NCAAMBKB – Men’s College Basketball

Last Night

(10) Michigan State 81, High Point 68

Toledo 83, Western Michigan 56

Central Michigan 72, Kent State 69

(10) Michigan State 81, High Point 68 – Brown scores 24 as No. 10 Michigan State beats High Point

Gabe Brown scored a career high 24 points, as short-handed No. 10 Michigan State pulled away in the second half to beat scrappy High Point, 81-68 in a matchup of longtime coaching friends Tom Izzo and Tubby Smith. The Spartans (11-2, 2-0 Big Ten) were without four players, including starters Marcus Bingham Jr. and Max Christie, who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week. Joey Hauser had a season-high 17 points and 11 rebounds for Michigan State, while Jaden House had 11 of his 18 points in the first half for High Point (6-7).

Toledo 83, WMU 56 – Shumate carries Toledo past W. Michigan 83-56

JT Shumate had 22 points plus 11 rebounds as Toledo rolled past Western Michigan 83-56. Ryan Rollins added 20 points for the Rockets. Lamar Norman Jr. led the Broncos with 10 points.

CMU 72, Kent State 69 – Henderson carries Central Michigan over Kent State 72-69

Harrison Henderson had 18 points as Central Michigan ended its eight-game losing streak, narrowly beating Kent State 72-69. Sincere Carry led the Golden Flashes on Wednesday with a season-high 22 points.

Tonight

Michigan at UCF, 7:00 p.m.                  News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 6:30

NCAAMBKB – Dick Vitale taking extended break from ESPN college hoops

Dick Vitale is taking an extended break from the airwaves to rest his voice. The ESPN college basketball analyst says in a story posted to ESPN Front Row that a throat doctor advised the move because he has pre-cancerous Dysplasia of the vocal cord membranes. Vitale has undergone treatment this year for melanoma and in October announced he had been diagnosed with cancer for a second time. This time it was lymphoma, for which he said he would undergo six months of chemotherapy.

NBA – National Basketball Association

Tonight

New York Knicks 94, Detroit Pistons 85

Charlotte Hornets 116, Indiana Pacers 108

Chicago Bulls 131, Atlanta Hawks 117

Knicks 94, Pistons 85 – Burks, Knicks bench power past short-handed Pistons 94-85

Alec Burks scored a season-high 34 points to lead a huge night from New York’s bench and the Knicks beat the short-handed Detroit Pistons 94-85. Burks was a point shy of his career high and Immanuel Quickley added 18 points as the Knicks’ reserves combined for 65 points. RJ Barrett was the only starter in double figures at 15 points, and New York outscored Detroit 30-14 in the fourth quarter. Saddiq Bey had a career-high 32 points for the Pistons, while Hamidou Diallo had a season-high 31 points with 13 rebounds. The Pistons have lost four in a row and 18 of 19.

Hornets 116, Pacers 108 – Hornets take charge early, hold on late to beat Pacers

Terry Rozier scored a season-high 35 points, LaMelo Ball added 21 points and 12 rebounds, and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Indiana Pacers 116-108. Caris LeVert scored 27 points and Domantas Sabonis posted his 25th double-double this season with 15 points and 18 rebounds. Sabonis also had seven assists, but Indiana has lost five of seven games.

Bulls 131, Hawks 117 – Bulls beat Hawks for 2nd time in 3 nights, run streak to 5

Zach LaVine scored 25 points and the Chicago Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks for the second time in three nights, 131-117 on Wednesday. The Bulls extended their winning streak to a season-high five games. The Hawks, who are playing without 15 players due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols and injuries, lost for the fifth time in six games. Trey Young scored 26 points, and Clint Capela added 18 for the Hawks in the opener of a six-game trip.