The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
No. 2 Virginia tops Louisville, clinches No. 1 seed in ACC
Ty Jerome scored 24 points, including the go-ahead free throw with 5:34 remaining, and No. 2 Virginia held off Louisville 73-68 on Saturday to clinch the top seed in next week’s Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
Kyle Guy added 13 points and Jay Huff also made huge contributions at both ends as host Virginia (28-2, 16-2) won its eighth in a row.
The Cavaliers will head to Charlotte, North Carolina, as the top seed and with a double-bye for the fourth time in the past six years. No. 3 North Carolina had a chance to tie for the top spot when it faced No. 4 Duke later Saturday, but the Cavaliers hold the tiebreaker by virtue of their 69-61 victory at UNC on Feb. 11.
Jordan Nwora scored 19 and Malik Williams 12 for the Cardinals (19-12, 10-8), who lost their ninth in a row in the series and for the sixth time in the last eight games under first-year coach Chris Mack. The Cardinals missed nine of their last 11 shots.
Louisville used a 20-4 run spanning the half to open a 47-40 lead early in the second half, quieting the sellout crowd at John Paul Jones Arena until Virginia immediately scored seven straight to tie it. The game was tied at 49 when Louisville scored six in a row to go back ahead, and the lead flip-flopped until Jerome followed a three-point play by Christen Cunningham by making a pair of free throws.
That put Virginia ahead 63-62, and when Louisville turned the ball over on its next possession, Jerome found Huff free at the top of the key for his second 3-pointer. Huff also had two steals and a block during the rally, and Guy and Braxton Key hit 3-pointers.
(At) Auburn 84, No. 5 Tennessee 80: Jared Harper made four straight free throws over the final 31 seconds and two late 3-pointers to help Auburn clinch a victory over No. 5 Tennessee in the regular-season finale.
The Tigers (22-9, 11-7 SEC) collected their fourth straight win and biggest of the season in a packed Auburn Arena. It was Auburn’s first win over a Top 5 team since beating Arkansas in 1995.
“Everybody in the country recognizes that Tennessee is a Final Four team,” said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, a former Tennessee head man. “Everybody in the country now recognizes that Auburn is capable of beating and, in fact, did beat a Final Four team.”
The Volunteers (27-4, 15-3) could have clinched at least a share of the SEC regular-season title with a win but now needed No. 10 LSU to lose to Vanderbilt. They have never won back-to-back league crowns.
(At) No. 6 Kentucky 66, Florida 57: Tyler Herro scored 16 points and led a big second-half run that helped No. 6 Kentucky overcome Florida.
The Wildcats (26-5, 15-3 SEC) went back and forth with the Gators (17-14, 9-9) early in the second half and trailed 40-39 with 13:46 remaining.
Herro had six points during a 15-2 spree, hitting a couple of shots in the lane and adding two free throws, to give Kentucky a 54-42 advantage. The Wildcats capped the seven-minute burst by scoring 10 straight points.
PJ Washington added 15 points as Kentucky handed Florida its third consecutive loss. The victory earned the Wildcats a share of second place with Tennessee in the SEC, pending LSU’s later game.
No. 11 Purdue 70, (at) Northwestern 57: Carsen Edwards scored 21 points and No. 11 Purdue clinched a share of the Big Ten regular-season championship with a victory over Northwestern.
The Boilermakers (23-8, 16-4) secured the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament in Chicago and a share of their second regular-season title in three years. They came in tied with Michigan State and Michigan, who played each other on Saturday night.
Northwestern’s Vic Law scored 13 before getting carried off the court with an apparent leg injury in the second half. A.J. Turner scored 14 for the last-place Wildcats (13-18, 4-16).
(At) No. 13 Kansas 78, Baylor 70: Dedric Lawson scored 23 points, including 11 of 12 from the free-throw line, to help No. 13 Kansas beat Baylor and stay undefeated at home.
Yet on senior night in Allen Fieldhouse, a trio of Kansas freshmen impressed. Devon Dotson, David McCormack and Quentin Grimes had 15, 12 and nine points, respectively. Kansas (23-8, 12-6 Big 12) fielded no seniors for the first time since 2007.
Jared Butler led the way for Baylor (19-12, 10-8 Big 12), scoring a career-high 31 points in 36 minutes.
No. 14 Florida State 65, (at) Wake Forest 57: No. 14 Florida State reeled off 18 straight points in the second half to rally past Wake Forest in an ACC regular-season finale.
The Seminoles, who won for the 12th time in 13 games, trailed for all but a few seconds of the first 30 minutes before their surge.
Trent Forrest scored 11 points and Christ Kournadje grabbed 10 rebounds for the Seminoles (25-6, 13-5 ACC), who finished fourth in the conference.
Brandon Childress scored 13 to lead the Demon Deacons (11-19, 4-14), who squandered a double-digit lead at home against a ranked team for the second straight game.
Georgetown 86, (at) No. 16 Marquette 84: James Akinjo scored 25 points, Mac McClung added 23, and Georgetown beat No. 16 Marquette, the Golden Eagles’ fourth straight loss to close the regular season.
Jamorko Pickett and Jessie Govan each added 10 points for the Hoyas (18-13, 9-9 Big East).
Markus Howard led Marquette (23-8, 12-6) with 28 points, and Joey Hauser added 16. The Golden Eagles missed a chance to tie Villanova for the conference title. The Wildcats lost to Seton Hall.
No. 22 Wofford 99, VMI 72: Nathan Hoover led a balanced scoring attack with 17 points, and Wofford extended its school-record winning streak to 18 games with a victory over VMI in the quarterfinals of the Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville, N.C.
Chevez Goodwin was one of six Wofford players in double digits in scoring, finishing with 14 points and five rebounds.
Fletcher Magee, the Southern Conference Player of the Year, was limited to 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting. He made two 3-pointers, moving to within 13 of breaking the NCAA Division I record of 504 career 3s held by Travis Bader of Oakland.
(At) Seton Hall 79, No. 23 Villanova 75: A couple of stunning wins may have put Seton Hall back in the NCAA Tournament, and the last one forced No. 23 Villanova to wait a couple of hours to win the Big East Conference regular-season title.
Myles Powell scored 20 points, Myles Cale added 19 and Seton Hall upset the defending national champions, three days after knocking off No. 16 Marquette.
Seton Hall (18-12, 9-9), picked to finish eighth in the 10-team conference in the preseason poll, has exceeded all expectations playing with lone senior Michael Nzei.
Villanova (22-9, 13-5) came in needing a win to clinch its fifth outright title in six years. Despite the loss, the Wildcats won the crown and the No. 1 seed in next week’s tournament when Georgetown beat No. 16 Marquette.