LEX18.com - Lexington, KY

Posted: Nov 13, 2009 11:39 PM
Updated: Nov 14, 2009 9:02 AM

Final Score: (1) Kansas 101, Hofstra 65

Lawrence, KS (Sports Network) - Freshman guard Xavier Henry poured in 27 points as top-ranked Kansas started its season with a 101-65 rout of Hofstra at Allen Fieldhouse. Sherron Collins added 23 points, while Cole Aldrich finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for the Jayhawks (1-0), the five-time defending Big 12 Conference champions. They extended the nation's longest home court winning streak to 42 games. The Jayhawks return their top nine scorers, including all five starters, from last season's 27-8 team that advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 before falling to eventual NCAA runner-up Michigan State. Henry, a McDonald's and Parade All- American in 2009, is one of the newcomers, coming from high school in Oklahoma City. He shot 8-of-12 from the field, including 5-of-8 from three-point range, and made all six of his free throw attempts. Charles Jenkins had 23 points for the Pride (0-1), who are coming off a 21-11 season, placing fifth in the Colonial Athletic Association. Halil Kanacevic ended with 12 points and 12 rebounds in defeat.

Final Score: (2) Michigan State 97, Florida Gulf Coast 58

East Lansing, MI (Sports Network) - Kalin Lucas paced a balanced attack with 21 points, as second-ranked Michigan State rolled past Florida Gulf Coast, 97-58, at the Breslin Center in the season opener for both teams. Tom Izzo's Michigan State squad comes into this season off a year in which it won its first Big Ten title since taking four straight from 1998-2001. The Spartans also reached their fifth Final Four in 11 seasons, bowing out to eventual champion North Carolina in the title game. Durrell Summers tallied 17 points, while freshman center Derrick Nix came off the bench for 11 points and 14 boards for the Spartans (1-0), who attained their highest ever preseason ranking. Draymond Green added 11 points and 10 rebounds for Michigan State, which won its 33rd consecutive home opener. Korie Lucious scored 11 to go with eight assists and Chris Allen chipped in 10 points in a starting role. Anthony Banks had 10 points and was the lone player in double figures for Florida Gulf Coast (0-1), which is entering its third season as a Division I program, having posted a combined 21-41 record in its two previous years.

Final Score: (4) Kentucky 75, Morehead State 59

Lexington, KY (Sports Network) - Patrick Patterson began his junior campaign with 20 points and 12 rebounds, helping No. 4 Kentucky and new head coach John Calipari come away with a 75-59 season-opening win over Morehead State. After failing to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991 last season, Kentucky fired head coach Billy Gillispie and replaced him with Calipari, who had led Memphis to four consecutive 30-win campaigns. The new era got off to an inauspicious start with the Wildcats (1-0) holding just an eight-point lead at halftime. Freshman guard Eric Bledsoe stepped up, though, scoring 22 of his game-high 24 points in the second half to pull away. Darnell Dodson added 15 points for Kentucky, which turned the ball over 24 times. Highly regarded freshman John Wall did not play, as he began serving a two- game suspension for accepting improper benefits from his former AAU coach. Kenneth Faried tallied 17 points and seven rebounds to pace the Eagles (0-1), who shot just 38.5 percent from the field. Demonte Harper chipped in 12 points for the defending Ohio Valley Conference Tournament champions.

Final Score: (5) Villanova 84, Fairleigh Dickinson 61

Villanova, PA (Sports Network) - Corey Stokes shot 5-of-10 from beyond the arc en route to a game-high 20 points, as the fifth-ranked Villanova Wildcats raised the curtain on the 2009-10 season with an 84-61 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson at The Pavilion. Corey Fisher totaled 13 points and four rebounds for the Wildcats (1-0), who went 30-8 last season on their way to the Final Four. Taylor King and Antonio Pena both scored nine points, while Scottie Reynolds finished with eight points on 2-of-10 shooting. Terence Grier poured in 17 points for the Knights (0-1), who lost in Greg Vetrone's debut as head coach. He replaced long-time bench boss Tom Green. Mike Scott donated 15 points and five boards in defeat.

