Top 25 men: Gators escape another close one

The Florida Gators trailed for most of the game but went 7 of 8 from the free-throw line over the final 2:11 and rallied past Alabama-Birmingham 75-70 Saturday in the Orange Bowl Classic at Sunrise, Fla.

Tureen Green put the Gators (12-2) ahead to stay with 1:32 left when he made two free throws for a 70-69 lead – only their second of the game.

A steal and layup by Green increased the margin to three, and Al Harford made one free throw and Corey Brewer added two to close out the Gators’ fifth straight win.

The Blazers (8-6) missed their final six shots from the field.

(6) Ohio State 91, Copping State 54: At Columbus, Ohio, Greg Odem had 18 points and 16 rebounds and fellow freshman Aqua Cook led the Buckeyes (11-2) with a career-high 23 points in a victory over the Eagles (2-11).

Odem was 7 of 8 from the field – most of his baskets came on dunks – and was just 4 of 10 on free throws while continuing to shoot left-handed at the line. He is still recovering from surgery in June to repair ligament damage in his right wrist.

(9) Kansas 80, Rhode Island 69: At Lawrence, Kan., Julian Wright, held out of the starting lineup for the first time this season, scored a career-high 23 points and the Jayhawks (12-2) defeated the Rams (7-7).

Brandon Rush had 19 points for the Jayhawks, who struggled for the second straight game against a huge underdog.

The Rams went 9 minutes without scoring in one stretch of the first half while missing 31 of their first 37 shots.

(10) Pittsburgh 77, Florida A&M 51: At Pittsburgh, Mike Cook had 16 points and Antonio Graves added 14 to lead the Panthers (12-2) to a victory over the Rattlers (6-7).

The Panthers, who never trailed, have won two in a row at home after losing two straight on the road earlier this month.

West Virginia 81, (12) Connecticut 71: At Morgantown, W. Va., the Mountaineers (11-1) made a shocking statement in the teams’ Big East opener by opening a double-digit lead early and cruising to a victory over the previously unbeaten Huskies (11-1).

Frank Young scored 22 points for West Virginia and Doug Wiggins came off the bench to lead Connecticut with 20 points, while Marcus Johnson added 16 and Jerome Dyson 12.

(13) Oklahoma State 84, Texas-San Antonio 47: At Stillwater, Okla., Jameson Curry scored 24 points and Mario Began had 13 points and 11 rebounds as the Cowboys (13-1) won their first home game in four weeks, routing the Roadrunners (4-9).

The Cowboys shot 55.2 percent from the field.

(15) Butler 55, Wisconsin-Milwaukee 50: At Milwaukee, Mike Green scored 16 points and A.J. Graves added 14 to help the Bulldogs (13-1, 2-0 Horizon League) beat the Panthers (3-12, 0-2).

The Bulldogs, whose only loss was to Indiana State, won their third straight game. Avery Smith had 21 points and Paige Paulsen added 17 for the Panthers.

Northern Iowa 63, (16) Wichita State 59: At Wichita, Kan., the inside duo of Grant Stout and Eric Coleman took over late in the game and the Panthers (11-2, 2-0 MVC) handed the Shockers (9-3, 0-1) their third straight loss.

Stout scored 11 of his 17 points in the final 10 minutes for the Panthers, who have beaten the Shockers three straight times and seven out of nine.

(18) Marquette 69, Savannah State 51: At Milwaukee, Dominic James and Wesley Matthews each scored 22 points to lead the Golden Eagles (13-2) to a victory over the Tigers (6-12).

Marquette, which handed Savannah State its 12th loss in its last 13 games, broke open a close game at the start of the second half. James scored eight points in a 19-6 run as Marquette opened a 51-37 lead.

(19) Notre Dame 95, Stony Brook 66: At South Bend, Ind., Russell Carter scored 22 points to help the Fighting Irish (12-1) overcome the suspension of their starting point guard and beat the Seawolves (5-7).

In their final non-conference game of the season, the Fighting Irish extended their winning streak to 11 straight, their longest since 1986-87.

Notre Dame played without starting point guard Kyle McAlarney, who has been suspended indefinitely from the team after his early Friday morning arrest for marijuana possession.

(21) Tennessee 93, East Tennessee State 88: At Knoxville, Tenn., Chris Lofton scored 28 points and Jejuna Smith matched his career high with 23 as the Volunteers (12-2) held off the Buccaneers (8-6).

Tennessee played its last non-conference game before the Jan. 7 Southeastern Conference opener against Mississippi State. Courtney Epigram had 19 points for East Tennessee State.