Hot K- State leavesWake in itswake
Wesley Iwundu scored 24 points, Kamau Stokes tallied 19 of his 22 in the second half and Kansas State shot 66 percent on its way to a 95- 88 victory Tuesday against Wake Forest in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio.
The 11th- seeded Wildcats ( 21- 13) notched their first NCAA tournament victory in five years and earned the right to play sixth- seeded Cincinnati on Friday in the first round of the South Regional in Sacramento, California.
In a matchup between two teams with versatile offenses, Kansas State had more options and hot shooters. D. J. Johnson added 18 points and Barry Brown 14 for the Wildcats, who made only six threepointers but were 25- for- 31 ( 81 percent) on two- pointers.
John Collins had 26 points and nine rebounds and Bryant Crawford 20 points and 10 assists for the Demon Deacons ( 19- 14), who were making their first NCAA tournament appearance in seven years.
Diminutive point guard Junior Robinson scored 23 points, including the go- ahead jumper with 1: 27 left, and Mount St. Mary’s held on for a 67- 66 victory against New Orleans in the First Four.
Robinson, the shortest player in Division I at 5- 5, carried the 16thseededMountaineers ( 20- 15) to only their second NCAA tournament victory. They’ll head to Buffalo, New York, to play defending national champion and top- seeded Villanova on Thursday in the East Regional.
Mount St. Mary’s led most of the way, but the Privateers ( 20- 12) pulled off a comeback befitting their resurgent season. New Orleans had a chance for a final shot, but Erik Thomas’ inbounds pass with 2.6 seconds left was stolen by the Mountaineers’ ChrisWray.
Illinois wins NIT opener
Malcolm Hill scored 25 points, Leron Black added 13 points and 12 rebounds and Jamall Walker earned a victory in his debut as Illinois’ interim coach in an 82- 57 romp against Valparaiso in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament in Champaign.
Hill became the fourth player in school history to reach 1,800 career points for the Illini ( 19- 14), who fired coach John Groce on Saturday and promoted Walker to interim coach. He had been an assistant on Groce’s staff for five years.
Tevonn Walker scored 25 points for the Crusaders ( 24- 9), who played without injured Horizon League player of the year Alec Peters ( lower right leg). Peters is Valparaiso’s all- time leading scorer and rebounder.
Illini firewomen’s coach
Matt Bollant, who had one winning season in five years and was sued two years ago for allegedly abusing players, was fired as the women’s basketball coach at Illinois. Athletic director Josh Whitman made the announcement three days after he fired men’s coach John Groce.
Bollant was 61- 94 overall and 22- 62 in Big Ten play, but his time with the Illini was marked by complaints of racial tension. Seven former players filed suit in 2015, accusing Bollant and ex- assistant Mike Divilbiss of creating a racially abusive environment. Bollant denied wrongdoing, and Divilbiss quit.
A university report said the claims were unfounded, but the school last year paid $ 375,000 to be divided among the players.
C. Michigan star going pro
Multiple outlets reported Central Michigan star Marcus Keene, who led the country in scoring this season, will enter the NBA draft. The schoolmade no announcement.
Keene, a 5- 9 point guard, averaged 30 points as a redshirt junior. It was the highest scoring average by a Division I player in 20 years.