The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
No. 4 Illinois rallies to hold off No. 7 Ohio State
Ayo Dosunmu returned after missing three games with a concussion and facial injuries to score 19 points, and No. 4 Illinois rallied to beat No. 7 Ohio State 73-68 in Columbus, Ohio.
Andre Curbelo also had 19 points as Illinois got its second straight road win over a top 10 team after routing No. 2 Michigan on Tuesday. The Illini have won 11 of 12 and enter this week’s Big Ten Tournament with a double-bye.
E.J. Liddell led the Buckeyes with 19 points, and Duane Washington Jr. and Justice Sueing each had 15.
Illinois led by 10 during the first half but a late put-back by Liddell cut the advantage to 41-37 at the break. The teams traded punches in the second half, but again Ohio State had trouble making shots down the stretch, missing on its last 10 attempts.
No. 17 Oklahoma St. 85, (at) No. 6 West Virginia 80: Sophomore Avery Anderson III scored a career-high 31 points to lead the Cowboys over the Mountaineers in a Big 12 regular-season finale. The Cowboys (18-7, 11-7 Big 12) made up for the loss of two starters by finding holes in the defense for easy layups, shooting 58% from the floor and outhustling West Virginia for rebounds. Oklahoma State was without star freshman Cade Cunningham, who injured his left ankle late in a loss to No. 3 Baylor on Thursday. Isaac Likekele also sat out for the sixth time in seven games with a hand injury.
Freshman Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe added 18 points for Oklahoma State. Taz Sherman led West Virginia (18-8, 11-6 Big 12) with 20 points. Saturday’s loss denied coach Bob Huggins the chance to get his 900th win before his own fans and handed No. 13 Kansas the second seed in the upcoming Big 12 tournament.
(At) Providence 54, No. 10 Villanova 52: David Duke made a tiebreaking tip-in with 2.8 seconds left, and Providence (13-12, 9-10 Big East) held on after blowing a 20-point lead to beat the Wildcats (16-5, 11-4). Duke and Nate Watson scored 20 points apiece, and Noah Horchler had 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Friars. Jermaine Samuels scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half for the Wildcats. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had 11 points and 13 rebounds.
(At) No. 14 Creighton 93, Butler 73: Marcus Zegarowski matched his career high with 32 points, and the Bluejays (18-7, 14-6 Big East) closed a difficult week with a victory over the Bulldogs. The Bluejays won for the first time in three games, doing it without coach Greg McDermott, who is suspended indefinitely for making racially insensitive remarks. Chuck Harris had a career-high 29 points to lead the Bulldogs (9-14, 8-12).
No. 20 Loyola Chicago 65, Indiana St. 49: Cameron Krutwig had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and the Ramblers (23-4) beat the Sycamores (15-10) to advance to the Missouri Valley Conference tournament final.
(At) No. 23 Purdue 67, Indiana 58: Freshman Zach Edey’s 20 points and nine rebounds led the Boilermakers (18-8, 13-6 Big Ten). Purdue has won nine straight in the series, the second-longest streak in school history. The Hoosiers (12-14, 7-12) finished conference play for a fifth consecutive season with a non-winning record — the first time that has happened since 1911-19.