The Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. - Duke was looking to play through some pain and work out the kinks. Alabama State proved to be the perfect opponent for that kind of game.

Shavlik Randolph scored 20 points and Daniel Ewing had 19 more Thursday night to help the top-seeded Blue Devils beat the Hornets 96-61 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

Duke (28-5) won its eighth straight NCAA opener and advanced to the second round of the Atlanta Regional, where it will play Seton Hall on Saturday.

"I thought our kids were ready and that was the main concern for me," coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

Duke senior guard Chris Duhon started despite bruised ribs he got last Sunday in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament final, a 95-87 loss to Maryland that raised some questions about Duke's readiness for this Tournament.

But Duhon, the emotional center of the team and possibly its best defender, played only 16 minutes and didn't score.

"I just wanted to go out there and get a feel for the pain level and see how much I can do," Duhon said.

J.J. Redick, Duke's leading scorer and best shooter didn't take a shot for the first 13 minutes. He went 0-for-5 for the rest of the first half. Urged to shoot more after halftime, Redick made three quick shots during a brief flurry early, and finished 5-for-13 for 14 points.

ALABAMA ST. (16-15)-Campbell 8-19 5-6 26, Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Spicer 1-3 1-2 3, A.Oliver 2-7 3-5 7, Golden 4-11 0-0 8, Pruitt 0-0 0-0 0, Milledge 0-3 0-0 0, James 1-2 0-0 3, Warren 2-2 0-0 5, Howard 0-0 0-0 0, X.Oliver 4-7 0-2 8, Day 0-0 0-0 0, Russell 0-3 1-2 1. Totals 22-57 10-17 61.

DUKE (28-5)-Deng 6-11 2-2 15, Redick 5-13 0-0 14, Ewing 6-11 4-6 19, Duhon 0-2 0-0 0, Williams 5-8 6-6 16, Horvath 1-2 1-2 3, Melchionni 2-3 1-1 6, Dockery 0-5 1-2 1, Borman 0-1 0-0 0, Davidson 0-1 0-0 0, Randolph 6-8 8-12 20, Pagliuca 0-0 0-0 0, Johnson 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 32-66 23-31 96.

Halftime score-Duke 48, Alabama St. 27. 3-Point Goals-Alabama St. 7-20 (Campbell 5-11, James 1-1, Warren 1-1, Spicer 0-1, A.Oliver 0-1, Milledge 0-1, Golden 0-2, X.Oliver 0-2), Duke 9-26 (Redick 4-12, Ewing 3-7, Melchionni 1-2, Deng 1-3, Borman 0-1, Davidson 0-1). Fouled out-Spicer. Rebounds-Alabama St. 31 (X.Oliver 8), Duke 46 (Williams 9). Assists-Alabama St. 7 (Campbell 3), Duke 19 (Redick 4). Total fouls-Alabama St. 20, Duke 19. A-19,722

Seton Hall 80, Arizona 76

RALEIGH, N.C. - Kelly Whitney had 24 points and 14 rebounds to lead the eighth-seeded Pirates.

Andre Barrett added 19 points and six assists for Seton Hall (21-9), which overcame a 14-point deficit in the second half.

It was an unceremonious exit for Arizona (20-10), which was in the tournament for a national-best 20th straight year. Andre Iguodala scored 19 points to lead the Wildcats, who lost in the opening round for the first time since 1999.

Texas 66, Princeton 49

DENVER - Brandon Mouton scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half, fueling Texas' rally. The Longhorns trailed 27-22 a minute into the second half, but used a 24-6 run to take control.

Texas (24-7), the No. 3 seed in the Atlanta Regional, will face North Carolina Saturday.

Princeton (20-8), a No. 14 seed, got 16 points from Will Venable.

PRINCETON (20-8)-Logan 3-11 2-3 8, Wallace 4-13 0-0 9, Greenman 2-8 0-0 6, Schafer 0-3 0-0 0, Venable 5-6 6-9 16, Persia 1-3 0-0 3, Owings 1-2 0-0 3, Stephens 1-2 0-0 2, Schaen 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 18-51 8-12 49.

TEXAS (24-7)-Buckman 3-6 1-3 7, Ivey 5-6 5-5 15, Klotz 0-6 0-1 0, Mouton 8-15 2-2 23, Paulino 2-3 0-1 6, Thomas 0-2 0-0 0, Tucker 0-2 1-2 1, Moreno 0-0 0-0 0, Taylor 0-3 0-0 0, Harris 0-0 0-0 0, Boddicker 5-7 0-0 14. Totals 23-50 9-14 66.

Halftime-Princeton 25-22. 3-Point Goals-Princeton 5-26 (Greenman 2-7, Owings 1-2, Persia 1-3, Wallace 1-7, Schaen 0-1, Stephens 0-1, Venable 0-1, Logan 0-2, Schafer 0-2), Texas 11-15 (Mouton 5-6, Boddicker 4-4, Paulino 2-3, Taylor 0-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Princeton 23 (Venable 8), Texas 43 (Ivey 8). Assists-Princeton 11 (Greenman, Persia, Venable 3), Texas 10 (Ivey 5). Total fouls-Princeton 18, Texas 16. A-NA.

North Carolina 63,

Air Force 52

DENVER - Sean May had 14 points for the Tar Heels, who pulled away in the second half. North Carolina (19-10), the sixth seed in the Atlanta Regional, didn't get breathing room until going on an 11-0 run midway through the second half.

Air Force (22-7) shot 50 percent in the first half, but was 8-for-21 in the second to lose in its first NCAA Tournament game in 42 years.