Davidson wins in rout despite Curry not scoring

Stephen Curry never had a game like this.

The nation's leading scorer was held without a point as Loyola, Md. employed a triangle-and-2 defense against Curry with both defenders on him. Despite Curry going scoreless, the game was never in doubt as 24th-ranked Davidson routed Loyola 78-48 on Tuesday night.

"It seemed to me they were willing to risk the game at the expense of locking Steph up," Davidson coach Bob McKillop said. "When you put two people on somebody and you do it for 30 minutes and at the end of the game, you have to wonder what the reasons for that are."

Curry, the darling of last season's NCAA tournament, had scored a career-high 44 points in a loss at Oklahoma this month. He followed that up with games of 30 and 39 points.

"If Oklahoma can't stop him, how is Loyola College going to stop him?" Loyola coach Jimmy Patsos asked.

Loyola found a way to contain Curry, they just couldn't guard anybody else.

In other Top 25 games Tuesday, it was: No. 1 North Carolina 98, Oregon 69; No. 8 Notre Dame 81, No. 6 Texas 80; No. 4 Pittsburgh 74, Belmont 60; No. 15 Marquette 85, Texas Southern 68; No. 17 Florida 86, Washington 84; No. 20 Villanova 71, Monmouth 48; and Syracuse 89, No. 22 Kansas 81, OT.

In Davidson, N.C., it didn't take long for Curry to figure out the strategy. He spent some possessions just standing in the corner with two defenders around him while his teammates had a constant 4-on-3 advantage.

Davidson (5-1) proved it has other options, and the Wildcats often scored at will even if Curry didn't reach double figures for only the second time in his career.

"We had to play against an NBA player tonight," Patsos explained. "Anybody else ever hold him scoreless? I'm a history major. They're going to remember that we held him scoreless or we lost by 30?"

Andrew Lovedale provided the muscle inside with 20 points and 10 rebounds, Bryant Barr hit six wide-open 3-pointers and scored 18 points for Davidson. Will Archambault hit three 3s and scored 13.

And Curry, coming in averaging 35 points a game, joked that he had the best seat in the house.

"Every dead ball I asked them how long they were going to do this," Curry said he asked his shadowing defenders. "They really didn't say anything. They weren't very conversational about it."

No. 1 North Carolina 98, Oregon 69

At Lahaina, Hawaii,_ Tyler Hansbrough, who missed three weeks of practice and three games with a leg injury, had 16 points to lead the Tar Heels in the semifinals of the EA Sports Maui Invitational.

North Carolina (5-0) will play No. 8 Notre Dame on Wednesday night in the championship game. Michael Dunigan had 18 points to lead Oregon (3-2).

No. 8 Notre Dame 81, No. 6 Texas 80

At Lahaina, Hawaii, Luke Harangody had 29 points and 13 rebounds and No. 8 Notre Dame hung on in the semifinals of the EA Sports Maui Invitational.

Harangody, the Big East player of the year last season as a sophomore, was his usual force inside in a game that saw both teams combine for 49 3-point attempts. Notre Dame won that battle as well, hitting 11 from beyond the arc while the Longhorns made eight.

It wasn't all great for Harangody, however, as he missed two free throws with 3.5 seconds left with the Fighting Irish leading 81-80. A.J. Abrams, Texas' top 3-point shooter, got off a shot from just before halfcourt but it bounced off the rim.

No. 4 Pittsburgh 74, Belmont 60

At Pittsburgh, Sam Young scored 33 points despite not getting his first basket until more than 11 minutes into the game and Pittsburgh's tight defense shut down Belmont's outside shooting.

The Panthers (5-0) without sophomore center DeJuan Blair, who sat because of right knee inflammation. Blair, averaging 17.5 points, developed the problem after having 27 points and 18 rebounds during an 86-60 win over Division II Indiana (Pa.) on Saturday.

No. 15 Marquette 85, Texas Southern 68

At Milwaukee, Jerel McNeal scored 20 points and Lazar Haywood added 18 to lead Marquette.

Marquette (4-0) failed to score 100 points for the first time in three games.

Deandre Hall led Texas Southern (0-4) with 19 points.

No. 17 Florida 86, Washington 84

At Kansas City, Mo., Nick Calathes scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half and Florida held off a late rally in the consolation game of the CBE Classic.

Florida (4-1) had been in a slump from the perimeter, shooting 8-of-39 from 3-point range the previous two games. The Gators were much better against Washington, hitting 11-of-22 from beyond the arc and shooting 52 percent overall.

Washington (2-3) was led by Jon Brockman's 22 points.

No. 20 Villanova 71, Monmouth 48

At Villanova, Pa., Dante Cunningham scored 19 points, Corey Stokes added 18 and Villanova extended its win streak to four.

Shane Clark added 10 points for the Wildcats (4-0), who won their 19th straight game at The Pavilion.

Villanova was without junior center Casiem Drummond, who was suspended for one game for disciplinary reasons. Villanova coach Jay Wright described the infraction as a minor issue and said Drummond will practice Wednesday.

Yaniv Simpson scored 11 points for Monmouth (0-5).

Syracuse 89, No. 22 Kansas 81, OT

At Kansas City, Mo., Jonny Flynn had 25 points and hit a 3-pointer with 6.4 seconds left in regulation, helping Syracuse win the CBE Classic championship game.

Syracuse (4-0) trailed by 13 early in the second half, then rallied behind hot shooting and a pressure defense to set up Flynn's shot at the end of regulation.

Sherron Collins led Kansas (3-1) with 21 points.

No. 6 Texas tops Saint Joseph's 68-50 in Maui

LAHAINA, Hawaii – A.J. Abrams had 17 points and No. 6 Texas turned in another strong defensive effort in a 68-50 victory over Saint Joseph's on Monday in the opening round of the EA Sports Maui Invitational.

