CHICAGO: With Keith Appling, Gary Harris and Adreian Payne all scoring in double figures for No. 2 Michigan State, Keith Dawson came up with the biggest basket, tipping in a miss with less than six seconds left to give the Spartans a 78-74 victory over top-ranked Kentucky on Tuesday night.

James Young missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and the Spartans erupted in delight, with Harris holding up his index finger.

No. 1, indeed.

It was the earliest meeting of 1 vs. 2, and the first since 2008, and the matchup did not disappoint for many who see it as a sneak preview of the Final Four. Julius Randle had 23 of his 27 points in the second half, as the Wildcats (2-1) erased a 13-point deficit. But they couldn’t overcome their troubles at the free throw line, going a dismal 20 of 36.

No. 3 Louisville 97 Hofstra 69: In Louisville, Kentucky, Russ Smith scored 21 of his game-high 30 points in the first half and Louisville made 12 3-pointers to set the tone for a rout of Hofstra.

The senior guard shot 12 of 22 from the field including 5 of 12 from beyond the arc. Wayne Blackshear made three straight 3s for nine points to help Louisville break the game open with a 26-2 second-half run. Luke Hancock returned from an Achilles injury to hit a couple from long range as well as the Cardinals finished 12 of 31 from deep.

Louisville (2-0) shot 35 of 68 overall (51.5 percent), a big improvement from its 38-percent effort in a season-opening win over the College of Charleston.


No. 5 Kansas 94 No. 4 Duke 83: Andrew Wiggins scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half, outplaying Jabari Parker down the stretch and helping Kansas knock off Duke.

Parker, a former prep star at nearby Simeon High School, had 27 points, nine rebounds and three steals in a spectacular homecoming. But it was his fellow freshman star that made the biggest plays in the final minutes of a taut thriller between two storied programs.

Wiggins drained a stepback jumper to give the Jayhawks an 85-81 lead with 1:33 to go, and then had a fast-break dunk after a steal by Perry Ellis. Wiggins held his arms out and yelled after the big jam.


No. 7 Michigan 93 South Carolina State 59: In Ann Harbor, Michigan, Caris LeVert made his first five 3-point attempts, and No. 7 Michigan had a terrific night from beyond the arc, breezing to a victory over South Carolina State.

LeVert finished with 24 points, going 6 of 7 from long distance. Nik Stauskas added 23 points — he was 5 of 6 from 3-point range. Both sophomores set career highs in scoring.



No. 8 Oklahoma State 93 Utah Valley 40: In Stillwater, Oklahoma, Phil Forte scored 19 points to lead six double-figure scorers and Oklahoma State cruised past Utah Valley.

The Cowboys (2-0) hit 10 of 18 from 3-point range in the first half and 14 of 33 from beyond the arc for the game. Forte and Marcus Smart, who scored 14 points, combined to hit 8 of 17 from 3-point range.

Freshman Stevie Clark was 3 of 4 from 3-point range, finished 16 points and had six assists.

No. 9 Syracuse 89 Fordham 74: In Syracuse, N.Y., C.J. Fair scored a career-high 26 points, Jerami Grant added 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Syracuse beat Fordham.

Syracuse, which started the season with a so-so 82-60 win over Cornell on Friday night after trailing by 14 points late in the first half, left little doubt about the outcome of this one. The Orange had the game in hand by halftime, leading by 25 behind 15 points from Fair as the Syracuse defense clamped down from the opening tip.

Grant, who missed Syracuse’s season opener due to a violation of NCAA rules regarding summer-league play, was sharp, hitting 6 of 12 shots and nabbing three steals.

No. 10 Ohio State 79 Ohio 69: In Columbus, Ohio, Aaron Craft scored 17 points — including eight free throws down the stretch — to help Ohio State hold off neighboring rival Ohio.

Amir Williams had a career-high 14 points, reserve Sam Thompson had 12 and LaQuinton Ross added 10 for the Buckeyes (2-0).

Ohio State built a 12-point halftime lead and never trailed in a game with little continuity due to the constant whistles calling the new contact rules. Ohio State was 37 of 50 at the line.