Associated Press
RALEIGH ó N.C. State leading scorer Tracy Smith has been suspended for one game for his comments on the officiating in the Wolfpack’s loss to Wake Forest.
Coach Sidney Lowe said the junior forward will travel to Arizona for Wednesday’s game but won’t play.
After a 67-59 loss in Winston-Salem on Sunday, Smith told reporters that the officiating crew called too many “touch fouls” and “favored Wake Forest all the way.”
“I was caught up in the heat of the moment but should not of made the comments I did,” Smith said in a statement. “I want to apologize to my coaches, my teammates and last night’s officials for this situation.”
Smith, who averages nearly 18 points, had 11 points and 10 rebounds against Wake but was in foul trouble most of the night. He fouled out with 5:28 left.
According to the Raleigh News and Observer, the suspension was imposed by N.C. State, not the ACC.
AP POLL
Kansas State moved up to No. 12 in The AP poll, the school’s highest ranking since the Wildcats were ninth in the final poll of 1972-73.
Duke remained seventh, and UNC remained 10th. Temple (9-2) is making its first appearance since 2001.
ACC
GREENSBORO ó Duke’s Jon Scheyer and Wake Forest’s C.J. Harris (freshman) have been named the ACC players of the week.
Scheyer averaged 28 points, 6.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists in wins against Gardner-Webb and Gonzaga. Harris won the rookie award for the third time.
No. 3 Kentucky 88, Drexel 44
LEXINGTON, Ky. ó DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson scored 18 points apiece and the third-ranked Wildcats became the first team in NCAA history to reach the 2,000-win plateau.
North Carolina is next on the list with 1,992 wins.
Dayton 65, Appalachian St. 49DAYTON, Ohio ó Marcus Wright scored 15 points off the bench to lead Appalachian.
Davidson 61, Hofstra 52
NEW YORK ó Jake Cohen scored 18 points, including a three-point play with 45 seconds left in the third-place game of the Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden.
Virginia 68, N.J. Tech 37
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. ó Jeff Jones scored 11 points to lead Virginia past New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Wofford 68, NC-Asheville 42ASHEVILLE ó Noah Dahlman scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Wofford.