THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
College hoops isn’t what it once was, but it’s hard to beat the tournament
Jayson Tatum scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds and made big plays at both ends of the court down the stretch to help No. 14 Duke earn a 75- 69 victory Saturday against No. 22 Notre Dame in the title game of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in New York.
Luke Kennard added 16 points and Amile Jefferson 14 on 7- for- 8 shooting for the Blue Devils ( 26- 8), who became the first team to capture the tournament by winning four games in four days. Duke, which shot 61 percent, has won the event a record 20 times.
Bonzie Colson had 29 points and nine rebounds for the Irish ( 25- 8), who shot only 40 percent.
Villanova 74, Creighton 60
Josh Hart scored 29 points, and the No. 2 Wildcats ( 31- 3) likely locked up the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament by easing past the Bluejays ( 25- 9) in the final of the Big East tournament in New York.
Hart joined Patrick Ewing ( Georgetown) and Peyton Siva ( Louisville) as the only three players to be named the most valuable player of the Big East tournament twice.
Former Stevenson star Jalen Brunson added 17 points and Kris Jenkins 14 for reigning NCAA champion Villanova, which forced 17 turnovers that led to 21 points. Cole Huff and Marcus Foster each scored 13 points to lead Creighton.
Iowa State 80, West Virginia 74
Monte Morris scored 17 points and Deonte Burton 16, and the No. 23 Cyclones ( 23- 10) shot 54 percent to slip past the No. 11 Mountaineers ( 26- 8) in the championship game of the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.
Matt Thomas added 12 points and Darrell Bowie 10 for Iowa State, which improved to 9- 1 in its last 10 games on its way to winning the tournament for the third time in the last four years.
Jevon Carter scored 18 points to pace West Virginia, which lost despite shooting 52 percent.
Kentucky 79, Alabama 74
De’Aaron Fox scored a careerhigh 28 points, including seven in a row late in the game, and Malik Monk added 20 to help the No. 8 Wildcats ( 28- 5) fight off the pesky Crimson Tide ( 19- 14) in the semifinals of the Southeastern Con- ference tournament in Nashville, Tennessee.
SMU 70, Central Florida 59
Sterling Brown scored 22 points and Sami Ojeleye 17, and the No. 12 Mustangs ( 29- 4) notched their 15th consecutive victory by defeating the Knights ( 21- 11) in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference tournament in Hartford, Connecticut.
Cincinnati 81, Connecticut 71
Gary Clark scored 24 points, Jacob Evans 21 and Troy Caupain 19, and the No. 15 Bearcats ( 29- 4) went 38- for- 46 from the line en route to beating the Huskies ( 16- 17) in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference tournament in Hartford, Connecticut.