College Basketball Roundup : Oklahoma Follows Pattern of Blowouts

Oklahoma Coach Billy Tubbs called it a “different type of game, to say the least.” It was a blowout in a weekend of blowouts.

The 16th-ranked Sooners beat Centenary, an NCAA Division I program that produced NBA all-star Robert Parrish, 152-63, Saturday night. It was one of seven games involving ranked teams that was decided by 20 or more points.

Oklahoma’s total was only 12 points off the all-time Division I record of 164 set by Nevada Las Vegas against Hawaii-Hilo on Feb. 19, 1976, and it broke the Sooners’ school record of 133.

“There are some teams I want to beat this bad,” Tubbs said, “but this is not one of them. I have a lot of respect for them, but they decided to run with us.”

Louisville Coach Denny Crum used a convoluted mathematical equation last week to determine that his Cardinals were 50- to 55-point underdogs to top-ranked Kentucky at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. Instead, the Wildcats managed just a one-point victory over the Cardinals, 76-75, on Cedric Jenkins’ tip-in at the buzzer.

The Louisville-Kentucky game, however, was the exception to the rule. Saturday’s other runaway winners were No. 15 Michigan over Eastern Michigan by 52, 115-63; No. 13 Purdue over Ball State by 49, 96-47; No. 14 Georgetown over St. Leo by 38, 78-40; No. 18 Kansas over Rider by 38, 110-72; No. 12 Florida over Florida State by 23, 71-48; and No. 17 Nevada Las Vegas over Houston by 20, 89-69.

In games Sunday, Texas A&M; defeated Stephen F. Austin, 85-67, at College Station, Tex.; and Harvard topped Brandeis, 81-63, at Cambridge, Mass.

Freddie Ricks scored 11 points and Paul Crawford added 8 in the final five minutes as A&M; (5-2) went on a 29-6 run to defeat Stephen F. Austin (3-3).

Donald Thompson led A&M; with 20 points, and Ricks scored 20 and was 15 of 15 from the free-throw line. Darryl McDonald added 17 points, 8 assists and 7 steals, and Crawford scored 12.

Kevin Collins scored a career-high 22 points to lead Harvard (4-2) to its victory over Brandeis (4-5).