No. 3 Kansas tops Wisconsin in OT

Kansas’ Bobby Pettiford Jr. stood out near midcourt, almost on the Battle 4 Atlantis logo, when he saw his teammate launch a shot for the lead with only a few seconds left in overtime.

“I mean, I normally don’t crash but that’s the one time I get to crash,” Pettiford said.

He sprinted all the way under the basket just in time to see a loose rebound pop to him. Pettiford then made a twisting reverse layup with 0.2 seconds left to give No. 3 Kansas a 69-68 win against Wisconsin on Thursday in a tournament semifinal game at Paradise Island, Bahamas.

Pettiford’s layup marked his only points of the game, capping a thriller that saw Wisconsin (4-1) rally from 15 down early in the second half behind a strong performance from Tyler Wahl.

Trailing 68-67, Kansas’ final play appeared stuck when Jalen Wilson had to kick out a pass to Zach Clemence beyond the 3-point arc with about five seconds left. Clemence launched the long 3 that banged off the basket, but Wilson kept the play alive by tipping the ball enough to keep Wahl from snagging the rebound.

The ball went right to Pettiford.

Pettiford landed on the floor as he watched the ball go through the net, then extended his fists in front of him and yelled as he started to sit up. Wisconsin’s Max Klesmit crouched down into a squat, in disbelief.

Wilson scored 29 points and had 14 rebounds for the reigning national champion Jayhawks (6-0).

NORTH CAROLINA PULLS AWAY FROM PORTLAND >> Top-ranked North Carolina knew there would be tests during its weekend in the Pacific Northwest.

Unexpectedly, its opener was one.

Pete Nance scored 28 points, Caleb Love had 23 and No. 1 North Carolina withstood Portland 89-81 in the opening round of the Phil Knight Invitational on Thursday at Portland, Ore.

The Tar Heels (5-0) needed a late 14-3 run to finally pull away from one of the tournament’s host schools.

Moses Wood led Portland (4-3) with 21 points.

TENNESSEE BEATS USC >> Julian Phillips scored a season-high 25 points to help No. 22 Tennessee hold off Southern California 73-66 in overtime in Thursday’s semifinals at the Battle 4 Atlantis at Paradise Island, Bahamas.

The first-year forward made 7-of-13 shots and 10of-12 free throws to go with eight rebounds for the Volunteers

(4-1).

Boogie Ellis scored 21 points to lead the Trojans (4-2).

World Cup

BRAZIL BEATS SERBIA >> With Neymar struggling to find space, Richarlison came through for the “Seleção.”

A spectacular acrobatic kick followed an easy tapin from close range as Richarlison scored both goals in Brazil’s 2-0 victory over Serbia on Thursday at the World Cup in Lusail, Qatar.

Brazil had struggled to get past the Serbian defense until the Tottenham forward scored from close range in the 62nd in a buildup that started with Neymar. Vinícius Júnior assisted on both goals.

Neymar, seeking his first major title with Brazil, stayed at 75 goals for the national team, two shy of Pelé’s scoring record.

He was tackled hard a few times and appeared to hurt his ankle in the second half. He was limping at one point, and according to Brazilian media, was crying on the bench after being substituted in the 79th.

RONALDO MAKES HISTORY IN PORTUGAL’S WIN >> Cristiano Ronaldo closed his eyes, took in a deep breath and then made World Cup history.

The Portugal striker became the first male player to score at five World Cups with his 65th-minute penalty in a 3-2 win over Ghana on Thursday at Doha, Qatar.

Days after his contract was terminated at Manchester United following a tell-all interview, he let his soccer do the talking at the start of likely his final World Cup.

SWITZERLAND BEATS CAMEROON >> Born in Cameroon but playing for Switzerland, of course Breel Embolo would score when those two countries met at the World Cup.

Embolo promised he wouldn’t celebrate if he scored for the Swiss team against his country of birth on Thursday, and he kept his word. It turned out to be the only goal of the match as Switzerland beat Cameroon 1-0 at Al Wakrah, Qatar.

SOUTH KOREA, URUGUAY DRAW >> Another favored team has failed to impress in the early stages of the World Cup.

This time it was South Korea holding South American power Uruguay to a 0-0 draw on Thursday at Al Rayyan, Qatar, a result that probably favors the Asian team.

The draw at Education City Stadium was yet another early World Cup match with a surprising result. Argentina and Germany both lost their opening games in major upsets.