The Longhorns (3-0) will meet the winner of the game between No. 8 Notre Dame and Indiana in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Abrams was 4-for-7 from 3-point range, keeping his hot start from beyond the arc as he was 8-for-17 in Texas' first two games.

The Longhorns had allowed 44.5 points and 28.7 percent field goal shooting while forcing an average of 22 turnovers in their first two wins. No. 3 looked very familiar.

Ahmad Nivins had 14 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Hawks (1-2), who finished 17-for-58 from the field (29.3 percent), including 4-for-21 from 3-point range, and turned it over 18 times.

Saint Joseph's used a 6-2 run to close the first half to get within 37-28, but Damion James had seven points in Texas' 11-2 run to start the second half. Saint Joseph's missed three of its first four shots in the half and had three turnovers in the opening 1:40.

The Hawks scored seven straight points to make it 48-37, but they came up empty on their next eight possessions and Texas had its first 20-point lead, 57-37 on a layup by Gary Johnson with 8:55 to play.

James and Johnson both had 14 points for Texas. Johnson led the Longhorns with 10 rebounds.

Darrin Govens added 12 points for the Hawks.

This is the Longhorns' third appearance in Maui with their best finish a third in 2004.

The win gave coach Rick Barnes a 250-93 record in 11 seasons at Texas and he is 452-227 overall.

Shane Victorino of the World Series champion Phillies presented the game ball to officials. The native of Maui, who was home for a charity golf event, received quite a cheer from the fans from Saint Joseph's, which is located in Philadelphia.

No. 3 Louisville rolls by South Alabama

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Freshman Samardo Samuels was dominant for the second straight night, scoring 24 points Sunday to lead third-ranked Louisville to an 81-54 victory over South Alabama in the final of the Billy Minardi Classic.

Samuels hit his first eight shots from the field — all of them either dunks or lay-ups in traffic — and grabbed five rebounds as Louisville (2-0) capped an easy opening weekend by racing past the Jaguars (2-2) in the second half.

Terrence Williams had 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and Earl Clark added 12 points and five boards for the Cardinals, who used a suffocating defense to force 24 turnovers and hold the Jaguars to 36 percent shooting.

It's a good sign for coach Rick Pitino, who said he would judge his team's progress not by how many points it scored, but by how it did on the other end of the floor.

Brandon Davis led South Alabama with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Domonic Tilford added 16 points, but the Jaguars were no match for Louisville's size or depth. Eleven Cardinals played and all but two scored.

Louisville never trailed but needed a while to put away South Alabama. Tilford hit a fadeaway that pulled the Jaguars within 39-31 less than two minutes into the second half, but the Cardinals responded with a 22-5 run. Andre McGee got it going with a 3-pointer and Samuels finished it with a pair of free throws that pushed the lead to 61-36 with 10:15 remaining.

Samuels, who'd been chastised by Williams during an open practice earlier in the week for not passing the ball enough, had three assists. The best was a nifty bounce pass to Williams that the senior turned into a dunk. Samuels showed a little aggressiveness defensively too, blocking three shots, one of them a dunk attempt by South Alabama's Ronald Douglas.

Samuels' hopes for a perfect night from the field, however, ended when Davis stuffed him while going up for a dunk with the Cardinals up 24. No biggie. Samuels finished his night with one more jam and walked off to a standing ovation after a sparkling debut at Freedom Hall.

Samuels said he had some jitters in his college debut on Saturday, getting off to a slow start before Louisville pulled away from Morehead State. He had no such problems against the Jaguars. Samuels hit a layup on Louisville's first possession, then dunked on DeAndre' Coleman on Louisville's next trip. Even better for the Cardinals? He made the free throw.

South Alabama, however, was able to hang around thanks to Davis. The senior, a key cog in last season's team that made the NCAA tournament, did his best to match Samuels and keep the Jaguars competitive in the paint.

Davis has 12 points in the first half, but South Alabama still trailed by 12 at the break as the Cardinals simply wore the smaller Jaguars down.

(This version CORRECTS South Alabama's record in 2nd graf, Samuels' block total in 7th.))

Johnson, Teague lead No. 20 Wake to 120-88 win

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Dino Gaudio wasn't afraid to let No. 20 Wake Forest run with a team that had scored 100 points in each of its first two games. Even if that meant the Demon Deacons were going to give up a few more points than the coach would have liked.

Jeff Teague scored a career-high 31 points and James Johnson added 25 to help Wake Forest beat North Carolina-Wilmington 120-88 on Wednesday night, an offensive performance that ranked among the program's best.

Chas McFarland added 19 points for the Demon Deacons (2-0), whose 120 points tied for third-most in school history and was just three shy of breaking the record. It also was the most points ever scored by a team at Joel Coliseum.

Wake Forest led almost the entire way, shot 57 percent and scored 41 points off 24 turnovers to improve to 11-0 in the series.

"I'm comfortable with us pushing it up like that, no question," Gaudio said. "We want to just keep pushing the ball. We've got finishers. ... We want to push and keep our foot on the accelerator."

In the only other ranked games Wednesday night, No. 5 Michigan State beat IPFW 70-59, and No. 23 Villanova topped Niagara 77-62.

The Seahawks (2-1) opened the season by rallying from a 17-point deficit in the final 6 minutes of regulation to beat Appalachian State 108-101 in overtime, then followed with a 107-95 win against Troy. But the Demon Deacons looked plenty comfortable playing at a fast pace, weathering several spurts from the Seahawks before reaching the century mark on Teague's driving score with 6 1/2 minutes left.

