MEN'S TOP 25 Wake spoils Williams' ACC debut

Wake Forest beat North Carolina 119-114 in three overtimes.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Eric Williams spoiled Roy Williams' ACC coaching debut, hitting a jumper in the lane with 36 seconds left in the third overtime to lift No. 14 Wake Forest to a 119-114 victory over fourth-ranked North Carolina.
In the Tar Heels' first three-overtime game since Williams was an assistant for Dean Smith in November 1982, the teams provided a thrilling start to the conference season.
"It's a very disappointing game for us to say the least, and it's got to be exhilarating for Wake Forest," said Roy Williams, who left Kansas to take over the Tar Heels after last season. "I'll remember this one for the rest of my life. The quality of the play at times was really amazing, shots they made and shots we made."
Wake Forest's depth proved to be key after Sean May fouled out with 3:41 to play in the third overtime. With May out, the 6-foot-9 Williams had his way inside.
Williams scored 24 points and Justin Gray added 20 for the Demon Deacons (7-0), who earned their first road win against a top-10 team in six years.
Rashad McCants scored 25 points and Raymond Felton added 22 for the Tar Heels (6-1), who have lost five straight games in the series.
Williams lost for the first time since leaving Kansas for North Carolina after last season.
After each team scored only two points in the second overtime, the offenses came back in the third extra session.
North Carolina took a 111-107 lead on a dunk from Jawad Williams. But Taron Downey answered with a 3-pointer, and Kyle Visser put the Demon Deacons ahead 112-111 with a tip-in with 2:20 left.
After bucket by Williams gave Wake Forest a 3-point lead, Melvin Scott drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key to tie the game at 114 with 1:03 left.
That's when Williams put the Demon Deacons ahead to stay. After his inside bucket, Williams hit two free throws to seal it with 2.4 seconds left.
No. 1 Connecticut 104, Iona 54
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Ben Gordon and Emeka Okafor had just about everything covered for Connecticut.
Gordon recorded his first triple-double with 17 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists to lead the Huskies (8-1) to a rout of Iona.
It was the first game for the Huskies since they reclaimed their top-ranking this week.
No. 3 Duke 89, No. 11 Texas 61
NEW YORK -- J.J. Redick had 20 points to lead six players in double figures and Duke beat Texas. The game was played before a pro-Blue Devils sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden that sounded as if it were at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Blue Devils (8-1) won their fifth straight, and just like the previous four they did it with defense.
No. 8 Oklahoma 68, Jackson State 46
NORMAN, Okla. -- Freshman Drew Lavender scored 23 points and had five assists to lead Oklahoma to a methodical win over Jackson State.
The 5-foot-7 point guard has led the Sooners (8-0) in scoring for three straight games, finally asserting control of Oklahoma's often-spotty offense. Lavender scored 14 points in the second half, helping the Sooners shake off the plucky Tigers down the stretch.
No. 16 Cincinnati 89, Middle Tenn. St. 54
CINCINNATI -- Tony Bobbitt made all six of his shots for 15 points, and Cincinnati used its trapping defense to beat Middle Tennessee State.
Cincinnati (6-0) was at full strength Saturday with the addition of forward James White, who had to sit out one season after transferring from Florida.
His Bearcats debut was nothing memorable. White looked nervous, repeatedly forced shots as he went 2-for-7 from the field for eight points.
No. 18 Pittsburgh 70, Murray State 49
PITTSBURGH -- Levon Kendall, barely used in Pitt's first nine games, led a decisive first-half surge that carried the Panthers past Murray State (8-1).
Carl Krauser scored 19 points and Kendall, a redshirt freshman who had scored only four points all season, helped fill in for the injured Chevy Troutman with 11 points, three rebounds, two steals and two assists.
No. 19 Syracuse 74, Siena 61
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Hakim Warrick had 24 points and 10 rebounds and Craig Forth added a career-high 14 points to lead Syracuse over Siena.
It was the fifth straight victory for Syracuse (5-1) and the fifth straight loss for the Saints (3-5).
Billy Edelin had nine points, eight rebounds, six assists and no turnovers, Gerry McNamara added 12 points, and Josh Pace 11 for the Orangemen.
No. 20 Louisville 80, Austin Peay 63
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Francisco Garcia scored 21 and Luke Whitehead added 17 points and seven rebounds to lead Louisville to its fifth straight win.
Garcia also had eight assists, matching a career high, and went over 20 points for the fourth straight game as Louisville (5-1) won its 20th straight non-conference home game.