Michigan State Plays Like Champion, Routs Florida

Same teams, same court, same result.

Defending national champion Michigan State defeated eighth-ranked Florida, 99-83, on Wednesday night at East Lansing, Mich., in a rematch of last season’s national title game.

The second-ranked Spartans (6-0) extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 17 games and earned their 34th consecutive victory at the Breslin Center, which trails only Utah’s run of 54 consecutive home victories.

Both teams lost two standout players to the NBA draft, but clearly returned plenty of talent to be considered elite teams this season.

After Michigan State defeated Florida, 89-76, in the title game in the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, it purchased the floor and gave it a new paint job.

It’s tough to be better than the best, but Michigan State’s Charlie Bell said this team is better than the one that won the national championship.

“If you look at all the guys top to bottom, everybody is better at each position,” said Bell, who scored 20 points. “Marcus [Taylor] and Zach [Randolph] are going to help us out a lot. If we get them to play like that every night, there’s no doubt in my mind we can win the national championship.”

Florida Coach Billy Donovan didn’t really disagree.

“They’re not nearly as good as they were in April,” he said. “But they have the potential to be better than they were in April.”

Michigan State’s freshmen reserve duo of Randolph and Taylor complemented their unquestioned talent with surprising poise. Randolph scored 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds while Taylor had 15 points and seven assists.

“Both were phenomenal,” Donovan said.

Florida (3-1) led for the first five minutes, but Michigan State was in control the rest of the way. The Gators trailed by double digits for almost the final eight minutes.

Brent Wright led the Gators with 18 points. Teddy Dupay returned from a one-game suspension to score 17 while being booed every time he touched the ball.

No. 9 Illinois 85, Wisconsin Milwaukee 44--Brian Cook scored a season-high 17 points and the Illini (6-2) held the Panthers (5-3) to 22% shooting at Champaign, Ill.

The 41-point margin was the biggest for Illinois since Dec. 28, 1999, when it defeated Bethune-Cookman by 50.

No. 16 Virginia 90, Ohio 71--Travis Watson scored on ferocious dunks 61 seconds apart early in the second half and Keith Friel scored 16 points to lead the Cavaliers (6-0) over the Bobcats (2-1) at Charlottesville, Va.

The Cavaliers, off to their best start since the 1992-93 team won its first 11, again dominated with defense, forcing 21 turnovers and turning them into 29 points.

No. 17 Wisconsin 61, Wisconsin Green Bay 53--Roy Boone scored 15 points to lead the Badgers (4-1) over the Phoenix (3-4) at Green Bay, Wis.

The game was supposed to mark the return of Dick Bennett to the court he made famous during his nearly decade-long stretch as Green Bay’s coach, when he turned the Phoenix into a nationally recognized program before taking over the Badgers in 1995.

But Bennett, 57, retired last week, a victim of burnout only three games into his sixth season at Wisconsin.

No. 19 Maryland 107, Stony Brook 59--Lonny Baxter scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half as the Terrapins (4-3) built a 33-point lead over the Seawolves (3-3) and coasted to their 72nd consecutive nonconference victory at College Park, Md.

Byron Mouton and Juan Dixon also scored 19 for the Terrapins, who have won three in a row. Maryland’s nonconference home winning streak, which began in 1989, is the nation’s longest.

Utah State 58, No. 22 Utah 57--Tony Brown scored 18 points and Shawn Daniels added 15 to lead the Aggies (5-1) over the Utes (4-3) at Logan, Utah.

Utah had a chance to win, but Kevin Bradley missed on a finger roll and tip attempt. Teammate Mike Puzey missed another tip before the buzzer sounded.

OTHER GAMES

UC Santa Barbara (2-4), which plays host to USC on Saturday, needed three overtimes to defeat San Diego State, 80-77, at Goleta.

Around the Nation

Northern Illinois Coach Brian Hammel resigned after the Huskies’ 121-88 victory over Rockford College, the team’s first victory in seven games. Assistant Andy Greer will finish the season as interim coach. . . . New Mexico State imposed sanctions on team for NCAA violations that allegedly occurred under former coach Neil McCarthy. The sanctions include a ban on postseason competition this season; the loss of four scholarships over the next three years and a two-year probation.

WOMEN

No. 2 Tennessee 72, Boston College 57--Tamika Catchings scored 16 points to lead the Volunteers (6-0) over the Eagles (3-3) at Knoxville, Tenn.

No. 4 Notre Dame 63, Villanova 33--Ruth Riley had 14 points and 10 rebounds as the Irish routed the Wildcats (5-2) at South Bend, Ind., to improve to 7-0 for the first time in school history.

No. 6 Purdue 89, Valparaiso 59--Erika Valek scored 14 points and the Boilermakers (8-1) forced 27 turnovers in routing the Crusaders (1-5) at Valparaiso, Ind.

No. 7 Iowa State 88, Drake 58--Megan Taylor had a season-high 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cyclones started the game with a 17-0 run against the Bulldogs (4-2) at Des Moines, Iowa.

No. 9 Rutgers 61, Virginia Tech 53--Tasha Pointer scored 21 points to lead the Lady Knights (4-1) over the Hokies (5-2) in a Big East Conference opener at Piscataway, N.J.

No. 11 Auburn 79, Alabama Birmingham 71--Lori Nero had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and the Tigers (8-0) scored 10 consecutive points in overtime to hold off the Blazers (5-3) at Auburn, Ala.

No. 19 Xavier 80, Kentucky 62--Taru Tuukkanen scored 27 points and Jennifer Phillips added 21--both season highs--to lead the Musketeers (6-0) over the Wildcats (2-4) at Cincinnati.

No. 21 North Carolina State 77, Georgia Tech 63--Carisse Moody scored a career-high 23 points to lead the Wolfpack (6-1) over the Yellow Jackets (3-2) in an Atlantic Coast Conference opener at Raleigh, N.C.

No. 24 Virginia 62, St. Joseph’s 58--Forward Schuye LaRue had 26 points and 15 rebounds and led a late charge that helped the Cavaliers (6-3) erase a nine-point deficit to overtake the Hawks (3-4) at Philadelphia.