Williamson powers Duke
Zion Williamson made all 13 of his shots, five on highflying dunks, and scored 29 points in his return to lead No. 5 Duke to an 84-72 victory over Syracuse on Thursday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference quarterfinals in Charlotte, N.C.
RJ Barrett added 23 points and six rebounds to help Duke (27-5) set up a semifinal showdown with No. 3 North Carolina.
The Tar Heels swept both games from the Blue Devils in the regular season, with Williamson injured in the first minute of the first meeting.
Williamson got off to a rousing start two minutes into the game when he stole a pass and drove the length of the floor before cocking his right hand back and throwing down a highlightreel dunk that brought the crowd to its feet.
He added three more soaring dunks in the first half — including one off an alley-oop pass from Barrett — and finished the first half with 21 points on nine-ofnine shooting and nine rebounds as Duke built a 34-28 lead.
It was Williamson’s first game since his left Nike Paul George shoe broke during a Feb. 20 game against the Tar Heels, causing him to miss nearly six full games with a sprained right knee. Williamson wore modified Nike Kyrie 4’s this time, specifically designed to lend extra support to his 6-foot-7, 285-pound frame.
“He was himself,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said of Williamson’s return.
He showed no signs of any lingering knee issue and cracked a smile several times throughout the game.
ACC
No. 2 Virginia 76, N.C. State 56: Redshirt senior Jack Salt had a career-high 18 points to help Virginia rally past North Carolina State. Salt went seven of eight from the field. The Wolfpack were held to 39% shooting and made only 15 of 25 free throws.
No. 3 North Carolina 83, Louisville 70: Luke Maye had 19 points and nine rebounds, and Coby White added 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists for North Carolina. Cameron Johnson scored all of his 14 points in the first half to help the Tar Heels (27-5) extend their winning streak to eight games.
No. 12 Florida St. 65, No. 16 Virginia Tech 63 (OT): Terance Mann hit a wild offbalance runner with 1.8 seconds left in overtime to lift Florida State. Mann’s shot from the right side rattled around the rim before dropping through the net to break a tie for the fourthseeded Seminoles (26-6). Nickeil Alexander-Walker missed a long desperation three-pointer at the horn for the Hokies (24-8).
Big 12
West Virginia 79, No. 7 Texas Tech 74: Emmitt Mathews scored a career-high 28 points and 10th-seeded West Virginia upset Texas Tech in the tournament quarterfinals in Kansas City, Mo. Jarrett Culver scored 26 points for Texas Tech (26-6).
No. 17 Kansas 65, Texas 57: Devon Dotson scored 17 points, Dedric Lawson added 16 and Kansas pulled away in the second half.
No. 15 Kansas State 70, Texas Christian 61: Xavier Snead scored 19 points, none bigger than a three-pointer as the shot clock sounded in the final minute, and Kansas State rallied from a slow start.
Mountain West
No. 14 Nevada 77, Boise St. 69: Jazz Johnson scored 20 points, Caleb Martin had 19 and Nevada rallied to beat Boise State in the tournament quarterfinals in Las Vegas. Tre’Shawn Thurman added 17 points, and Cody Martin had 10 to help topseeded Nevada (29-3) tie the school record for victories in a season.
Big Ten
Nebraska 69, No. 21 Maryland 61: James Palmer scored 24 points and Nebraska shut down Maryland for the first big surprise of the conference tournament. Using a seven-man rotation because of injuries and backup guard Nana Akenten’s suspension, the Cornhuskers harassed the Terrapins into 36% shooting and 11 turnovers. Maryland (22-10) swept Nebraska during the regular season.
Big East
No. 25 Villanova 73, Providence 62: With its chances of a third straight tournament title on the line, the players who carried Villanova most of the season stepped up and took control. Eric Paschall had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Collin Gillespie hit two threepointers in a game-deciding 17-5 run and point guard Phil Booth was a steadying influence as the top-seeded Wildcats beat Providence in the quarterfinals in New York.