Buckeyes top archrival Wolverines
Ohio State guard Duane Washington Jr. just wanted a second chance at his home-state team.
On Saturday, the former Michigan prep star made sure it counted.
He scored 24 points, grabbed six rebounds and had four assists, helping the ninth-ranked Buckeyes fend off a frantic finish by the fourth-ranked Wolverines for a 68-67 victory and a trip to the Big Ten Tournament title game.
“This rivalry means a lot to a lot of our guys, a lot of our Ohio guys,” Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann said. “Even guys like E.J. (Liddell), who has seen what it means to our fans. Duane feels that, he knows what this game means to our fans. It’s not football, we understand that. But Duane understands it.”
It sure wasn’t easy. For the third straight day, the Buckeyes nearly blew a double-digit lead in the second half.
Michigan (20-4) scored the final seven points and Mike Smith even had a chance to win it with a long jumper with 2 seconds left. Instead, it bounced off the back of the rim and time expired in a scramble for the ball.
The Buckeyes (21-8) now play No. 3 Illinois on Sunday, seeking their first title since 2013.
Alabama rallies: Herbert Jones scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half and No. 6 Alabama rallied from a 15-point deficit in the final 17 minutes to beat Tennessee 73-68 Saturday in the SEC Tournament semifinals.
Pitino is back in the tournament: Rick Pitino’s vagabond coaching career bathed in scandal and success brought him back to the NCAA Tournament. Asante Gist scored 18 points and Pitino took his fifth school to the tournament with Iona’s 60-51 victory over Fairfield on Saturday in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament championship.
Hartford wins America East: Austin Williams scored 20 points with eight rebounds and three steals, and Hartford earned an automatic bid to its first NCAA Tournament, beating UMass Lowell 64-50 on Saturday in the America East championship.
Fourth-seeded Hartford was in the title game for the second straight season after last year’s contest against Vermont was canceled due to COVID-19. The Hawks upset the second-seeded Catamounts this year in the semifinals to make it the first time in tournament history the title game didn’t include either of the top two seeds.
LSU upsets Arkansas: Cameron Thomas scored 21 points and third-seeded LSU upset eighth-ranked Arkansas 78-71 on Saturday to reach the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship for the first time since 1993.
The Tigers (18-8) will play No. 6 Alabama on Sunday.
Cincy back in AAC title game: Mason Madsen had a team-high 10 points for short-handed Cincinnati, which overcame missing its last three free-throw attempts and held on to beat top-seeded Wichita State 60-59 on Saturday to advance to its fourth consecutive American Athletic Conference Tournament championship game.
Illini head to Big Ten title game: Kofi Cockburn scored 18 of his 26 points in the first half, and No. 3 Illinois beat No. 5 Iowa 82-71 on Saturday to advance to the Big Ten Tournament title game.
The Fighting Illini (22-6) have won six straight, with three coming against top-10 foes. If Illinois wins one more, against No. 9 Ohio State, it would claim its first tourney title since 2005. Ayo Dosunmu scored 18 points for Illinois, and reserve guard Andre Curbelo had 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.