Associated Press
The college basketball roundup …
SYRACUSE, N.Y. ó Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim apologized Friday for questioning the motives of the men who accused his longtime assistant of molesting them as minors, saying he reacted out of loyalty.
“I believe I misspoke very badly in my response to the allegations that have been made,” said Boeheim, who spoke slowly and paused frequently during a postgame press conference. “I shouldn’t have questioned what the accusers expressed or their motives. I am really sorry that I did that, and I regret any harm that I caused.”
Former assistant coach Bernie Fine has been accused of child sex abuse by three men, including two former Syracuse ballboys. Fine was fired Sunday.
NEW YORK ó Boeheim’s spot on the coaching staff of the U.S. basketball team is secure, though the U.S. Olympic Committee is monitoring the child sex abuse investigation of Boeheim’s longtime assistant at Syracuse.
Boeheim is the top assistant to Mike Krzyzewski on the team that will play at the 2012 London Olympics.
FRIDAYíS TOP 25
SYRACUSE, N.Y. ó Fourth-ranked Syracuse remained unbeaten with a 72-68 win over No. 10 Florida on Friday night, as coach Jim Boeheim maintained a stoic facade amid an intense federal investigation into his program.
Brandon Triche had 20 points and Scoop Jardine finished with 16 and seven assists for the Orange (8-0). Kenny Boynton led Florida (5-2) with 22 points and Erving Walker had 17.
NO. 6 LOUISVILLE 62, NO. 20 VANDERBILT 60, OT
LOUISVILLE, Ky. ó Peyton Siva drove through the middle of Vanderbilt’s defense for a layup with 1.4 seconds left in overtime to lift Louisville (7-0).
NO. 13 MISSOURI 90, NORTHWESTERN STATE 56
COLUMBIA, Mo. ó Marcus Denmon scored a career-high 31 points and Missouri used runs of 18-0 and 24-8 to take control of the game.
OTHERS
NEWARK, N.J .ó Herb Pope had 23 points and 12 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season and Seton Hall cruised to an 81-59 victory over Auburn on Friday night in the Big East/SEC Challenge.
Oklahoma 82, Sacramento State 53
NORMAN, Okla. ó A blowout loss followed by the departure of a top reserve had Oklahoma unsure of what to expect going into Friday night’s game against Sacramento State. But coach Lon Kruger’s squad responded as Cameron Clark scored 18 points and Steven Pledger added 15 to help Oklahoma (5-1) to an 82-53 victory.