No. 12 Seton Hall placed on 3 years’ probation by NCAA

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. >> The NCAA placed the men’s basketball program at Seton Hall on probation for three years, taken away a scholarship for the 2020-21 academic year and limited recruiting in each of the next two seasons as part of a negotiated resolution of a transfer tampering case started in 2016.

Under terms of the agreement announced Friday, Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard was given a two-game suspension he has already served, and his former assistant and current St. Peter’s University head coach Shaheen Halloway received a four-game suspension that has two games remaining.

Seton Hall, which is currently ranked No. 12 and dropped a 76-73 decision to No. 3 Michigan State Thursday night, remains eligible for the NCAA Tournament.

The NCAA also announced Friday Seton Hall has been fined $5,000 plus 1% of the men’s basketball budget and had its scholarships reduced to a maximum of 12 in 2020-21. Willard will have to attend an NCAA rules seminar in 2020 and the program will have a two-week ban on recruiting communication this academic year and next.

The case centers around current Seton Hall forward Taurean Thompson, who transferred from Syracuse to Seton Hall in August 2017.

(2) DUKE 74, GEORGIA STATE 63 >> Tre Jones scored a careerhigh 31 points and Duke (40) pulled away to beat pesky Georgia State (1-2).

(21) XAVIER 59, MISSOURI STATE 56 >> Paul Scruggs scored 14 points and made a layup with 11.6 seconds left, helping Xavier (4-0) hold off Missouri State (2-2).

(22) AUBURN 116, CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE 70 >> Samir Doughty scored a career-high

33 points and J’Von McCormick had a school-record 16 assists as Auburn (4-0) beat Cal State Northridge (0-4).