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Zion Williamson Shines, Indiana Upsets MSU and Top Highlights from Feb. 2

Joe Tansey

Duke freshman Zion Williamson added a few more eye-popping plays to his growing highlight reel Saturday, when the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils rolled past St. John's at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Williamson caught our attention early Saturday afternoon, as Duke dominated the conversation during a Saturday schedule that lacked a punch compared to recent weeks.

Even though we weren't treated to a ton of tight contests, we still witnessed a few upsets of teams in the AP Top 25, with Indiana's win over No. 6 Michigan State at the Breslin Center the biggest shock of the day.

Only two ranked teams dropped results to unranked foes Saturday, while three other Top 25 programs fell to ranked opposition.

No. 23 NC State fit the latter category, and unfortunately for the Wolfpack, they turned in one of the worst performances in recent memory by scoring 24 points in a loss to No. 12 Virginia Tech.

                          

Saturday's AP Top 25 Scores

No. 1 Tennessee 93, Texas A&M 76

No. 2 Duke 91, St. John's 61

No. 3 Virginia 56, Miami 46

No. 4 Gonzaga 85, San Diego 69

Indiana 79, No. 6 Michigan State 75 (Final/OT)

No. 7 Kentucky 65, Florida 54

No. 8 Nevada 93, Boise State 73

No. 9 North Carolina 79, No. 15 Louisville 69

No. 11 Kansas 79, No. 16 Texas Tech 63

No. 12 Virginia Tech 47, No. 23 NC State 24

Arkansas 90, No. 19 LSU 89

No. 20 Iowa State 65, Texas 60

No. 22 Mississippi State 81, Ole Miss 75

No. 25 Florida State 59, Georgia Tech 49

                                  

Zion Adds to His Highlight Reel

                         

Zion Produces Emphatic Block on Defensive End

 

                             

Back-to-Back 3-Pointers Hand Indiana Momentum

                            

Arkansas Beats LSU on Game-Winner with 22 Seconds Left

                          

Kent State Wins on Unreal Individual Effort

                          

Jayhawks Dunk on Themselves

                            

Caroline Finishes Off Nevada Alley-Oop

                                    

Reid Finishes Among Forest of Defenders

                           

Auburn's Harper Knocks Down Shot From Deep Range

                         

Coach K Delivers Praise for Zion

Williamson was the star of the show once again for Duke as it picked up its 19th victory of the season Saturday.

The freshman phenom produced 29 points, six rebounds, five steals and two blocks for Mike Krzyzewski's team.

Following the 30-point win over St. John's, Krzyzewski praised Williamson for how he's handled all of the hype surrounding his every move, per ESPN.com's David M. Hale.

"The world has changed in the last couple years, and nobody brought in the exposure that he's brought in," Krzyzewski said. He continued:

"He had a million, two million followers [on social media] before he ever got here. When's that happen? But it's happening for him. And we're so high profile, that everything is scrutinized. And his play is looked at by everybody. The thing about that kid is, he doesn't want all that attention, and he handles it so well."

Williamson is averaging 22.3 points and nine rebounds per game, and he's scored over 20 points in each of his past six games.

Although the Blue Devils have played well in the ACC, they haven't created any separation yet at the top of the standings, but they can do so in the coming weeks, with Virginia and two games against North Carolina left on the schedule.

                            

Izzo Takes Responsibility for MSU Loss

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo delivered a blunt response to a question about his team's readiness for Saturday's game against Indiana.

The loss was the second in a row for the Spartans, who fell to Purdue the previous Sunday, and Izzo admitted he didn't prepare the team properly, per Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press:

Saturday's disappointing defeat erased Michigan State's advantage atop the Big Ten standings over Michigan, as both teams now have two conference losses.

On the other end of the result, Indiana was thrilled with the victory, which ended a seven-game losing skid in Big Ten play.

Indiana head coach Archie Miller was more than happy with the overall effort his team produced under difficult circumstances after Juwan Morgan left with an injury in the first half, per Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star.

"I thought guys really stepped up," Miller said. "I thought we really played hard and competed. For the first time in a while, we really shared the ball."

                            

NC State Left Dumbfounded by 24-Point Performance

NC State had the worst day of any Division I college basketball program Saturday, as it labored through its loss to Virginia Tech and scored just 24 points.

NC State head coach Kevin Keatts was as confused as all of us after his team shot 16.7 percent from the field and 7.1 percent from three-point range.

"We didn't have it today for whatever reason," Keatts said, per Ethan Hyman of the Charlotte Observer. "When you look at these numbers, they're mind-boggling.

The Wolfpack's 24 points marked the lowest total by a ranked team in the shot clock era, per ESPN Stats & Info:

NC State's performance was so mind-boggling that it surprised coaches across the ACC, including Miami's Jim Larranaga, who was stunned when he was asked about it, per David Teel of the Daily Press:

             

Sunday's AP Top 25 Schedule

Georgetown at No. 14 Villanova (Noon ET, FS1)

Minnesota at No. 17 Purdue (Noon ET, BTN)

                        

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

   

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