MEN'S BASKETBALL Coach K reaches milestone with win

Duke's Mike Krzyzewski passed UCLA's John Wooden on the victory list.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Mike Krzyzewski knows he has a long way to go before he surpasses John Wooden's coaching accomplishments.
"Nobody will ever challenge him for the number of NCAA titles and that's the number that counts," Krzyzewski said of the legendary UCLA coach, who won 10 national championships.
After No. 2 Duke's 82-69 win over Pacific in the opening round of the Great Alaska Shootout on Thursday night, Krzyzewski is ahead of Wooden in one category.
The victory was 665th of the Duke coach's career, moving him one ahead of Wooden to No. 18 on the all-time list.
Still, Krzyzewski downplayed the accomplishment.
"The number of wins has to do with longevity and good teams," Krzyzewski said, adding that Duke plays a lot more games today than Wooden's Bruins did in their glory days.
Luol Deng and Daniel Ewing each scored 20 points to lead the Blue Devils (2-0).
The victory over the Tigers (1-1) was not without a struggle.
Pacific led for much of the first half and Krzyzewski credited the Tigers with spreading their offense and setting the tempo early.
The Blue Devils stayed close behind long-range shooting by J.J. Redick, who scored all but two of his 13 points in the first half, and Deng.
"I just took the shots they gave me," said Deng, a freshman, who finished 4-of-5 on 3-pointers and also had 10 rebounds. "I was wide open at the 3-point line."
Wednesday
NEW YORK -- Georgia Tech took advantage of a sub-par Emeka Okafor and stunned No. 1 Connecticut 77-61 to reach the final of the Preseason NIT.
The victory put the Yellow Jackets (4-0) in tonight's championship game against Texas Tech, which used a grueling defense to wear down Utah 65-54 in the first game of the doubleheader.
Okafor, the leading vote-getter on the preseason All-America team, was doubtful for the game with back spasms and he missed a time-out huddle early, stretched out on the floor as a UConn assistant worked on him.
He finished with nine points on 2-of-10 shooting with 13 rebounds and six blocks after averaging 19 points, 12.3 rebounds and 4.3 blocks in the first three games of the season for Connecticut (3-1).
With Connecticut's inside game vulnerable, Georgia Tech attacked relentlessly as Isma'il Muhammad and B.J. Elder took turns scoring baskets in bunches. Both finished with 22 points.
Charlotte 96, No. 7 Syracuse 92
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Charlotte's Brendan Plavich set a Carrier Dome record with 10 3-pointers, and Syracuse began defense of its national title with a loss.
Plavich scored 31 points against the Orangemen, 17-0 last season at home. But without the steadying influence of Carmelo Anthony, who jumped to the NBA after leading Syracuse to the title, the Orangemen struggled for much of the game against the fired-up 49ers (2-1).
Eddie Basden and Curtis Withers added 16 points apiece for Charlotte.
Hakim Warrick finished with 20 points, Josh Pace had 15 points and eight rebounds, and Billy Edelin had 13 points and 10 assists for Syracuse.
No. 12 Illinois 93, Mercer 61
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Dee Brown scored 18 points and Roger Powell added 16 points and 10 rebounds for Illinois.
The Illini (2-0) used a 24-7 first-half run to build a 30-10 lead in dominating the Bears (1-3). Mercer made only three of eight shots and committed six turnovers over that 9-minute span as the Illini pushed a 6-3 lead to 20 points.
Mercer lost its third straight game despite 15 points from Jacob Skogen.
No. 22 Pittsburgh 75, Robert Morris 61
PITTSBURGH -- Carl Krauser scored 21 points and Jaron Brown added 19 to lead Pittsburgh over surprisingly tough Robert Morris.
The sluggish Panthers (3-0) weren't able to put the game away until the final two minutes, when they scored six consecutive points. That spurt helped them to their 24th straight home victory and raised their record to 18-0 since moving last season to Petersen Events Center.
Chaz McCrommon had 18 points to lead Robert Morris (0-2).
No. 24 Oklahoma St. 82,Colorado St. 49
TULSA, Okla. -- John Lucas scored 17 points, and Oklahoma State forced 31 turnovers.
The Cowboys (2-0) scored 27 of the game's final 33 points and didn't allow a basket in the last 12:21. They had 10 steals, blocked eight shots and drew six charges.
Joey Graham added 12 points for Oklahoma State. Matt Nelson led Colorado State (1-1) with 14 points.