No. 1 Kansas suffers early Big 12 knockout
Desmond Bane had 16 points, making three free throws with 2.5 seconds left, to help Texas Christian stun top-ranked Kansas, 85-82, in the Big 12 quarterfinals Thursday at Kansas City, Mo.
The eighth-seeded Horned Frogs (19-14) blew an 11-point halftime lead, and still trailed 80-76 with just over a minute remaining. But a parade of free throws knotted the score, and Alex Robinson’s driving layup gave TCU the lead back with 31 seconds left
Frank Mason answered with a pair of free throws for Kansas (28-4), but the Horned Frogs got the ball to Bane in the corner and he was fouled by Svi Mykhailiuk while putting up a shot.
He calmly drained all of them, and Devonte Graham’s long three-point try at the buzzer bounced harmlessly off the rim as the Horned Frogs leaped off their benched to celebrate the upset of the No. 1 seed.
They’ll play No. 23 Iowa State, which topped Oklahoma State earlier, in Friday’s semifinals.
Michigan 75, Illinois 55: Flying into town on the Detroit Pistons’ team jet only a few hours before tipoff because Michigan’s original plane slid off a runway and slammed through a fence during an aborted takeoff a day earlier, the Wolverines (21-11) raced to an early double-digit lead and won the first-round Big Ten tournament game in Washington. Michigan wore practice jerseys in place of its missing game uniforms.
“It was something our kids will always remember, but I want them to always remember how they responded,” Michigan Coach John Beilein said. “Because this is really important. This is the way life goes sometimes, and you’ve got to respond positively to whatever comes your way. And, boy, did they.”
No. 2 Villanova 108, St. John’s 67: Donte DiVincenzo had 25 points, making seven of eight shots, Kris Jenkins added 24 and the Wilcats cruised in the Big East quarterfinals at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The Wildcats (29-3) set team tournament records for points and margin of victory. They will face Seton Hall in the semifinals Friday.
DiVincenzo, a redshirt freshman who made five of six three-point attempts, surpassed his previous career high of 20 points, also set against St. John’s (14-19).
No. 6 North Carolina 78, Miami 53: Isaiah Hicks scored 19 points and the topseeded Tar Heels (27-6) advanced to face Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference semifinals at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Bruce Brown had 21 points and seven rebounds for the Hurricanes (21-11), who were held to 36% shooting.
No. 14 Duke 81, No. 10 Louisville 77: Jayson Tatum scored 25 points and Grayson Allen provided an emotional lift for the Blue Devils (25-8) during a second-half comeback in an ACC quarterfinal. Deng Adel scored 21 points for Louisville (24-8).
Kansas State 70, No. 9 Baylor 64: The Wildcats (2012) shot 52% in the Big 12 upset over the Bears (25-7).
Xavier 62, No. 18 Butler 57: Trevon Bluiett scored 23 points, including a tough foul line jumper that broke the game’s final tie with 16 seconds left, and the Musketeers (21-12) won the Big East quarterfinal matchup.