Zach Edey had 28 points and eight rebounds as No. 3 Purdue rallied in the second half to beat No. 12 Illinois 77-71 on Tuesday night, becoming the first team in 17 years to win consecutive outright Big Ten regular-season championships.
Fletcher Loyer added 16 points for the Boilermakers (27-3, 16-3), who had already clinched at least a share of their second straight conference title with Saturday night’s victory over Michigan State.
The last Big Ten team to win back-to-back outright regular-season crowns was Ohio State in 2006 and 2007.
Braden Smith had 13 points and six assists for Purdue, which improved to 7-0 against ranked opponents this season. Mason Gillis scored 10 off the bench.
Marcus Domask led second-place Illinois (22-8, 13-6) with 20 points. Coleman Hawkins had 13 points and nine rebounds.
NO. 7 NORTH CAROLINA 84, NOTRE DAME 51
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Armando Bacot played in his record 162nd ACC game and North Carolina claimed at least a share of the regular-season conference title.
Bacot, a fifth-year player who holds the school’s record for career rebounds and double-doubles, finished with 14 points and five rebounds.
RJ Davis added 22 points and six assists for the Tar Heels (24-6, 16-3). Harrison Ingram finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds.
Tae Davis led Notre Dame (12-18, 7-12) with 11 points.
NO. 14 KANSAS 90, KANSAS STATE 68
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kevin McCullar Jr. had 19 points in his Allen Fieldhouse farewell, Hunter Dickinson added 15 points and 20 rebounds, and Kansas snapped a two-game skid.
Nick Timberlake added 18 points and KJ Adams Jr. had 16 for the Jayhawks (22-8, 10-7 Big 12), who beat the Wildcats at home for the 18th straight time and won their 40th in a row on senior night, a run that stretches to the 1983-84 season.
Kansas also avenged an overtime loss to Kansas State earlier this season.
Will McNair had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats (17-13, 7-10), but leading scorers Tylor Perry and Cam Carter were shut down. Perry had two points and Carter had three points on 1-of-7 shooting.
FLORIDA 105, NO. 16 ALABAMA 87
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Will Richard scored 23 points, Walter Clayton Jr. added 22 and Florida beat Alabama to stay in contention for a top four seed in the upcoming Southeastern Conference Tournament.
The Gators (21-9, 11-6 SEC) won for the 10th time in 13 games and finished 14-1 at home this season. More important to coach Todd Golden, they moved a step closer to potentially landing a double bye in the league tourney.
Graduate transfers Tyrese Samuel and Zyon Pullin chipped in 19 points apiece for Florida.
Mark Sears led Alabama (20-10, 12-5) with 33 points, including 29 in the second half. Aaron Estrada added 17 points, and Grant Nelson chipped in 12 before fouling out late.
NO. 24 SOUTH FLORIDA 85, TULANE 72
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Chris Youngblood had 29 points and five assists and South Florida extended its winning streak to 15 games.
Kasean Pryor scored 13 points and Selton Miguel added 12 for the Bulls (23-5, 16-1 American Athletic Conference), the conference’s regular-season champions. USF was playing its first home game and second overall as a team ranked in the Top 25 in the program’s half-century history.
Jaylen Forbes scored 24 points for Tulane (13-16, 4-13), which has lost seven straight, the team’s longest losing streak since an eight-game skid in 2019-20.
NO. 25 DAYTON 100, SAINT LOUIS 83
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Daron Holmes II had 25 points and 13 rebounds, and Koby Brea and Kobe Elvis each hit five 3-pointers as Dayton snapped a three-game road losing streak.
The Flyers made a Chaifetz Arena record 18 3-pointers and matched the school record for 3s, set earlier this season in a win over Oakland.
Brea and Elvis each scored 21 points for Dayton (23-6, 13-4 Atlantic 10), which won without starting point guard Javon Bennett, who was sidelined with a thumb injury.
Gibson Jimerson scored 24 for the Billikens (11-19, 4-13), who are assured of their worst record in A-10 play in coach Travis Ford’s eight seasons. Terrence Hargrove Jr. added 17 points in his final home game for Saint Louis.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
