Tucker Leads Texas to Easy Win

P.J. Tucker took the pass on the fastbreak, glided through the layup and went straight to the student section of cheering fans while pointing his index finger in the air.

Tucker was back on the court for the No. 2 Texas Longhorns and having fun again.

“Oh man, it was great,” Tucker said after scoring 18 points in Texas’ season-opening 89-56 win over Southern on Tuesday night at Austin, Texas, in the first round of the Guardians Classic tournament. The game was his official return after missing the final 14 games of last season with academic problems.

Texas fans got a double dose of big returns.

Sophomore center LaMarcus Aldridge, who missed 15 games last season because of a hip injury, showed off his new, more muscular body with 19 points and 11 rebounds for his second career double-double.

Texas made 10 three-pointers. The tournament is using an experimental distance of 20 feet, 9 inches, a foot deeper than normal.

No. 12 Memphis 79, Wisconsin Milwaukee 52 -- Freshman Shawne Williams and senior Rodney Carney scored 17 points each to lead the Tigers in the first round of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Memphis, Tenn.

Darius Washington added 16 points, and Kareem Cooper had 14 for Memphis, which held the Panthers to 22% shooting.

Joah Tucker led Wisconsin Milwaukee with 23 points.

No. 15 Alabama 64, Miami of Ohio 58 -- Chuck Davis had 19 points and nine rebounds to lift the Crimson Tide in the first round of the NIT at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

The Crimson Tide will face Memphis in the second round.

Miami cut it to 59-58 with 2:08 left with two free throws by Doug Penno to cap a 12-3 run but couldn’t score again.

No. 20 Iowa 73, Colgate 51 -- Greg Brunner scored 16 points and Iowa survived a stretch of ragged play in the second half to win in the second round of the Guardians Classic at Iowa City, Iowa.

Adam Haluska added 14 points and Jeff Horner 13 for the Hawkeyes, who advanced to the semifinals against No. 8 Kentucky in Kansas City on Monday night.

After trailing by 19 in the first half, Colgate made eight of its first nine shots in the second half and went on a 19-7 run to cut the lead to 49-43.

Kendall Chones, a 6-foot-7, 255-pound sophomore, gave the Hawkeyes trouble inside with a dunk and three other baskets, one of them on a goaltending call, and Alvin Reed made two three-pointers.

The Raiders got no closer, though, and Iowa eventually regained control with a 13-0 run.