College Basketball Roundup : North Carolina Defeats Syracuse, 96-93

Ranzino Smith scored 21 points and Jeff Lebo added 20, including key free throws in overtime, as North Carolina, ranked No. 3 in the preseason poll, beat top-ranked Syracuse, 96-93, Saturday in the ninth annual Tip-Off college basketball game in Springfield, Mass.

The Tar Heels played without starters J. R. Reid and Steve Bucknall, who were suspended for the game by Coach Dean Smith for their involvement in an altercation last month.

However, their replacements--freshmen Pete Chilcutt and Rick Fox--combined for 29 points.

Chilcutt forced the overtime when his jumper from the foul line bounced on the rim and dropped in to tie the game, 85-85, as the buzzer sounded.

Syracuse took an 89-85 lead early in the overtime, but the Tar Heels tied the game on two free throws by Smith and a layup by Chilcutt. Syracuse’s last lead came on a short jumper by Stephen Thompson that made it 91-89, but North Carolina scored the next five points, the last two on free throws by Lebo with 21 seconds to play.

Syracuse freshman Matt Roe made two free throws, but they were offset by a breakaway dunk with four seconds left by Fox, who finished with 15 points.

Scott Williams had 14 points and Kevin Madden 12 for North Carolina. Rony Seikaly led Syracuse with 23 points, one more than Sherman Douglas.

BIG APPLE NIT FIRST ROUND

Florida 82, Jacksonville 52--Pat Lawrence and Dwayne Schintzius scored 18 points apiece as 14th-ranked Florida crushed Jacksonville, 82-52, at Gainesville, Fla. Schintzius, a 7-foot 2-inch sophomore center, got 16 points in the second half on 8-of-11 shooting.

Middle Tennessee State 88, Virginia Tech 85--Guard Chris Rainey scored 31 points and the Blue Raiders survived a pair of last-second three-point attempts by the Hokies at Murfreesboro, Tenn. Hokie guard Vernell Coles scored 30 points but missed a final three-point shot from the top of the key that would have sent the game into overtime.