CHAMPAIGN, Ill., 7 January 2005 — James Augustine scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead top-ranked Illinois to an 84-65 victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten opener for both at Assembly Hall. Deron Williams added 14 points and Dee Brown chipped in 13 for the Fighting Illini (15-0, 1-0 Big Ten), who remained one of four unbeaten teams in Division I basketball. The others are Kansas, Duke and Boston College.
Illinois has won five straight against Ohio State and earned its 100th win in 159 all-time meetings with the Buckeyes.
In Lawrence, Kan., Aaron Miles had 15 points and five assists to lead second-ranked Kansas to a hard-fought 65-60 win over previously unbeaten Texas A&M at Allen Fieldhouse.
Michael Lee contributed 10 points for the Jayhawks (10-0, 1-0 Big 12), who are off to their best start since 1996-97 when the school began 22-0.
In Durham, N.C., J.J. Redick scored a team-high 21 points to lead the fifth-ranked Duke Blue Devils over the Princeton Tigers, 59-46, at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
In New York, Hakim Warrick scored 22 points and Gerry McNamara added 19, as sixth-ranked Syracuse pulled away in the second half for a 79-65 victory over St. John’s in the Big East opener for both at Madison Square Garden.
In Lexington, Ky., Kelenna Azubuike scored 21 points and Chuck Hayes added 15 with 10 rebounds to lead No. 8 Kentucky to a hard-fought 79-75 victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Southeastern Conference opener for both schools at Rupp Arena.
In Hartford, Conn., Jared Dudley scored 17 points and Craig Smith battled back from first-half foul trouble to add 16, as 25th-ranked Boston College remained unbeaten with a 75-70 victory over No. 10 Connecticut in the Big East opener for both at the Hartford Civic Center.
In Iowa City, Iowa, Brent Petway led four Wolverines in double figures with 14 points, as Michigan upset the 14th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes, 65-63, in an exciting start to Big Ten conference play at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
In Pittsburgh, Brandon Bowman’s layup with eight seconds left proved to be the winning bucket, as the Georgetown Hoyas upset the 16th-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers, 67-64, at the Petersen Events Center.
In Houston, Andre Owens buried two clutch three-pointers down the stretch and finished with a game-high 27 points, as Houston held on for a 70-67 upset of 17th-ranked Louisville in the conference opener for both schools at Hofheinz Pavilion.
In Starkville, Miss., Lawrence Roberts scored 19 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the 18th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs to a 90-53 blowout win over the Auburn Tigers.
In Nashville, Tenn., Jason Holwerda and Mario Moore each scored 16 points as Vanderbilt held off a late Alabama rally by defeating the 19th-ranked Crimson Tide, 70-56, in the SEC opener for both schools at Memorial Gym.
In State College, Pa., Alan Anderson scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead No. 20 Michigan State to an easy 84-58 win over Penn State at the Bryce Jordan Center.
In Villanova, Pa., Allan Ray poured in 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting, as Villanova blew out 21st-ranked and previously unbeaten West Virginia, 84-46, at The Pavilion.
In Washington, T.J. Thompson scored 16 points and Pops Mensah-Bonsu added 14 with 12 rebounds to lead 24th-ranked George Washington past the La Salle Explorers, 71-42, in an Atlantic 10 battle.
