Florida Starts Fast, Whips No. 14 Vandy

Spartans win 15th of 18 vs. Wolverines; No. 23 Xavier tops UMass
By Mike Buss,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 27, 2008 5:43 PM CST
Florida Starts Fast, Whips No. 14 Vandy
Michigan State's Raymar Morgan, center, Michigan's DeShawn Sims, left, and Ekpe Udoh, right, fight for a rebound during the second half of a college basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008, in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan State won 77-62. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)   (Associated Press)

A run of 23 consecutive points and a balanced scoring attack propelled defending national champion Florida (18-3) to an 86-64 win over No. 14 Vanderbilt. Florida led 34-6 after 12 minutes and the Commodores could not recover. Their star scorer, Shan Foster, was held to only seven points, 13 below his season average. "Obviously we were overwhelmed," said Vandy's coach. Elsewhere:

  • Michigan State (18-2) tied the school record for best 20-game start, scoring the first eight points and never looking back in a 77-62 win over intrastate rival Michigan. Drew Neitzel and Kalin Lucas led the Spartans with 18 each.
  • A-10 leader Xavier fought off Massachusetts, 77-65, despite going seven minutes without a basket in the second half.
(More NCAA basketball stories.)

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