"It's a different style. You have to adapt," Gaudio said. "You try to simulate it in practice a little bit with a scout team coming down and shooting quick 3s, but it's hard to simulate."

That didn't matter too much — Teague and Johnson looked ready to run all night.

"I guess we showed everybody in Winston we can really score the ball," said Teague, whose previous high was 27 points set last season against Miami.

Wake Forest jumped out to a 22-point lead midway through the first half and led 61-44 at halftime. The Seahawks hung around early after the break, getting as close as 69-60 on a 3 from Johnny Wolf with 15:40 to play.

Teague quickly restored order, assisting on a dunk by L.D. Williams before draining a 3 from the corner to push the margin back to 15. Wake Forest put the game away with a 10-point burst, with Johnson finding Teague for a transition layup and Teague adding a driving basket over Dominique Lacy that helped Wake Forest take a 92-68 lead with 9 1/2 minutes left.

Wolf scored 24 points to lead the Seahawks, who shot 48 percent and hit 12 3-pointers but were at a disadvantage running with the more athletic Atlantic Coast Conference team.

"We have to play to our strengths," Seahawks coach Benny Moss said. "I'd rather do it that way against a team like Wake Forest because at least we have a shooter's chance. If we let them line up and take 35 seconds every time, they're just going to pound it down our throat even more."

Teague went 10-for-17 from the field and 9-of-12 from the foul line while spending time defending UNC-Wilmington's top scorer, Chad Tomko. Johnson, a versatile 6-foot-9 forward, finished a point shy of his career high and had nine rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks. He also logged minutes at every position except point guard.

Tomko came in averaging 30 points in the first two games, but finished with seven on 3-for-13 shooting.

The Demon Deacons have played both games without starting point guard Ishmael Smith, who had surgery to repair a broken left foot in September. Gaudio said afterward that Smith has been cleared to do some light work in practice and that he's hopeful the junior will be available to play Monday against crosstown program Winston-Salem State.

No. 5 Michigan State 70, IPFW 59

At Fort Wayne, Ind., Raymar Morgan scored eight of his 22 points during a decisive 13-0 run and Michigan State survived a scare from IPFW.

Michigan State (2-0) led 32-24 at halftime, but opened the second half making just one of 10 shots. The Spartans fell behind twice by three points to IPFW (0-2), which lost its opener to Xavier by 28.

Trailing 44-42, the Spartans took control midway through the second half. It started with a free throw by Delvon Roe, and Kalin Lucas quickly added a 17-foot jumper. Morgan scored on an inbound pass and a moment later added a free throw.

Ben Botts led IPFW with 22 points despite going 4-for-17 from 3-point range.

No. 23 Villanova 77, Niagara 62

At Villanova, Pa., Scottie Reynolds scored 19 points, Corey Fisher had 15 and Reggie Redding 14 to lead Villanova past pesky Niagara.

Playing their third game in six days, the banged-up Wildcats (3-0) were just vulnerable enough to be severely tested at home. The Purple Eagles (1-1) opened the second half on a streak and a pair of 3s helped slice the deficit to single digits.

The Wildcats played their third straight game without swingman Dwayne Anderson (foot), and 6-foot-10 center Casiem Drummond (foot) was limited to 2 minutes. Corey Stokes scored seven points and played with a taped sprained left thumb.

Tyrone Lewis scored 16 points and Rob Garrison had 15 for Niagara, which dropped its 18th straight game against ranked opponents since beating No. 4 St. John's in 1984.

Freshman Monroe leads Georgetown in season opener

Greg Monroe lived up to the billing.

The 6-foot-11 freshman had 14 points and seven rebounds to lead No. 22 Georgetown to a 71-62 victory over Jacksonville on Monday night.

Not bad for the player who has to replace the graduated Roy Hibbert in the middle for the Hoyas.

"He has to touch the ball," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said of Monroe. "Good things will happen for our team when he touches the ball."

He did early, taking Georgetown's first shot of the season and making their first field goal on a pass from Chris Wright, a sophomore guard who will have to replace four-year starter Jonathan Wallace at the point.

"Well, he got involved early. First play of the game," said Wright, who had 16 points, five rebounds and four assists. "Everybody could see he was kind of nervous: He stumbled. But he made the shot."

Monroe also anchored Georgetown's typically tough defense, getting credit for three blocks and forcing opponents to alter several shots.

Jacksonville missed its first eight field goal tries en route to shooting only 28 percent for the first half and 35 percent for the game. The Dolphins (0-2) went 3-for-20 from 3-point range.

In other games involving ranked teams on Monday, it was: No. 2 Connecticut 99, Hartford 56; No. 6 Pittsburgh 82, Miami (Ohio) 53; No. 11 Purdue 87, Eastern Michigan 58; No. 12 Oklahoma 94, Mississippi Valley State 53; No. 13 Memphis 80, Massachusetts 58; No. 15 Marquette 106, Chicago State 87; No. 21 Davidson 99, James Madison 64; and No. 23 Villanova 107, Fordham 68.

At Washington, The Hoyas shot only 5-for-23 on 3s.

"It's kind of expected for us to have those type of woes in the first game, shooting so poorly from the 3," forward DaJuan Summers said.

Summers and Jessie Sapp, the lone returning scholarship senior, both scored 13 points for Georgetown (1-0).

Ben Smith led Jacksonville (0-2) with 17 points — 15 after halftime.

"He woke up in the second half," Jacksonville coach Cliff Warren said. "I had some choice words for him."

No. 2 Connecticut 99, Hartford 56

At Hartford, Conn., Craig Austrie and freshman Kemba Walker both scored 21 points to lead the Huskies (2-0) to their 63rd consecutive win over an instate opponent, a streak that spans 22 years.

Jerome Dyson added 18 points for Connecticut and Jeff Adrien had 12 points and 15 rebounds.