Final Score: (7) Purdue 89, CS-Northridge 64

West Lafayette, IN (Sports Network) - Robbie Hummel recorded 17 points and six rebounds, leading seventh-ranked Purdue to an 89-64 win over CS-Northridge to start the 2009-10 campaign. Hummel shot 6-of-9 from the field -- including 3-of-5 from long distance for the Boilermakers (1-0), who made it to the Sweet 16 of last season's NCAA Tournament before falling to Connecticut. JaJuan Johnson contributed 15 points, while D.J. Byrd scored 13 points in the resounding win. Chris Kramer added 11 points for Purdue to give head coach Matt Painter his fifth consecutive season-opening win. Kevin Menner scored 18 points for the Matadors (0-1), who won the Big West Conference last season and earned a 15-seed before losing to Memphis in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Willie Galick added 11 points, and Kenny Daniels tallied 10 points and six rebounds in a losing effort.

Final Score: (9) Duke 96, UNC Greensboro 62

Durham, NC (Sports Network) - Kyle Singler netted 20 points and Jon Scheyer scored 18, as ninth-ranked Duke opened its season with a 96-62 defeat of UNC- Greensboro at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Brian Zoubek had 14 points, Lance Thomas 12 and Miles Plumlee 10 to pair with a game-high nine rebounds for the Blue Devils (1-0), who are coming off a 30-win season but were ousted in last year's NCAA tourney by Villanova in the round of 16. Ben Stywall poured in 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Spartans (0-1), who managed just five victories against 25 defeats in a forgettable 2008-09 campaign.

Final Score: (10) Tennessee 83, Austin Peay 54

Knoxville, TN (Sports Network) - Scotty Hopson was deadly from beyond the arc, hitting four three-pointers in a 16-point effort, and 10th-ranked Tennessee used a strong second half to beat Austin Peay, 83-54, in its first game of the 2009-10 season. Hopson was 6-of-8 from the field overall for Tennessee (1-0), which lost to Oklahoma State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Cameron Tatum added 15 points, while Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism both dominated the boards. Smith had 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Chism had 11 and 10, respectively, as the Volunteers won the battle of the boards, 46-33. Anthony Campbell had 17 points to lead the Governors (0-1), who won 19 games last season and were bounced in the first round of the NIT. Wes Channels added 13 points and eight rebounds, while Tyrone Caldwell contributed 11 points in defeat.

Final Score: (12) Connecticut 75, William & Mary 66

Storrs, CT (Sports Network) - Jerome Dyson scored 27 points, as 12th-ranked Connecticut opened its season with a 75-66 win over William & Mary at Gampel Pavilion. Stanley Robinson contributed 17 points, while Kemba Walker scored 12 for the Huskies (1-0), who are coming off a 31-5 campaign in 2008-09, advancing to the school's third Final Four. They lost to Michigan State in the national semifinals. Quinn McDowell led the way with 20 points for the Tribe (0-1), who ended 10-20 overall in 2008-09, including 5-13 in the Colonial Athletic Association. David Schneider and Danny Sumner each had 14 points in defeat.

Final Score: (14) Washington 74, Wright State 69

Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Isaiah Thomas scored a career-high 30 points, and 14th-ranked Washington held on to beat a pesky Wright State team, 74-69, in the season opener for both schools. Thomas went 7-of-14 from the field and hit 14-of-18 from the free throw line for the Huskies (1-0), who were ousted by Purdue in the second round of last season's NCAA Tournament. Quincy Pondexter added 12 points and nine rebounds, while Scott Suggs contributed nine points in the win. Todd Brown had a team-high 21 points and seven rebounds for Wright State (0-1), which won 20 games last season. N'Gai Evans added 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Cooper Land had 12 points in the setback. Washington held a significant advantage in free throws, which proved to be a deciding factor in the outcome. The Huskies went to the line 35 times, making 27, while the Raiders made only 21 trips to the free throw line, sinking 15.

