COLUMBUS, OHIO ? The wait was worth it for No. 3 Ohio State and prized big man Greg Oden.

In his first competition in seven months, the 7-foot freshman, touted by some as the best U.S.-born big man in a generation, had 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Buckeyes past Valparaiso, 78-58, on Saturday.

Oden had not played summer ball or with the Buckeyes since undergoing surgery June 16 to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist.

No. 6 Alabama 78, Tennessee St. 60

Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Jermareo Davidson had 22 points and Ronald Steele’s return provided a spark for the Crimson Tide.

Steele finished with 12 points and five assists, setting up easy dunks for his teammates after sitting out the past two games with tendinitis in his right knee.

No. 7 North Carolina 75, Kentucky 63

Chapel Hill, N.C. – Wayne Ellington had 17 points and fellow freshman Brandan Wright added 16 to lead the Tar Heels in the matchup of college basketball’s winningest schools.

Reyshawn Terry also scored 16 points and capped North Carolina’s decisive run with a pair of three-pointers.

North Dakota State 64, No. 8 Marquette 60

Milwaukee – Andre Smith scored 26 points to lead the Bison in the championship of the Blue and Gold Classic.

North Dakota State, which moved to Division I in 2004-05, won its fourth straight game by making 6-of-8 from the free-throw line in the final 44 seconds.

No. 10 LSU 74, Tulane 67

New Orleans – Glen Davis had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and Garrett Temple added 18 points to help the Tigers overcome a slow start against the Green Wave.

After falling behind by as much as 11 in the first half, LSU closed to within six by halftime and then scored 15 straight points in the second half to take the lead for good with a little under 12 minutes left.

No. 11 Duke 61, No. 18 Georgetown 52

Durham, N.C.- Greg Paulus scored 13 points and Jon Scheyer had nine – all 22 in the second half – to help the Blue Devils extend their nonconference home winning streak to 46 games.

Duke didn’t take the lead for good until there was 4:55 to play. Their home nonconference streak is second in the country to Oklahoma’s 48.

No. 12 Wisconsin 79, Fla. International 63

Madison, Wis. – Kammron Taylor scored 16 points to lift the Badgers to the win.

Taylor hit three three-pointers during a 17-2 run to open the second half.

No. 14 Memphis 77, Manhattan 59

Memphis, Tenn. – Robert Dozier had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Tigers.

Dozier shot 7-of-11 from the field and Memphis, which had five players in double figures, never trailed.

No. 16 Arizona 84, Illinois 72

Phoenix – Chase Budinger scored 22 points, and the Wildcats overcame a 16-point deficit.

Marcus Williams added 20 points for Arizona, which has won five straight since a

season-opening loss at Virginia.

No. 19 Butler 70, Cleveland St. 45

Indianapolis – Mike Green scored 16 points, and A.J. Graves added 14 for the Bulldogs.

Green also had eight rebounds for Butler, which earned its highest ranking since 1948-49 after winning the NIT Season Tip-Off.