Morgan Sabia, who fouled out with seven minutes left, had 15 points for Hartford (0-2).

No. 6 Pittsburgh 82, Miami (Ohio) 53

At Pittsburgh, Jermaine Dixon, a junior college transfer starting in place of the injured Gilbert Brown, hit two 3-pointers while scoring eight points in the Panthers' 16-2 run to open the second half.

Levance Fields had 12 points and a career-high 12 assists and Sam Young and Dixon scored 14 points for Pittsburgh (2-0).

Kenny Hayes scored 18 points for the visiting RedHawks (1-2).

No. 11 Purdue 87, E. Michigan 58

At West Lafayette, Ind., Robbie Hummel scored 18 points for the Boilermakers (2-0) in the first round of the NIT Season Tip-Off. They will play Loyola of Chicago, which beat Georgia 74-53.

E'Twaun Moore had 17 points, five rebounds and four assists, and JaJuan Johnson added 11 points for the Boilermakers (2-0).

Justin Dobbins scored 16 points for Eastern Michigan (1-1) in its worst defeat since a 36-point loss to Kent State on Feb. 3, 2007.

No. 12 Oklahoma 94, Mississippi Valley St. 53

Blake Griffin had 20 points, 19 rebounds and six steals to lead the Sooners in the first round of the NIT Season Tip-Off.

At Norman, Okla., Oklahoma (2-0) will play No. 21 Davidson (2-0) on Tuesday night in a matchup of preseason All-Americas — Griffin and the Wildcats' Stephen Curry. Davidson rolled past James Madison 99-64 on Monday.

Griffin went 8-of-9 from the field — including five dunks — while posting his 12th career double-double and second of the season.

Shannon Behling had 16 points for the Delta Devils (0-3), who were playing their third game in as many states in four nights, all against major conference opponents.

No. 13 Memphis 80, Massachusetts 58

At Memphis, Tenn., Antonio Anderson had 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, freshman Tyreke Evans had 19 points and Robert Dozier added 18 for the Tigers (2-0) as John Calipari became the winningest coach in school history. Calipari's 221st victory moved him past Larry Finch, who led the program from 1986-1997.

Memphis shot 39 percent for the game, including 2-of-19 from 3-point range.

Ricky Harris led the visiting Minutemen (1-2) with 17 points, while Tony Gaffney had 16 points and a career-high 19 rebounds.

The game was a meeting of mentor and pupil. Derek Kellogg, in his first year as coach at Massachusetts, played for Calipari from 1991-95 during Calipari's tenure as coach of the Minutemen. Kellogg was an assistant under Calipari for eight years at Memphis before moving to his alma mater.

No. 16 Marquette 106, Chicago St. 87

At Milwaukee, Wesley Matthews scored 26 points and Lazar Hayward added 21 for the Golden Eagles (2-0), who last scored 106 points against Charleston on Dec. 1, 1980. Matthews was 7-of-14 from the field and made all 10 of his free throws. He also had nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals.

David Holston had 33 points for visiting Chicago State (1-1), including seven 3-pointers.

No. 21 Davidson 99, James Madison 64

At Norman, Okla., Stephen Curry had 33 points and nine assists for the Wildcats (2-0) in the first round of the NIT Season Tip-Off.

It was the 16th time in his career that Curry scored more than 30 points.

Julius Wells had 21 points to lead the Dukes (0-1), who were playing their first game under coach Matt Brady.

No. 23 Villanova 107, Fordham 68

At Villanova, Pa., Senior forward Dante Cunningham scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Corey Stokes and Corey Fisher each scored 17 points to lead the Wildcats (2-0) to their 17th straight win at home.

Cunningham finished 11-of-17 from the field and 9-for-12 from the line.

Brenton Butler led the Rams (0-2) with 17 points.

No. 12 Vanderbilt routs Western Kentucky

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Christina Wirth scored 24 points to lead No. 12 Vanderbilt to a 90-72 rout of Western Kentucky on Sunday.

Hannah Tuomi added 19 points and Merideth Marsh had 13 for the Commodores (2-0), who forced 25 turnovers. They also shot 56 percent from the field.

Arnika Brown led Western Kentucky (1-1) with 20 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Amy McNear added seven points and a career-high 11 assists.

Vanderbilt extended a 14-point halftime lead to 61-39 going on a 10-2 spurt to open the second half. The Lady Toppers rallied to 65-57 with 10:13 left before Vandy put the game away with a 16-2 run.

Tennessee rolls in opener

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tyler Smith had 21 points and five assists and No. 14 Tennessee defeated Chattanooga 114-75 on Saturday night.

Chattanooga's only lead came off two free throws by Khalil Hartwell to put the Mocs up 8-7 with 16:22 left in the first half.

J.P. Prince, who was questionable for the game because of an injured shoulder, came off the bench to help ignite the Vols with a breakaway layup that gave Tennessee a 9-8 lead. The Vols went on a 12-0 run, helped by five points from Bobby Maze.

Tennessee (1-0) entered halftime with a 60-37 lead.

Tennessee freshman Scotty Hopson scored 17 points. Wayne Chism had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Tennessee scored 35 points off 24 turnovers by the Mocs (0-1). The Vols outrebounded the Mocs 42-30 and scored 62 points in the paint.

The new 3-point line did not seem to faze the Vols as they made 11 of 29 attempts.

Stephen McDowell scored 20 points for Chattanooga. Ty Patterson and Nicchaeus Doaks both added 16. Doaks grabbed nine rebounds.

It was the second time in coach Bruce Pearl's tenure that the Vols have scored 100 or more points to open the season. Tennessee scored 106 against East Tennessee in 2005 in Pearl's first season.

