Western Illinois upsets No. 17 Wisconsin in college basketball opener

Garrett Covington hit two free throws with 10.2 seconds left Friday night, and Western Illinois shocked No. 17 Wisconsin, 69-67, in the Badgers’ season opener at Madison, Wis.

A team picked to finish last in the Summit League upset a Big Ten power coming off back-to-back Final Four appearances, including a run to the national championship game last season.

The Leathernecks led by as many as eight midway through the second half before Wisconsin mounted a furious rally to tie it at 67-67 with two minutes left on Vitto Brown’s layup.

After Covington’s two late foul shots, Wisconsin’s Bronson Koenig missed a midrange jumper with three seconds left. Western Illinois grabbed the rebound.

J.C. Fuller led Western Illinois with 20 points

No. 9 Gonzaga vs. Pittsburgh, canceled: The Armed Forces Classic between the Bulldogs and the Panthers was canceled at halftime because of slippery conditions on the court at Foster Field House on the Japanese island of Okinawa. Pittsburgh was leading, 37-35, at halftime and the second half never got started.

Foster Field House is one of 10 indoor facilities operated on Marine Corps bases on Okinawa by Marine Corps Community Services, none of which are air conditioned. The three courts in the Foster Field House historically have been susceptible to slippery conditions due to condensation caused by humidity and rain.

at No. 12 Arizona 79, Pacific 61: Ryan Anderson had 18 points and 12 rebounds in his Arizona debut as the Wildcats, the Pac-12 Conference’s highest-ranked team, began their season with their 39th consecutive home-court victory.

No. 1 North Carolina 91, Temple 67: Kennedy Meeks had 25 points and 11 rebounds to help the Tar Heels launch a season of lofty expectations with a victory over the Owls at Annapolis, Md. Brice Johnson contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Nate Britt scored 15 points for North Carolina in the opener of the Veterans Classic doubleheader at the U.S. Naval Academy.