MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - James Wiseman had 17 points and nine rebounds hours after getting a temporary restraining order to play amid an NCAA ineligibility ruling, leading No. 14 Memphis past Illinois-Chicago 92-46 on Friday night.
Memphis said Wiseman - the potential No. 1 pick in the NBA draft - was declared eligible by the NCAA in May but further details and investigation by the university and the NCAA found coach Penny Hardaway gave $11,500 in moving expenses to help Wiseman’s family move from Nashville to Memphis in the summer of 2017. The university said Wiseman didn’t know about the money given to his family.
At the time, Hardaway was the coach of East High School. Wiseman was a standout junior, helping Hardaway win his third straight Tennessee Class AAA title before being hired by Memphis as in March 2018. Wiseman committed to Memphis in November 2018.
Wiseman started and Memphis (2-0) immediately took a double-digit lead leaving the only doubt of the night the status of the 7-foot freshman who could be the top pick in next summer in the NBA draft.
There were several hours of drama prior to tipoff. Less than two hours before the game, Wiseman’s attorney, Leslie Ballin, announced that the NCAA had ruled Wiseman ineligible. The lower court ruling reinstated him came a short time later.
With all of the attention on Wiseman, Boogie Ellis - another freshman among coach Penny Hardaway’s highly touted class - scored 22 points. He made eight of his 11 shots, going 6 of 9 from 3-point range, and helped Memphis shoot 59% for the game.
Brian Taylor led Illinois-Chicago (1-1) with 11 points.
NO. 2 KENTUCKY 91, EASTERN KETUCKY 49
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Nick Richards had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Immanuel Quickley added 16 and No. 2 Kentucky scored the game’s first 14 points.
Seeking to follow up Tuesday NIGHT’s victory over top-ranked Michigan State, the Wildcats (2-0) made six of their first 10 shots, including a couple of baskets by Richards. The Colonels, meanwhile, missed their first nine attempts before Darius Hicks’ three-point play with 12:57 remaining in the first half.
Kentucky had some sloppy stretches that allowed Eastern Kentucky (1-1) to get to 37-23 before regrouping to lead 46-25 at the break. Michael Moreno had 14 points for the Colonels.
NO. 4 DUKE 89, COLORADO STATE 55
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Tre Jones had 15 points and eight assists and Duke routed Colorado State.
Alex O’Connell had 14 points, while three freshmen also reached double figures - Cassius Stanley led the way with 19 points, Vernon Carey had 11 before fouling out, and Wendell Moore Jr. finished with 10.
Wearing gray uniforms trimmed in gold to honor Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski - who led the U.S. national team to three consecutive Olympic gold medals from 2008-16 - the Blue Devils (2-0) pulled away by closing the first half on a 10-0 run, then outscored the Rams 47-29 in the final 20 minutes.
Isaiah Stevens and David Roddy had 12 points apiece for the Rams (1-1).
NO. 9 NORTH CAROLINA 78, UNC WILMINGTON 62
WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) - Freshman star Cole Anthony had 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead North Carolina.
Justin Pierce had 18 points and 12 rebounds to offset a bad shooting night for Anthony, who had 34 points in his college debut against Notre Dame on Wednesday night to set an Atlantic Coast Conference record for points by a freshman in a college debut.
This time, Anthony made just 7 of 24 shots. He had three assists and four made 3-pointers for the Tar Heels (2-0).
North Carolina was making its first trip to the coastal instate school, the product of the Seahawks being coached by longtime Roy Williams assistant C.B. McGrath. Shykeim Phillips and Jaylen Sims each scored 12 points for the Seahawks (1-1).
WASHINGTON 67, NO. 16 BAYLOR 64
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Nahziah Carter scored 23 points to help Washington beat Baylor.
Carter shot 4 for 6 on 3-pointers in the Huskies’ opener. He added seven rebounds.
Jaden McDaniels had 18 points and seven rebounds.
Jared Butler had 18 points for the Bears (1-1).
NO. 17 UTAH STATE 89, WEBER STATE 354
LOGAN, Utah (AP) - Justin Bean had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Sam Merrill added 14 points, six rebounds and six assists and Utah State routed Weber State.
Abel Porter added 10 points and 10 assists for his first career double-double. Diogo Brito scored 12 points. The Aggies (2-0) beat the Wildcats for the second straight season.
Weber State (0-1) scored the fewest points by an opponent in Logan since 2013. Donatas Kupsas scored 10 points to lead the Wildcats.
NO. 19 XAVIER 81, SIENA 63
CINCINNATI (AP) - Tyrique Jones and Naji Marshall each scored 20 points for Xavier.
Jason Carter just missed reaching double figures in his first career start for Xavier (2-0). He finished with a career-high nine points. The Musketeers led by as many as 27 points in the second half.
Elijah Burns scored 19 points and Jalen Pickett added 18 for Siena (1-1).
NO. 22 LSU 77, BOWLING GREEN 79
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Javonte Smart and Emmitt Williams each scored 21 points LSU opened its season with a victory over Bowling Green 88-79 on Friday night.
Smart, replacing two-year starter Tremont Waters at point guard, reached 20 points for just the second time in his career. Skylar Mays, the only returning starter in the Tigers’ lineup, had 18 points and eight rebounds. Darius Days had 13 points, and freshman Trendon Watford scored 10 points.
Justin Turner had 26 points for Bowling Green (1-1).
NO. 24 AUBURN 76, DAVIDSON 66
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Isaac Okoro scored 17 points, Danjel Purifoy had 14 and Auburn eased past cold-shooting Davidson in the opener of the Veterans Classic.
Returning two starters from a team that reached the Final Four last season, Auburn (2-0) never trailed against the Wildcats (0-1). After letting a 13-point lead dwindle to 37-35 at halftime, the Tigers took control with a 12-1 run at the outset of the second half.
Luke Frampton and Carter Collins each had 18 points for Davidson.
NO. 25 VCU 59, NORTH TEXAS 56
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Mike’L Simms hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final 2:07 for his only baskets of the game and VCU held off North Texas.
Marcus Evans led VCU (2-0) with 13 points and De’Riante Jenkins had 12, including two free throws with 10.5 seconds left.
The Mean Green (1-1) had a chance to tie it but never got off a shot against the Rams’ tight defense.
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