(This version CORRECTS APNewsNow. No. 14 Tennessee 114, Chattanooga 75; corrects Tyler Smith points)

No. 8 Duke routs Georgia Southern 97-54

DURHAM, N.C. – Kyle Singler scored 19 points for the second straight game and No. 8 Duke rolled into the 2K Sports Classic semifinals by routing Georgia Southern 97-54 on Tuesday night.

Nolan Smith added 13 points, and Gerald Henderson and Greg Paulus each finished with 11 to help the Blue Devils (2-0) win their 61st straight nonconference game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Now, after they play host to Rhode Island this weekend, they will head to Madison Square Garden — where last season's team suffered its first loss — to meet the Massachusetts-Southern Illinois winner in a semifinal.

Willie Powers scored 17 points and Julian Allen had 10 to lead Georgia Southern (1-1). The Eagles went at least 5 minutes between field goals twice in the first half, and they shot just 28 percent while allowing Duke to shoot 48.5 percent.

The Blue Devils were in control from start to finish of their second straight blowout win. They opened the game with a 16-4 run and took command late in the half by running off 15 straight points over a 2-minute stretch. That pushed their lead past 20 points for good, and it grew to 30 just 12 seconds into the second half on Smith's 3-pointer.

They won this one mostly without their three blue-chip freshmen. Miles Plumlee, Elliot Williams and Olek Czyz spent the entire first half on the bench after they were a combined 3-for-9 with five turnovers against Presbyterian on Monday.

Then again, nobody at Duke was terribly content with that 31-point victory. The Blue Devils had 21 turnovers in that one and were too sloppy on both ends of the court for coach Mike Krzyzewski's liking. They were sharper this time, giving it away only 11 times.

Singler keyed the game-opening spurt with seven quick points, and David McClure closed it at the 13 1/2-minute mark by grabbing the rebound of Greg Paulus' missed 3 and slamming it home.

Then, Jon Scheyer and Smith hit 3s during the 15-0 run, and Singler capped it with a fast-break dunk with 42 seconds left to put Duke up 50-22.

Still, the Blue Devils weren't perfect, and most of their lapses took place at the free-throw line, where they were 25-for-49 — and that doesn't count the three misses by Henderson that were wiped out by Georgia Southern lane violations. Still, their relentless pressure defense on their hostile home floor was enough to turn 17 Eagles turnovers into 24 points.

A fast start for No. 8 Duke

DURHAM, N.C. – Kyle Singler scored 12 of his 19 points during the decisive first half, and No. 8 Duke opened its season by routing Presbyterian 80-49 on Monday night in the first round of the 2K Sports Classic.

Singler added 10 rebounds and Nolan Smith scored 15 points for the Blue Devils (1-0), who used two dominating spurts to overwhelm the cold-shooting Blue Hose, win their 60th straight nonconference game at Cameron Indoor Stadium and improve to 27-2 in home openers under coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Lance Thomas and Jon Scheyer added 12 points apiece for Duke, which faces Georgia Southern, which beat Houstron 65-63, on Tuesday night with a semifinal berth at Madison Square Garden on the line.

After rolling to two exhibition victories against Division II schools by an average of 58.5 points, the Blue Devils were met with only slightly more resistance from a Presbyterian program entering its second season in Division I.

Duke — which hasn't lost the first game at its notoriously noisy arena since 1982, and won its ninth straight season opener overall — denied the Blue Hose (0-1) their first road victory in 24 tries at this level.

Duke controlled both ends of the court, holding the Blue Hose to 1-of-11 shooting during one early stretch before reeling off 19 straight points — coming away with points on seven straight trips downcourt — to take a 20-point lead. At one point late in the half, the Blue Hose had more than twice as many turnovers (11) as field goals (five).

It was precisely the kind of performance expected of a Blue Devils team that returns nine of the top 11 scorers from an offense that ranked fourth nationally last season by averaging 83.2 points.

Duke took the lead for good during the defense-dominated 13-2 run during which the Blue Devils allowed one basket during a 7 1/2-minute stretch, a spurt capped by Greg Paulus' 3-pointer from the left wing that made it 13-4 with 12 1/2 minutes before halftime.

Then, they gave themselves plenty of breathing room with the Smith- and Scheyer-keyed 19-0 run, a burst capped by Gerald Henderson's free throw with 3:51 left that made it 36-11. By that point, Scheyer had 12 points by himself, prompting those clever Cameron Crazies to chant, "Scheyer's winning."

Al'Lonzo Coleman finished with 13 points to lead Presbyterian, and his layup 17 seconds in gave the Blue Hose their only lead. Freshman Bo King also had 13 points on 3-of-15 shooting.

Presbyterian will play Houston on Tuesday in a consolation game.

'Bama, Texas Tech pull away in AP football poll

NEW YORK – Penn State slipped to the back of the one-loss pack Sunday in The Associated Press college football poll, while No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Texas Tech strengthened their hold on the top spots.

The Nittany Lions fell four places to No. 7 in the Top 25 after losing for the first time this season. The 24-23 loss at Iowa on a field goal in the final seconds all but eliminated coach Joe Paterno's team from the national title race and left only Alabama and Texas Tech as unbeaten teams from the six BCS conferences.

The Crimson Tide (10-0) needed overtime to stay perfect, beating LSU 27-21 in Nick Saban's return to Baton Rouge, La., as Alabama coach. The Tide received 44 first-place votes and 1,604 points from the media panel.

The Red Raiders (10-0) followed up their big win over Texas last week with a resounding 56-20 victory over Oklahoma State. The impressive performance earned the Red Raiders the remaining 21 first-place votes, up from 12 last week, and 1,574 points.

