By Sam Federman
A few quick things
Northern Colorado transfer Saint Thomas drilled a dagger three with 10 seconds left for USC to avoid an upset loss to Idaho State at home. The Trojans trailed very late in the game, but got strong performances from UMass transfer Josh Cohen (19p, 8-12 fg), and Washington transfer Wesley Yates (13p in 20 mins). Dylan Darling scored 22 for the Bengals
Northern Iowa jumped on Milwaukee from the very start, and dominated the Horizon League co-favorites to the tune of an 87-68 victory. Tytan Anderson led the way with 19 points on just eight field goal attempts, but the sophomore backcourt duo of Leon Bond and RJ Taylor stood out as well.
Saint Mary's fended off a strong surge in the beginning of the second half from a shorthanded Chattanooga team to win 86-74 in Moraga. Reigning WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis scored 27 points with 7 assists, while Arizona transfer Paulius Murauskas had his second straight double-double. Freshman Mikey Lewis is the x-factor this season for Randy Bennett's team, and he was huge in the second half.
Noah Williamson scored 32 points and grabbed 9 rebounds as he led Bucknell to its second consecutive road win to start the season. The Bison defeated Southern Indiana in overtime after taking down Delaware on Monday.
UAB scored the first 24 points against Southern Miss and never looked back. The Blazers rebounded from Monday's home loss to Vermont with a 98-84 win, led by 21 points from both Christian Coleman and Yaxel Lendeborg.
After Monday night's big game was a big bust, Kansas and North Carolina will take the floor in Lawrence for the second marquee, high-major matchup of the season. In the rematch of the 2022 national championship game, only three players remain. RJ Davis for UNC, and then Dajuan Harris and KJ Adams for the Jayhawks.
Keys to the Game
Kansas: Pound the rock. The Tar Heels will have no answer for Dickinson down low if he can get deep-post positioning.
North Carolina: Stay calm. Allen Fieldhouse can be a house of horrors, especially for a team playing its first true road game. The Heels have an uphill battle regardless, but if they don't play within themselves, they'll have no chance entirely.
Other notable games on Friday
Samford at Cornell, 6 p.m., ESPN+
Iona at Hofstra, 7 p.m., MSG
Furman at Belmont, 7:30 p.m., ESPN+
Duquesne vs Princeton, 8:30 p.m. JerseyJam.net
UC Irvine at Loyola Marymound, 10 p.m., ESPN+
Bradley at Washington State, 11 p.m., ESPN+
New Mexico vs UCLA, 11 p.m., CBSSN