COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : No. 1 Kansas Finally Goes One Better

For most teams, just becoming No. 1 in the nation is a tremendous feat.

But for the Kansas Jayhawks, a tremendous feat is to win a game after becoming No. 1.

Thursday, they accomplished that feat by beating Rice, 83-63, at Houston.

In each of the last three seasons, Kansas lost its next game after becoming No. 1--to Oklahoma last season, Kansas State in 1994 and Long Beach State in 1993.

Jacque Vaughn tied his career best with 13 assists as the Jayhawks improved to 4-0 and dropped Rice to 2-3.

“I was here for those last three,” Vaughn said, “and I didn’t want to be part of a fourth one.”

Freshman Paul Pierce led Kansas with 13 points and Vaughn finished with 10.

Kansas won on a night when Vaughn, the team’s leading scorer, didn’t take a first-half shot and the Jayhawks hit only one of eight first-half free throws. They finished eight for 23.

Tommy McGhee was Rice’s top scorer, getting 17 of his 23 points in the second half.

No. 13 No. Carolina 85, Georgia 74--Jeff McInnis scored 14 of his 21 points after returning from a first-half fall at Chapel Hill as the Tar Heels (6-1) jumped out to a big lead, then held off the Bulldogs (3-1).

Dante Calabria added 19 points for North Carolina.

McInnis became the third Tar Heel starter in as many games to leave because of an injury, hurting his left forearm during a scramble for a rebound with less than a minute left in the first half. However, the junior returned and played a key role down the stretch.

Katu Davis scored a career-high 31 points for Georgia.

No. 17 Cincinnati 82, North Carolina Wilmington 47--Damon Flint scored 17 first-half points at Cincinnati as the Bearcats (2-0) used an early 23-5 run to roll to victory. UNC Wilmington fell to 1-4.