Georgetown upsets Big East top-seeded Villanova

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Georgetown upsets Big East top-seeded Villanova

>> Dante Harris made two free throws with 4.7 seconds left to cap a perfect game from the line for Georgetown, and the Hoyas upset No. 14Villanova 72-71on Thursday to reach the Big East Tournament semifinals.

The eighth-seeded Hoyas (11-12) will play the winner of St. John’s-Seton Hall on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. Georgetown is in the conference semifinals for the first time since 2015.

“We took another step — in my house, by the way. This is my house,” coach Patrick Ewing, the former New York Knicks star, said in a postgame television interview. “It’s a great win. Huge win. We played against the Cadillac, the Bentley, whatever you want to call them, of the Big East — the class of the Big East. And once upon a time that was us. But we took a huge step to be able to knock them off.”

Harris led the way with 18 points and drew a foul on on Jeremiah Robinson-Earl driving to the basket with 4.7seconds left and the Hoyas down one.

Harris rattled in the first and swished the second to make Georgetown 23of 23from the line, the first time a team has shot 100% on at least 20attempts in the Big East Tournament.

With no timeouts left, Caleb Daniels rushed up court and got off a long 3-pointer in traffic for Villanova, but it missed badly. The top-seeded Wildcats (166), playing without injured star Collin Gillespie, had won three straight Big East Tournament titles.

Robinson-Earl led the Wildcats with 26points and Jermaine Samuels added 20.

Qusub Wahab scored 17 points for Georgetown, including a three-point play with 40 seconds left that tied it at 70.

Playing its second game without Gillespie (knee), their senior point guard and co-conference player of the year, the Wildcats started Chris Arcidiacono — whose big brother Ryan led the Wildcats to a national title in 2016— for the first time. Chris Arcidiacano played a post-grad year at Perkiomen School in 2019-20.

The sophomore contributed three points, five rebounds and four assists. Villanova did have guard Justin Moore (left ankle) available after coach Jay Wright said earlier that it might take a miracle for the team’s thirdleading scorer to play in the Big East Tournament.

Temple falls to South Florida in AAC tourney

>> David Collins had a season-high 23 points to lead eighth-seeded South Florida to a 73-71victory over ninth-seeded Temple in the opener of the American Athletic Conference tournament on Thursday.

Jeremiah Williams’ bucket got Temple within two with seven seconds left. South Florida missed a pair of free throws but Temple couldn’t get a final shot off.

Jamir Chaplin had 12points for South Florida (9-12). Michael Durr added 11points and 11 rebounds. The Bulls take on topseeded Wichita State on Friday.

Khalif Battle had 18points and 10rebounds for the Owls (5-11). Brendan Barry added 11 points as did Damian Dunn.

Duke pulls out of ACC Tournament, NCAA tourney streak ends

>> Duke arrived at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament hoping to make an unprecedented run to extend its long NCAA Tournament streak.

Instead, the Blue Devils abruptly had to pull out of the tournament and end its season due to a positive COVID-19test and the resulting quarantining and contact tracing.

The ACC announced that the Blue Devils’ quarterfinal game against No. 15Florida State for Thursday night has been canceled. And athletics director Kevin White said Duke’s season is over, ending the Blue Devils’ streak of 24consecutive NCAA appearances that began in 1996.

In a statement, White said the positive test for someone within the program came after Wednesday’s win against Louisville, the Blue Devils’ second win in as many days in Greensboro. Before this, there had been no positive tests all season for a player or coach, he said.

GOLF

Big finish sends Garcia to big lead at Players Championship >> Sergio Garcia has played TPC Sawgrass enough to know that trouble is lurking around every turn, and the opening round Thursday at The Players Championship provided another example. Just not for him.

A solid start turned into a brilliant one for Garcia, who finished birdie-birdie-eagle for a 7-under 65, staking the Spaniard to a three-shot lead among the early starters.

Garcia, who won the PGA Tour’s premier event in 2008, holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-4seventh, hit a 3-iron to 15feet on the par-3eighth, and closed it out with a 5-wood to 18feet for eagle on his final hole.

The 65matched his best score on the Stadium Course.

Garcia was among only five players from the morning draw who broke 70in what appeared to be ideal conditions, with only a mild breeze and a course in immaculate condition. The trouble came from pin positions that required more precision than usual, and the Sawgrass hazards that make this course as entertaining as any.

“For some reason, it just kind of fits my eye,” said Garcia, who has a pair of runner-up finishes to go with his victory. “I see what I want to do pretty much every hole and then it’s a matter of doing it.”

He did it better than anyone, adding another eagle earlier in his round with an approach to 10 feet on the par-317th.

Corey Conners, a contender last week at Bay Hill, and Matt Fitzpatrick each had a 68, while Bay Hill runner-up Lee Westwood and Tom Hoge were another shot behind.

Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth were among those playing in the afternoon.