Kentucky Opens Title Defense With a Loss

Harold Jamison scored eight points in overtime Friday night and No. 20 Clemson defeated third-ranked Kentucky, 79-71, in the Tipoff Classic at Indianapolis, making the Wildcats the third consecutive defending national champion to lose the opening game.

Jamison, who finished with 20 points, gave Clemson the lead for good with a three-point play that made the score 70-67 with 2:48 left. His dunk came on a nice wraparound pass from Greg Buckner, who had taken a lob pass from Iker Iturbe.

The Wildcats, who won their sixth national title in April with a victory over Syracuse, were only one for 10 from the field in the overtime. Clemson closed the game with a 6-0 run after Derek Anderson had brought Kentucky within 73-71 with two free throws with 1:05 to play.

Jamison made one of two free throws with 53 seconds left and he was intentionally fouled on a breakaway 22 seconds later. He made one of two and with the ensuing possession Terrell McIntyre made two more free throws before Buckner closed it with a dunk with seven seconds left.

UCLA lost as defending champion last season to Santa Clara in the Maui Invitational and the year before Arkansas opened the season by losing to Massachusetts.

Indiana 68, Connecticut 61--Neil Reed, one of the few veterans on Indiana’s freshman-laden team, scored 20 points in the first game at Indianapolis.

Reed and Andrae Patterson, both juniors and the only upperclassmen in the starting lineup, had nine points during a 15-4 streak that broke the game open midway through the second half.

Connecticut pulled to within 64-61 with 25 seconds to go, but then Reed made two free throws with 18 seconds left and Luke Jiminez, a freshman reserve, made two more 10 seconds later.