Providence upsets Xavier in overtime
NEW YORK — Alpha Diallo hit a go-ahead jumper with 2:22 left in overtime and fifthseeded Providence rallied from a 17-point second-half deficit and stunned top-seeded and No. 3 Xavier 75-72 in the semifinals of the Big East tournament on Friday night.
Kyron Cartwright hit a clutch jumper with 55 seconds to go and took an offensive foul on a layup attempt by J.P. Macura with eight seconds to play as the Friars (21-12) beat the Musketeers (28-5) for the second time in three games this season.
Providence advanced to the title game against No. 2 Villanova. Saturday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn in a rematch of the 2016 ACC championship, won by North Carolina.
Kyle Washington scored 15 points and Gary Clark added 12 points and 11 rebounds to help Cincinnati (28-4) beat SMU (18-16) in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference tournament in Orlando, Florida. The Bearcats rallied from a six-point second-half deficit to move on to the semifinals against Memphis.
Deandre Ayton scored seven of his 32 points in overtime and grabbed 14 rebounds, lifting Arizona (26-7) over UCLA (21-11) in the Pac-12 tournament semifinals in Las Vegas. UCLA’s Jaylen Hands tied it at 67 on a drive with 8 seconds left in regulation and teammate Aaron Holiday’s runner at the buzzer was off the mark after an Arizona turnover. The Wildcats get a chance to defend their tournament title against the Oregon-Southern California winner on Saturday.
Collin Sexton scored 31 points and Alabama (1914) used a strong second half to defeat Auburn (25-7) in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament. The Crimson Tide trailed 41-31 at halftime but started the second half on a 28-3 run. The stretch was keyed by three consecutive threes by Sexton, who scored 21 second-half points. Alabama will play Kentucky in a semifinal.
Ohio Wesleyan senior guard Nate Axelrod, a Dublin Coffman graduate, will be presented the Jostens Award as the finest NCAA Division III player and student in the nation next Thursday in Salem, Virginia. There were 10 finalists for the award, which is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Salem. Axelrod was voted North Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year for an unprecedented third straight season. As a senior, Axelrod averaged 19.2 points and 6.8 assists in becoming the first player to lead the conference in scoring and assists. He was second in free throw percentage (.857) and ninth in steals (1.2).