Williamson helps Duke survive UNC
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Zion Williamson made the difference for No. 5 Duke in its third matchup with No. 3 North Carolina.
Williamson tipped in his own miss to put the Blue Devils ahead for good, and Duke survived a final-play shot to beat the Tar Heels 74-73 on Friday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference semifinals.
The 6-foot-7, 285-pound freshman — who barely played in one regular-season loss to UNC and not at all in the second — finished with 31 points and 11 rebounds for the Blue Devils (28-5).
“He put on his Superman jersey,” UNC Coach Roy Williams said.
That last tip-in helped Duke survive a classic that went down to the final play.
After freshman RJ Barrett missed two free throws with 12.4 seconds left, UNC pushed downcourt for a final possession. Coby White launched a contested long jumper against Tre Jones, but the ball bounced out as Nassir Little crashed the glass for a tip attempt as the horn sounded.
That sent Duke’s bench into celebration and leaving a disappointed White crouching at midcourt in an arena filled with a buzzing instate crowd.
Cameron Johnson had 23 points for the Tar Heels (27-6), but he also missed a stepback three-pointer for the lead that set up Barrett’s missed free throws.
North Carolina led by 13 in the first half and 71-67 with less than three minutes left but couldn’t hold on. The Tar Heels also went ahead 73-72 on Little’s dunk with 48 seconds left, only to see Williamson respond by tipping in his own miss in the paint to go back in front.
The Tar Heels shot just 40 percent, including 4 of 27 from three-point range, against Duke’s aggressive defense.
Barrett finished with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in a matchup of two heavyweights contending for top seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
NO. 12 FLORIDA STATE 69, NO. 2 VIRGINIA 59
David Nichols scored 14 points and No. 12 Florida State knocked off No. 2 Virginia to advance to the championship game.
Florida State broke open the game midway through the second half with a 13-1 run led by Nichols, a graduate transfer who scored on a drive, a low post move, and a turnaround jumper during the stretch. While Nichols was heating up, the Cavaliers couldn’t score, going nearly 6½ minutes without a field goal.
De’Andre Hunter had 13 points for Virginia (29-3), which had its nine-game winning streak snapped and suffered its first loss to a team other than Duke. BIG 12
IOWA STATE 63,
NO. 15 KANSAS STATE 59
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Marial Shayok hit back-to-back three-pointers right in front of his own bench to give Iowa State the lead in the final minute, and the fifth-seeded Cyclones held on at the foul line to beat No. 15 Kansas State.
The Cyclones (22-11) trailed 5552 when Shayok’s first three-pointer bounced off the rim, then off the glass and dropped through. Then, after the Wildcats’ Cartier Diarra missed a three at the other end, the Cyclones’ senior guard dropped a three that gave his team the lead.
NO. 17 KANSAS 88, WEST VIRGINIA 74
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Dedric Lawson poured in 24 points, Quentin Grimes added 18 before leaving late with cramps and No. 17 Kansas roared away from West Virginia.
Devon Dotson added 13 points and Marcus Garrett had 11 for the No. 3 seed and reigning champion Jayhawks (25-8). They advanced to play No. 5 seed Iowa State for the conference title tonight.
BIG TEN
NO. 10 MICHIGAN 74, IOWA 53
CHICAGO — Zavier Simpson sparked Michigan’s balanced attack with 10 points on perfect shooting and 11 assists, and the No. 10 Wolverines picked apart Iowa.
Michigan made 10 three-pointers and placed five players in double figures, bouncing back nicely from Saturday’s disappointing loss to rival Michigan State. Ignas Brazdeikis had 15 points, and Jon Teske had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
NO. 19 WISCONSIN 66, NEBRASKA 62
Nate Reuvers and Khalil Iverson each scored 14 points, D’Mitrik Trice hit a three-pointer with 58 seconds left and Wisconsin beat pesky Nebraska to advance.
The Badgers (23-9) won for the sixth time in seven games despite a shaky performance by Ethan Happ. The 6-foot-10 forward had a season-low 4 points and committed 7 of the team’s 17 turnovers.
