No. 3 Pitt remains unbeaten; 5th-ranked Duke wins by 41

January 1, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Sam Young had 18 points and Brad Wanamaker scored 13 of his career-high 15 in the second half to help No. 3 Pittsburgh beat Rutgers 78-72 on Wednesday in the Big East opener for both teams.

The Panthers (13-0, 1-0) kept up their best start since going 15-0 in the 2005-06 season.

Mike Rosario had 22 points for Rutgers (9-5, 0-1). Anthony Farmer had 20 and Corey Chandler 17.

No. 5 Duke 92, Loyola of Maryland 51

DURHAM, N.C. — Kyle Singler scored 20 points to help fifth-ranked Duke beat Loyola of Maryland despite playing much of the game without starting point guard Nolan Smith.

Gerald Henderson added 19 points for the Blue Devils (11-1), who had no trouble winning their first game after an 11-day break for Christmas. But Duke lost Smith midway through the first half to an apparent left-knee injury, leaving the sophomore to spend most of the day sitting on the bench and wearing an ice bag on his knee.

No. 7 Notre Dame 92, DePaul 82

ROSEMONT Ill. — Luke Harangody scored 26 points and had 16 rebounds and Zach Hillesland scored a career-high 17 to lead Notre Dame to a win over DePaul in the Big East opener for both teams Wednesday night.

Leading 23-19 midway through the first half, Notre Dame (10-2) extended its advantage with a 7-0 run. Hillesland and Jonathan Peoples had back-to-back baskets and Luke Zeller made a 3-pointer to give Notre Dame a 30-19 lead.

No. 10 Michigan State 70, Minnesota 58

MINNEAPOLIS — Kalin Lucas scored a career-high 24 points, Chris Allen added 13 and Michigan State handed Minnesota its first loss of the season.

In the Big Ten opener for both teams, Michigan State (10-2) wore down Minnesota by repeatedly attacking the basket and clogging the lane defensively.

UNLV 56, No. 18 Louisville 55

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Oscar Bellfield hit an acrobatic layup with 16.1 seconds remaining to lift UNLV to a stunning win over Louisville.

No. 22 Xavier 78, Robert Morris 57

CINCINNATI — Jason Love scored a career-high 15 points to lead Xavier over Robert Morris.

Xavier (10-2) was coming off back-to-back losses that sapped the Musketeers’ confidence. They were sloppy and sluggish in a 74-65 home loss to Butler on Saturday that prompted coach Sean Miller to make a lineup change against Robert Morris (6-7).

Jeremy Chappell led Robert Morris with 17 points.

Wisconsin 73, No. 23 Michigan 61

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Marcus Landry and Trevon Hughes each scored 16 points.