Snider, Louisville deal FSU’s NCAA hopes a serious blow
Top NBA prospect Porter should play for Missouri today.
David Padgett stalked the sideline, shouting instructions to his Louisville players and urging them on relentlessly as they built a 26-point lead in the second half.
Knowing how badly they needed to win, the Cardinals certainly played that way. And it turned out, that huge cushion came in handy.
Quentin Snider scored 19 points, Ray Spalding had 18 and Louisville knocked off Florida State 82-74 on Wednesday in an ACC Tournament game with major NCAA implications.
“I’m sure this significantly helps our resume,” said Padgett, the interim coach who took over when Rick Pitino was fired before the season. “I know if we’re able to come out and get a win (today) against the No. 1 team in the country that I would surely think they’re in.”
Deng Adel added 15 points and eight rebounds for the ninth-seeded Cardinals (20-12), who won for the first time in ACC postseason play and advanced to face topranked Virginia in the first quarterfinal today at Barclays Center in New York.
Trent Forrest and PJ Savoy each had 14 points off the bench to pace No. 8 seed Florida State (20-11), which trailed 64-38 with 11½ minutes remaining.
A furious rally by the Seminoles whittled the margin to eight with 3:26 to play, but Louisville regrouped and hung on behind Snider.
The senior point guard had six assists and five rebounds without committing a turnover in 35 minutes.
“We didn’t panic,” Padgett said. “Our guys did a great job.”
Reserve forward Dwayne Sutton added 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks for Louisville, which reached 20 wins for the 16th straight season. Kansas, Duke and Gonzaga are the only other schools working on at least 15 in a row.
“I just think that we played against a team that was really dialed in, tuned in, and we weren’t quite as sharp as we needed to be,” Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton said. “If we have an opportunity to go to the NCAA Tournament, I’m sure that we’ll play with a lot more sense of urgency to bounce back from what we thought was a poor performance today.”
Boston College 91, N.C. State 87: Jerome Robinson made a pull-up jumper with 17 seconds left to break a tie and then forced a turnover on an inbounds play moments later, and the Eagles upset the Wolfpack (21-11) in the second round of the ACC Tournament.
Robinson scored 26 points and fellow North Carolinian Ky Bowman had 24 for the 12th-seeded Eagles (1914), who will face No. 4 seed Clemson today.
The fifth-seeded Wolfpack (21-11) wiped out a double-digit deficit in the final 10 minutes and tied it five times down the stretch, the last on two free throws by Torin Dorn with 40.7 seconds left to make it 85-all.
Colorado 97, Arizona St. 85: McKinley Wright IV had 20 points and 11 assists, and the Buffaloes (17-14) put a dent in Sun Devils’ NCAA hopes in the first round of the Pac12 Tournament in Las Vegas.
Remy Martin had 20 points to lead Arizona State (20-11), which may have an anxious Selection Sunday.
Stanford 76, California 58: Reid Travis had 19 points and 13 rebounds as the Cardinal (18-14) routed the Bears (8-24) in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament.
Noteworthy
Kansas: Center Udoka Azubuike has been ruled out of the Big 12 Tournament after he sprained his left knee during a scrimmage this week. Azubuike is averaging 13.7 points and 7.1 rebounds this season.
Missouri: Freshman forward Michael Porter Jr., a five-star recruit and potential No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA draft, will return today when the Tigers open the SEC Tournament. Porter has missed all but two minutes of the season after having back surgery in November. He was cleared for all basketball activities last month.
NYU: Coach Joe Nesci is retiring after 30 seasons. He guided the Violets to the NCAA Division III championship game in the 1993-94 season. He finished 512-270.
Obituary: Woody Durham, the retired “Voice of the Tar Heels” who called North Carolina football and basketball games for four decades, died Wednesday. He was 76.