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No. 9 Gonzaga avenges loss to Portland, grabs share of WCC title

NCAA Basketball: Portland at GonzagaFeb 25, 2026; Spokane, Washington, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Noah Haaland (35) shoots the ball against Portland Pilots center Jermaine Ballisager Webb (1) in the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images

Graham Ike scored 19 points, grabbed eight rebounds and snagged a career-high seven steals as No. 9 Gonzaga clinched the top seed in the West Coast Conference tournament as well as at least a share of the regular-season title with an 89-48 victory against Portland on Wednesday in Spokane, Wash.

Braeden Smith added 15 points on 6-for-6 shooting for the Bulldogs (28-2, 16-1 WCC), who also avenged their lone conference loss of the season. Tyon Grant-Foster and Mario Saint-Supery scored 12 apiece as Gonzaga won its sixth game in a row.

Joel Foxwell led the Pilots (12-18, 5-12) with 12 points. Portland has lost four consecutive games.

The Bulldogs were dominant on defense, forcing 22 turnovers while allowing just 17 field goals.

Gonzaga shot 52.4% from the field (33 of 63) while limiting the Pilots to 34.7% (17 of 49).

Ike scored 12 points in the first half as the Bulldogs took a 36-21 lead. He also had six steals by the intermission as Gonzaga forced 15 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.

Foxwell, who scored 27 in the Pilots’ 87-80 upset of Gonzaga on Feb. 4, had eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, in the opening six minutes as Portland took a 15-12 lead.

The Bulldogs responded with a 16-0 run, sparked by an Ike 3-pointer and fastbreak layup off a steal, to take the lead for good. Smith also had five points during the run, also on a trey and a layup, and capped it with a steal and an alley-oop pass to Grant-Foster for a thunderous dunk.

The Pilots were scoreless for a stretch of 7:22 and held without a field goal for 8:59. They went 0-for-6 from the field with eight turnovers during that stretch.

A putback by James O’Donnell with 5:56 remaining and a jumper by Foxwell with 3:29 to go were the Pilots’ only field goals in the final 14 minutes of the half.

The Bulldogs closed the half with another alley-oop dunk by Grant-Foster with three seconds left off a feed from Saint-Supery.

–Field Level Media

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No. 25 Vanderbilt puts six in double figures, staves off Georgia

NCAA Basketball: Georgia at VanderbiltFeb 25, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores guard Duke Miles (2) goes under the arm of Georgia Bulldogs guard Jeremiah Wilkinson (5) during the first half at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

No. 25 Vanderbilt never trailed, but had to survive Georgia’s second-half rally to earn an 88-80 win over the Bulldogs on Wednesday evening in Nashville, Tenn.

The Commodores (22-6, 9-6 Southeastern Conference) got double-figure scoring from Devin McGlockton and Tyler Tanner (17 points apiece), Duke Miles (15), AK Okereke (13), Tyler Nickel and Jalen Washington (10 apiece).

McGlockton had a game-high 10 rebounds, including several big ones late, while Okereke had a game-high six assists.

Georgia (19-9, 7-8) got 28 points (18 in the second half) from Jeremiah Wilkinson, who was 5 of 9 from 3-point range. Kanon Catchings scored 15 and Blue Cain had 10.

Georgia shot 56.0% in the second half and gained momentum when Miles, Vandy’s second-leading scorer, went to the bench with his fourth foul with 13:20 left. Cain hit a step-back 3 with 9:28 left to tie the game for the first time since the opening tip, capping a 10-0 Georgia run.

The Bulldogs tied it twice more, but McGlockton had two big offensive rebounds on a possession which ended with two free throws to extend the lead to 79-75 with 3:35 left.

McGlockton grabbed a board off a Wilkinson miss and Okereke, with the shot clock running down, hit a jumper in the lane, got fouled and hit the free throw with 2:48 left.

Georgia never got closer than five from there.

Vanderbilt led 42-35 at half, but threatened to run away with it early. It led 35-15 with 6:37 left in the first half on McGlockton’s put-back, but Georgia picked up the defensive intensity and went on a 9-0 run to cut into the lead.

The Commodores hit just 1 of their last 8 from the floor in the half’s final 6:36, while the Bulldogs hit 13 of 15 first-half foul shots to help close the deficit.

