Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP North Carolina hits key 3s, sinks Duke
Cormac Ryan scored a seasonhigh 31 points, including a key 3-pointer with 1:38 left, to help No. 7 North Carolina beat No. 9 Duke 84-79 on Saturday in Durham, North Carolina.
Ryan iced the outcome by hitting two free throws with 4.7 seconds left as the Tar Heels (256, 17-3) won the Atlantic Coast Conference’s regular-season title outright for the first time in seven years.
Kyle Filipowski scored 23 points for Blue Devils (24-7, 155), who got as close as a single point early in the second half but didn’t recover from a Ryan-led flurry out of the gate.
Ryan made 8 of 12 shots, including and 6 of 8 3s, to help UNC turn away push after push from its fierce rival — and Ryan made sure to let Duke’s famous “Cameron Crazies” hear it with excited reactions.
Harrison Ingram added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Tar Heels, who shot 50.0 percent and had a 39-28 edge in rebounds. UNC ran out to a 15-point lead with a dominant start.
When the clock expired, Ryan and several UNC players waved goodbye to fans in a taunting farewell and gathered near the center court press-row table. Multiple Duke fans responded by throwing water and at least one empty plastic water bottle at them, leaving the court a slick mess near that sideline.
■ No. 1 Houston 76, No. 14
Kansas 46: At Houston, Jamal Shead had 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Cougars (28-3, 15-3 Big 12), who scored 30 points off 18 turnovers by the Jayhawks (22-9, 10-8) and won the Big 12 regularseason title in their first season in the league. Kansas missed 18 of 21 3-point tries in its third loss in four games.
■ No. 15 Kentucky 85, No. 4 Tennessee 81: At Knoxville, Tenn., Antonio Reeves and Reed Sheppard each scored 27 points for the Wildcats (23-8, 13-5 SEC), who halted a seven-game win streak by the Volunteers (24-7, 14-4). Dalton Knecht had a career-high 40 points for Tennessee, which missed 24 of 32 first-half shots. The Vols trailed by 11 with 2:35 left.
■ Kansas State 65, No. 6 Iowa State 58: At Manhattan, Kan., Arthur Kaluma scored 23 points and Cam Carter 21 for the Wildcats (18-13, 8-10 Big 12), who blew most of a 17-point second-half lead in their third win over a top-10 team this season. The Cyclones (24-7, 13-5) were outrebounded 36-27.
■ No. 8 Marquette 86,
Xavier 80: At Cincinnati, Kam Jones scored 30 points and Oso Ighodaro 24 for the Golden Eagles (23-8, 14-6 Big East) in a game with 14 ties and 11 lead changes. Quincy Olivari had 32 points for the Musketeers (15-16, 9-11), who are trying to avoid their first losing season in 28 years.
■ No. 10 Creighton 69,
Villanova 67: At Philadelphia, Trey Alexander hit a fadeaway jumper with 0.2 seconds left and totaled 17 points for the Bluejays (23-8, 14-6 Big East), who led 21-3. Eric Dixon scored 25 points for the Wildcats (17-14, 10-10), who trailed by 14 with 6:14 left. ■ Texas Tech 78, No. 11
Baylor 68: At Lubbock, Texas, Coronado product Pop Isaacs scored 20 points, including the first of the four straight 3-pointers by the Red Raiders (22-9, 11-7 Big 12) after the Bears (22-9, 11-7) had taken their lone lead after halftime.
■ No. 13 Auburn 92, Georgia 78: At Auburn, Ala., Denver Jones hit 7 of 9 3-point tries and totaled a season-high 21 points for the Tigers (24-7, 13-5 SEC), who had 17 assists on 19 firsthalf baskets. The Bulldogs (16-15, 6-12) trailed 45-31 at halftime.
■ No. 16 Alabama 92, Arkansas 88, OT: At Tuscaloosa, Ala., Mark Sears scored 22 points and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. 20 for the Crimson Tide (21-10, 13-5 SEC), who took their first lead 30 seconds into overtime. Khalif Battle had 22 points for the Razorbacks (15-16, 6-12), who led 42-36 at halftime.
■ No. 17 South Carolina 93, Mississippi State 89, OT:
At Starkville, Miss., B.J. Mack scored seven of his 25 points in overtime for the Gamecocks (25-6, 13-5 SEC), who handed the Bulldogs (19-12, 8-10) their fourth straight loss. MSU shot 50.0 percent.
■ Tulsa 76, No. 24 South Florida 70: At Tulsa, Okla., freshman P.J. Haggerty scored 26 of his career-high 32 points in the second half for the Golden Hurricane (16-14, 7-11 AAC), who overcame a six-point halftime deficit and halted the nation’s longest active win streak at 15 games. Kasean Pryor had 29 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls (23-6, 16-2).
Mountain West men
■ Colorado State 82, Air Force 73: At Colorado Springs, Colo., Isaiah Stevens scored 29 points for the Rams (22-9, 10-8), who shot 65.9 percent. Rytis Petraitis had 27 points and eight rebounds for the Falcons (9-21, 2-16), who didn’t lead over the final 16:40.
■ Wyoming 86, Fresno State 47: At Fresno, Calif., Mason Walters had 14 points and nine rebounds for the Cowboys (15-16, 8-10), who shot 57.4 percent and held the Bulldogs (11-20, 4-14) to 28.6 percent. FSU was outscored 40-17 in the second half. Top 10 women
■ No. 1 South Carolina 74, Tennessee 73: At Greenville, S.C., senior center Kamilla Cardoso banked in her first collegiate 3-pointer at the buzzer and totaled 13 points for the Gamecocks (31-0), who moved to their ninth SEC tournament final in the past 10 seasons. Rickea Jackson scored 19 of her 22 points in the second half for the Lady Vols (19-12), who trailed by 23 in the second quarter and took their first lead with 25 seconds left.
■ No. 3 Iowa 95, Michigan 68: At Minneapolis, Caitlin Clark had 28 points and matched her season high with 15 assists for the Hawkeyes (28-4), who had a 54-16 edge in points in the paint in a Big Ten tournament semifinal. The Wolverines (20-13) hit their first seven 3-point tries but missed 26 of 38 2-point shots.
■ No. 6 Texas 76, Kansas 60: At Kansas City, Mo., Madison Booker scored 21 points for the Longhorns (28-4), who didn’t trail in a Big 12 tournament quarterfinal. S’mya Nichols had 20 points for the Jayhawks (1912), who got within 40-39 in the third quarter.
■ No. 8 Louisiana State 75, Mississippi 67: At Greenville, S.C., Angel Reese had 21 points and 17 rebounds and Flau’jae Johnson 21 points for the Tigers (28-4), who reached their first SEC tournament title game since 2012. The Rebels (22-8) cut an 11-point deficit to one late in the third quarter.
■ No. 9 Connecticut 86, Providence 53: At Uncasville, Conn., Paige Bueckers scored 29 points for the Huskies (27-5), who moved to a conference semifinal for a 36th straight season. Grace Efosa had 23 points and eight rebounds for the Friars (13-20), who trailed by five early in the third quarter.
■ No. 10 North Carolina State 69, Florida State 43:
At Greensboro, N.C., Aziaha James scored 23 points for the Wolfpack (27-5), who moved to the ACC tournament title game for the fourth time in five seasons. The Seminoles (26-6) shot 25.0 percent and were outrebounded 58-32.