WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The expressions on the faces of North Carolina's players changed completely in 36 hours. The 17th-ranked Tar Heels ran off the court exuberated Saturday at Joel Coliseum after a 79-73 victory over No.16 Wake Forest. On Thursday night, they walked off their homecourt in stunned silence after an overtime loss to top-ranked Duke.
"I said after the Duke game Thursday night I was proud of my team, but for those guys to bounce back like this in such a short time, that is something I'm even more proud of," said first-year North Carolina coach Roy Williams, who won on the road for the first time in the ACC. "It's a very happy locker room in there after being a very sad one Thursday night."
The Tar Heels rode the accurate shooting of Melvin Scott early and the inside dominance of Sean May late to a win that snapped a five-game losing streak to Wake Forest.
North Carolina lost 83-81 in overtime to Duke on Thursday, a game that ended after 11 p.m. Saturday's 1 p.m. tipoff didn't seem to bother the Tar Heels as they took a 34-18 lead in the opening 121/2 minutes, looking like the fresher team.
"We weren't out of gas, we're 19-, 20-year-old kids," May said. "We can't be tired. That's what Coach always told us."
Scott had 14 points in that opening run, going 5-for-5 from the field, including all four of his 3-point attempts.
The Demon Deacons lost for the sixth time in eight games since opening the season 11-0.
NO. 3 SAINT JOSEPH'S 89, LA SALLE 63: The undefeated Hawks had an easy time extending their school-record winning streak to 20 behind 22 points from Delonte West at the Palestra in Philadelphia.
Saint Joseph's has seven regular-season games left, all against A-10 opponents, and only three more against teams with winning records.
NO. 4 PITT 66, ND 58: Carl Krauser scored 19, Julius Page had 17 and the visiting Panthers overcame a 13-point first-half deficit.
With Torin Francis, Notre Dame's best big man, sitting out most of the game with back spasms, the Panthers dominated inside, with Krauser and Page driving the lane repeatedly and Jaron Brown adding 11 points. Page, who was averaging just nine points on 32 percent shooting the past eight games, was 7-of-13 shooting.
NO. 5 UCONN 88, W. VIRGINIA 58: Emeka Okafor had 23 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks for the host Huskies.
Ben Gordon led Connecticut with 24 points and added seven assists. UConn hit 68 percent of its shots in the second half and had a five-point lead at the half. It used runs of 13-4 and 20-9 in the second half to take control.
NO. 6 LOUISVILLE 73, UAB 55: Luke Whitehead had 13 points and 18 rebounds to help the host Cardinals snap a two-game losing streak.
Larry O'Bannon scored 15 for Louisville, which won despite shooting a season-worst 31.9 percent (22-of-69).
Francisco Garcia, Louisville's leading scorer, had seven points and five rebounds after sitting out Wednesday's loss to Memphis with a sprained left ankle. Garcia injured his right ankle early in the second half Saturday and did not return.
Gabe Kennedy had 16 points and 15 rebounds to lead UAB, which had won seven of its past eight.
NO. 7 MISS. ST. 80, MISS. 56: Lawrence Roberts scored 24 and made 14 of 18 free throws for the host Bulldogs.
Mississippi State has won six straight against Ole Miss and six in a row overall.
In Bulldogs news, coach Rick Stansbury agreed to a four-year contract extension through the 2007-08 season. Athletic director Larry Templeton confirmed the extension, but wouldn't disclose terms.
NO. 8 GONZAGA 87, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 57: Blake Stepp had 16 points and 10 assists to lead the host Bulldogs to their 12th consecutive win.
Ronny Turiaf scored 14 and Cory Violette 13 for Gonzaga, which outrebounded the Lions 40-24. The Bulldogs shot 61 percent and held Loyola Marymount to 32 percent shooting.
NO. 9 KENTUCKY 65, NO. 25 S. CAROLINA 64: Erik Daniels had 17 points and nine rebounds, and the host Wildcats needed a late defensive stand.
USC's Kerbrell Brown missed an 8-foot baseline jumper off the side of the backboard, and Kentucky's Cliff Hawkins rebounded as time expired.
Kentucky picked up its third one-point victory in SEC play this season and moved past South Carolina into first place in the East. The Wildcats have won 15 of 16 against the Gamecocks.
NO. 10 CINCY 54, HOUSTON 51: Jason Maxiell scored 14, including a dunk and two free throws in the final 1:25, and the visiting Bearcats ended a two-game losing streak.
Held to their worst point total of the season, the Bearcats barely held off the pesky Cougars, who led by a point before Maxiell came through.
NO. 13 OKLA. ST. 88, IOWA ST. 67: John Lucas scored 21 for the Cowboys and made a crowd-silencing 3-pointer to end a rally by the Cyclones, who had an early eight-point lead but still lost for the first time in 13 home games.
Oklahoma State got Lucas when he transferred from Baylor after that school's tumultuous offseason and he has been a gift for coach Eddie Sutton's Cowboys, who lead the Big 12 halfway through the league race.
N'WESTERN 69, NO. 14 WISCONSIN 51: Vedran Vukusic scored 18 and the host Wildcats used a big first-half run to stun the Badgers and knock them out of the Big Ten lead. Wisconsin dropped out of first, replaced by Michigan State, which beat Ohio State on Saturday. Northwestern shocked the Badgers with a 34-11 run over the final 13:30 of the opening half.
NO. 15 GA. TECH 77, TENNESSEE 62: Marvin Lewis scored 24 and B.J. Elder added 20 to lead the visiting Yellow Jackets, who grabbed the lead early and never relinquished it. They avenged a last-second loss to the Volunteers in Atlanta last year.
NO. 20 KANSAS 96, NO. 19 TEXAS TECH 77: Wayne Simien had 22 points and a career-high 17 rebounds for the host Jayhawks, who set a season scoring high and improved to 15-1 against the Red Raiders.
NO. 23 PROVIDENCE 74, NO. 18 SYRACUSE 61: Donnie McGrath and Marcus Douthit scored 16 apiece to lead the Friars, who won at home over the Orangemen for the first time in seven tries. Providence ended a two-game slide that included a season-low 46 points against Seton Hall. Syracuse has lost four of its past five.
NO. 24 UTAH ST. 63, UCSB 54: Nate Harris scored 11 and had 10 rebounds as the host Aggies extended their winning streak to 16. Cardell Butler finished with 19 points to lead the Utah State, which hasn't lost since a 56-45 defeat at Utah on Dec. 3.
Cameron Goettsche and Casey Cook led UC Santa Barbara with 10 points each.
