COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Valvano, N.C. State Win Reunion, 92-72

Jim Valvano and Pat Kennedy returned to their coaching roots Wednesday, Valvano’s North Carolina State Wolfpack beating Kennedy’s Florida State team, 92-72, in the opening round of the ECAC Holiday Festival in Madison Square Garden at New York.

Seton Hall beat Rhode Island, 68-62, in the other game and will meet N. C. State in Friday’s final.

Kennedy was an assistant under Valvano for six years at Iona, in nearby New Rochelle, N.Y., and both went from the Gaels to bigger things. Kennedy assumed Iona’s head coaching spot when Valvano went to N. C. State in 1980.

Familiarity bred preparedness. “We were ready for the trick defenses they tried and they were well-prepared for us,” Kennedy said. “That’s just an extension of us knowing each other so well.”

N.C. State’s backcourt of Rodney Monroe and Chris Corchiani lived up to its billing. Considered one of the best guard tandems in the nation, Monroe had 35 points and Corchiani had 16 assists for the 19th-ranked Wolfpack (8-2). Corchiani matched the tournament’s single-game assist record and added 14 points.

Corchiani added an impressive defensive performance against Theron Mayes, Florida State’s leading scorer at 24.3 points per game. Mayes finished with 11 points on five-for-16 shooting, including one for six from three-point range.

N.C. State took charge late in the first half with a 9-0 run that gave the Wolfpack a 51-39 lead with 1:25 left after the score had been tied seven times.

“We played a good first 10 minutes and they took over for the other 30,” Kennedy said, whose Seminoles are 6-4. “Corchiani did a nice job on Mayes, a real nice job there.”

No. 6 Oklahoma 142, James Madison 109--William Davis continued his streak of double figures in scoring and rebounding in leading the Sooners to their 35th consecutive victory at Norman, Okla.

Davis had 33 points and 10 rebounds and has reached double figures in both categories in all six Oklahoma games.

The Sooners (6-0) scored 88 second-half points and raised their nation-leading scoring average to 136 points per game.

Davis sparked a run of 13 consecutive points that gave Oklahoma a 44-26 lead with 3:48 left in the half. Davis scored five points during the 3 1/2-minute run and set up two other baskets with steals.

The Dukes (5-4) were led by Steve Hood’s 36 points, and Claude Ferdinand and Fess Irvin, with 22 each.

No. 7 Missouri 71, No. 15 Memphis State 65--John McIntyre scored five points in the final 1:43 to boost Missouri at Memphis, Tenn.

Memphis State led, 65-61, when McIntyre hit a three-pointer from the baseline. Then he stole a pass and drove the length of the floor for a dunk to give Missouri a 66-65 lead, the Tigers’ first since the 10:14 mark.

Doug Smith sank three free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the victory. Smith finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

The victory gave Missouri of the Big Eight a 10-1 record. Memphis State of the Metro Conference dropped to 6-2.

No. 10 Indiana 75, Wichita State 54--Calbert Cheaney and Eric Anderson scored 17 points apiece for the Hoosiers, who beat the Shockers in the first round of a tournament at Indianapolis.

Texas A&M; beat Loyola, Ill., 64-61, in the other game to earn the right to play Indiana for the championship of a tournament in which the Hoosiers have never lost.

Indiana (9-0) used its eighth different starting lineup and went on a 16-2 run to roll to a 42-26 halftime lead. Wichita State was held to 30% shooting in the first half.

No. 14 Georgia Tech 98, Morehead State 76--Brian Oliver scored 23 points and Dennis Scott added 21 for the Yellow Jackets in the opening game of a tournament at Atlanta.

Georgia Tech (7-0) scored 32 points in the first 10 minutes and led, 51-26, at the half. It cruised the rest of the way to an easy victory over the Eagles (5-4).

Georgia Tech freshman Kenny Anderson scored 16 points and had 12 assists.

No. 17 St. John’s 77, Howard 65--At New York, Greg Harvey had 17 points in a balanced attack as the Redmen ran their winning streak to five games.

Malik Sealy had 16 points for St. John’s (10-2). Jayson Williams had 14 and Billy Singleton and Robert Werdann each had 11.

The teams traded scoring spurts before the Redmen went on a 13-4 burst to take a 40-31 lead at the half.

Tyrone Powell led the Bison (2-7), who lost their fifth game in a row, with 16 points.

No. 20 La Salle 74, Ohio State 62--Doug Overton and Randy Woods used quickness to spark a run against the Buckeyes, and Lionel Simmons scored 26 points to lead the Explorers in the opening game of the Sugar Bowl tournament.

La Salle is 6-0. Ohio State 4-4.

The Explorers meet Florida, a 69-64 winner over New Orleans in the other semifinal game, in tonight’s championship game.

Overton had two steals, and he and Woods each had seven points during a 17-4 surge over the first 4:05 of the second half as La Salle overcame a 32-30 deficit to take a 47-36 lead.

Simmons scored five of his points in the final 1:28 of the game as Ohio State (4-4) tried to rally.

Perry Carter led Ohio State with 23 points. It was the third loss to a ranked team this season for the Buckeyes, who dropped earlier contests North Carolina State, then ranked 15th in the nation, and Oklahoma State when it was ranked 24th.

No. 24 North Carolina 121, Kentucky 110--Rick Fox scored 15 points to help the Tar Heels build a 28-point lead midway through the first half at Louisville, Ky., in a meeting of college basketball’s all-time winningest programs.

North Carolina (7-4) registered its 1,465th victory; Kentucky has 1,469. The Tar Heels hold a 14-6 series lead, including four victories in a row.

Kentucky (5-4) set an NCAA record with 21 three-point goals, but it wasn’t enough to overcome North Carolina’s superior size and shooting. North Carolina made 10 of 20 three-pointer attempts, and the total three-pointers by the two teams also was a record.

The previous record for combined three-point goals was 29 by Valparaiso and Butler on Feb. 6, 1989.

Fox hit three three-pointers as North Carolina took a 48-20 advantage with 8:13 remaining in the half. The Tar Heels also had a 19-4 edge in rebounds during the spurt as they worked inside for easy shots.

King Rice led North Carolina with a career-high 22 points and had 13 assists.

Deron Feldhaus scored a career-high 27 points for Kentucky.