Mar 2, 2013 5 min read

DURHAM, N.C. – Ryan Kelly scored a career-high 36 points in his return from a foot injury that had sidelined him since January, helping third-ranked Duke beat fifth-ranked Miami 79-76 Saturday night.

Kelly made 10 of 14 shots – including 7 of 9 3-pointers – for the Blue Devils (12-4 ACC, 25-4), who avenged a blowout road loss in January by grinding out a tough win in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Quinn Cook added 15 points as Duke built a 10-point lead with about 2 minutes left then held off a frantic rally by Miami.

Shane Larkin scored 25 points to lead the Hurricanes (14-2, 23-5), who missed two 3s in the final seconds to tie it. Larkin came up short on the first over Kelly. Durand Scott ran down the rebound and fired a pass to the left corner to Rion Brown, whose final three clanged off the rim as the horn sounded.

No. 2 Gonzaga 81, Portland 52: Elias Harris had 20 points and nine rebounds as No. 2 Gonzaga beat Portland 81-52 to stake a claim to its first-ever No. 1 ranking in the Associated Press’ Top 25.

Kelly Olynyk added 15 points and 11 rebounds for Gonzaga (16-0 West Coast, 29-2), which had already clinched the West Coast Conference regular season title and the top seed in next weekend’s tournament. Gary Bell Jr. added 14 points.

Gonzaga, winner of 12 consecutive games since a last-second loss at Butler, has escaped the losses that have afflicted other teams at or near the top of the poll in recent weeks. That included a loss by top-ranked Indiana to Minnesota earlier this week that opened the door for the Bulldogs.

The Zags have never been ranked higher than their current No. 2 position. But because of their lightly regarded conference schedule, there is a chance a lower team could leapfrog them in the poll. Gonzaga’s only other loss was at home to Illinois in December.

No. 8 Florida 64, Alabama 52: Casey Prather had 10 points and nine rebounds, most of them in the second half, and Florida rallied from an eight-point deficit.

The Gators used a 15-0 run late in the second half – fueled by Prather – to pull away from the Crimson Tide and remain unbeaten at home.

Erik Murphy led Florida (13-3 SEC, 23-5) with 15 points. Kenny Boynton added 13, and Scottie Wilbekin chipped in 11.

No. 10 Louisville 58, No. 12 Syracuse 53: Luke Hancock hit a 3-pointer from the corner to break a tie with 50 seconds left for Louisville, which lost to Syracuse earlier this season.

It was the third straight loss for Syracuse (10-6 Big East, 22-7).

Louisville (12-4, 24-5) snapped a three-game losing streak against Syracuse, and the Cardinals did it before a stunned crowd of 31,173.

Russ Smith led Louisville with 18 points, Hancock had 12, all on 3s, and Gorgui Dieng finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds.

C.J. Fair had 19 points to lead the Orange, James Southerland added 13 and Michael Carter-Williams 11.

No. 14 New Mexico 53, Wyoming 42: Alex Kirk had 15 points and nine rebounds and No. 14 New Mexico clinched the Mountain West Conference regular season title with a 53-42 victory over Wyoming.

The Lobos (25-4, 12-2 MWC) went 21 for 27 from the free throw line.

No. 15 Oklahoma State 78, Texas 65: Markel Brown scored 18 points, Le’Bryan Nash added 16 and No. 15 Oklahoma State corralled Texas star Myck Kabongo to beat the Longhorns.

A showcase of two of the Big 12’s marquee point guards ended up being a sloppy one, with Kabongo committing a career-high seven turnovers while the Cowboys’ Marcus Smart had five.

Oklahoma State (12-4 Big 12, 22-6) took advantage of two of Kabongo’s turnovers to score the final eight points of the first half and start an 18-2 run that carried beyond halftime.

No. 19 Memphis 76, Central Florida 67: Joe Jackson and Chris Crawford both scored 19 points and Memphis claimed its eighth Conference USA championship.

Adonis Thomas added 12 points for the Tigers (14-0 CUSA, 25-4), who gave coach Josh Pastner his 100th career win, all at Memphis.

Keith Clanton had 29 points and six rebounds for UCF (8-6, 19-10).

VCU 84, No. 20 Butler 52: Troy Daniels scored 14 of his 20 points in the first half and VCU’s full-court pressure overwhelmed Butler from the outset.

In a much anticipated rematch of their unlikely meeting in the national semifinals in Houston in 2011, the Rams (11-3 Atlantic 10, 23-6) dominated, forcing 14 turnovers in the first half, one more than Butler’s average for a game, and converted them into 24 points on their way to a 45-21 lead.

Butler (9-5, 22-7) scored the first seven points after halftime to close within 17, but Briante Weber and Treveon Graham both scored five points in a 10-4 run and it was pretty much over, allowing the Rams to clinch one of the top four seeds in the conference tournament later this month.

No. 22 Marquette 72, No. 21 Notre Dame 64: Jamil Wilson tied his career-high with 19 points and Chris Otule added a season-high 16 on 8-of-8 shooting as Marquette won its 25th consecutive home game.

Wilson scored 17 points in the second half, including seven down the stretch, for the Golden Eagles (12-4 Big East, 21-7). His two free throws were the final points in the game.

Jerian Grant scored 21 points and Eric Atkins added 16 for Notre Dame (10-6, 22-7).