Alabama plays Mississippi State at home on Saturday and Texas Tech has a week off before playing at Oklahoma on Nov. 22, the Red Raiders' fourth consecutive game against a ranked opponent.

No. 3 Florida, No. 4 Texas, No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 6 Southern California, all with one-loss but still with national title hopes, all moved up one spot and are ahead of the Penn State.

No. 8 Utah (10-0) moved up two spots, jumping over Boise State (9-0) which stayed at No. 9. The Utes and Broncos are both trying to break into the Bowl Championship Series from conferences without an automatic bid to the big-money games.

Ohio State moved up two spots and completes the first 10.

Oklahoma State fell three spots to No. 11 and is followed by Big 12 rival Missouri.

No. 13 Georgia is one spot ahead of the other unbeaten team, Ball State (9-0) from the Mid-American Conference.

Mountain West rivals TCU and BYU are Nos. 15 and 16, respectively.

No. 17 North Carolina has its highest ranking since it started the 1998 season No. 12. That was the season after coach Mack Brown left Chapel Hill for Texas.

Michigan State is No. 18. LSU dropped three spots to 19th and Florida State moved up four spots to No. 20.

Pittsburgh moved up four spots to No. 21 and the final four teams were unranked last week.

Cincinnati is ranked for the first time this season at No. 22 after beating West Virginia 26-23 in overtime. The Mountaineers dropped out of the rankings.

Oregon State, which has won four straight and controls the Pac-10 race because it beat USC, also moved into the rankings for the first time this season. The Beavers are No. 23.

No. 24 South Carolina and No. 25 Tulsa both moved back into the rankings.

California, Georgia Tech and Maryland also dropped out after losses.

Texas Tech routs Oklahoma St.; eyes BCS title game

LUBBOCK, Texas – So it wasn't simply the emotion of playing No. 1 at home that brought out the best in Texas Tech last week. The Red Raiders just might be that good.

Proving the No. 2 ranking and win over Texas was no fluke, Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree picked up where they left off, scoring touchdown after touchdown and turning a showdown with No. 8 Oklahoma State into a 56-20 rout Saturday night.

"This was a great accomplishment for our team," Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said. "It was kind of a good, collective effort."

After losing a fumble on the game-opening drive, Harrell led the Red Raiders to touchdowns on their next seven drives, capping three of them with TD passes to Crabtree, the big, strong sophomore who might be the nation's most dangerous receiver.

Harrell finished 40-of-50 for 456 yards and six touchdowns. He lost two fumbles but didn't throw an interception and wasn't sacked. He was rarely even pressured as Texas Tech (10-0, 6-0 Big 12) won its 12th straight game, the longest streak in the nation and best in school history.

Crabtree, whose touchdown with 1 second left knocked off the Longhorns, caught eight passes for 89 yards and the three scores, upping his national-best total to 18. Nine other Red Raiders caught passes on the way to piling up 629 yards — still less than the 718 yards gained in a 49-45 loss to Oklahoma State last year, a game best remembered for the post-game "I'm a man! I'm 40!" rant by Cowboys coach Mike Gundy.

"We've said that all year — we have a chance to be really special," Harrell said. "We've just improved every week, gotten better and continued to win. Hopefully we'll continue to improve and to win. Being 10-0 is great, but we know we have two regular-season games ahead of us. We want to be 12-0. That's our goal."

Now that Texas Tech has gotten by two straight top-10 foes, one more awaits: No. 6 Oklahoma. In Norman.

At least the Red Raiders have next weekend off to get ready for yet another game that will be billed as the most important in school history. The stakes will be high — the biggest remaining obstacle to winning the Big 12 South, earning a spot in the conference title game and playing their way into the national championship game.

The Red Raiders are No. 2 in the BCS standings, and this win — plus Penn State's loss — should further solidify their inside track to the title game. Texas Tech also remains one of five unbeaten teams left in the country.

"That ranking stuff will sort itself out," running back Baron Batch said. "The only thing we deserve right now is to be 10-0."

Oklahoma State (8-2, 4-2) came into this game seeking the same goals as Texas Tech. If the Cowboys had won, there would've been a four-way tie atop the division with the Sooners their last remaining obstacle, too.

Things looked good for them early, when Kendall Hunter scored on a 2-yard run three plays after Oklahoma State's recovery of a fumbled snap by Harrell. The Cowboys led 7-0 after only 2:30 and the crowd that provided such a boost against Texas the previous Saturday night went silent.

Yet Harrell, the nation's leading passer, marched the Red Raiders 80 yards in five plays. He took them 70 yards on the next drive, then 97 and 72, spreading the ball around, while saving the most important plays for his main man, Crabtree. It was 28-14 at the half and Texas Tech already had 312 yards against a defense allowing an average of 357.4 yards per game.

The only thing that slowed the Red Raiders was the halftime show.

Oklahoma State had the ball to start the second half, driving to get within a touchdown. But tight end Brandon Pettigrew fumbled near midfield and Harrell went back to work. He finished a 48-yard drive with an 8-yard slant to Crabtree, putting Texas Tech up 35-14 and putting Oklahoma State down by its largest deficit of the season.

Crabtree celebrated by going to the back of the end zone and staring into television cameras, perhaps fighting off the urge to strike the Heisman Trophy pose, while a few tortillas flew from the student sections, a longtime tradition that's waned since rules against it were stiffened. Nonetheless, a few more tortillas came slicing through the air like Frisbees when Crabtree caught a fade for another touchdown on the next drive.

Oklahoma State scored between Crabtree's two touchdowns and still had a chance to make things interesting by starting the fourth quarter at the Texas Tech 20.

But Zac Robinson was sacked, then forced to scramble and throw the ball away. Under heavy pressure again on third down, he threw too quickly toward the end zone and was intercepted at the 4. Harrell took over and drove 96 yards for the exclamation-point touchdown.

