BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Jacy Sheldon had 23 points, eight assists and three steals, and sixth seed Ohio State defeated No. 3 seed LSU 79-64 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Taylor Mikesell scored 18 and Rebeka Mikulasikova had 12 points for the Buckeyes, who responded to a large, loud hostile crowd in the Tigers’ home stadium by seizing momentum in the opening quarter and putting LSU in the deepest deficit it had face all season at 24 points late in the third quarter. Khayla Pointer scored 32 points for LSU. The Buckeys move on to face Texas in the Spokane Region semifinals on Friday.
UNDATED (AP) — Kevin Willard is taking over as Maryland’s basketball coach after a dozen seasons at Seton Hall. The Terrapins announced the hire three days after Seton Hall’s season ended with a loss to TCU in the NCAA Tournament. Willard took the Pirates to the NCAA Tournament five times. Maryland has been in the market for a new coach since Mark Turgeon’s departure in early December. Assistant Danny Manning took over as interim coach and the Terrapins went 15-17 for their first losing season since 1993.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Naz Hillmon had 27 points, 11 rebounds and five steals to help third-seeded Michigan pull away and beat No. 11 Villanova 64-49 in the second round of the women’s NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines earned a second straight trip to the Sweet 16 and will face 10th-seeded South Dakota on Saturday in the Wichita Region. Michigan took control with a 10-0 run over the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth. Leigha Brown had 20 points for the Wolverines. The Wildcats led by three points after the opening quarter, but they simply could not stop Hillmon.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst says he never personally spoke with Caleb Williams when the former Oklahoma quarterback was considering potential transfer destinations before choosing Southern California. Chryst added that he did keep incumbent quarterback Graham Mertz informed about the situation as Williams was making his decision. Wisconsin was linked as a possible landing spot for Williams thanks in part to his relationship with new Badgers offensive coordinator Bobby Engram Williams and Engram’s son, Wisconsin receiver Dean Engram, were teammates at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska freshman Bryce McGowenshas announced he’s declaring for the NBA draft and will sign with an agent. The Associated Press Big Ten newcomer of the year averaged a team-high 16.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game as the highest-ranked recruit in program history. McGowens had 11 games with at least 20 points, including a season-high 29 against both Sam Houston State and Rutgers. He played his best down the stretch, averaging 19.8 points over 12 games. He’s been projected to be a late first-round or second-round pick.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois hired Shauna Green is its coach, hoping she can lift a struggling program following a winning tenure at Dayton. Green was chosen Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year three times while leading Dayton to five conference regular-season championships and a 127-50 record over six years. The Flyers went 26-6 this season, finishing first in the league in the regular season and beating DePaul in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Georgia. She replaces the retired Nancy Fahey. The Illini went 7-20 this season and were 42-99 overall in Fahey’s five years.
