LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) - Villanova took a step forward after dropping out of the Top 25 for the first time since December 2013.
Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree had 15 points and 13 rebounds, and the defending national champion Wildcats stopped a two-game skid by beating Canisius 83-56 on Thursday in the opening round of the AdvoCare Invitational at Disney World.
“We pride ourselves on attention to detail, and as you can see right now we just don’t have it,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “We’ve got a lot of new guys, but it was a good step for us today. I thought a lot of good details defensively, good details on the glass.”
The Wildcats outrebounded Canisius 51-24.
Oklahoma State, No. 14 Florida State and No. 19 LSU joined Villanova in Friday’s semifinals.
Phil Booth also scored 15 points for the Wildcats (3-2). They will play Oklahoma State, which beat Memphis 84-64.
Villanova went from No. 8 to unranked after losing to Michigan 73-46 in a rematch of last season’s national championship game and getting beaten 76-68 in overtime by Furman last week.
Wildcats stars Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo and Omari Spellman were all selected in the NBA draft after last season’s championship run.
“When we were in the AP poll we never talked about it, so when we’re not we don’t talk about it,” Wright said. “We were looking forward to playing better and that’s what I’m really pleased with.”
Canisius (1-3) got 19 points from Isaiah Reese. Takal Molson, who entered averaging 21.3 per game, had 10.
The Golden Griffins got to 63-52 with 4 1/2 minutes left before Villanova pulled away.
Canisius and Memphis will meet Friday in the consolation round.
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No. 14 FLORIDA STATE 81, UAB 63
Terance Mann scored 17 points to help Florida State (4-0) advance to a semifinal matchup with No. 19 LSU.
“They’re extremely deep,” Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton said. “They’re as talented as any team that we’ll play. They have ball-handlers, athletic guys who are big and strong, and they’re well coached. You get a chance to see where you are and see what errors in the game which you have to work on.”
Christ Koumadje had 12 points and nine rebounds for Florida State. Mfiondu Kabengele, the nephew of former NBA All-Star center Dikembe Mutombo, added 10 points.
Tyreek Scott-Grayson scored 16 for UAB (3-1).
The Blazers, who trailed 44-37 with 17 minutes remaining, will face College of Charleston in the consolation bracket Friday.
“We were ready to play. We were intense,” UAB coach Robert Ehsan said. “I thought the backbreaker was when we cut that lead under 10 and they made two deep 3s at the end of the shot clock.”
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No. 19 LSU 67, COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 55
Emmitt Williams had 14 points and nine rebounds for LSU.
“For the most part we controlled the game from tip to finish,” Tigers coach Will Wade said. “It got close there a little bit, but every time they got close we answered with big shots or big possessions or a big defensive stop.”
Skylar Mays added 12 points for the Tigers (5-0), off to their best start since opening 6-0 in 2012-13.
Tigers freshman Naz Reid, slowed by an ankle injury, had six points and two rebounds in 15 minutes. The forward had four points over 10 minutes in last Friday’s 74-67 win over Louisiana Tech.
College of Charleston (3-2) got a season-high 27 points and nine rebounds from Jarrell Brantley. It was his 19th game of 20 or more points.
Grant Riller, averaging 19 points per game coming in, was held to four on 2-of-10 shooting.
“We’re trying to figure out where we are,” Cougars coach Earl Grant said. “You get a chance to play in a very competitive tournament. It’s good for us.”
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OKLAHOMA STATE 84, MEMPHIS 64
Oklahoma State dominated inside in a one-sided victory over Memphis.
Cameron McGriff scored 11 points and added 12 rebounds, and Yor Anel had 12 points and six blocked shot as the Cowboys advanced to Friday’s semifinals.
“We have a lot of size,” McGriff said. “We try and use that to our advantage.”
Oklahoma State (3-1) shot 57 percent.
“I think this team has got a chance to become really good over the course of the season,” Cowboys coach Mike Boynton said. “I’m excited to see them continue to grow.”
Tyler Harris led Memphis (2-2) with 14 points. The Tigers entered averaging 87 per game.
Former Orlando Magic star Penny Hardaway is the first-year coach at Memphis.
“It was really embarrassing today, to me, to have our team go out and defend the way we defended,” Hardaway said. “We knew exactly what was coming and they still punched us in the mouth. They swung first and they never stopped swinging.”
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