INDIANAPOLIS Maxiell's all-around effort leads Cincinnati past Iowa

Kentucky's inside game was too much for Eastern Kentucky.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Cincinnati expects blocked shots and rebounds from Jason Maxiell. But 3-pointers?
The 6-foot-7 senior had 22 points, nine rebounds, six blocked shots, a pair of steals and the first two 3-point baskets of his college career Thursday in a 76-64 first-round NCAA tournament victory over Iowa.
The Bearcats (25-7) advanced to Saturday's second round of the Austin Regional against Kentucky (26-5), which won its opener 72-64 over Eastern Kentucky at the RCA Dome.
Maxiell had missed all five 3-point attempts he had taken in his first 127 games with Cincinnati. But in the closing minutes against Iowa, with the game already decided, he shot twice from long range and hit both.
"I just felt comfortable with my range and shot it," he said. "It went in, so I decided to take a second one."
The Cincinnati bench erupted.
"I knew he had it in him," teammate Eric Hicks said, laughing. "One, maybe, but not two."
With the 250-pound Maxiell dominating the inside, Cincinnati showed a decidedly more physical game and threatened to run away from the Hawkeyes (21-12) almost from the start.
His six blocked shots gave him 89 for the season, second only to the school-record 107 by Kenyon Martin in 2000. With two other blocks by Hicks, the Bearcats are one short of the team-record 223 also set in 2000.
Kentucky 72, Eastern Kentucky 64
INDIANAPOLIS -- They slowed Kentucky's fast break, shut down the Wildcats on the perimeter and even stole some of their state rival's fans. But the Eastern Kentucky Colonels couldn't stop the second-seeded Wildcats' powerful inside game.
Chuck Hayes and Kelenna Azubuike overpowered the Colonels. Each scored 16 points, and Azubuike ignited an 8-0 run early in the second half.
"It was obvious from the first half that we needed some energy, somewhat of a spark," Hayes said. "I challenged myself to get every rebound and work my way around my man."
Kentucky (26-5) extended its NCAA record of tournament victories to 94 and is now 37-9 in NCAA tournament openers. The Wildcats actually have won 96 NCAA tournament games, but were forced to forfeit two wins in 1988 because of NCAA rules violations.
But this was no typical tuneup for the Wildcats.
The pairing pitted schools about 30 miles apart and challenged the loyalties of some fans who normally cheer for both teams. One fan even held up a sign with a Kentucky message on one side and an Eastern Kentucky message on the other.
And the Colonels (22-9) weren't about to let the Wildcats coast. Instead, they limited Kentucky to 2-of-11 shooting from 3-point range and got within five points in the last two minutes.
The difference was Kentucky's dominant interior game. Hayes and Azubuike combined for 15 rebounds, and Kentucky had a 42-24 scoring advantage in the paint.
"They're a very physical team," Colonels forward Michael Haney said. "He [Hayes] is very strong. He always kept a body on me and pushed me out of the post."