Memphis takes down No. 1 Houston, wins AAC title
FORT WORTH, Texas — Penny Hardaway and his Memphis Tigers left the court right after getting their American Athletic Conference trophy. Before cutting down the nets, they wanted to watch the NCAA Tournament selection show after leaving no doubt their team’s name would be called.
“To battle, fight, scratch all year long … and to be here today with the same situation that we had last year, and to get the win, I’m very proud,” said Hardaway, the fifth-year Memphis coach who played in two NCAAs for the Tigers. “Emotional in a great way on getting a championship.”
Kendric Davis scored 31 points, including 14 in a big run before halftime, as the Tigers held on to beat short-handed No. 1 Houston 75-65 on Sunday for the AAC tournament title and league’s automatic NCAA Tournament berth.
DeAndre Williams had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Tigers (26-8), who are going to March Madness for the second year in a row. They made it last season even after a title game loss to the Cougars.
Houston (31-3) played without AAC Player of the Year Marcus Sasser, the senior guard who strained his groin in the first half of Saturday’s semifinal game.
“We work all year to, you know, make the NCAA Tournament. I don’t think I could have lived with myself had he played today and got hurt,” Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson said. “I didn’t see a limp, I didn’t say much to him. … I knew in the back of my mind he wasn’t going to play.”
The Cougars were still given a No. 1 NCAA seed, their first since 1983 during the Phi Slama Jama era.
They are in the Midwest Region and will play Northern Kentucky on Thursday in Birmingham, Ala.
BIG TEN
Zach Edey scored 30 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as No. 5 Purdue hung on to beat Penn State 67-65 in the tournament championship game.
The Boilermakers (29-5) led by as many as 17 points in the second half, only to have the lead shrink to one in the closing seconds. They came away with their second title to go with one from 2009. Not long after, Purdue was named a No. 1 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament.
Penn State (22-13) made things interesting in the final minute. Purdue led 66-60 when Myles Dread nailed a 3 with 16 seconds remaining.
Evan Mahaffey then stole Brandon Newman’s inbound pass and fed Camren Wynter for a layup that made it a onepoint game with six seconds remaining.
SEC
Brandon Miller scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as fourth-ranked Alabama smothered No. 18 Texas A&AM 82-63 for the Crimson Tide’s second tournament championship in three seasons.
The Crimson Tide also capped their second SEC double dip in three seasons after picking up their regular-season trophy before Friday’s quarterfinals. The Tide (29-5) extended the program record for wins while adding its eighth tournament title in its 15th appearance.
Miller, the tournament MVP and AP All-SEC player and newcomer of the year, posted his ninth double-double of the season. Jahvon Quinerly, who was 0-of-9 shooting with one point in the semifinal, made his first three 3s and scored 13 of his 22 points in the first half. Charles Bediako had 12 points and 13 rebounds.
ATLANTIC 10
Jalen DeLoach had 13 points and 10 rebounds as top-seeded VCU beat second-seeded Dayton 68-56 to win the conference tournament for the first time in eight years.
Ace Baldwin added 16 points and seven assists, sending the Rams (27-7) to the NCAA Tournament with a nine-game winning streak and a title that has often alluded them during an otherwise impressive run of consistency.
IVY LEAGUE
Tosan Evbuomwan scored 21 points and Caden Pierce added a double-double as Princeton beat Yale 74-65 to win the tournament title and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The No. 2 seed Tigers’ win ended the top-seeded Bulldogs’ three-year run as league champions. Princeton is making its 26th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its first since 2017.