NEW YORK - Wake Forest's first week as a No. 1 team went pretty well.

The Demon Deacons won the Preseason NIT Friday night, five days after topping The Associated Press poll for the first time in school history.

Justin Gray had 21 points in Wake Forest's 63-60 victory over No. 18 Arizona, while Chris Paul, his backcourtmate and the leading vote-getter on the AP preseason All-America team, struggled with just four points on 2-for-11 shooting.

"I felt like teams were gunning for us last season," Paul said when asked about facing opponents as a top-ranked team. "We still have a long way to go in terms of being a national powerhouse."

Coach Skip Prosser's team will play No. 5 Illinois Wednesday night.

"We're trying to be a bit of a national team, and so you have to play a national schedule," he said. "I don't know if I'll do that ad infinitum because it could become ad nauseam and I don't want that."

In the third-place game, Dwight Brewington matched his career high with 23 points to help Providence beat Michigan 72-63.

The loss ended a 15-game winning streak in the Preseason NIT for Arizona (4-2), and it was the first loss in 12 games at Madison Square Garden for Wildcats coach Lute Olson - a run that started in 1973 when he was at Long Beach State.

At Springfield, Mass., John Gilchrist had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Nik Caner-Medley added 15 points for Maryland (3-0).

At Anchorage, Alaska, Earnest Shelton made five 3-pointers and scored 29 points to lead Alabama (3-0) in the semifinals of the Great Alaska Shootout. The Crimson Tide will play No. 22 Washington in the championship Saturday.

At Anchorage, Alaska, Nate Robinson scored 19 points and had eight assists, leading Washington (3-0) past Oklahoma and into the championship of the Great Alaska Shootout.

At South Bend, Ind., Chris Quinn scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half and Notre Dame (3-0) held Charleston Southern (1-2) to 16 points in the second half.