Wednesday's college basketball highlights

Last update: November 27, 2008 - 12:16 AM

MEN's HIGHLIGHTS

Old Spice Classic will have an NCAA tournament feel

The Old Spice Classic tips off today at Disney's Wide World of Sports and features a loaded field that looks more like an NCAA tournament regional bracket than a holiday tournament typically festooned with cupcakes.

"It's far and away the best of all the preseason tournaments this year," said Gonzaga coach Mark Few. "I think there are legitimately seven NCAA tournament teams in this tournament, which is unbelievable. Nobody else can make that claim."

The field has No. 5 Michigan State, No. 9 Gonzaga, No. 12 Tennessee, No. 21 Georgetown, Siena, Maryland, Oklahoma State and Wichita State. Seven made postseason appearances last year, five advanced to the NCAA tournament and two reached the Sweet 16. Scouts representing 29 NBA teams have requested credentials for the tournament.

"It's the premier tournament of the season when you look at the quality of the field," Siena coach Fran McCaffery said. "It's amazing that in such a short period of time that this tournament has grown. It just started with a good field, it was a little better last year, and this year from top to bottom there's none better."

EA Sports Maui Invitational

• No. 1 NORTH CAROLINA 102, No. 8 NOTRE DAME 87: Tyler Hansbrough had 34 points to lead the Tar Heels (6-0) to a victory over the Fightng Irish (4-1) in the championship game of the EA Sports Maui Invitational. The title was North Carolina's third in the 25 years of the tournament.

• No. 6 TEXAS 70, OREGON 57: Damion James had 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Longhorns (4-1) to a victory over the Ducks (3-3) in the third-place game.

• INDIANA 81, CHAMINADE 79: Tom Pritchard had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Hoosiers (3-2) in the seventh-place game. Pritchard was nearly the goat as he missed three of four free throws in the final 46 seconds.

NIT Season Tip-Off

• No. 10 PURDUE 71, BOSTON COLLEGE 64: E'Twaun Moore scored 19 points and the Boilermakers (5-0) withstood a late rally to beat the Eagles (3-2) in the semifinals at Madison Square Garden.

• No. 11 OKLAHOMA 77, UAB 67: Blake Griffin scored 32 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Sooners (5-0) in the second semifinal.

ELSEWHERE

• BUTLER 57, NORTHWESTERN 53: Northwestern (3-1) led by 11 in the second half and made eight of 17 three-pointers, but Butler outscored the Wildcats 17-3 from the free-throw line and forced 17 turnovers in Indianapolis.

• LEHIGH 76, RUTGERS 71: Marquis Hall scored 18 of his game-high 28 points in the second half as visiting Lehigh ended an 18-game losing streak to Rutgers in a series that dates back to 1907.

WOMEN's HIGHLIGHTS

Spartans improve to 6-0

• No. 24 MICHIGAN STATE 74, No. 23 OLD DOMINION 48: Mia Johnson (Minneapolis North) had 13 points, all in the first half, as the Spartans moved to 6-0 for just the third time in school history with a victory over the Monarchs (3-2) in East Lansing, Mich.

• No. 4 OKLAHOMA 83, MARIST 57: Courtney Paris extended her streak of double-doubles to 97 consecutive games with 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Sooners in Norman, Okla. Next up for Oklahoma is a trip to Connecticut on Sunday to face the No. 1 Huskies.

• No. 10 MARYLAND 68, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 56: The Jackrabbits (4-1) held a 25-18 lead with 2:44 left in the first half before the Terrapins (4-1) went on a 19-4 run at the Cancun Caribbean Challenge in Mexico. South Dakota State's Jennifer Warkenthien led all scorers with 17 points.

FROM NEWS SERVICES

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