Gainesville, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Florida senior Casey Prather had a career-high 28 points with eight rebounds and the No. 10 Gators outlasted upset-minded North Florida 77-69 on Friday afternoon. Michael Frazier II added a career-high 19 points for Florida (1-0) in its season opener. North Florida (0-1) sophomore guard Beau Beech was 5-of-8 from 3-point range and finished with a team-high 16 points in defeat. Florida opened up the game on a 20-6 run fueled by Prather's 10 points on 3- of-4 shooting and a perfect 4-for-4 from the line.
Final Score: (18) Connecticut 78, Maryland 77
Brooklyn, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Despite missing three free throws down the stretch, the 18th-ranked Connecticut Huskies managed to sneak past the Maryland Terrapins by a 78-77 margin at the Barclays Center. The Huskies held a 78-73 lead after Nick Faust and Tyler Olander traded 3- pointers. Dez Wells made two free throws and a jumper around a DeAndre Daniels miss from beyond the arc to get the Terrapins within one with 38.3 seconds to play. Connecticut was unable to put the game away at the foul line. Ryan Boatright missed the front-end of a one-and-one and Charles Mitchell came down with the defensive rebound. With a chance to put Maryland in front, Wells missed a jumper. Terrence Samuel followed in Boatright's footsteps by missing the front-end of a one-and-one with 11.3 ticks remaining. Wells failed to capitalize again and Amida Brimah pulled down the defensive rebound. The clock ran out on the Terrapins as Brimah missed a free throw.
Final Score: (2) Michigan State 98, McNeese State 56
East Lansing, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Gary Harris led the way with 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, as No. 2 Michigan State began its 2013-14 schedule with a 98-56 rout over McNeese State in the first-ever meeting between both schools. Branden Dawson added 12 points and 12 boards for the Spartans (1-0), who haven't dropped a season opener at home since 1970. Denzel Valentine clocked in with 12 points, while Keith Appling and Travis Trice totaled 11 points each. Adreian Payne posted another double-double after pouring in 10 points and grabbing as many rebounds. Jamaya Burr and Ledrick Eackles each contributed 11 points in defeat for the Cowboys (0-1).
Final Score: (1) Kentucky 89, UNC-Asheville 57
Lexington, KY (SportsNetwork.com) - With so many freshmen on the roster, maybe it wasn't surprising Kentucky got off to such a slow start in its first game. Once the top-ranked Wildcats found their rhythm, however, it wasn't much of a test. Julius Randle had 23 points and 15 rebounds in his college debut and Kentucky rolled in the second half Friday night on the way to an 89-57 victory over UNC-Asheville. Randle is one of six freshman on the Kentucky roster who were high school All- Americans and all six contributed big time. Marcus Lee had 17 points, James Young scored 11, Aaron Harrison scored 10, twin brother Andrew had eight points, and Dakari Johnson scored five. Sophomore Alex Poythress, a veteran among this group, contributed 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Wildcats (1-0), who trailed nearly to the midway point of the first half before pulling away. Will Weeks had 19 points to lead the Big South Bullogs (0-1) and Andrew Rowsey scored 12.
Final Score: (4) Duke 111, Davidson 77
Durham, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Freshman phenom Jabari Parker poured in 22 points in his Duke debut, as the fourth-ranked Blue Devils defeated Davidson, 111-77, in the season opener for both teams at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Parker, regarded as the second-best prospect in the nation behind Kansas' Andrew Wiggins, connected on 8-of-10 shots from the floor, including all three of his 3-point tries, while adding six rebounds in the victory. Sophomore Rodney Hood, who sat out last season after transferring from Mississippi State to Duke in July of 2012, matched Parker with 22 points and pulled down nine boards for the Blue Devils (1-0), who have won 102 straight home games against non-conference opponents. Duke, which won 30 games a year ago and advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight, shot a scorching 70.4 percent from the field, including a 13- of-21 mark from beyond the arc in the triumph. De'Mon Brooks paced Davidson (0-1) with 24 points and Tom Droney donated 16 points for the Wildcats, who advanced to the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season last year before losing to Marquette in the second round.
Final Score: (7) Michigan 69, UMass Lowell 42
Ann Arbor, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - The defending national runner-up Michigan Wolverines struggled early, but came alive in the second half and routed the UMass Lowell River Hawks, 69-42, in the season opener for both teams. After allowing the newest member of America East to hang around for the first half to the tune of a 23-23 tie, the Wolverines used an 21-0 run to pull away early in the second. Caris LeVert paced the Wolverines with 17 points off the bench, while Glenn Robinson III contributed 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Freshman Zak Irvin netted 10 points for Michigan, which was without star big man Mitch McGary, who is dealing with a back problem. Prior to the game, Michigan raised its 2013 Final Four banner to the rafters of the Crisler Center. The Wolverines, led by Naismith Award winner and consensus All- American Trey Burke, made a miraculous run to the Championship Game before losing to Louisville. Akeem Williams had 16 points to lead UMass Lowell, which made the jump from the Northeast-10 conference at the Division-II level and joined the D-1 ranks, taking Patriot League-bound Boston University's spot in the America East.
