The Maui Invitational finished up Wednesday, crowing Syracuse the champion of all things Hawai'i. In addition, the semi-finals of the NIT Season Tip-Off were held in Madison Square Garden. Arizona and Duke advanced, and will play in Friday night's final.
College basketball scores: Syracuse wins Maui Invitational, Kentucky rolls
The Orange won the third Maui title in their history, while Kentucky blew out Eastern Michigan.
Andy Lyons
Here is a roundup of all the important games from Wednesday:
No. 3 Kentucky 81, E. Michigan 63
The Wildcats led by just three points at the half, but managed to turn Wednesday's game into a rout. Freshman Julius Randle now has a double-double in every game this season, notching 14 points and and 10 rebounds against Eastern Michigan. Aaron Harrison had 22 to lead the Wildcats, while center Willie Cauley-Stein blocked seven shots.
No. 4 Arizona 66, Drexel 62
Down 19 points in the first half, Arizona rallied past Drexel in the first semi-final of the NIT Season Tip-Off. Wildcat guard Nick Johnson scored 20 points, hitting nine of his 10 free-throw attempts. Arizona got back into the game from the free-throw line, outscoring the Dragons 23-5 in that department. The Wildcats will face Duke in Friday night’s final in Madison Square Garden.
No. 6 Duke 74, Alabama 64
Freshman phenom Jabari Parker had a game-high 27 points as the Blue Devils overcame a sloppy performance. Duke turned the ball over 19 times, the most for Mike Krzyzewski's team all season. Alabama made a late charge behind leading scorer Trevor Releford, but Duke hit 10 free throws in the final four minutes to close out the game.
No. 8 Syracuse 74, No. 18 Baylor 67
C.J. Fair had 24 points as the Orange cruised to their third Maui Invitational title in school history. Jerami Grant added 19, but it was forced turnovers that won it for Syracuse. Baylor turned the ball over 21 times, giving up 11 steals to Jim Boeheim's squad.
Syracuse also beat Minnesota and Cal on their way to the championship game.
No. 10 Wisconsin 70, West Virginia 63
The Badgers stay undefeated, holding off a late charge from the Mountaineers. Wisconsin built a lead with a 20-2 first half run, but 27 points from West Virginia sophomore Eron Harris kept his team in contention. Sam Dekker led the way for the Badgers, scoring 21 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Ben Brust added four three-pointers for Wisconsin.
No. 11 Gonzaga 91, Arkansas 81
Kevin Pangos has a career-high 34 points for Gonzaga as the Bulldogs won a shootout with the Razorbacks. The Zags lost the opening game of the Maui Invitational, but won two straight games to finish as the fifth-place team. Center Bobby Porits led the way for Arkansas, scoring 18 points in the losing effort.
Dayton 82, California 64
The Dayton Flyers were the team to watch in the Maui Invitational. When they weren't beating Gonzaga and Cal, they were losing a heartbreaker to Baylor. The Atlantic 10's Flyers overcame a 31-point performance from Cal's Justin Cobbs, who shot lights out for the Golden Bears. Dayton got some nice performances as well, with Devin Oliver scoring 21 and Jalen Robinson adding 17.
Minnesota 83, Chaminade 68
The Golden Gophers ended their two-game skid Wednesday, leaving Maui with a decisive win over Chaminade. Minnesota suffered losses to Syracuse and Arkansas in the tournament, settling for a seventh-place finish.
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