COLLEGE BASKETBALL-BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
Buckeyes, Terps advance
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Ohio State ended a four-game losing streak and advanced to the Big Ten semifinals.
Duane Washington Jr. and Justice Sueing each scored 16 points and the ninth-ranked Buckeyes fended off Minnesota’s late charge to win 79-75.
Ohio State scored the game’s first 13 points and led by 14 with 3:24 remaining before the Gophers went on an 18-5 run to get within one.
In other Big Ten action:
— Aleem Ford scored 17 points and No. 6 seed Wisconsin made a stop on the last play to escape with a 75-74 win over No. 11 seed Penn State.
— Eric Ayala scored 21 points, Aaron Wiggins added 19 and Maryland dominated Michigan State in the second half to take a 68-57 win.
— Ron Harper Jr. and Jacob Young scored 13 points each as Rutgers dispatched Indiana, 61-50.
— The Illini open play in the tournament at 5:30 Friday afternoon in a game against Rutgers. You can hear pre-game activity beginning at 4:30 Friday afternoon on WJBD-FM 100.1.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-BIG 12 TOURNAMENT
Bears, Cowboys reach semis
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Second-ranked Baylor and No. 12 Oklahoma State both survived close calls before earning the right to square off in the Big 12 semifinals.
The Bears advanced by holding off Kansas State, 74-68. MaCio Teague scored 24 points and Davion Mitchell had 23, but Baylor couldn’t pull away after beating the Wildcats by an average of 40 points in their two regular-season meetings. Jared Butler sealed it with two free throws and finished with 18 points.
The Cowboys escaped with a 72-69 win over No. 10 West Virginia. Avery Anderson III hit the go-ahead bucket for the Cowboys with less than a minute to go, and Sean McNeil’s tying 3-pointer came a split-second after the final buzzer. Anderson and Big 12 player of the year Cade Cunningham had 17 points apiece for the fifth-seeded Cowboys, who have won seven of their last eight games.
In other Big 12 tournament action:
— Ochai Agbaji scored a career-high 26 points, Marcus Garrett added 17, and 11th-ranked Kansas held on after blowing most of a 20-point halftime lead to beat No. 25 Oklahoma 69-62.
— Matt Coleman scored 19 points, including the go-ahead free throws with 1.8 seconds left, and No. 13 Texas rallied in the closing minutes to beat No. 20 Texas Tech 67-66.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-BIG EAST TOURNAMENT
Hoyas eliminate Wildcats
NEW YORK (AP) — The top seed is done at the Big East tourney.
Dante Harris capped his 18-point performance by hitting two free throws with 4.7 seconds left to give Georgetown a 72-71 win against Villanova. The foul shots capped a perfect game from the line for the Hoyas, who went 23-for-23 to become the first team to shoot 100% on at least 20 attempts in the tournament.
The free throws ended the Wildcats’ string of three straight Big East tourney titles.
Elsewhere at the Big East tournament:
— With coach Greg McDermott back on the bench after a one-game suspension, No. 17 Creighton cruised into the semifinals with an 87-56 victory against Butler. Damien Jefferson scored 11 points in the first eight minutes and Marcus Zegarowski led the Bluejays with 18.
— Jared Rhoden hit six free throws in overtime to finish with 19 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, leading Seton Hall past St. John’s 77-69.
— UConn won its first Big East tourney game in eight years as Tyrese Martin had 14 points and 10 rebounds in a 94-60 dismantling of DePaul.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-ACC TOURNAMENT
Duke done in by COVID-19 testing
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Duke’s run through the ACC tournament has been ended by the pandemic.
The Blue Devils have pulled out of the event because of a positive coronavirus test and the resulting quarantining and contact tracing. The ACC announced that Duke’s game with Florida State was canceled, allowing the Seminoles to advance. It also puts the Blue Devils’ streak of 24 consecutive NCAA Tournaments is in jeopardy.
In other ACC quarterfinal action:
—Reece Beekman hit a 3-pointer as time expired to help No. 16 Virginia edge eighth-seeded Syracuse 72-69.
— Armando Bacot had 17 points and 13 rebounds while sparking a second-half surge that helped North Carolina beat No. 22 Virginia Tech 81-73.
— Jordan Usher scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half, including a game-clinching dunk as Georgia Tech ended Miami’s tournament run, 70-66.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-SEC TOURNAMENT
Wildcats to miss NCAA tournament
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Kentucky’s men’s basketball season is over.
The Wildcats finish 9-16 by dropping a 74-73 decision to Mississippi St. in the second round of the SEC tourney. Iverson Molinar scored eight of his 21 points in the final 3:07 to erase the Bulldogs’ five-point deficit. Mississippi State made just 3 of 14 from 3-point range until Molinar sank 3s on two straight possessions to retake the lead at 72-71.
Also at the SEC tournament:
— Jarkel Joiner scored 18 points, Romello White had 17, seven rebounds and three blocks, and Mississippi beat South Carolina 76-59.
— Xavier Pinson provided 17 points and Dru Smith made two free throws with 15.2 seconds left to lift Missouri over Georgia, 73-70.
— Tre Mann scored 22 points and Noah Locke added 13 as Florida held off Vanderbilt 69-63.
