Butler made its own surges. The Bulldogs twice cut the deficit to one point before finally taking its first lead on a Bizjack 3-pointer with 6:43 left in the half.
Bizjack finished the first half with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 3 of 3 from outside the arc.
Marquette ended the first half on an 8-0 run over the final 1:55 to turn a four-point deficit into a four-point lead. James led the Golden Eagles with 10 first-half points on 3-of-9 shooting.
–Field Level Media
Sports
No. 24 Louisville hangs on against pesky Wake Forest team
Feb 7, 2026; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard J’vonne Hadley (1) drives to the basket against Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Myles Colvin (6) during the first half at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Sananda Fru scored 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting to lead No. 24 Louisville, which extended its winning streak to three Saturday by beating a pesky Wake Forest squad 88-80 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The Cardinals (17-6, 7-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) never trailed as they feasted against one of the ACC’s poorer defensive teams, shooting 52.9% (27 of 51) against the Demon Deacons (11-12, 2-8). However, Wake Forest battled back from a 15-point deficit four minutes into the second half to tie it twice.
Juke Harris scored 16 of his 25 points in the second half to lead the Demon Deacons, who lost their fifth straight contest. The sophomore also pulled down 11 rebounds but missed his last five shots from the field.
Fru, a 6-foot-11 junior, was one of six Cardinals to score in double figures. J’Vonne Hadley finished with 15 points, and Khani Rooths added 13. Mikel Brown Jr. made six free throws in the final 5:06 as part of a 12-point, eight-assist game for the freshman point guard.
Louisville listed Hadley, who left Wednesday’s game against Notre Dame after just three minutes due to a back injury, as a game-time decision Saturday. The sixth-year guard started and scored Louisville’s first five points.
He also scored six points in 33 seconds to give the Cardinals a 54-39 lead, their biggest in the game, with 15:56 remaining.
Hadley made five of his seven shots.
Louisville also made 40% (10 of 25) of its 3-pointers. Isaac McKneely made three of his four, and Ryan Conwell hit two of his four. Both scored 11 points.
The Demon Deacons, however, shot 14 of 21 over an 11-minute stretch. A pair of Sebastian Akins free throws tied the game at 80 with 4:44 remaining. However, Wake Forest missed their last 11 shots, allowing Louisville to pull away by making 10 of its 12 free throws in the final 5:06.
Omaha Biliew added 14 points off the bench for the Demon Deacons, who also got 12 points from Akins and 10 from Myles Colvin.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lamar Wilkerson, Indiana outlast Wisconsin in OT
Feb 7, 2026; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Lamar Wilkerson (3) celebrates after the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images Lamar Wilkerson hit two free throws with two seconds left in overtime, and Indiana outlasted Wisconsin for a 78-77 victory Saturday afternoon in Bloomington, Ind.
Wisconsin (16-7, 8-4 Big Ten) held a 77-74 lead when Nick Boyd split two free throws with 56 seconds left but committed a costly turnover with 15 seconds left. After struggling to get the ball up court, Boyd’s right arm hit Connor Enright near midcourt for an offensive foul.
Following a timeout, Wilkerson drove into the paint and was met by John Blackwell, who committed the foul. Wilkerson then put Indiana back ahead by easily sinking the free throws, and the game ended when Braeden Carrington’s 3-point heave from beyond halfcourt was long.
Wilkerson led the Hoosiers (16-8, 7-6) with 25 points, though he struggled from beyond the arc. He was 1-of-8 from 3 and 8-of-20 overall but made all eight free throws, including four in the final minute of regulation after Indiana lost a 13-point lead.
Sam Alexis added a season-high 19 points, seven rebounds, and five blocks, including a key block on Boyd with 2:44 left after Wisconsin took a two-point lead on a basket by Nolan Winter a little over a minute earlier.
Tucker DeVries contributed 16 and Enright chipped in 11 as Indiana shot 47.6 percent and survived missing 17 of 22 3-point tries in its fourth win in five games.
Winter led all scorers with a career-high 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Boyd added 20, and Blackwell scored 16 of his 18 after halftime before fouling out.
Wisconsin shot 38% and made 33.3% (12-of-36) from 3-point range.
Indiana made seven straight shots and opened a 26-12 lead with 8:26 left on a reverse layup by Enright that followed consecutive 3s by DeVries. Wilkerson hit a jumper by the foul line for a 30-19 lead with 5:55 remaining and Indiana held a 36-30 lead at halftime.
Indiana stretched its lead to 52-39 on a triple from the top of the key by DeVries with 13:01 left and held a 64-56 lead on a 3-point play by Alexis with 6:07 left.
Wisconsin ripped off 10 straight for a 72-68 lead with 57 seconds left when Winter hit an open 3. Wilkerson hit four free throws and the game headed to overtime when Blackwell missed an off-balance jumper near the baseline just before the buzzer.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jayden Stone, Missouri topple reeling South Carolina
Feb 7, 2026; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks forward Elijah Strong (31) attempts to drive around Missouri Tigers forward Trent Pierce (11) in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images Jayden Stone scored 22 points and Mark Mitchell added 20 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists as Missouri used strong starts at the beginning of each half in a 78-59 victory over South Carolina on Saturday in Columbia, S.C.
T.O. Barrett added 14 points and seven rebounds for the Tigers (16-7, 6-4 Southeastern Conference), who handed the Gamecocks (11-13, 2-9) their fifth straight loss.
The win improves Missouri’s chances of advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last four years. The team squarely is on the bubble right now.
Meechie Johnson, coming off a career-high 35 points against Texas on Tuesday, shot just 2-for-13 from the field, including 1-for-7 from beyond the arc. He made 8 of 10 free throw attempts and still led South Carolina with 13 points.
Kobe Knox and Elijah Strong had 12 points apiece and Eli Ellis came off the bench to contribute 11 points and six rebounds.
Mitchell had 10 points and eight rebounds in the game’s first seven minutes as the Tigers dominated the glass offensively en route to seizing a 21-8 lead. Missouri’s 12 offensive rebounds in the first half were the most it has had in a half this season.
Strong came off the bench to spark the Gamecocks, scoring eight points to get South Carolina within four points at 34-30 at the break.
Mike Sharavjamts scored on a layup to open the second half, but the Tigers went on a 17-5 run to again take control of the game. Stone scored 14 of his game-high 22 in the second half, including a series of high-flying dunks.
Missouri, the worst free-throw shooting team in the SEC, came into the game shooting 58% from the charity stripe on the road in conference play. The team made 70% (21 for 30) of its shots to help seal the win.
Trent Pierce added eight points and five rebounds for Missouri, which held a commanding 44-28 advantage on the boards.
Sharavjamts added nine points and five rebounds for the Gamecocks.
–Field Level Media
