College basketball: No. 7 Tennessee upsets No. 1 Gonzaga

Tennessee lost the reigning SEC player of the year down the stretch against the nation’s top-ranked team.

The Vols still had the Admiral to lead them.

Admiral Schofield made a three-pointer with 24 seconds left and scored 25 of his 30 points in the second half, helping No.7 Tennessee knock off top-ranked Gonzaga 76-73 in the Colangelo Classic on Sunday in Phoenix.

“Our team really executed in the second half,” Schofield said. “A lot of good looks for a lot of guys and anyone could have knocked down those shots, we have so many talented people on this team.”

Tennessee (7-1) jumped on Gonzaga early and fought back from a nine-point, second-half deficit.

Reigning SEC player of the year Grant Williams fouled out with 2:30 left, but the Vols went up two when Schofield banked in a three-pointer with 80 seconds left.

After Rui Hachimura tied the score with two free throws, Schofield made a long three-pointer and Tennessee held on for its first win over a No. 1 team — fifth overall — since beating Kansas in 2010.

“We knew it would have a March kind of feel to it,” said Tennessee coach Rick Barnes, who moved into a tie with Gary Williams for 25th in Division I with 668 victories. “When you play against a No. 1 team, you’re going to play 40 minutes and we probably did that better today that we had any other game this season.”

Gonzaga (9-1) had two shots at a tying three-pointer, but Zach Norvell Jr. and Hachimura missed.

Hachimura and Brandon Clarke had 21 points each for the Bulldogs.

“It was heck of a basketball game,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “We just ended up on the short end. They made the plays down the stretch and we didn’t.”

at No. 4 Virginia 7, CU 49: Kyle Guy scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half, and Ty Jerome had 11 of his 14 in the second for he Cavaliers. Virginia (9-0) missed 13 of its first 15 shots after the break and VCU (7-3), coming off its road upset of Texas on Wednesday, led 37-36 midway through the second half. Isaac Vann led the Rams with 10 points.

No. 6 Nevada 74, Grand Canyon 66: Jordan Carolina had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and No. 6 Nevada used a late run to finally shake Grand Canyon for a 74-66 victory in the Colangelo Classic in Phoenix. Nevada had a short turnaround after playing No. 20 Arizona State late Friday night and found itself in what felt like a home environment for Grand Canyon. The Wolf Pack pulled away with a late 9-0 run to remain undefeated

No. 15 at Virginia Tech 81, South Carolina 44: Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 19 points to lead Virginia Tech. Alexander-Walker hit ight of 11 shots, including three hree-pointers for the Hokies (8-1). Damani Applewhite led South Carolina State (2-9) with 10 points.