San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
No. 1 Duke beats Syracuse on Boeheim’s difficult night
When it was over and the last of the deafening cheers of the record Carrier Dome crowd had stopped, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim forgot about basketball for a moment.
Three nights earlier, the 74-year-old Hall of Fame coach had been involved in an accident that took the life of 51year-old Jorge Jimenez, and that was foremost on his mind. Talking about a tough 75-65 loss to top-ranked Duke on Saturday night would have to wait.
“First and foremost to the Jimenez family I want them to know how truly devastated I am for my involvement and the loss of a loved one,” Boeheim said. “The grief and pain his family is feeling at this time is, simply put, unimaginable. Juli, my family, and I are heartbroken. I love this community, and to see so many of my community members rally around the Jimenez family is a reminder of how special a community central New York is.”
For Boeheim, who struck and killed Jimenez on a darkened highway that leads out of town, the game was his first public appearance since the accident.
The accident happened after the Orange’s 20-point victory over No. 18 Louisville.
Once the game started, it seemed like just another tilt featuring the two winningest coaches in NCAA Division I history, except for the massive record crowd that made the dome’s walls shake every time the Orange scored. The Blue Devils (24-3, 12-2) improved to 7-0 on the road in the ACC.
Freshman forward RJ Barrett scored 30 points to lead Duke as Blue Devils star Zion Williamson sat out because of a sprained knee. The Orange (18-9, 9-5) hit only 1 of 11 3-point attempts in the second half.
#2 Gonzaga 102, BYU 68: Zach Norvell Jr. scored 25 points, Rui Hachimura added 23 points and 10 rebounds and the host Bulldogs (27-2, 14-0 WCC) whipped the Cougars (18-12, 10-5).
#3 Virginia 64, #18 Louisville 52: De’Andre Hunter scored 19 of his 26 points after halftime as the visiting Cavaliers (24-2, 12-2 ACC) rallied to beat the Cardinals (18-10, 9-6).
#4 Kentucky 80, Auburn 53: PJ Washington scored 24 points to lead the host Wildcats (23-4, 12-2 SEC) and help Kentucky coach John Calipari surpass Joe B. Hall on the school’s all-time wins list. Calipari (298-68 in 10 seasons, one NCAA championship) is second behind Adolph Rupp (876-190, 41 seasons, four titles) and one ahead of Hall (297-100, 13 seasons, one title).
#13 LSU 82, #5 Tennessee 80: Javonte Smart capped a 29-point performance with a crucial rebound and go-ahead free throws in the final seconds for the host Tigers (22-5, 12-2 SEC), who pulled into a tie with Tennessee and Kentucky atop the SEC. Admiral Schofield had 27 points for the Volunteers (24-3, 12-2).
#6 Nevada 74, Fresno State 68: Caleb Martin scored 24 points and the host Wolf Pack (25-2, 12-2 Mountain West) avoided losing consecutive games for the first time this season by beating the Bulldogs (19-8, 10-5).
#8 North Carolina 77, #16 Florida St. 59: Cameron Johnson had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Luke Maye added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the host Tar Heels (22-5, 12-2 ACC), who have won 10 of 11.
#9 Houston 71, South Florida 59: DeJon Jarreau scored 17 points and the Cougars (26-1, 13-1 American Athletic) shot 48 percent and never trailed.
#11 Marquette 76, Providence 58: Sam Hauser had 18 points and 13 rebounds for the visiting Golden Eagles (23-4, 12-2 Big East).
#14 Texas Tech 91, #12 Kansas 62: Jarrett Culver scored 26 points and was one of six players for the Red Raiders (22-5, 10-4 Big 12) to make multiple 3-pointers to help beat the Jayhawks (20-7, 9-5).
#15 Purdue 75, Nebraska 72: Matt Haarms scored 17 points and Grady Eifert beat the shot clock for two huge baskets down the stretch as the Boilermakers (20-7, 13-3 Big Ten) won their second straight close road game.
TCU 75, #19 Iowa State 72: Kouat Noi had 20 points with 13 rebounds, as the Horned Frogs (18-9, 6-8 Big 12) ended a three-game losing streak. TCU’s last win was a 92-83 victory at Iowa State (19-8, 8-6) two weeks ago.
#20 Virginia Tech 67, Notre Dame 59: Kerry Blackshear Jr. had 22 points and 14 rebounds for the visiting Hokies (21-6, 10-5 ACC), who led from the game’s first basket onward
over the Fighting Irish (13-14, 3-11).
#22 Wisconsin 69, Northwestern 64: Brad Davison scored 16 points, D’Mitrik Trice and Ethan Happ added 14 points apiece and the Badgers (19-8, 11-5 Big Ten) held off the host Wildcats (12-15, 3-13).
#23 Kansas St. 85, Oklahoma St. 46: Balanced offense, stellar defense and good shooting propelled the host Wildcats (21-6, 11-3 Big 12), who had no problems as Xavier Sneed and Austin Trice led the team with 12 points each.
#24 Maryland 72, Ohio State 62: Anthony Cowan Jr. scored 19 points as the Terrapins (21-7, 12-5) improved to 14-2 at home, including 7-0 in the conference.
Oregon State 67, USC 62: The visiting Beavers (17-9, 9-5) took a big step toward possibly getting a firstround bye for the Pac-12 tournament, as Stephen Thompson Jr. and Kylor Kelley each scored 15 points and OSU moved into a tie with Arizona State for second in the conference. Jonah Mathews led USC (15-13, 8-7) with 15 points.
Utah 92, Washington State 79: Sedrick Barefield scored 33 points to lead the visiting Utes (15-12, 9-6 Pac-12). Robert Franks scored 29 points with seven rebounds for the Cougars (11-16, 4-10).
UCLA 90, Oregon 83: Jaylen Hands scored all of his 27 points in the second half when he led a 19-point comeback to help the host Bruins (15-13, 8-7 Pac-12) beat the Ducks (15-12, 6-8).
Washington 64, Colorado 55: Matisse Thybulle had 17 points, six steals and five blocked shots, Jaylen Nowell added 12 points, and the host Huskies (22-5, 13-1) clinched at least a share of the Pac-12 regular season title by beating the Buffaloes (16-11, 7-8).
WOMEN
#1 Baylor 73, Iowa State 60: Chloe Jackson scored 18 points, Juicy Landrum had 16 and the visiting Lady Bears (25-1, 15-0) never trailed in clinching the outright Big 12 title.