Final Score: Rider 88, (18) Mississippi State 74

Starkville, MS (Sports Network) - Novar Gadson scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and the Rider Broncs provided an early upset over the 18th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs, 88-74, in the first game of the 2009-10 season for both schools. Mike Ringgold added 21 points and six boards for the Broncs (1-0), who came into the game as double-digit underdogs and beat the Bulldogs for the first time in school history. Ryan Thompson and Justin Robinson added 16 and 15 points, respectively, as Rider recovered from an early 11-2 deficit to post the surprising victory. Both teams made 10 three- pointers, but Rider was much more effective doing so, needing only 16 shots. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, needed 27 long distance shots to convert 10. Jarvis Varnado paced Mississippi State (0-1) with 22 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks, and Dee Bost had 14 points and seven assists for the Bulldogs, who won the SEC Tournament last year before falling to Washington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Final Score: (20) Georgetown 74, Tulane 58

New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - Sophomore center Greg Monroe returned to his native city and led 20th-ranked Georgetown with 18 points and 11 rebounds, as the Hoyas opened their season with a 74-58 win over Tulane. Austin Freeman added 16 points, while Jason Clark scored 13 and Chris Wright 11 for Georgetown (1-0), which finished a disappointing 16-15 last season and earned a bid to the NIT. Monroe, who went to high school in New Orleans, was second on the Hoyas in scoring last season. He shot 7-of-14 from the floor and also had a pair of blocked shots. Kris Richard had 15 points and David Booker contributed 14 points and nine rebounds for Tulane (0-1), which suffered its first losing season in three years in 2008-09, logging a 14-17 mark.

Final Score: (23) Illinois 96, SIU-Edwardsville 69

Champaign, IL (Sports Network) - Freshman Brandon Paul scored a game-high 22 points in his first game, leading 23rd-ranked Illinois to an easy 96-69 win over SIU-Edwardsville to start the 2009-10 season for both schools. Paul shot 8-of-15 from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, for the Fighting Illini (1-0), who have won their last 11 season openers. Illinois made it to the NCAA Tournament last season as a five-seed but was eliminated in the first round by Western Kentucky. D.J. Richardson added 14 points, and Demetri McCamey had 11 in the win. Mike Davis recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds for Illinois. Denykco Bowles, Aamir McCleary and Stephen Jones each had 13 points for SIU-Edwardsville (0-1), which is coming off a disappointing 10-20 campaign. LeShaun Murphy added nine points for the Cougars, who shot just 34.5 percent from the field.

Final Score: (24) Clemson 84, Presbyterian 41

Clemson, SC (Sports Network) - Tanner Smith finished with 14 points and six rebounds, as 24th-ranked Clemson routed Presbyterian, 84-41, in the season opener for both teams. Noel Johnson added 12 points, while Trevor Booker ended with 11 points and eight boards for the Tigers (1-0), who went 23-9 last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament as a seven seed before losing to Michigan in the first round. Bryan Narcisse added 10 points in the victory. Zach Faircloth ended with 14 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Blue Hose (0-1), who are in their third year of the NCAA Division I transition process and won't be eligible for the postseason until the 2011-12 season. Presbyterian has just one upperclassmen student-athlete playing this year. Jake Troyli had 10 points in the loss.

Final Score: (25) Minnesota 87, Tennessee Tech 50

Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - Lawrence Westbrook poured in 22 points, as 25th-ranked Minnesota opened its 2009-10 season with an easy 87-50 victory over Tennessee Tech. Rodney Williams had 14 points for the Golden Gophers (1-0), who finished 22-11 last season after a first-round NCAA loss to Texas. Damian Johnson added nine points for the victors. Kevin Murphy paced the Golden Eagles with 10 points. Elijah Muhammad ended with nine points for Tennessee Tech (0-1), which won just 12 of its 30 games last year. The Golden Eagles shot just 28.3 percent from the field and turned the ball over 27 times. Meanwhile, Minnesota made 54 percent of its shots and had just 15 turnovers.