LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — With eight days to prepare, Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said he had his team ready to rebound from a loss at home to Syracuse.
The 12th-ranked Irish shot 53.5 percent from the field and overcame nearly 10 minutes without a field goal in the second half to beat 16th-ranked Louisville 71-59 Wednesday in the KFC Yum! Center.
Sophomore guard Demetrius Jackson led four Irish players in double figures with 21 points and five rebounds, and freshman forward Bonzie Colson came off the bench for 17 points.
Notre Dame (25-5, 13-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) hit 23 of 43 shots from the field, including five of 16 3-point attempts.
Junior forward Montrezl Harrell led Louisville with 23 points and 12 rebounds. The Cardinals (23-7, 11-6) hit just 22 of 52 shots from the field (42.3 percent) and had just two field goals in the final 11:43 of the game.
Ohio State 77, Penn State 67
STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania — Freshman phenom D’Angelo Russell scored 28 points and drained five 3-pointers, most of them during a huge second-half run that helped No. 23 Ohio State win at Penn State.
Penn State led 38-35 before Russell hit two free throws, then 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions to give the Buckeyes (22-8, 11-6 Big Ten) a 46-42 lead with 12:55 remaining. Just under two minutes later, the freshman made a steal in the Penn State backcourt and drove the floor for a layup and a free throw, extending the Ohio State lead to 50-42. Another 3-pointer with 9:07 left gave him 26 points and his team a 58-44 lead.
Forward Jae’Sean Tate and guard Shannon Scott finished with 13 points each as the Buckeyes, who scored 29 points in the first half, had 37 in the first 14 minutes of the second half and led by as many as 17.
Senior guard D.J. Newbill led the Nittany Lions (15-15, 3-14) with 17 points and senior forward Ross Travis added 14 points and eight rebounds. Penn State has dropped eight of its last nine games and lost 14 of 17 after a 12-1 start.
Providence 79, Seton Hall 66
NEWARK, New Jersey — No. 24 Providence used a strong second half to win its fifth game in the last six, defeating Seton Hall at the Prudential Center.
Providence (21-9, 11-6 Big East) was led by forward LaDontae Henton, ranked seventh in the country in scoring, and freshman forward Ben Bentil with 21 points each. Bentil also grabbed 10 rebounds and was 10 of 10 from the line.
Freshman guard Isaiah Whitehead and senior forward Brandon Mobley led Seton Hall (16-13, 6-11) with 13 points apiece. The Pirates have lost seven of their last eight games.