The TD roll ended when Harrell lost another fumble on the next drive. Then, he was done for the night.

Hunter, the Big 12's leading rusher, ran 17 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns.

Robinson was 16-of-28 for 182 yards and an interception.

Dez Bryant, who hinted aloud this week that he deserved as much media attention as Crabtree, caught four passes for 86 yards. He didn't have a catch until the final seconds of the first half, when the Cowboys already were down by two touchdowns.

At game's end, Tech fans cheered politely. There wasn't a single wild dash onto the field this time, unlike the two premature swarms against Texas.

In two weeks, huge victories have already become routine for the Red Raiders and their fans.

(Corrects attribution in 11th paragraph to Batch instead of Crabtree.)

Davis leads Ball State past Northern Illinois

MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State's Nate Davis used every option in the arsenal Wednesday night.

There was the nifty pump-fake, the soft lob, the deep ball, the low liner, the long runs, and, oh yeah, all those Northern Illinois mistakes.

Davis threw for four touchdowns and ran for another as the 16th-ranked Cardinals routed Northern Illinois 45-14 on Wednesday night to remain undefeated and alive in the chase for a BCS bowl game.

The matchup between the Mid-American Conference's top offense and No. 1 defense wasn't even close.

MiQuale Lewis topped 100 yards rushing for the ninth straight game for Ball State (9-0, 5-0), which produced eight plays of 25 yards or more in scoring its season high.

Northern Illinois (5-4, 4-2) allowed nearly six times its per game average of 8.2 points.

Davis finished 18-of-22 for 300 yards and broke Mike Neu's career record for completions. The junior has 592, 12 more than Neu. Lewis ran 19 times and topped the 1,000-yard mark, while Louis Johnson roamed free behind the secondary with six catches for 165 yards and a TD.

The Huskies were completely out of sync but could only blame themselves for the inexplicable mistakes.

After forcing an early punt, defensive back Kiaree Daniels ran into Ball State's Chris Miller, drawing a 15-yard penalty to extend the drive. Davis responded by throwing a 33-yard strike on the run to Briggs Orsbon at the Huskies 1. Two plays later, Lewis ran left, split two defenders, spun away from a third and dived into the end zone for a 7-0 lead.

Midway through the second quarter, a short punt by Northern Illinois was the culprit. This time, Davis hooked up with Johnson on a 33-yard completion. Then, on third-and-4 from Northern's 6, Davis threw a perfect lob to 6-foot-6 tight end Darius Hill, who was shielding the defender like a basketball player fighting for a rebound, for 14-0 lead.

The Cardinals were only getting started.

Davis threw a nifty 25-yard line drive to Daniel Ifft with 1:53 to go in the half for a 21-0 lead.

Northern's Chandler Harnish opened the second half with a 25-yard TD run, but Lewis' 64-yard run on the ensuing drive set up Davis' 1-yard plunge.

Then, after a replay review wiped out a 71-yard TD pass from Davis to Johnson, Davis went right back to Johnson for a 22-yard TD on the next play. Fittingly, Davis finished his night with a one-play drive — a 20-yard touchdown pass to Hill early in the fourth quarter that made it 45-7.

Harnish was 14-of-22 for 115 yards with one interception and led the team with 12 carries for 59 yards.

Prince out to leave K-State at end of season

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas State coach Ron Prince was unable to rebuild the Wildcats into the Big 12 contender they were under his predecessor.

Now after 2 1/2 seasons in Manhattan, Prince is on his way out and K-State is in the market for another coach who can do what Bill Snyder did in the Little Apple.

Kansas State athletic director Bill Krause fired Prince, effective at the end of the season, on Wednesday, just three months after signing the coach to a five-year contract.

Prince took over for Snyder in 2006, his first head coaching job after 14 years at six different schools. He never lived up to the standard Snyder set, going 16-18, including 4-5 this year.

"It's a decision that we arrived at in the best interest in the institution and the program," Krause said during a conference call. "All along I've looked at understanding we're in a performance-based profession and in the final analysis we're at a point that while our goal remains the same. A change is necessary."

Snyder was a consistent winner in 17 years as Kansas State's coach, turning a team that won one game from 1987-89 into one that racked up at least 10 victories seven times, and reached bowl games 12 straight seasons from 1992-2003.

He retired after a 5-6 season in 2006, handing the program over to Prince, Virginia's relatively unknown offensive coordinator the previous three years.

Prince never got the Wildcats going in the right direction.

Kansas State was 7-6 and went to a bowl game in his first season, but the program has regressed since, going 5-7 last season and losing four of five Big 12 games this year.

The Wildcats have lost three straight headed into Saturday's game against Missouri, including a 56-21 setback to Kansas last weekend that dropped Prince to 0-3 against Kansas State's in-state rival.

"The reality is that all coaches want to compete and win championships," Prince said. "That's why we came here and that's why we do what we do, and ultimately educate these kids along the way. We're disappointed, but we're in a position to accept the decision that's been made."

In August, Kansas State signed Prince to a contract that runs through 2012, paying him a base salary of $143,00 with a total guaranteed package of $1.1 million. The deal included a larger buyout, meaning Prince will receive $1.2 million, along with a prorated longevity bonus of about $150,000.

The midweek announcement, during preparation for a game, was unusual, but not the midseason move. Clemson, Washington, Tennessee and Toledo have already started looking for new leaders after announcing coaching moves earlier this season. Earlier this week, the Volunteers announced Phillip Fulmer won't be back next season.

"There's a plan in place and there's some consultation I want to have with some individuals," Krause said. "It's coming down to the point where you have a list of folks you think have the ability to take the program and accomplish the things we want to accomplish."

