James Young missed a 3- pointer at the buzzer, and the Spartans erupted in delight, with Harris holding up his index finger.
No. 1, indeed.
It was the earliest meeting of 1 vs. 2, and the first since 2008, and the matchup did not disappoint for many who see it as a sneak preview of the Final Four. Julius Randle had 23 of his 27 points in the second half, as the Wildcats (2-1) erased a 13-point deficit. But they couldn’t overcome their troubles at the free throw line, going a dismal 20 of 36.
No. 3 Louisville 97, Hofstra 69
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Russ Smith scored 21 of his game-high 30 points in the first half and Louisville made 12 3-pointers to set the tone for a rout of Hofstra.
The senior guard shot 12 of 22 from the field including 5 of 12 from beyond the arc. Wayne Blackshear made three straight 3s for nine points to help Louisville break the game open with a 26-2 second-half run. Luke Hancock returned from an Achilles injury to hit a couple from long range as well as the Cardinals finished 12 of 31 from deep.
No. 5 Kansas 94, No. 4 Duke 83
Andrew Wiggins scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half, outplaying Jabari Parker down the stretch and helping Kansas knock off Duke.
Parker, a former prep star at nearby Simeon High School, had 27 points, nine rebounds and three steals in a spectacular homecoming. But it was his fellow freshman star that made the biggest plays in the final minutes of a taut thriller between two storied programs.
No. 7 Michigan 93, S.C. State 59
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Caris LeVert made his first five 3-point attempts, and No. 7 Michigan had a terrific night from beyond the arc, breezing to a victory over South Carolina State.
No. 8 Oklahoma City 93, Utah Valley 40
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Phil Forte scored 19 points to lead six double-figure scorers and Oklahoma State cruised past Utah Valley.
No. 9 Syracuse 89, Fordham 74
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — C.J. Fair scored a careerhigh 26 points, Jerami Grant added 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Syracuse beat Fordham.
No. 10 Ohio State 79, Ohio 69
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Aaron Craft scored 17 points — including eight free throws down the stretch — to help Ohio State hold off neighboring rival Ohio.
No. 20 Wisconsin 59, No. 11 Florida 53
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Sam Dekker scored 16 points, Traevon Jackson added 13 and Wisconsin overcame a sloppy start to hold off Florida in its home opener.
No. 14 VCU 59, No. 25 Virginia 56
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Treveon Graham scored 22 points, including a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds to play, and VCU beat Virginia.
No. 17 Marquette 114, Grambling State 71
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Chris Otule scored 17 points and Steve Taylor added 16 points and 11 rebounds to help Marquette roll over Grambling State.
No. 23 Baylor 66, South Carolina 64
WACO, Texas (AP) — Brady Heslip scored 18 points with five 3-pointers and Baylor held on for a victory over South Carolina, without making a field goal in the final few minutes and having to wait out a lengthy review after the final buzzer Tuesday before officials determined there wasn’t yet another foul in the game.
No. 24 UCLA 91, Oakland 60
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jordan Adams scored 22 points and Tony Parker added 21 as UCLA beat Oakland.
The Bruins (2-0) pulled away by closing the first half on a 27-9 run to take a 44-24 lead. An 18-2 run in the second half sealed the victory for the Bruins.
Norman Powell scored 18 points for the Bruins.
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