BC bounces Providence in NIT opener
Claudell Harris Jr. scored 17 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 52.1 seconds left, and Boston College knocked off Providence College, 62-57, at Providence Tuesday night in the men’s NIT.
Harris shot 6 for 15 (3 for 4 from 3point range) and 2 of 4 from the free-throw line for the Eagles (20-15). Devin McGlockton added 15 points, shooting 6 for 12, including 1 for 3 from beyond the arc. Quinten Post shot 5 of 10 from the field to finish with 12 points.
Jayden Pierre led the Friars (21-14) in scoring, finishing with 21 points. Providence also got 12 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals from Josh Oduro. Rafael Castro finished with 8 points.
Boston College went into halftime leading, 31-30.
McGlockton scored 11 points in the half. Harris scored a team-high 9 points in the second half.
Wagner wins first First Four
Wagner kicked off March Madness with the first NCAA Tournament win in program history, getting 21 points from Melvin Council Jr. and holding off a late rally by Howard to win, 71-68, in the First Four at Dayton, Ohio.
The Northeast Conference champion Seahawks (17-15) advanced as the No. 16 seed in the West Region and will play top seed North Carolina on Thursday in Charlotte, N.C.
Howard trailed by 17 points early in the second half but went on a late 14-2 run, closing within 69-68 on Bryce Harris’s layup with 18 seconds left. After Julian Brown hit a pair of free throws for Wagner, Howard attempted three 3-pointers in the last six seconds but missed them all.
Brown finished with 15 points for the Seahawks, who made their only previous NCAA Tournament appearance in 2003.
Colorado State advances
Joel Scott had 23 points and 11 rebounds as Colorado State won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in 11 years, blowing out Virginia, 67-42, in the First Four’s second game at Dayton, Ohio.
Nique Clifford scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Rams (25-10), who advance as a No. 10 seed to play seventh-seeded Texas in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday.
Reece Beekman had 15 points on 4-of16 shooting for Virginia, which hasn't won an NCAA Tournament game since it won the national title in 2019. That stretch includes two first-round losses as a No. 4 seed.
The Cavaliers' ugly performance ignited more debate about whether they should have made the tournament field. Although Virginia finished third in the Atlantic Coast Conference, it had just two Quad 1 wins and struggled offensively all season.
Kansas guard McCullar out
Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. has been ruled out of the NCAA Tournament because of a bone bruise on his knee that caused him to miss six of the past 12 games, including the Jayhawks' one-anddone ouster in the Big 12 Tournament.