Duncan’s Night One To Remember
Top 25
It was Tim Duncan’s night, but to coach Dave Odom’s delight everybody got a piece of the action for No. 5 Wake Forest.
The Demon Deacons kept the heat on Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season race, moving within one-half game of the league-leading Blue Devils with a 71-55 victory Tuesday over Georgia Tech at Winston-Salem, N.C.
Duncan, playing in front of his father, William, his two sisters and the governor of the Virgin Islands, scored 10 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had nine assists on the night he had his No. 21 jersey retired by the Demon Deacons (22-4, 11-4).
“I think I got really hyped up about it, I’m not sure I’ve come down yet,” Duncan said after the game when asked if he was emotionally spent. “It was a lot of fun, great anticipation.”
Tony Rutland led the Demon Deacons with 16 points, while Matt Harpring led Georgia Tech (9-16, 3-12) with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Georgia Tech lost its fifth straight game and fell to 0-10 against ranked teams one season after winning the ACC regular-season title. The 16 losses tie the worst mark in 16 seasons under coach Bobby Cremins and the 12 league defeats are the most in one year under him.
(3) Kentucky 74, Tennessee 64
Ron Mercer scored 19 points the night before he planned to announce he was turning pro to help the Wildcats (27-3, 13-2) defeat the Volunteers (11-14, 4-11) at Knoxville, Tenn.
Kentucky tied a school record for regular-season victories accomplished twice in the 1940s.
(9) Cincinnati 63, So. Miss. 49
Ruben Patterson scored 20 points off the bench, helping the Bearcats (23-5, 11-1) rally past the Golden Eagles (12-13, 6-7) and clinch a share of the Conference USA regularseason championship.
Cincinnati also earned the top seed for the conference tournament it won last year.
(21) Illinois 87, Penn St. 65
Kiwane Garris had 27 points, including a 4-for-5 effort from 3-point range, to lead the Illini (19-8, 9-6 Big Ten) past the Nittany Lions (9-16, 2-14) at State College, Pa.
Illinois led by 21 points at halftime and by 29 with 4 minutes left.
(23) St. Joseph’s 78, UMass 63
Rashid Bey scored 18 points and the Hawks (20-6, 12-3) held the Minutemen (17-12, 10-5) without a field goal for more than 11 minutes late in the second half to win at Philadelphia.
The Hawks, whose victory came one day after reaching the Top 25 for the first time in 24 years, have won 17 of 20 and clinched at least a first-place tie in the Atlantic 10 East.