Final Score: (8) Syracuse 82, Cornell 60
Syracuse, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - While his teammates came out flat, Trevor Cooney came out blazing hot. Then his friends joined the party in the second half. Cooney was 7-of-8 from beyond the arc and scored a game-best 27 points as No. 8 Syracuse downed Cornell, 82-60, in the season opener for both teams on Friday night. Trailing by six at the break, the Orange outscored the Big Red 50-22 over the final 20 minutes. Syracuse shot 63 percent and was 5-of-7 from long distance in the second half. Cooney, starting in place of graduated four-year starter Brandon Triche, finished 10-of-12 from the field for the Orange (1-0), who are playing their first season in the ACC. C.J. Fair poured in 19 points, but had seven turnovers in the triumph. Syracuse returns three starters from a team that went 30-10 and made the Final Four last year. Freshman Tyler Ennis, who dished out seven assists, is taking over at point guard in place of Michael Carter-Williams. Nolan Cressler had 20 points in the first half, but just three the rest of the way for Cornell (0-1), which has dropped 34 straight tilts against the Orange.
Final Score: (14) VCU 96, Illinois State 58
Richmond, VA (SportsNetwork.com) - Terrance Shannon and Treveon Graham each scored 14 points as 14th-ranked VCU tipped off its season with a 96-58 drubbing of Illinois State at Verizon Wireless Arena at the Siegel Center. Both Shannon and Juvonte Reddic, who finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, shot 6-of-8 from the field to help the Rams justify their first-ever preseason national ranking. VCU (1-0) shot a scorching 69 percent from the floor in building a commanding 52-32 halftime lead against the rebuilding Redbirds, who lost all five starters from last season's 18-15 squad. The Rams dominated on the defensive end as well, forcing 22 turnovers and limiting Illinois State (0-1) to a 4-of-23 performance from 3-point range. The Redbirds made good on just 31.7 of their field goal tries for the game. Zach Lofton paced Illinois State with 12 points.
Final Score: (24) Virginia 61, James Madison 41
Charlottesville, VA (SportsNetwork.com) - Malcom Brogdon led the way with 11 points and four rebounds to help the 24th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers defeat the James Madison Dukes by a 61-41 margin at John Paul Jones Arena. Brogdon started off the game with a three and was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Anthony Gill also contributed 11 points and was successful on all four of his field goal attempts. Mike Tobey and Darion Atkins both contributed 10 points as Virginia (1-0) has won all nine contests against James Madison (0-1) dating back to 1977-78. Sophomore guard Ron Curry tallied 11 points and three steals for the Dukes. Charles Cooke and Tom Vodanovich both added nine points in the defeat.
Final Score: (21) Notre Dame 74, Miami-Ohio 62
South Bend, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Jerian Grant led all scorers with 26 points and added five assists and three rebounds as No. 21 Notre Dame dispatched Miami-Ohio 74-62 on Friday night. Tom Knight had 13 points, Pat Connaughton added 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists and Eric Atkins finished with 10 points and six helpers for Notre Dame (1-0). Garrick Sherman was the only Irish starter held under double-figures in scoring with three points. Reggie Johnson led the RedHawks (0-1) with 22 points, going 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. Knight opened the scoring for Notre Dame with a layup 20 seconds into the game. Miami-Ohio's Quinten Rollins answered with a layup but Notre Dame went on a 15-2 run led by Grant's 11 points on 3-of-3 shooting from long range. Miami-Ohio tightened things up towards the end of the half, pulling within seven at the break, but Notre Dame came out firing to take the lead back to 10 three-plus minutes into the second half and cruised to the win.
Final Score: (20) Wisconsin 86, St. John's 75
Sioux Falls, SD (SportsNetwork.com) - Josh Gasser poured in 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds to lead No. 20 Wisconsin to an 86-75 win over St. John's on Friday at the Sanford Pentagon. Sam Dekker added 16 points and seven boards and Duje Dukan chipped in 15 points off the bench for the Badgers (1-0), who have won 12 straight season openers. D'Angelo Harrison paced the Red Storm (0-1) with 27 points and Jakarr Sampson added 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field.
Final Score: (17) Marquette 63, Southern 56
Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Davante Gardner scored a game-high 25 points, as No. 17 Marquette extended its home winning streak to 26 games with a 63-56 victory over Southern in the season opener for both teams on Friday at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Todd Mayo added 20 points and Jamil Wilson contributed 10 points for the Golden Eagles (1-0), who made a run to the Elite Eight last year before falling to Syracuse to finish the season 26-9. Malcolm Miller led Southern (0-1) with 14 points, while Tre Lynch and YonDarius Johnson each chipped in 11 points off the bench for the Jaguars, who were coming off a 23-10 campaign last season that ended with a six-point loss to Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Final Score: (5) Kansas 80, UL-Monroe 63
Lawrence, KS (SportsNetwork.com) - Andrew Wiggins scored 16 points in his ballyhooed collegiate debut, and No. 5 Kansas held off a pesky UL-Monroe squad to open its 2013-14 with an 80-63 win at Allen Fieldhouse. Wiggins, the consensus No. 1 incoming recruit, led a balanced attack that enabled the Jayhawks (1-0) to record their 700th all-time victory at Allen Fieldhouse. Perry Ellis and Andrew White III each added 12 points, with the former pulling down eight rebounds in Kansas' tune-up for Tuesday's showdown with fourth- ranked Duke in Chicago. The Warhawks (0-1), coming off a dreadful 4-23 campaign, stayed with the more- talented Jayhawks for much of the way before running out of gas in the second half. Marvin Williams totaled a game-high 19 points in just 24 minutes, with Amos Alatayo finishing with 11 points in defeat.
