Nolan Smith scored 24 points and Jersey native Kyrie Irving had 21 to lead No. 1 Duke to an 82-70 victory over Butler yesterday at the Meadowlands, moving Mike Krzyzewski into a tie with Adolph Rupp for third place on the coaching career wins list at 876.
The game at the Izod Center was a rematch of the schools that played an epic national championship game in April, a 61-59 Duke victory.
Shawn Vanzant had 14 points for the Bulldogs (4-3), keeping them close until Duke (8-0) pulled away in the final minutes. After Butler made it 60-57 with 7:23 left, Irving hit 3-pointers on Duke’s next two possessions to give the Blue Devils a 66-57 lead.
UNC 75, Kentucky 73
In Chapel Hill, N.C., Tyler Zeller scored a career-high 27 points and hit the go-ahead free throws with 47 seconds left as North Carolina (5-3) edged No. 10 Kentucky (5-2).
Syracuse 65, NC State 59
In Syracuse, Scoop Jardine scored 23 points, Rick Jackson added 16, and No. 8 Syracuse (8-0) escaped by holding North Carolina State without a basket for the final 7:20.
Pitt 87, Rider 68
In Pittsburgh, Brad Wanamaker had 16 points and 11 assists and No. 3 Pittsburgh (9-0) shut down Rider’s 3-point shooters with its man-to-man defense. Mike Ringgold scored 24 for Rider (5-4).
Mich. St. 74, Bowl. Green 39
In East Lansing, Mich., Durrell Summers scored 14 points, and No. 6 Michigan State (6-2) went on a 21-1 run early in the second half to put away Bowling Green.
Georgetown 68, Utah St. 51
In Washington, Chris Wright had 21 points and No. 16 Georgetown (8-0) relied on defense as it pulled away in the second half.
Fordham 74, Lehigh 67
In Bethlehem, Pa., Chris Gaston grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds and scored 18 points and Brenton Butler contributed 25 points to lead Fordham (3-4) over Lehigh.
St. Peter’s 66, Manhattan 49
In Jersey City, Wesley Jenkins scored 22 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead Saint Peter’s (4-4, 2-0 MAAC) over Manhattan. Nick Walsh paced the Jaspers (2-6, 0-2) with 15 points.
Hofstra 74, Towson 62
In Hempstead, Charles Jenkins scored 19 of his 26 points in the second half to lead Hofstra (4-3) in its Colonial Athletic Association opener.
Columbia 73, S. Brook 72
In Morningside Heights, John Daniels made one of two free throws with two seconds left to push Columbia (4-4) over Stony Brook.