NO. 6 MICHIGAN STATE 77, OHIO STATE 70
Cassius Winston scored 18 points, Foster Loyer provided a lift off the bench with a career-high 14 points and No. 6 Michigan State gave Hall of Fame Coach Tom Izzo his 600th career victory, beating Ohio State.
Seeking a sixth conference tournament title, the Spartans (26-6) pulled away in the second half for their third victory over the Buckeyes (19-14) this season. They will face No. 19 Wisconsin in the semifinals today.
MINNESOTA 75, NO. 13 PURDUE 73
Jordan Murphy scored 27 points, Amir Coffey added 21 points and Minnesota beat No. 13 Purdue.
Murphy drove for a go-ahead threepoint play and hit two free throws in the closing minutes, and the Gophers (21-12) beat the Boilermakers (23-9) for the second time in 10 days when Carsen Edwards missed a three as time expired.
Murphy finished three points shy of his season high. He also had eight rebounds. Edwards, the Big Ten’s leading scorer, finished with 11 points on 4-of17 shooting.
BIG EAST
NO. 25 VILLANOVA 71, XAVIER 67, OT
NEW YORK — Phil Booth scored 28 points, Jermaine Samuels hit a trio of critical three-pointers and No. 25 Villanova rallied past Xavier in overtime to reach its fifth consecutive championship game.
Top-seeded Villanova is trying to become the first school in the 40-year history of the Big East to win three consecutive tournament titles.
Villanova (24-9) erased a seven-point deficit in the last 3 minutes of regulation. Booth and fellow senior star Eric Paschall each scored five points in the extra period as the defending national champions held off a determined Xavier squad.
SETON HALL 81, NO. 23 MARQUETTE 79
Myles Powell sparked Seton Hall with 18 second-half points and Big East player of the year Markus Howard of Marquette came up short on a potential winning three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Pirates a chippy and foul-filled victory.
The expected showdown between Howard and Powell, the top two scorers in the conference, never fully materialized.
AMERICAN ATHLETIC
WICHITA STATE 80, TEMPLE 74
MEMPHIS — Markis McDuffie had a career-high 34 points plus 12 rebounds as Wichita State toppled Temple. McDuffie hit 12 of 13 foul shots. Dexter Dennis had 19 points and 11 rebounds for Wichita State (19-13).
Shizz Alston Jr. had 20 points for the Owls (23-9). Quinton Rose added 17 points and six rebounds. Ernest Aflakpui had 16 points and 19 rebounds.
NO. 11 HOUSTON 84, CONNECTICUT 45
MEMPHIS — Corey Davis Jr. scored 22 points and Houston routed Connecticut in the conference quarterfinals.
Galen Robinson Jr. had 16 points, missing only one of his eight shots, and Nate Hinton added 15 points.
The top-seeded Cougars (30-2) will face Memphis in the semifinals.
MEMPHIS 79, CENTRAL FLORIDA 55
Isaiah Maurice had a career-high 21 points as Memphis romped past Central Florida.
Kyvon Davenport had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Memphis (21-12). Jeremiah Martin added 13 points. Kareem Brewton Jr. had seven rebounds for the Tigers.
NO. 24 CINCINNATI 82, SMU 74
Jarron Cumberland had two late three-point plays and finished with 26 points to help No. 24 Cincinnati beat SMU.
Justin Jenifer and Tre Scott added 17 points, with Jenifer making all six shots — five from three-point range — for the second-seeded Bearcats. Scott also had 12 rebounds. PACIFIC-12
WASHINGTON 66, COLORADO 61
LAS VEGAS — Jaylen Nowell and Nahziah Carter scored 14 points each, and Washington held off a late Colorado rally for a victory.
The top-seeded Huskies led by 14 before the Buffaloes cut the lead to 60-56 with 1:01 left. McKinley Wright hit a three-pointer with 17 seconds left to cut Washington’s lead to three, but the Buffaloes let David Crisp get behind them for a breakaway layup to seal it.