Kentucky's Patrick Patterson, left, hits a reverse dunk over North Carolina's Alex Stepheson. The Wildcats fell to the Tar Heels on Saturday in Lexington, Ky.

LEXINGTON, KY. ? Every time Tyler Hansbrough caught the ball in the post, Kentucky’s players swarmed around him, swatting at the ball.

The North Carolina big man did not retaliate to the bruising. He responded at the free-throw line.

Hansbrough made 10 of 12 free throws as the top-ranked Tar Heels capitalized on Kentucky’s 25 fouls and edged the Wildcats, 86-77 on Saturday, their fourth straight victory in the annual matchup between college basketball’s winningest programs.

“I’ve never coached a player who takes as much physical abuse as he does,” North Carolina coach Roy Williams said of his star. “He’s a bull in the china shop, and all those pieces of china like to hit back.”

The Tar Heels are off to a 7-0 start for the first time under Williams and the first time since the 1998-99 squad began the season 8-0. Kentucky is now 4-2 under new coach Billy Gillispie.

With Hansbrough closely guarded, reserve Danny Green lead the Tar Heels with a career-high 20 points.

“There’s tradition and history on both sides, so it’s a great rivalry, even though we’re not in the same league,” Green said.

No. 5 Georgetown 61, Fairfield 49

Washington – Georgetown overcame a mediocre game from Roy Hibbert and an injury scare for Jessie Sapp to improve to 5-0 for the first time since 2003.

DaJuan Summers finished with 16 points, and Jonathan Wallace added 13. That helped make up for Hibbert’s passive afternoon: seven points and seven rebounds.

Georgetown’s defense was impressive late, holding Fairfield to 5-for-27 shooting in the second half – 18.5 percent.

No. 7 Duke 79, Davidson 73

Charlotte, N.C. – Gerald Henderson scored 21 points, and Greg Paulus had two key baskets and a steal in the final two minutes for Duke against pesky Davidson.

Jon Scheyer scored 15 points, and Kyle Singler added 14 and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Blue Devils, who needed big plays from Paulus down the stretch to extend their winning streak over Davidson to 21 straight.

No. 10 Michigan St. 80, Jacksonville 51

East Lansing, Mich. – Raymar Morgan scored 24 points, and Marquise Gray had 11 for Michigan State in its 31st straight home nonconference victory

Morgan was dominant inside and from mid-range, hitting eight of 11 shots from the field and grabbing a game-high seven rebounds for the Spartans.

No. 12 Louisville 47, Miami (Ohio) 44

Louisville, Ky. – Earl Clark had 10 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks, and Louisville held off stubborn Miami of Ohio.

Derrick Caracter added 12 points and five rebounds, and Terrence Williams had 12 points and seven boards for the Cardinals, who needed Edgar Sosa’s two free throws with 3.3 seconds left to escape.

No. 14 Pittsburgh 78, Toledo 52

Pittsburgh – Sam Young had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Mike Cook added 14 points for Pittsburgh, which won its fourth in a row by at least a 26-point margin.

Tyrone Kent scored 22 points for the Rockets, who finish a six-game road trip Tuesday at Houston.

No. 15 Indiana 64, Southern Illinois 51

Carbondale, Ill. – Eric Gordon overcame a slow start to score 22 points, and Indiana ended Southern Illinois’ home winning streak at 15.

D.J. White added 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Hoosiers in their only road nonconference game of the season.

No. 16 Butler 65, Ohio St. 46

Indianapolis – Freshman Matt Howard scored 23 points, and Buter overcame a 12-point deficit in the second half for its fourth straight victory over a foe from one of the six traditional power conferences.

Kousta Koufos led Ohio State with 16 points, and David Lighty had 12. It was the Buckeyes’ third loss in four games during an 11-day span in which they have faced four ranked teams.

No. 18 Clemson 85, South Carolina 74

Clemson, S.C. – K.C. Rivers had 24 points and eight rebounds to help Clemson win its seventh consecutive game to start a season for the third straight time.

The Tigers also have beaten their in-state rival four times in a row.

Zam Fredrick led South Carolina with 28 points.

No. 19 Gonzaga 85, Connecticut 82

Boston – Jeremy Pargo scored eight of his 23 points over the final 4:17, and Gonzaga held off Connecticut in The Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase.

Matt Bouldin added 19 points for Gonzaga. A.J. Price led the Huskies with 24 points, and Jerome Dyson added 19.

No. 21 BYU 78, Portland 54

Portland, Ore. – Lee Cummard scored 18, and Trent Plaisted added 16 for the Cougars.

BYU rebounded from its first loss of the season, a 73-63 loss to No. 1 North Carolina last Saturday.

No. 23 Xavier 90, Belmont 49

Cincinnati – Stanley Burrell scored a season-high 18 points, and Xavier turned up the defensive pressure to win its fifth straight.

B.J. Raymond added 15 points for Xavier. Josh Duncan played despite a stomach virus and matched his career high with 10 rebounds.