Saturday, November 29, 2003
It was the college season's first marquee matchup.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Kansas may be coming together under its new coach even quicker than Bill Self expected.
Roy Williams' successor figured it would be at least a couple of months before the Jayhawks began to gel. Instead, he saw a poised and hard-nosed team outfight and outhustle No. 3 Michigan State 81-74 on Tuesday night in the first marquee matchup of the college season.
"Both teams will get a lot better fast," said Self, now 2-0 with the No. 6 Jayhawks. "I saw some things out there tonight that I have seen only a few times in practice."
If Wayne Simien can stay healthy all year, the Jayhawks may well live up to their billing as preseason Big 12 favorites. The 6-foot-9 junior had a career-high 28 points, including 9-for-9 from the foul line.
"I don't think this was necessarily a statement game. But it was a good win for us," said Simien, who missed 22 games last season with a separated shoulder. "We're not where we want to be yet."
Aaron Miles had 17 points and six assists while Keith Langford had 13 points -- all in the second half -- for the Jayhawks.
Maurice Ager had 17 points and Alan Anderson 16 for the Spartans, whose only lead was 4-2.
The Spartans did not get one blocked shot and committed 24 turnovers while the Jayhawks had seven blocks and only 18 turnovers.
"Turnovers," Izzo said. "It is almost criminal. You have to give Kansas credit for a few of them, but not 24."
No. 8 Florida 112, Montana State 73
Sophomore Christian Drejer had 19 points and 11 assists for the Gators (1-0), who got a team-high 20 points from David Lee. Matt Walsh added 18 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Drejer, the star from Denmark who struggled with injuries last season, was the headliner in a game in which almost all the Gators looked good at home against the overmatched Bobcats (2-1).
No. 13 Saint Joseph's 71, Boston University 56
Delonte West scored 20 points and Jameer Nelson added 13 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as the Hawks won on the road.
Saint Joseph's (2-0) shot 12-of-29 from 3-point range, including 8-for-16 in the first half. Ryan Butt led the Terriers (0-2) with 20 points.
No. 14 Oklahoma 81, Tulsa 73
Jaison Williams scored 16 points and Lawrence McKenzie added 13 as the Sooners improved to 3-0 with the home victory.
Oklahoma outscored Tulsa 12-6 in the final 2:17 to seal the win, helped by freshman Drew Lavender's layup that started the run and Williams' putback after stealing an in-bounds pass. OU has won 34 of its last 35 home games.
Jason Parker led Tulsa with 20 points.
No. 15 Wisconsin 81, Eastern Illinois 47
Freddie Owens scored a career-high 24 points and Devin Harris added 15 for the Badgers (2-0), who extended their home winning streak to 14 games.
Jason Wright scored 11 points for Eastern Illinois (0-2), which had 23 turnovers. Wisconsin hit 34-of-41 free throws.
No. 20 Stanford 72, UC Irvine 59
At Irvine, Calif., Chris Hernandez was 6-of-7 from 3-point range and finished with 22 points to lead the Cardinal (2-0) over the Anteaters (2-2).
Stanford made nine of its first 13 shots to build a 24-5 lead with 11:51 left in the first half. Hernandez led the spree with 10 points.
Adam Parada led the Anteaters with 12 points and nine rebounds.
No. 25 North Carolina State 71, Howard 51
Scooter Sherrill scored 17 points and Julius Hodge added 15 to lift the Wolfpack (2-0).
Ilian Evtimov, who missed last season with a knee injury, added 11 points and six rebounds. N.C. State improved to 59-6 at home against nonconference opponents under coach Herb Sendek.
Louis Ford scored 13 points to lead the Bison (1-2).