UNDATED (AP) — Conference basketball tournaments continue as teams try to earn automatic berths in the NCAA tourney.
The only ranked team in action on Wednesday was No. 25 Oklahoma, which held off Iowa State, 79-73 in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament.
Austin Reaves scored 11 of his 21 points in the closing minutes, helping the Sooners answer the Cyclones’ late run.
De’Vion Harmon added 18 points and Elijah Harkless had 12 for Oklahoma, which had a 19-point lead cut to 75-71 in the closing seconds.
Also in the Big 12, Nijel Pack hit five 3-pointers and scored 23 points and ninth-seeded Kansas State used a pair of big runs to beat eighth-seeded TCU 71-50 in the first round.
Over in the Big Ten, Jamari Wheeler scored a career-high 19 points, and No. 11 seed Penn State pulled away inside the last four minutes to beat No. 14 seed Nebraska 72-66.
Also in the Big Ten, Tre Williams scored 14 points and Jamal Mashburn Jr. 11 and Minnesota snapped a seven-game skid with a 51-46 win over Northwestern
In the ACC, Buddy Boeheim hit six of Syracuse’s 14 3-pointers and finished with 27 points as the Orange beat North Carolina State, 89-68 in the second round.
In other ACC action:
— Big men Armando Bacot and freshmen Day’Ron Sharpe and Walker Kessler each had a double-double and North Carolina dominated inside in its 101-59 win over Notre Dame.
— Isaiah Wong scored 20 points for the second straight game and Miami became the first No. 13 seed to ever reach the quarterfinals in the ACC tournament, upsetting No. 5 Clemson 67-64.
— Freshman Mark Williams set season highs with 23 points and 19 rebounds for his second double-double to lead 10th seed Duke to a 70-56 win against Louisville, putting the Blue Devils in the ACC quarters.
In Big East Action, Qudus Wahab had 19 points and seven rebounds and Georgetown limited Marquette to 14 first-half points in posting a 68-49 victory in the opening game of the tournament.
In other Big East battles:
Javon Freeman-Liberty and Charlie Moore each scored 21 points as DePaul surprised Providence 70-62.
— Chuck Harris was clutch for Butler, drilling a straightaway 3-pointer and then sinking the game-winning free throws with three seconds left in overtime as the tenth-seeded Bulldogs ousted Xavier 70-69.
