Category: NCAA Basketball

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Brayden Burries scored 21 points, including a pair of free throws with 8.3 seconds left, and second-ranked Arizona held off No. 5 Houston 79-74 on Saturday night in a rematch of last year’s Big 12 Tournament title game won by the Cougars.

Koa Peat also had 21 points and Jaden Bradley followed his semifinal game-winner against Iowa State with 13 for the No. 1 seed Wildcats (32-2), who head into the NCAA Tournament having won nine straight games — six against ranked opponents.

Joseph Tugler had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the second-seeded Cougars (28-6). Mercy Miller added 13 points.

Houston, which beat the Wildcats 72-64 in its title game debut a year ago, trailed 75-66 with just over a minute to go before Miller and Milos Uzan hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions.

But when Peat missed a jumper with 22 seconds to go, Arizona big man Motiejus Krivas gathered the rebound and was fouled under the bucket. The 7-foot-2 junior from Lithuania calmly made both free throws to extend the Wildcats’ lead.

Kingston Flemings and Miller missed layups at the other end for Houston, and by the time Miller was fouled and made two free throws, there was just 13.2 seconds to go. Burries was fouled on the inbound pass and put away the game.

NO. 1 DUKE 74, NO. 10 VIRGINIA 70

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Isaiah Evans scored 20 points, Cameron Boozer made two free throws with 3.9 seconds to seal the game and Duke defeated Virginia for its second straight Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship under coach Jon Scheyer and its third title in the past four years.

Cayden Boozer had 16 points, and Cameron Boozer finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as the Blue Devils (32-2) extended their winning streak to 11 games heading into the NCAA Tournament as the likely No. 1 overall seed.

Malik Thomas had 18 points and Sam Lewis had 17 for Virginia (29-5) in a game in which neither team led by more than seven points and featured 16 lead changes.

Ugonna Onyenso had nine blocks and finished with an ACC Tournament record with 20 over three games. Tim Duncan had the previous record of 14 in 1995.

The Cavaliers came into the game 1-32 all-time against No. 1-ranked opponents — and 0-17 against top-ranked Duke teams — and were blown out by the Blue Devils 77-51 two weeks ago at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

NO. 3 MICHIGAN 68, NO. 23 WISCONSIN 65

CHICAGO (AP) — Yaxel Lendeborg made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining, and Michigan beat Nick Boyd and Wisconsin to advance to the Big Ten Tournament championship.

Aday Mara scored 16 points and Elliot Cadeau had 15 as top-seeded Michigan (31-2) avenged its only conference loss from the regular season, a 91-88 setback against Wisconsin on Jan. 10. Mara also grabbed eight rebounds and blocked five shots.

Michigan is going for its second straight Big Ten Tournament title and fifth overall. It will play No. 18 Purdue on Sunday after the Boilermakers eliminated UCLA with a 73-66 win.

Lendeborg got off to another slow start after he had just six points in Friday’s quarterfinal victory over Ohio State. But the Big Ten player of the year began to assert himself right before halftime, and he connected on the biggest shot of the game.

Lendeborg grabbed an offensive rebound and passed to Cadeau for a 3 with 45 seconds left, giving Michigan a 65-62 lead. But Boyd responded with a tying 3 for Wisconsin.

With the United Center crowd standing in anticipation, Michigan tried to find Lendeborg inside on its last possession. But Lendeborg ended up coming back outside before getting a pass from Cadeau and drilling the winning 3.

NO. 22 VANDERBILT 91, NO. 4 FLORIDA 74

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tyler Tanner scored 20 points as Vanderbilt beat Florida, ending the defending national champion’s bid to win a second straight Southeastern Conference Tournament title and possibly hurt the Gators’ bid for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The fourth-seeded Commodores won their fourth straight game. Vanderbilt (26-7) will play No. 17 Arkansas on Sunday as it goes for its first tournament title since 2012.

Four other Vanderbilt players scored in double figures, with Jalen Washington adding 17, Duke Miles 15, Devin McGlockton 12 and AK Okereke 11. Six different Commodores made at least one 3-pointer, and everyone who played scored at least a bucket.

The Gators (26-7) saw their 12-game winning streak end. Thomas Haugh led them with 19 points, Boogie Fland had 15, Alex Condon 13 and Rueben Chinyelu 12.

