No. 21 Blue Devils knock off Hurricanes to advance to ACC tournament final

DUKE 85, MIAMI 78

Kyle Filipowski had 17 points and 11 rebounds, Jeremy Roach hit a huge three-pointer at the 1:32 mark, and No. 21 Duke held off No. 14 Miami, 85-78, in the ACC tournament semifinals Friday night in Greensboro, N.C.

Roach’s three from the left wing over Isaiah Wong with the shot clock winding down proved to be the game’s biggest shot, giving Duke a 78-71 lead that Miami couldn’t overcome in a wellplayed matchup that often resembled a second-weekend NCAA tournament game.

The fourth-seeded Blue Devils (25-8) did enough late to stay in control, closing out their eighth straight win to earn their 17th trip to the title game in the past 25 tournaments. They will face Virginia (25-6) on Saturday.

• HOUSTON 60, EAST CAROLINA 46: Two days after being named the league’s top player, Marcus Sasser scored 24 of his 30 points in the second half as the top-ranked Cougars overcame their worst shooting game all season to knock off the Pirates (16-17) and earn their 30th win in the American Athletic Conference quarterfinals in Fort Worth.

Houston (30-2), a sure-bet No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament, has back-to-back 30-win seasons for the first time since the Phi Slama Jama era.

• UCLA 75, OREGON 56: Tyger Campbell scored a career-high 28 points, including all seven during a key second-half run, and the No. 2 Bruins beat the Ducks in the Pac-12 semifinals in Las Vegas.

• KANSAS 71, IOWA STATE 58: Jayhawks Coach Bill Self spoke to his team remotely while continuing his recovery from an emergency medical procedure earlier this week, telling his Jayhawks that he was proud of their quarterfinal performance in the Big 12 tournament.

Their semifinal showing might have been even better.

Jalen Wilson had 25 points and 10 rebounds and Gradey Dick made a couple of crucial baskets during a second-half run as thirdranked Kansas (27-6) knocked off the Cyclones (19-13) to advance to Saturday’s championship game in Kansas City, Mo. ALABAMA 72, MISSISSIP

l PI STATE 49: Brandon Miller had 18 points and nine rebounds as the fourth-ranked and top-seeded Crimson Tide (27-5) never trailed in a blowout victory over the Bulldogs in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament in Nashville.

Alabama will play No. 25 Missouri in Saturday’s semifinals. MARQUETTE 70, CON

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NECTICUT 68: Tyler Kolek and David Joplin each scored 17 points as the sixth-ranked Golden Eagles squeaked past the No. 11 Huskies to advance to the Big East championship game for the first time.

Playing with three key players on the bench in foul trouble for a large chunk of time down the stretch, top-seeded Marquette (27-6) held U- Conn. (25-8) to just two points over the final 3:50 at raucous Madison Square Garden.

• PURDUE 70, RUTGERS 65: Mason Gillis had 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting and David Jenkins Jr. scored a season-high 12 points as the fifth-ranked Boilermakers (27-5) held off the Scarlet Knights (19-14) for a rugged victory in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals in Chicago.

• XAVIER 82, CREIGHTON 60: Souley Boum scored 23 points, Jack Nunge added 17 and the No. 15 Musketeers cruised into the Big East championship game with a victory against the No. 24 Blue Jays.

• TEXAS A&M 67, ARKANSAS 61: Wade Taylor scored 18 points as the 18th-ranked Aggies (24-8) rallied from a 13-point deficit early in the second half to down the Razorbacks (20-13) in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament in Nashville.

• SAN DIEGO STATE 64, SAN JOSE STATE 49: Keshad Johnson and Darrion Trammell each scored 15 points, and the No. 20 Aztecs cruised to a win over the Spartans in the Mountain West semifinals in Las Vegas.

• MISSOURI 79, TENNESSEE 71: Nick Honor hit a crucial three-pointer with 1:45 left to put the Tigers ahead to stay as 25th-ranked Missouri (24-8) upended the No. 17 Volunteers (23-10) to reach the SEC tournament semifinals for the first time since it joined the league.

• HOWARD 74, MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE 55: Shy Odom had 16 points and 10 rebounds and William Settle also scored 16 points as the Bison cruised past the Hawks (18-13) in a Mid-eastern Athletic Conference semifinal in Norfolk.

With its fourth straight win, Howard (21-12) advanced to Saturday’s championship game against Norfolk State (22-10).

Bison to play for MEAC title

Aziah Hudson scored a gamehigh 15 points and buried three three-pointers as the third-seeded Howard women, buoyed by a 2110 advantage on the offensive glass, edged Maryland Eastern Shore, 62-60, in the semifinals of the Mid-eastern Athletic Conference tournament in Norfolk.

Destiny Howell finished with 11 points for the Bison (16-13), who advanced to a showdown with Norfolk State (25-6) on Saturday.

• OKLAHOMA 77, TCU 76: Skylar Vann scored 21 points, including the game-winning layup with 2.2 seconds left, and the 14thranked Sooners (25-5) held off the Horned Frogs (8-23) to avoid perhaps the biggest upset in Big 12 tournament history in the quarterfinals in Kansas City, Mo.

• TEXAS 60, KANSAS STATE 42: Deyona Gaston scored 12 points, and the 15th-ranked Longhorns (24-8) came to life in the second half to turn back the Wildcats (17-16) in the Big 12 quarterfinals.

• VERMONT 38, ALBANY 36: Emma Utterback scored 18 points, and the Catamounts (25-6) survived a wild finish to edge the Great Danes (22-11) in the America East Conference championship game in Burlington, Vt.

Pastner out at Georgia Tech

Josh Pastner was fired as coach of the Yellow Jackets, two seasons after he guided Georgia Tech to a surprising ACC tournament title.