The Associated Press

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana coach Mike Davis isn't content with last season's runner-up finish. He wants a national championship and believes this season's team can win one.

Bracey Wright scored 21 points, Jeff Newton had 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Tom Coverdale added 17 points as 19th-ranked Indiana defeated North Texas 84-58 Sunday.

"I think we're better than last year," Davis said. "That doesn't mean we're better than last year's team that played the stretch run for the Final Four. But at this time last year, we're way ahead. We're not even close."

The Hoosiers (4-0) led the Eagles (1-2) by nine points with 12 minutes left in the second half. But Wright hit two 3s, and Marshall Strickland and Coverdale each added one during a 17-2 outburst that pushed IU's lead to 66-42.

What the Hoosiers lost in production when Jared Jeffries left for the NBA after his sophomore year, they've made up for with Wright, a 6-foot-3 guard, who has started all four of Indiana's games and is the first Hoosiers freshman to score in double figures in each of his first four games since Calbert Cheaney in 1989.

"When he gets the basketball, he's a threat," Davis said of Wright. "You better guard him."

Wright, who went 7-for-12 from the floor and 5-for-7 from 3-point range, is expected to be the big shooting guard that Indiana has lacked in recent seasons.

"I want to take big shots," he said. "I want to be the person with the ball in his hands."

NORTH TEXAS (1-2)-J.Green 7-16 3-3 17, Masters 3-5 0-0 6, Davis 5-17 0-0 12, L.Green 1-2 0-0 3, Hopkins 2-8 0-0 5, Smith 3-4 0-0 6, Rogers 0-5 0-0 0, Harris 1-5 1-2 3, Roniger 1-1 0-1 2, Thomas 0-1 0-0 0, DeGrate 1-4 0-0 2. Barnett 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 24-69 6-8 58.

INDIANA (4-0)-Moye 3-9 0-2 6, Newton 6-10 3-4 15, Coverdale 6-8 2-3 17, Wright 7-12 2-2 21, Hornsby 2-6 0-0 4, Perry 0-2 0-0 0, Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, Strickland 1-3 3-3 6, Kline 3-9 2-5 8, Pegram 0-0 0-0 0, Roberts 1-1 3-3 5, Tapak 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 30-63 15-22 84.

Halftime-Indiana 33-27. 3-Point goals-North Texas 4-18 (Davis 2-7, L.Green 1-2, Hopkins 1-2, Harris 0-1, J.Green 0-2, Rogers 0-4), Indiana 9-23 (Wright 5-7, Coverdale 3-5, Strickland 1-2, Newton 0-1, Perry 0-1, Johnson 0-1, Tapak 0-1, Moye 0-2, Hornsby 0-3). Fouled out-Masters. Rebounds-North Texas 41 (J.Green 11), Indiana 43 (Newton 14). A: 13,809.

No. 12 Connecticut 76, Vanderbilt 70

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Emeka Okafor scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Huskies, who snapped the Commodores' 16-game non-conference homecourt winning streak.

CONNECTICUT (3-0)-Tooles 0-0 0-0 0, D.Brown 5-8 0-0 13, Okafor 11-15 3-5 25, Gordon 2-10 0-0 4, T.Brown 5-12 4-7 15, Armstrong 1-1 0-0 2, J.Brown 0-1 0-0 0, Hazelton 1-3 1-2 3, Hayes 1-4 0-0 2, Anderson 0-2 0-0 0, Robertson 4-7 3-4 12. Totals 30-63 11-18 76.

VANDERBILT (3-1)-Freije 6-14 5-6 18, Smith 5-10 4-4 14, Thornton 5-11 3-3 13, Holwerda 1-2 0-0 2, Lakey 1-5 0-0 2, Moore 2-3 0-0 4, Payton 2-2 2-2 7, Przybyszewski 3-6 2-4 8, Hundley 0-4 0-0 0, Terrell 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 26-59 16-19 70.

Halftime-Connecticut 38, Vanderbilt 31. 3-point goals-Connecticut 5-14 (D.Brown 3-5, Robertson 1-1, T.Brown 1-3, Hazelton 0-1, Anderson 0-1, Gordon 0-3), Vanderbilt 2-15 (Payton 1-1, Freije 1-6, Hundley 0-1, Smith 0-3, Lakey 0-4). Rebounds-Connecticut 36 (Okafor 11), Vanderbilt 34 (Freije 9). A-12,490.

KENTUCKY

Junior guard Antwain Barbour will be out at least five weeks after breaking his left hand in practice. The 6-foot-5 Barbour started Kentucky's three games in last week's Maui Invitational and is averaging 7.3 points and three assists.