Massachusetts Flexes Muscle

With only nine games to go in its quest for an unbeaten regular season, No. 1-ranked Massachusetts is still getting better.

Even though center Marcus Camby scored only 10 points, the Minutemen crushed Temple, 84-55, Sunday at Amherst, Mass.

They relied on a smothering defense and got 26 points from Carmelo Travieso, who made eight three-point shots.

Camby contributed five blocks and four assists.

UMass, 23-0 overall and 11-0 in the Atlantic 10, is trying to become the first team to go through a season without a loss since Indiana in 1975-76.

“If we lose along the way or we lose the conference tournament, that’s OK,” UMass Coach John Calipari said. “We’re here to win the [NCAA] tournament.”

Temple (12-10, 8-3) was led by Marc Jackson with 13 points and 14 rebounds.

No. 2 Kentucky 88, Arkansas 73--This Southeastern Conference victory at Lexington, Ky., marked the Wildcats’ first over the Razorbacks in the five regular-season meetings with them since they joined the SEC in 1991.

Tony Delk scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half, five in a decisive 10-3 spurt, as Kentucky (20-1, 10-0) won its 19th consecutive game. Arkansas is now 14-8, 6-4.

No. 9 Wake Forest 79, Duke 65--Tim Duncan scored 20 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had four blocks and three assists in the Atlantic Coast Conference game at Winston-Salem, N.C., as the Demon Deacons (16-3, 8-2) beat the Blue Devils (13-10, 4-7) for the eighth consecutive time.

Duke center Greg Newton had 20 points and nine rebounds but went scoreless in the final seven-plus minutes as the Blue Devils sustained their worst loss of the season.

No. 19 Iowa 76, Indiana 50--The Hoosiers had all sorts of problems in Iowa City. First they got run out of their hotel, then they got run out of the arena.

The Hoosiers had to evacuate their hotel Saturday night when a worker mixing chemicals for the hotel pool made an error that caused a release of chlorine gas. The Hoosiers had to check into another hotel.

Then on the court Sunday, Brian Evans, averaging 26.7 points over the last three games and 21.9 for the season, was held to 13 points as Indiana fell to 14-9, 7-4.

Meanwhile, Iowa got a big lift from Kenyon Murray, who asked to be taken out of the starting lineup but came off the bench to lead the Hawkeyes (17-6, 6-5) to the Big Ten victory with 16 points.

OTHER GAMES

Roney Eford scored 21 points to pace Marquette (15-5, 6-3) to a 75-65 victory over De Paul (7-15, 0-10) in a Conference USA game at Milwaukee. . . . Zendon Hamilton scored 28 points as St. John’s (9-11, 3-9) recorded a 74-66 Big East victory over Notre Dame (7-13, 2-10) at South Bend, Ind. . . . Greg Simpson scored 14 of his 16 points during a decisive first-half spurt that carried West Virginia (9-12, 4-9) to a 77-59 Big East victory over Seton Hall (10-11, 6-7) at East Rutherford, N.J. . . . In a late Western Athletic Conference game Saturday night at Honolulu, Hawaii (7-13, 4-8) notched a 97-76 upset over Fresno State (16-8, 9-4).