Top-ranked Memphis gets 56-41 win over pesky Tulsa

No. 2 Kansas cruised to an easy 83-59 win over Iowa State.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

TULSA, Okla. — Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 20 points, Derrick Rose added 19 points and top-ranked Memphis beat pesky Tulsa 56-41 Wednesday night to avoid the fate that befell the Tigers their only other time with the No. 1 ranking 25 years earlier.

After winning each of its last six games by at least 20 points, Memphis (18-0, 5-0 Conference USA) didn’t take a double-digit lead until Douglas-Roberts’ two-handed jam with 6:21 remaining made it 48-38.

The last time Memphis reached No. 1, Virginia Tech was waiting hours later to pull off a 64-56 upset on Jan. 10, 1983. It took the school just over a quarter-century to get back to the top.

Calvin Walls led the Golden Hurricane (9-7, 1-3) with 12 points.

No. 2 Kansas 83, Iowa State 59

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Darnell Jackson had 21 points and 11 rebounds to help the Jayhawks stay unbeaten.

The Jayhawks (19-0, 4-0 Big 12), one of two unbeaten teams in Division I when the night began, dominated almost from the start, leading by 10 at halftime en route to their 33rd victory in their last 34 games.

No. 5 North Carolina 98, Miami 82

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Tyler Hansbrough scored 27 of his season-high 35 points after halftime and Ty Lawson scored 15 of his 23 points in the opening 20 minutes as the Tar Heels got back to their winning ways.

Hansbrough made 10 of 15 shots from the floor and 15 of 16 at the line.

Wayne Ellington added 12 points for North Carolina (19-1, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), which lost its No. 1 ranking after an 82-80 home loss to Maryland Saturday. Lance Hurdle scored a season-high 20 points for Miami (14-4, 1-3).

No. 13 Pittsburgh 81, St. John’s 57

NEW YORK — Sam Young scored 26 points and No. 13 Pittsburgh continued its recent success at Madison Square Garden.

Ronald Ramon added 16 points and five assists for the Panthers (16-3, 4-2 Big East), who have won four of five overall and improved to 5-2 since starters Mike Cook and Levance Fields were injured.

Freshman DeJuan Blair had 10 points and eight rebounds for Pittsburgh, which is 5-2 all-time against St. John’s at the Garden.

Rutgers 80, No. 18 Villanova 68

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Anthony Farmer and Mike Coburn each scored 23 points to help the Scarlet Knights get their first victory against a ranked opponent in more than two years.

Malcolm Grant scored 23 points, including a stretch of 17 in a row, for the Wildcats (13-4, 3-3), who lost for the first time in five games against Rutgers (9-11, 1-6).

Rutgers shot 50 percent (24-of-48) for the game and improved to 9-11 overall.