Cooper Flagg drops record 42 points in Duke win, No. 3 Iowa State escapes on busy Saturday

This Saturday in men’s basketball brings an exciting lineup of ranked games to jumpstart 2025.

Here’s a look at the day’s biggest games:

No. 4 Duke stays unbeaten in ACC play behind Flagg's 42 points

No. 4 Duke (14-2, 6-0 ACC) extended its undefeated streak in conference play with an 86-78 win over Notre Dame (7-9, 1-4 ACC). Freshman star Cooper Flagg led the way, setting a Duke and ACC freshman record with 42 points.

Duke came out strong in the first half, shooting an impressive 53.8% from the field while limiting Notre Dame to 48.0%. Flagg put up 15 points on 4 of 6 shooting, including 3 for 5 from beyond the arc. His efforts helped Duke establish an eight-point lead heading into halftime.

The Blue Devils dominated early in the second half, widening their lead to double digits. However, Notre Dame refused to go down quietly. The Fighting Irish mounted a late rally in the final minutes with a 13-0 run, cutting Duke's lead to just five points with under a minute remaining. At one point, the Blue Devils’ advantage dwindled to as little as four. Duke’s composure and timely free throws sealed the victory despite the late surge.

Flagg capped off his performance with a career-high 42 points, seven assists and six rebounds, marking his first collegiate game with over 30 points. He also made history, becoming the first Duke player since Jon Scheyer in 2009 to record 35+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists in a single game.

No. 3 Iowa State outlasts Texas Tech in OT thriller

No. 3 Iowa State escaped Lubbock with a dramatic 85-84 overtime victory over Texas Tech, extending its winning streak to 11 games. Joshua Jefferson played hero, sinking two clutch free throws with 4.1 seconds left in overtime to give the Cyclones the final margin.

Texas Tech led for most of the game, fueled by JT Toppin’s 18 points and nine rebounds. The Red Raiders built a 13-point first-half lead and entered halftime up 40-34. Iowa State struggled early from beyond the arc but clawed back, tying the game at 74 with a Jefferson buzzer-beating layup to force overtime.

Curtis Jones led the Cyclones with 26 points, while Jefferson added 17 and eight rebounds. Tamin Lipsey, who had 9 points and four steals, delivered a key assist on Jefferson’s game-tying bucket at the end of regulation.

Despite out-rebounding Iowa State 37-31 and shooting 45% from deep, Texas Tech couldn’t hold on down the stretch. Chance McMillian added 18 points for the Red Raiders, who fell to 11-4 overall and 2-2 in Big 12 play.

The win keeps Iowa State atop the Big 12 standings at 14-1 (4-0 Big 12) as the Cyclones continue their push for a second straight conference title.

USC upends No. 13 Illinois

Southern California pulled off an impressive road win against No. 13 Illinois, outscoring the Illini 82-72. Desmond Claude led all scorers with 31 points, attacking the basket and converting at a 60-percent clip from the field. Wesley Yates III added 15 points on eight shots, while forward Saint Thomas contributed 9 points and eight rebounds, including a key second-chance bucket late.

A flurry of first half baskets by Claude and Kevin Patton Jr. helped the Trojans (10-6 overall, 2-3 Big Ten) build a 23-16 lead. The Illini trimmed the margin behind a pair of 3-pointers from Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, eventually tying the game 53-53 in the second half. However, Illinois struggled to stop USC, and the Trojans converted timely shots while shooting 52.3 percent overall.

Kylan Boswell paced Illinois with 10 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but he turned the ball over six times. Tre White (11 points) and Ben Humrichous (15) added some more scoring, but it wasn't enough.

USC showed off its improvement under first-year coach Eric Musselman. Illinois dropped to 12-4 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten and will look to bounce back.

No. 2 Auburn survives to get by South Carolina

No. 2 Auburn (15-1, 3-0 SEC) escaped an upset scare against South Carolina (10-6, 0-3 SEC), winning 66-63, helped by the Gamecocks’ two missed free throws with fewer than 10 seconds left. 

