No. 4 UNC ousts Florida State in ACC quarterfinals
RJ Davis scored 18 points and Armando Bacot added 14 points and 10 rebounds as No. 4 North Carolina cruised past Florida State for a 92-67 victory in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament quarterfinals Thursday afternoon in Washington, D.C.
Cormac Ryan added 14 points and reserve Seth Trimble had 12 points, including a highlight-type dunk for the Tar Heels, the top-seeded team in the tournament who shot 52.3 percent from the field.
Harrison Ingram provided nine points and 10 rebounds.
North Carolina (26-6) will play in Friday night’s first semifinal against either Wake Forest or Pitt.
Primo Spears came off the bench to lead ninthseeded Florida State (17-16) with 17 points. Jamir Watkins posted 12 points and
Jalen Warley had 10 points, but the Seminoles couldn’t repeat the success from a day earlier when they topped Virginia Tech in the second round.
Elsewhere: The 10 semifinalists for the women’s Naismith Award, given to the top player in college basketball each season, were revealed Thursday, with the result expected to be a foregone conclusion. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, the 2023 winner of the honor, stands out among the Division I players who were recognized by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Also named finalists were Paige Bueckers (UConn), Cameron Brink (Stanford),
Elizabeth Kitley (Virginia Tech), Angel Reese (LSU),
Madison Booker (Texas),
Kamilla Cardoso (South Carolina), Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame), JuJu Watkins (Southern California) and Jacy Sheldon (Ohio State) . ... Vanderbilt plans to sever ties with men’s basketball coach
Jerry Stackhouse, CBS Sports reported. The former NBA star’s buyout figure with the Commodores is believed to be more than $15 million, per the report. ... South Carolina is awarding 2023-24 Southeastern Conference men’s basketball Coach of the Year
Lamont Paris with a new six-year contract, ESPN reported. The deal reportedly carries an average annual value of more than $4 million and runs through the 2029-30 season, pending approval by the board of trustees . ... Oklahoma State fired men’s basketball coach Mike Boynton after seven seasons, ESPN reported. The Cowboys finished 12-20 overall and 4-14 in the Big 12 this season, which ended Tuesday with a 77-62 loss to UCF in the first round of the conference tournament. Oklahoma State lost its last six games and eight of 10.
ETC.
NFL: The Denver Broncos confirmed the signing of former Miami Dolphins safety Brandon Jones toa three-year deal on Thursday. Terms were not disclosed, but earlier reports put the value at $20 million — up to $22.5 million with incentives — with $12.5 million guaranteed. Jones played in 16 games (six starts) with Miami in 2023 and contributed two interceptions, four passes defensed and 48 tackles. ...Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is a free agent following his release by Baltimore. The Ravens signed Beckham, 31, to a one-year, $15 million contract last April that included automatically voidable seasons, which allowed them to spread his $11.068 salary cap charges over multiple seasons . ... The New York Jets and linebacker C.J. Mosley agreed to a new two-year, $17.25 million contract, ESPN reported. The deal includes $13.25 million guaranteed, including $9 million in
2024 . ... Fresh off their second appearance in the NFC championship game, the Detroit Lions rewarded head coach Dan Campbell
and general manager Brad Holmes with contract extensions through the
2027 season. The team did not announce financial terms . ... Quarterback Joe Flacco, last season’s league Comeback Player of the Year while leading the Cleveland Browns into the postseason, has reportedly agreed to a one-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts. Flacco, 39, will serve as the backup to Anthony Richardson, according to the report by ESPN. Richardson missed 13 games in his rookie season due to injuries. The deal could earn Flacco as much as $8.7 million . ... Linebacker Kenneth Murray and cornerback Chidobe Awuzie
signed with Tennessee. Murray, a former firstround pick of the Los Angeles Chargers, signed a two-year, $18 million contract according to ESPN and NFL Network. He had 321 tackles in four seasons with the Chargers. Awuzie’s three-year deal is worth $25.5 million and runs through 2026, ESPN reported.
NHL: Pittsburgh Penguins fans who planned to attend Thursday night’s continued celebration of the career of franchise icon Jaromir Jagr could be losing their heads. The Penguins said their plan to distribute Jagr bobbleheads at their home game against the San Jose Sharks has been thwarted with the theft of the promotional giveaways in California.
The team said Thursday that state and federal authorities have been notified and are investigating.