COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : No.1 Tigers Target, but Rutgers Misses

Missouri Coach Norm Stewart insisted that his team’s No. 1 ranking had no effect on his players, but it clearly inspired visiting Rutgers Tuesday night.

“We came in here with everything to gain and nothing to lose,” Rutgers (8-10) forward Curtis Hughes said after Missouri held on for an 89-84 victory in its first game atop the Associated Press poll. “We had fun all night.”

It was not fun for the Tigers (18-1), who didn’t seal their 27th consecutive home victory until Travis Ford made two free throws with six seconds to play.

“I honestly don’t see any effect,” said Stewart, whose team became No. 1 this week after beating then-No. 1 Kansas on Saturday. “I hope we can keep some order. I think our guys are loose.”

Missouri led only 82-79 when the Tigers’ John McIntyre made a three-pointer with 1:42 to play. McIntyre made 10 of 15 shots, including five of eight three-pointers, and scored a career-high 25 points.

“I thought he must have been standing out of bounds, that was such a long shot,” Rutgers Coach Bob Wenzel said. “They should have given him five for that.”

“I told John, ‘You’re not looking for the shot. You won’t shoot unless you look,’ ” Stewart said. “Tonight there was no hesitation. We have good shooters. We have to look for it and take it outside. Before, McIntyre was looking inside.”

No. 11 Syracuse 83, Pittsburgh 74--Billy Owens scored 23 points and led a second-half run by the Orangemen in a Big East game at Syracuse.

The Orangemen (13-3 overall, 4-3 in the conference) ended a two-game losing streak. Pitt (6-10, 1-5) had won three consecutive visits to the Carrier Dome.

Syracuse’s Derrick Coleman had 21 points, and his 10 rebounds made him the all-time leader in Big East games. His 606 rebounds in conference play put him ahead of Patrick Ewing, now of the New York Knicks, who had 597.

Tennessee 78, No. 24 Alabama 70--Freshman Carlus Groves scored seven of his nine points in a key stretch midway through the second half for the Volunteers in a Southeastern Conference game at Knoxville, Tenn.

Greg Bell scored 21 points and Allan Houston added 18 for Tennessee (10-6, 5-2). Alabama (13-5, 4-3) was led by David Benoit’s 22 points. Tennessee made seven of its first eight shots and took a 15-2 lead in less than four minutes.

But Alabama Coach Wimp Sanderson switched his team to a zone defense and slowed the Volunteers. Alabama got as close as three points several times in the second half but could get no closer.

Seton Hall 81, Boston College 66--Michael Cooper scored a career-high 26 points and freshman Terry Dehere added a career-best 24 points, helping the Pirates end a four-game losing streak in a Big East game at East Rutherford, N.J.

The losing streak was the longest for the Pirates (9-7, 2-4) since the 1986-87 season. Boston College (6-10, 0-7) suffered its seventh consecutive loss.