Florida had been dominant during its streak, winning by an average of 21.7 points to end the regular season. On Saturday, it never led by more than 2 early on. The nation’s top rebounding team dominated the boards (38-23) again, but the Gators struggled to find the basket, missing 12 of 13 shots in the first half.

NO. 13 ST. JOHN'S 72, NO. 6 UCONN 52

NEW YORK (AP) — Zuby Ejiofor had seven blocks, nine rebounds and three steals to anchor a tenacious defensive performance that carried St. John’s to its second straight Big East Tournament championship with a blowout of UConn at Madison Square Garden.

Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins each scored 18 points for the top-seeded Red Storm (28-6), who became the first team to win consecutive Big East Tournament titles since Villanova took three in a row from 2017-19.

Adding to their resurgent rise under Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino, the Johnnies joined UConn in 1998 and ’99 as the only Big East programs to win both the regular-season and tournament crowns in back-to-back years.

Oziyah Sellers scored 14 points for St. John’s, which never trailed in the tournament and has won all six of its games in this event by double digits the past two years. The Johnnies opened a 17-point cushion in the first half and took two of three meetings this season between the conference powerhouses.

The second-seeded Huskies (29-5) were held nine points below their previous season low.

Tarris Reed Jr. scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half for UConn. Point guard Silas Demary Jr. was helped off the floor late with an apparent left ankle injury, which could be costly heading into the NCAA Tournament.

NO. 17 ARKANSAS 93, MISSISSIPPI 90, OT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Darius Acuff Jr. scored five of his 24 points in overtime and Arkansas held off Mississippi to reach the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game for the first time since 2017.

The third-seeded Razorbacks (25-8) will play No. 22 Vanderbilt, which routed No. 4 Florida earlier Saturday.

Acuff, the SEC’s scoring leader and league’s player and freshman of the year, also had seven assists. Meleek Thomas led Arkansas with 29 points, Trevon Brazile had 16 points with 10 rebounds along with the final free throw and Malique Ewin added 14.

Ole Miss (15-20) ends its improbable run after the 15th-seeded Rebels became the second double-digit seed to win three games at this event, joining Auburn in 2015.

The Rebels, who held off a furious rally in stunning No. 15 Alabama on Friday night, forced overtime by outscoring the Razorbacks 8-1 with AJ Storr’s layup tying it at 79 with 1.1 seconds left.

Ewin put Arkansas ahead to stay with a dunk 10 seconds into overtime. Ole Miss had a chance to take the lead with 3 seconds left, but Storr’s 3 clanked off the front rim.

NO. 18 PURDUE 73, UCLA 66

CHICAGO (AP) — Oscar Cluff had 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Purdue beat short-handed UCLA to advance to the Big Ten Tournament championship game.

Cluff scored eight points as Purdue (26-8) outscored UCLA (23-11) 11-4 over the final 3:41. Fletcher Loyer scored 14. Braden Smith contributed nine more assists, giving him 1,064 in his career. He needs 13 to break Bobby Hurley’s NCAA record of 1,076 for Duke from 1989-93.

Trey Kaufman-Ren added 12 points and 10 rebounds, helping Purdue advance to the conference final for the first time since winning the tournament in Chicago in 2023. The Boilermakers will meet No. 3 Michigan. The Wolverines, seeking a championship repeat, beat No. 23 Wisconsin 68-65 when Yaxel Lendeborg made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining.

Already missing star Tyler Bilodeau after he exited Friday’s win over No. 8 Michigan State with a right leg injury, UCLA had to get by in the second half without guard Donovan Dent. He tweaked something in his lower leg and was limited to two points in 10 minutes after scoring 23 and dishing out 12 assists against the Spartans.

Trent Perry led UCLA with 15 points. Xavier Booker scored 12, and Eric Dailey Jr. had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Arizona’s Jaden Bradley answered a tying 3-pointer by Iowa State guard Tamin Lipsey with a fall-away jumper at the buzzer, sending the second-ranked Wildcats to an 82-80 victory over the No. 7 Cyclones in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals Friday night.

Bradley finished with 15 points, and Anthony Dell’Orso matched a career-best with six 3-pointers and scored 26 points for the tournament’s top seed. The Wildcats (31-2) advanced to play fifth-ranked Houston in Saturday night’s championship game.