Although down 64-63, Gamecocks forward Nick Pringle headed to the line for two free throws. 

However, South Carolina’s nightmare scenario commenced from there as Pringle missed both attempts. After the Tigers' Tahaad Pettiford then knocked down two of their free throws, the Gamecocks' near half court heave at the buzzer just scraped the backboard to end South Carolina's hopes to end a five-plus minute scoring drought.

nick pringle misses both free throws pic.twitter.com/O6dAWaPGcg

— ◇ (@H00DH3R0) January 11, 2025

Between nine lead changes and six ties, neither team gave the other much breathing room throughout the contest. The game's largest lead was just nine points, which came near the 13-minute mark in the first half where Auburn led 20-11. 

Although the Tigers secured the victory, National Player of the Year candidate forward Johni Broome left the contest early in the second half due to what appeared to be a left ankle injury. The senior had to be helped off the court and to the locker room after being unable to put weight on it. 

The three-point victory marks Auburn’s second straight by under five points, as the Tigers beat Texas 87-82 on Tuesday. 

Georgia stuns No. 17 Oklahoma, secures second straight ranked win

Athens, GA., meet Cloud Nine.

Georgia (14-2, 2-1 SEC) upset No. 17 Oklahoma (13-3, 0-3 SEC) 72-62 for the program’s second straight ranked win for the first time since the 2002 season.

The Bulldogs and Sooners matched each other’s firepower in the first half, both going on their respective scoring runs. Georgia struck first, climbing out to a double-digit lead by the seven-minute mark behind five different scorers. Oklahoma eliminated that lead four minutes later through a 12-2 run, and entered halftime with a 36-33 lead.

A power struggle for the first ten minutes after the break, Georgia broke away from the Sooners using the free throw line. The Bulldogs made their money at the charity stripe, drawing 17 fouls in the second half and took 23 free throws to Oklahoma’s six. In the last 10 minutes of play, Georgia made two baskets. 

On top of its inability to stop sending the Bulldogs to the free throw line, Oklahoma shot just 31 percent from the field in the second half, including a three-minute drought down the stretch. 

Georgia upset No. 6 Kentucky on Tuesday 82-69 upping its argument of a Top 25 ranking in the next AP Poll.

No. 6 Kentucky downs No. 14 Mississippi State 95–90 behind second half scoring runs

No. 6 Kentucky (13-3, 2-1 SEC) bounced back from its 13-point loss to unranked Georgia on Tuesday, putting together another strong offensive performance to beat No. 14 Mississippi State (14-2, 2-1 SEC) 95-90. The Wildcats' offensive success down the final stretch matched by strong defense overcame the Bulldogs' second half success from three.

It’s the ninth time this season Kentucky scored 90 or more points in a game — they are 9-0 when doing so. 

Neither team took their foot off the gas pedal in the first half, scoring a combined 93 points in the first 20 minutes of play. Four players reached double figures, headlined by Wildcats guard Jaxson Robinson’s 16 points. 

And Kentucky upped the ante after the break, pushing its lead from five at halftime to 14 less than five minutes into the second half. Robinson climbed up to 25 points with three three-pointers. 

A game that seemed close to getting out of hand, the Bulldogs proceeded to go on their own scoring run — backed by the three ball. Mississippi State went on a 17-3 run behind four threes, the fourth tying the game at 71 apiece with 10 minutes left to play.

The two teams traded buckets at each hearts’ desire from there, until the last few minutes of the conference matchup, when the Bulldogs' offense stalled out once again. Mississippi State didn’t score in the final two minutes of the game, whereas Robinson and Kentucky guard Lamont Butler scored back-to-back baskets in crunch time to solidify the victory.

The win marks the Wildcats' fourth-ranked win of the year. Robinson finished with a season-high of 27 points.