Norfolk State ends Alabama's season in NIT
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Derrik Jamerson Jr. had 25 points and made two free throws with 17 seconds left in overtime as Norfolk State narrowly defeated Alabama 80-79 in the NIT first round on Wednesday night.
Nic Thomas had 15 points and five steals for Norfolk State (2213). Steven Whitley added 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Jordan Butler had 11 points and 12 rebounds for the visitors.
Herbert Jones had 18 points for the Crimson Tide (18-16). Alex Reese added 17 points and seven rebounds. John Petty had 11 points, including a 3-pointer to tie it at 67 at the end of regulation.
Kentucky's Washington may play with sprained foot
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As the Kentucky Wildcats went through a casual shoot-around the day before their opening game of the NCAA tournament, complete with a blaring band and thousands of blue-clad fans watching every move, something was missing. Their best player. PJ Washington, a rare sophomore amid John Calipari's latest batch of fabulous freshmen, sprained his left foot in Kentucky's loss to Tennessee at the Southeastern Conference tournament last weekend.
Washington didn't travel with the team to Jacksonville and missed their final workout for the opener against Abilene Christian. He was scheduled to arrive later Wednesday after seeing a foot specialist.
Calipari insisted it was nothing serious, really just an annoyance for the second-seeded Wildcats (27-6).
"If you know me, I'm like, 'Wait a minute, let's go get one more level of this,'" the coach said. "We sent him to the specialist to make sure he can't harm himself. But we expect him to play."
Washington, who broke from the usual bluegrass protocol by sticking around for a second season, leads Kentucky in scoring (14.8 points per game) and rebounding (7.6).
But, with plenty of talent around him, it's probably not imperative that he play against Abilene Christian, the No. 15 seed from the Southland Conference.
The only thing these teams share is a nickname. The team from Texas is also the Wildcats, but this is their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.