Illinois gets vindication

Illini win rematch of national-title game

? It wasn’t for the national title, and neither roster looked all that familiar. Still, Illinois got a measure of revenge.

Dee Brown scored 14 points and Brian Randle got a key rebound in the waning seconds, helping the 12th-ranked Illini hold off North Carolina, 68-64, Tuesday night in a rematch of last season’s NCAA championship game.

James Augustine added 13 points and 13 rebounds for Illinois (6-0), which improved to 3-4 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Illini also snapped the Tar Heels’ 21-game home winning streak despite scoring only four points in the final 61â2 minutes.

Tyler Hansbrough led North Carolina with 17 points, and fellow freshman Marcus Ginyard had 14.

No. 3 Connecticut 68, Army 54

Hartford, Conn. – Rudy Gay had 17 points, 10 rebounds and five steals, and Connecticut shook off a sluggish start to beat Army.

The Huskies (5-0) were coming off victories over Arizona and Gonzaga to win the Maui Invitational, but they struggled for long periods against the scrappy Black Knights (2-3).

No. 10 Kentucky 75, High Point 55

North Carolina's Reyshawn Terry (3) tried to block a shot in the first half against Illinois. The Illini won, 68-64, in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Lexington, Ky. – Point guard Rajon Rondo had 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists to lead Kentucky past High Point.

No. 16 UCLA 73, Albany, N.Y. 65

Los Angeles – Arron Afflalo scored 22 points and No. 16 UCLA rallied in the second half to beat Albany, N.Y. Cedric Bozeman added 16 points

No. 21 Alabama 73, Louisiana Tech 63

Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Jermareo Davidson had 15 points and 16 rebounds, sparking the decisive run in Alabama’s victory over Louisiana Tech. The 6-foot-10 center went outside to hit two jump shots and spark a 15-4 run after the Crimson Tide (3-1) briefly fell behind six minutes into the second half.

No. 22 Wake Forest 91, Wisconsin 88

Winston-Salem, N.C. – Justin Gray scored a career-high 37 points, including six free throws in the final 28 seconds, to lead Wake Forest past Wisconsin in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Kyle Visser added all of his 13 points and five assists after halftime for the Demon Deacons (6-1), who led by 10 in the second half.

Houston 84, No. 25 LSU 83

Baton Rouge, La. – Oliver Lafayette scored 27 of his 32 points in the second half and Houston rallied past LSU. The Cougars (2-1) trailed by 12 points at halftime but outscored the Tigers 18-3 in the first 41â2 minutes of the second half to take a 49-46 lead. Lafayette scored 11 points in the run.