–Field Level Media

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Braden Frager helps No. 12 Nebraska put away Maryland

NCAA Basketball: Penn State at NebraskaFeb 21, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg reacts to a call during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Braden Frager delivered 21 points and eight rebounds as No. 12 Nebraska spurted late for a 74-61 Big Ten victory over Maryland on Wednesday in Lincoln, Neb.

Pryce Sandfort added 16 points and eight rebounds as the Cornhuskers (24-4, 13-4) won their second straight and matched their program-high in conference wins, set in the 2017-18 season.

Sam Hoiberg contributed 12 points and seven rebounds and Rienk Mast scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half as Nebraska snapped a three-game losing streak against Maryland.

The Cornhuskers struggled through the game’s first 28 minutes and trailed 48-45 before going on an 18-3 spree, fueled by three baskets in the paint from Mast and 3-pointers from Sandfort and Frager.

The burst, capped by two Hoiberg free throws, put Nebraska in command 63-51 with 4:44 left.

With the win, the Cornhuskers advanced their effort to finish in the top four in the conference and gain a triple bye in the Big Ten tournament. Nebraska now is tied with Illinois for second-place in the league.

Andre Mills scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half to pace Maryland (11-17, 4-13), which is in danger of finishing in the bottom four in the conference, which would require them to play a first-round game in the Big Ten tournament.

Elijah Saunders scored all 15 of his points from beyond the arc and Solomon Washington put up 13 points and seven rebounds.

Nebraska struggled in the opening minutes, missing six shots and committing three turnovers before Frager hit two free throws to get the Cornhuskers on the board with 14:17 left.

Maryland failed to take advantage, however, as it missed 10 of its first 12 shots.

Late in the half, Sandfort and Hoiberg scored four points each as Nebraska went on a 10-3 burst to take its biggest lead of the first half, 31-24.

Early in the second half, the Terrapins went on a 7-0 burst to pull even at 39-39. A jumper by Mills gave Maryland a 48-45 lead with 12:07 left.

–Field Level Media

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Acaden Lewis leads the charge to help Villanova surge past Butler

NCAA Basketball: Butler at VillanovaFeb 25, 2026; Villanova, Pennsylvania, USA; Villanova Wildcats guard Acaden Lewis (55) drives for a shot against Butler Bulldogs forward Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor (4) during the first half at William B. Finneran Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Acaden Lewis recorded 20 points and Devin Askew scored all 16 of his points in the second half as Villanova topped visiting Butler 82-73 on Wednesday.

Bryce Lindsay contributed 19 points to help Villanova (22-6, 13-4 Big East) bounce back from a 10-point loss to No. 5 UConn over the weekend. The Wildcats, who still have not lost back-to-back games this season, also received 11 points and three steals from Tyler Perkins.

Michael Ajayi registered 17 points and nine rebounds, and Yohan Traore chipped in with 15 points for Butler (15-14, 6-12), which had won its previous two games. The Bulldogs have lost five straight matchups with the Wildcats, including both this season.

Butler trailed by 14 points at intermission before halving its deficit with a quick 7-0 run to begin the second half. Villanova rebuilt a double-digit advantage, but the Bulldogs eventually got within 55-54 with nine minutes left.

Shortly thereafter, the Wildcats used an 8-0 push to turn a 59-57 lead into a 10-point cushion. Askew accounted for all the offense during that surge with two 3-pointers, bookended around a driving layup.

Finley Bizjack’s layup with 2:27 left brought the visitors within 71-65. However, Askew drained a 3-pointer on the other end to halt the Bulldogs’ momentum.

Villanova led 27-24 late in the first half before closing the session on a 15-4 run over the final 3 1/2 minutes.

Lewis began the key push with a jumper before Perkins made one of his own. After a turnover by Butler, Lewis scored another bucket to make it 33-24.

Traore responded with a putback, but the Wildcats countered with six straight points — all by Lindsay. The sophomore guard converted a three-point play to give the hosts their first double-digit lead before knocking down a 3-pointer on the next trip to make it 39-26.

Perkins’ 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer sent the Wildcats into the locker room with a 14-point cushion.

Lewis led all scorers with 14 points in the first half.

–Field Level Media

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