No. 2 Kansas Passes Its Road Test at Kentucky

Kansas is proving it doesn’t need Wayne Simien to beat a quality opponent, even on the road.

Playing without its standout inside player, the second-ranked Jayhawks received 28 points from the front line of C.J. Giles, Christian Moody and Sasha Kaun on Sunday in a 65-59 victory over No. 8 Kentucky at Lexington, Ky.

Playing its first game of the season on an opponent’s home court -- and in front of 24,367, the second-largest crowd in Rupp Arena history -- Kansas (11-0) won for the fourth time in a row without preseason All-American Simien, who could return as early as next week after surgery on his left thumb.

Included in that stretch are wins over two top 10 teams, Georgia Tech and Kentucky (10-2). Kansas Coach Bill Self said that, in Simien’s absence, the production the Jayhawks received from their inside players was a bonus.

“We said before the game, that if we could get 20 points from our [forwards] and [centers], we’ll be in good shape,” Self said.

No. 15 Texas 79, Baylor 60 -- Daniel Gibson scored 18 points, and the Longhorns (12-2) used a sharp performance from three-point range to defeat the Bears (7-4) in the Big 12 Conference opener for both at Austin, Texas.

Texas made 11 three-point baskets -- Gibson and Kenton Paulino combined for nine -- and LaMarcus Aldridge had 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Miami 67, North Carolina State 66 -- Guillermo Diaz scored 26 points at Coral Gables, Fla., and the Hurricanes (10-3, 1-1), newcomers to the Atlantic Coast Conference, handed the Wolfpack (10-4, 0-1) its third loss in a row.

A potential game-winning three-point shot by North Carolina State’s Cameron Bennerman bounced off the side of the backboard with one second left.

Memphis 60, Southern Mississippi 46 -- Darius Washington scored 17 points to lead the Tigers (8-7) over the Golden Eagles (9-5) in their Conference USA opener at Memphis, Tenn.

Southern Illinois 69, Creighton 63 -- Darren Brooks scored 15 points to lead the Salukis (12-3, 3-0) over the Bluejays (10-5, 2-2) in a Missouri Valley Conference game at Omaha.