Connecticut Led by Visions of NBA

Ray Allen turned to Magic Johnson and Larry Bird for inspiration.

Allen said he was so hyped up about sixth-ranked Connecticut’s matchup against No. 7 Villanova and Kerry Kittles on Tuesday night in Storrs, Conn., that he decided to watch an NBA highlight film before the shootaround to gear up for the game.

Then, he provided a highlight reel of his own, finishing with 29 points as the Huskies defeated the Wildcats, 81-73, in a Big East game.

Kirk King added a career-high 20 points and Connecticut, 13-1 overall and 5-0 in the Big East, used tenacious defense to key a brilliant transition game and shut down Kittles for most of the game.

“I was watching Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. I thought about the rivalry between [Johnson] and Bird,” said Allen, who scored 22 points in the first half. “It was just something that made me think about Kerry and how far our rivalry and friendship can go in the future.”

Connecticut, which led by as much as 61-43, nearly let Villanova (12-2, 4-1) back in the game. The Wildcats crept within six points six times in the final five minutes, the last time at 79-73 after a layup by Zeffy Penn with 17 seconds remaining.

But the game came down to the foul line in the final 50 seconds and the Huskies kept their poise while maintaining their pressure defense.

No. 2 Kentucky 74, No. 12 Mississippi State 56--Derek Anderson had nine points in a game-turning 15-0 run in a Southeastern Conference game in Starkville, Miss., as Kentucky won its 11th consecutive game.

Kentucky (12-1, 3-0) converted five turnovers in the run--which featured two three-point baskets and a three-point play by Anderson--after Mississippi State had pulled within 41-38 early in the second half.

Anderson’s drive to the basket and free throw with 9:42 left put Kentucky in front, 56-38.

Mississippi State (10-2, 2-1), had 28 turnovers.

No. 23 Michigan 83, No. 21 Illinois 68--Maurice Taylor scored all but two of his 17 points in the second half in a Big Ten game at Ann Arbor, Mich.

The last time Illinois (11-4, 0-3) lost its first three conference games was 1975 when Gene Bartow was the coach.

Michigan (12-4, 2-1) trailed, 40-39, at halftime, but Taylor made three baskets and Maceo Baston had one in an 8-2 burst as the Wolverines took a 47-42 lead in the first four minutes of the second half.

OTHER GAMES

Among games postponed due to the East Coast storm was No. 1 ranked Massachusetts vs. St Joseph’s, Florida State-Maryland, Texas-Rhode Island and Georgetown-Pittsburgh. . . . Levan Alston and Lynard Stewart scored 17 points as Temple (5-6, 2-0) won, 73-56, over Xavier (5-6, 1-1) in an Atlantic 10 game in Philadelphia, giving Coach John Chaney his 300th victory with the Owls. . . . Todd Fuller scored 20 points to lead North Carolina State (9-4) to a 78-68 victory over Boston University (6-6) in Raleigh, N.C. . . . Danya Abrams scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Boston College (10-3, 3-2) to a 72-57 victory over Notre Dame (5-6, 0-4) in a Big East game in Newton, Mass. . . . Ryan Minor made four free throws in the last 1:39 of the game to give Oklahoma (9-4, 1-0) a 64-59 victory over Kansas State (10-4, 1-1) in a Big Eight game in Manhattan, Kan.

College Basketball Notes

UCLA has given permission to three schools--Loyola Marymount, Long Beach State and NAIA Southern Nazarene (in Oklahoma)--to talk to junior center Ike Nwankwo about transferring to their schools. Nwankwo is expected to make his decision by the end of this week.