Providence’s big rally topples No. 3 Xavier

NEW YORK — Alpha Diallo hit a go-ahead jumper with 2:22 left in overtime, and Providence rallied from a 17-point secondhalf deficit and stunned topseeded and No. 3 Xavier 75-72 in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament on Friday night.

Kyron Cartwright hit a clutch jumper with 55 seconds to go and took an offensive foul on a layup bid by J.P. Macura with eight seconds to play as the fifthseeded Friars (21-12) beat the Musketeers (28-5) for the second time in three games this season.

• Mikal Bridges had 18 points and second-ranked Villanova scored the first 19 points and cruised to its fourth straight trip to the tournament final with an 87-68 win over Butler.

Kyle Guy scored 15 points, and No. 1 Virginia advanced to the Atlantic Coast Conference title game with a 64-58 victory over No. 19 Clemson in New York.

The top-seeded Cavaliers (30-2) got several crucial plays from role player Jack Salt down the stretch.

• Luke Maye scored 17 points, including North Carolina’s last field goal with 5:33 remaining, and the No. 12 Tar Heels held off a late rally by No. 5 Duke to advance to the title game with a 74-69 victory.

Collin Sexton scored 31 points and Alabama used a strong second half to defeat No. 16 Auburn 81-63 in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament in St. Louis.

The Crimson Tide trailed 41-31 at halftime but started the second half on a 28-3 run.

• PJ Washington scored 18 points to help send No. 4 seed Kentucky to the semifinals against Alabama with a 62-49 victory over Georgia.

•Jaylen Barford scored 27 points to help send Arkansas to an 80-72 win over No. 23 Florida.

• Lamonte Turner scored 15 points and No. 13 Tennessee locked down on defense to beat Mississippi State 62-59.

Deandre Ayton scored seven of his 32 points in OT and had 14 rebounds, lifting No. 15 Arizona to a 78-67 win over UCLA in the Pac-12 tournament semifinals.

Devin Watson scored 20 points to lead San Diego State to a 90-73 blowout of No. 22 Nevada in the Mountain West Conference semifinals in Las Vegas.