Friars upset Wildcats via late tip-in
David Duke made a tiebreaking tip-in with 2.8 seconds left on Saturday and Providence held on after blowing a 20-point lead to beat No. 10 Villanova 54-52.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had an open look at a 3-pointer after a long inbounds pass, but the shot hit the front of the rim, and the buzzer sounded before Jermaine Samuels tipped it in.
Already without point guard Collin Gillespie, who tore his MCL on Wednesday, the Big East champion Wildcats lost backup Justin Moore to an ankle injury in the first half.
Duke and Nate Watson scored 20 points apiece, and Noah Horchler had 10 points and 13 rebounds for Providence (13-12, 9-10 Big East). The Friars have won five of their last seven games against ranked teams.
Wildcats in trouble: Arizona has released the Notice of Allegations it received from the NCAA last fall, which includes five Level I violations.
The school released the notice Friday after a judge this week ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by ESPN.
The charges include a lack of institutional control by the men’s basketball and swimming programs, and unethical behavior by assistant basketball coach Emanuel Richardson for accepting $20,000 in bribes.
Purdue continues dominance over Indiana:
Zach Edey scored 20 points and Jaden Ivey added 17 as No. 23 Purdue beat Indiana 67-58 Saturday for its ninth straight win in the in-state rivalry, the Boilermakers’ best run in the series since John Wooden played for them.
The Boilermakers beat Indiana nine in a row from 1929-35 boosted by Wooden, a star player who went on to coaching fame. Purdue beat the Hoosiers a school-record 12 straight from 1908-14.
Irish upset Seminoles: Prentiss Hubb scored 22 points, Dane Goodwin had 15 and Notre Dame beat No. 11 Florida State 83-73 on Saturday.
The Seminoles s (15-5, 11-4) squandered a chance for a second straight Atlantic Coast Conference title, losing out on the title when No. 21 Virginia beat Louisville later Saturday to win the regular-season championship.
Alabama bounces back: Herbert Jones had two baskets in a 9-0 run to open the second half that gave No. 8 Alabama the lead, and the SEC champion Crimson Tide beat Georgia 89-79 on Saturday.
Jahvon Quinerly led five Alabama scorers in double figures with 18 points. John Petty Jr. had 15 and Jaden Shackelford finished with 14.
Alabama (21-6, 16-2) matched its school record for Southeastern Conference wins in the 1986-87 season. The Crimson Tide will take a three-game winning streak into next week’s SEC Tournament in Tennessee.
No Cunningham, no problem: Minus star freshman Cade Cunningham, No. 17 Oklahoma State still found some momentum going into the postseason.
Sophomore Avery Anderson III scored a career-high 31 points and the Cowboys, with Cunningham sitting out the regular-season finale because of a sprained ankle, beat No. 6 West Virginia 85-80 on Saturday.
Welcome back, Ayo: Ayo Dosunmu returned after missing three games with a concussion and facial injuries to score 19 points, and No. 4 Illinois rallied to beat No. 7 Ohio State 73-68.
Virginia captures ACC title: Sam Hauser scored 24 points, Trey Murphy III added 17 and No. 21 Virginia beat Louisville 68-58 on Saturday to win the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title.
Lee Westwood made a pair of 30-foot putts over the final three holes Saturday, one for eagle and the other a closing birdie, for a 7-under 65 that gave England’s ageless wonder a one-shot lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Westwood turns 48 next month and is feeling younger by the years, coming off a third European Tour title and still easily among the top 50 in the world.
Now he goes up against U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, whose 68 included a birdie on the par-5 sixth hole in which he cut off so much of the water he had only 70 yards for his second shot on the 531-yard hole.
Jennifer Kupcho made a 12-foot eagle putt on the final hole to cut Austin Ernst’s lead to a stroke Saturday in the LPGA Tour’s Drive On Championship. Kupcho shot a 2-under 70 at Golden Ocala, setting up the eagle with a fairway wood that just cleared the rocks and water fronting the green on the par-5 18th Ernst parred the last six holes in a 69. The two-time LPGA Tour winner was at 13-under 203.
NBA: The NBA is expecting arenas to be filled again next season and a return to its normal calendar, Commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday, while cautioning again that every plan is contingent on continued progress in the ongoing fight against the coronavirus. There are no plans for the league to travel overseas next season for exhibitions or regular-season games, Silver said, meaning recent preseason trips to foreign markets such as China, Japan or India won’t be repeated until 2022 at the earliest. But otherwise, things may largely appear back to normal — with the NBA eyeing a return to the 82-game schedule, starting in October and ending in June.
NHL: Mathew Barzal and Scott Mayfield each had a goal and an assist and the Islanders beat the Sabres 5-2 on Saturday for their fourth straight victory.