Second-Ranked Wake Rolls In Great Eight

Top 25 basketball

Tim Duncan controlled the inside with his rebounding and shot blocking, and No. 2 Wake Forest ran off 19 consecutive first-half points to rout Mississippi State 74-43 Tuesday night in the Great Eight tournament in Chicago.

Duncan had 19 points, 17 rebounds and four blocked shots for the Demon Deacons (5-0) in the opening game of the event, which includes seven of last year’s final eight teams in the NCAA tournament.

Mississippi State (2-2), featuring five new starters from the team that made the Final Four last spring, got 12 points from Tyrone Washington.

(6) Kentucky 101, Purdue 87

Also at the Great Eight tourney, Ron Mercer scored a career-high 30 points on 13-of-16 shooting and Kentucky (4-1) forced 28 turnovers with its full-court press in defeating the Boilermakers (2-2).

(13) Fresno 127, Western 92

Kendric Brooks scored 24 points and Chris Herren added 21 as the host Bulldogs (5-0) beat the Division II Mountaineers.