Final Score: (8) Oklahoma State 117, Mississippi Valley State 62
Stillwater, OK (SportsNetwork.com) - Phil Forte had a game-high 22 points as the 8th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys crushed the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils 117-62 at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Forte made 4-of-7 from beyond the arc and knocked down 6-of-6 free throws. Le'Bryan Nash contributed 21 points and eight rebounds, while Markel Brown and Brian Williams both added 14 points in Oklahoma State's (1-0) dominant showing. DeAngelo Priar paced Mississippi Valley State (0-1) with 17 points and four rebounds. Anthony McDonald had 16 points in the rout. Oklahoma State won the only other meeting between these two teams, a 77-74 victory on Dec. 4, 1996.
Final Score: (19) Oregon 82, Georgetown 75
Seoul, South Korea (SportsNetwork.com) - Joseph Young went 12-of-12 from the foul line and finished with 24 points as the 19th-ranked Oregon Ducks beat the Georgetown Hoyas by an 82-75 margin in the Armed Forces Classic at Camp Humphreys in South Korea. Young transferred to Oregon from Houston after averaging 18.0 points last season. Jason Calliste and Mike Moser tallied 16 and 15 points, respectively, for the Ducks (1-0), who went 28-9 and lost to Louisville in the Sweet 16 last season. Oregon was without sophomores Dominic Artis and Ben Carter, who were both suspended indefinitely Tuesday for violating NCAA rules against selling team-issued apparel. Joshua Smith ended with 25 points for the Hoyas (0-1), who went 25-7 and lost to Florida Gulf Coast in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Markel Starks and Jabril Trawick donated 16 and 11 points, respectively.
Final Score: (12) North Carolina 84, Oakland 61
Chapel Hill, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - James Michael McAdoo led all scorers with 21 points and nine rebounds as the 12th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, 84-61, at Dean E. Smith Center. Marcus Paige had 14 points while making 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, while J.P. Tokoto added 13 points and four steals in North Carolina's home and season opener. The Tar Heels (1-0) have now won nine straight home openers. Travis Bader contributed 18 points for Oakland (0-1), while Duke Mondy had 14 points, six rebounds, and five steals in defeat. The Tar Heels won the only other meeting between the two teams, a 96-68 victory in the 2005 NCAA Tournament en route to a national championship.
Final Score: (6) Arizona 73, Cal Poly 62
Tucson, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Aaron Gordon paced a balanced Arizona offense attack with 13 points as the No. 6 Wildcats posted a 73-62 season-opening victory over Cal Poly at the McKale Center. The heralded freshman added a game-high 10 rebounds and blocked four shots in an impressive collegiate debut. Five other Arizona (1-0) players scored in double figures, with Gabe York netting 12 points and Brandon Ashley, Nick Johnson and Kaleb Tarczewski finishing with 11. Ashley pulled down nine rebounds to help the Wildcats record a 34-26 advantage on the glass. Kyle Odister hit 7-of-14 shots from 3- point range in a 21-point effort for Cal Poly (0-1), which went 11-of-26 from beyond the arc and stayed within striking distance for much of the contest. Chris Eversley and Dave Nwaba had 17 and 12 points, respectively, in the loss. The Mustangs have knocked off a Pac-12 team on the road in each of the past two seasons, and were bidding for yet another upset after trailing 37-36 during the early stages of the second half.
Final Score: (25) Baylor 72, Colorado 60
Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Cory Jefferson had 13 points and 11 rebounds as the 25th-ranked Baylor Bears started the season with a 72-60 victory over the Colorado Buffaloes at American Airlines Arena. Kenny Chery added 14 points for the Bears (1-0), who went 23-14 and captured the NIT title last season. Gary Franklin tallied nine points on 3-of-6 shooting from long distance. Josh Scott ended with 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Buffaloes (0-1), who went 21-12 and lost to Illinois in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
Final Score: (22) UCLA 72, Drexel 67
Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Jordan Adams scored a team-high 16 points as No. 22 UCLA held off Drexel, 72-67, in Steve Alford's debut for the Bruins on Friday. Zach LaVine and David Wear added 14 points apiece and Kyle Anderson finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for the Bruins (1-0), who went 25-10 last season. Alford spent the last six seasons (2007-2013) with New Mexico before taking the UCLA in the offseason. Frantz Massenat scored a game-high 20 points and Damion Lee added 17 points and seven boards for the Dragons (0-1).
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