Prince's teams never had trouble generating offense, with a wide-open attack and strong-armed quarterback Josh Freeman piling up yards and points.

Defense has been a problem, though.

Kansas State had one of the nation's worst last season, allowing 30.8 points and 400.6 yards per game, and the Wildcats have been even worse this year. They rank 107th in scoring defense at 33.7 points per game and 108th in total defense at 444.67 yards per game.

Kansas State allowed 110 points in its past two games, more than 50 three times this season.

"Our objective in coming to Kansas State in December of 2005 was to establish a program that was built to last, a team that would consistently compete for championships," Prince said. "Today, we ran out of time to accomplish that."

Florida celebrates 49-10 win against rival Georgia

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tim Tebow walked out of the locker room wearing a gray, protective boot on his left foot. The Florida quarterback said he sprained his ankle on a 4-yard run in the third quarter. He just as easily could have told everyone he hurt it kicking around Georgia. After all, this was a Gator Stomp.

Tebow accounted for five touchdowns, Percy Harvin scored twice and the fifth-ranked, revenge-minded Gators thumped the Bulldogs 49-10 Saturday in one of the most anticipated matchups in the history of this storied rivalry.

"It doesn't get any sweeter than this," Tebow said. "We didn't have to talk about it. We just had to go out there and show that we're a different team and prove that we worked extremely hard. We didn't want that to happen again to us."

The Gators (7-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) shut down Knowshon Moreno, took advantage of Georgia's numerous mistakes and avenged last year's 42-30 loss in which the brazen Bulldogs used a full-team, end-zone celebration to energize them.

Florida's response?

How about the worst loss in Georgia coach Mark Richt's career, which left the preseason No. 1 staring at being No. 2 in the SEC East for the second straight season.

Florida coach Urban Meyer even called two timeouts in the final 44 seconds — surely to prolong Georgia's misery. Meyer said he did it because running back Emmanuel Moody deserved a couple extra carries, but no one inside Jacksonville Municipal Stadium believed that.

"Enjoy the moment, enjoy the game," Tebow said. "We didn't do anything wrong. We were just playing the game."

The seemingly cold and quick handshake between Meyer and Richt might have told a different story, but the coaches denied any animosity.

"To me, the rules say you've got three timeouts per half," Richt said. "They can use as many as they want. It's in the rules. They used their timeouts, and they have a right to do that."

The Gators won for the 16th time in the last 19 meetings, and this one was one of the most lopsided of all. Florida's largest margin of victory in the series was a 47-7 win in 1996.

"It's a weight off our shoulders," safety Ahmad Black said. "All we heard about was Georgia, Georgia, Georgia."

Indeed. During each of Florida's conditioning workouts during the offseason, players had to complete 42 reps at each station in the weight room — one for every point the Bulldogs scored against them last season — and 188 push-ups, sit-ups and crunches — one for every yard Moreno gained.

"All because of this game right here," Black said.

Plus, strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti put a picture in each player's locker of Georgia's massive celebration. The photo next year might be of Brandon Spikes' bone-crushing hit on Moreno early; it certainly set the tone. Or one of all those empty seats left behind by Georgia fans early in the fourth quarter.

Many of the Bulldogs' faithful headed to the exits before the finish, having seen enough of Tebow, Harvin and Florida's opportunistic defense.

"We did a lot of shooting ourselves in the foot and did not take advantage of the opportunities we that we needed to," Richt said.

Tebow ran for a season-high three touchdowns, including two in the decisive third quarter. Florida outscored Georgia (7-2, 4-2) 21-0 in the third, scoring twice after turnovers.

Joe Haden intercepted Matthew Stafford's sideline pass to A.J. Green and returned it 88 yards to the 1. Tebow took it in from there, putting the Gators ahead 21-3.

Florida forced a punt, then Tebow threw a 44-yard touchdown strike to Louis Murphy. Moreno, who ran for 188 yards and three touchdowns last year, fumbled on the ensuing possession. Terron Sanders picked it up and returned it to the Georgia 10 — Tebow territory.

The Heisman Trophy winner rambled in from 8 yards out — and the party was on. It could rage for a while. The Gators can clinch the SEC East next week at Vanderbilt, and if they win out, they could end up playing for the national championship.

"It's a great feeling to be this close," Murphy said. "We just have to take care of business in Tennessee and we'll get it done. We're playing just as good as anybody. We could line up with anybody right now. We're competing and playing, and passionate about this game."

Florida players were silent much of the week, following Meyer's edict to not say anything about last year's contentious Bulldogs celebration. But it was clearly on their minds, and they sent a strong message on the field.

They held Moreno to 65 yards rushing and forced four turnovers. Stafford finished 18-of-33 for 265 yards, with three interceptions. He was sacked twice and injured an ankle late in the game. X-rays were negative.

The Gators were much more efficient.

Tebow was 10-of-13 passing for 154 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran 12 times for 39 yards. Harvin ran four times for 37 yards and caught three passes for another 52.

Georgia's problems started early. The Bulldogs missed two field goals, had an interception nullified by penalty and bumbled two chances for a touchdown when Stafford missed an open receiver in the end zone and Moreno had a pass slip through his hands.

Georgia also failed to recover an onside kick following Blair Walsh's 35-yard field goal early in the second quarter. Florida's Butch Rowley caught the ball on a short hop, and the Gators drove 41 yards to make it 14-3.

The Dawgs looked like they would answer, but Walsh's 27-yard field goal attempt clanked off the left upright. It was Walsh's second miss — he also was wide left on a 38-yarder in the first quarter — and followed two blown chances at a touchdown.

"Every game you lose is disappointing," Moreno said. "We've just got to move on. You just can't win when you have these turnovers."