Ivan Kharchenkov also had 17 points for Arizona. Tobe Awaka added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

It looked as if the game was headed to overtime after Lipsey, who had been 1 for 10 from the field, drilled a 3-pointer from the wing with 15.2 seconds to go. Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd chose not to call a timeout and Bradley calmly walked the ball up the floor, then drove to his right and hit the winner before his teammates jumped from the bench on top of him.

Milan Momcilovic matched a career-high eight 3-pointers and scored 28 points for the No. 5 seed Cyclones (27-7). All-Big 12 forward Joshua Jefferson had 21 points, Killyan Toure added 12 and Lipsey finished with eight points and seven assists.

NO. 1 DUKE 73, CLEMSON 61

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Cameron Boozer had 24 points, 14 rebounds and five assists and Duke ran out to a 19-point halftime lead and held on to beat Clemson to advance to the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship game.

Cayden Boozer, who is starting for the injured Caleb Foster, set a career high with 16 points and Nikolas Khamenia chipped in with 14 points for the Blue Devils.

Duke (31-2) will play for its second straight ACC Tournament title and third in the last four years on Saturday night against No. 10 Virginia, an 84-62 winner over Miami in the other semifinal.

RJ Godfrey had 18 points for Clemson (24-10).

Cameron Boozer, the ACC player of the year, showed off his diverse skillset, scoring from the low post, mid-range and from deep where he knocked down three 3s. He even ran the point at times and was dominant on the boards, helping Duke outrebound Clemson 41-27.

NO. 3 MICHIGAN 71, OHIO ST. 67

CHICAGO (AP) — Aday Mara scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half, helping Michigan hold off Bruce Thornton and Ohio State for a victory in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.

Elliot Cadeau had 15 points, seven assists and three steals for Michigan in its fifth consecutive win. Trey McKenney scored 12 points, and Morez Johnson Jr. finished with 11.

Mara anchored a strong defensive effort that shut down Ohio State in the final minutes. It was the first game of the tournament for the top-seeded Wolverines (30-2), while the Buckeyes (21-12) advanced with a 72-69 victory over Iowa on Thursday.

Michigan is going for its second straight Big Ten tourney title and fifth overall. It will face No. 23 Wisconsin on Saturday after the Badgers rallied for a 91-88 overtime win over No. 9 Illinois in the second quarterfinal of the day.

Thornton scored 22 points for Ohio State, and Devin Royal had 13. It was the Buckeyes’ third loss of the season against the Wolverines.

Ohio State grabbed its first lead of the game when Royal’s 3-pointer from the top of the key made it 61-60 with 5:40 left.

Mara’s layup lifted Michigan to a 67-64 advantage with 2:56 to go. Royal and Thornton then missed jumpers for Ohio State before Yaxel Lendeborg made a free throw for the Wolverines with 1:24 remaining.

The Buckeyes pulled within two on Royal’s two foul shots in the final seconds, but Lendeborg responded with two free throws to help close it out.

Lendeborg, the Big Ten player of the year, was held to six points. But he also had six assists and five rebounds.

NO. 4 FLORIDA 71, KENTUCKY 63

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Alex Condon scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Florida took the first step toward defending its Southeastern Conference Tournament title by beating Kentucky in the quarterfinals.

The Gators (26-6) never trailed and were tied only once while winning their 12th straight game. The regular-season SEC champions, who are seeking a sixth tournament title overall, will play No. 22 Vanderbilt in Saturday’s semifinals.

Thomas Haugh added 13 points for Florida, and Xaivian Lee had 11.

Kentucky (21-13) now has one more loss all-time (32) than titles (31) in this tournament. The ninth-seeded Wildcats played their third game in as many days after opening the tournament Wednesday morning, a first for a program that last won this event in 2018.

Denzel Aberdeen led Kentucky with 17 points, reserve Mouhamed Dioubate scored 14 and Otega Oweh added 10.

NO. 5 HOUSTON 69, NO. 14 KANSAS 47

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kingston Flemings scored 21 points, fellow freshman Chris Cenac Jr. had 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Houston rolled past poor-shooting and lackluster Kansas in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament.

The second-seeded Cougars (28-5) held the third-seeded Jayhawks without a field goal for more than 10 minutes at point in the game, ultimately breezing into another championship matchup with second-ranked Arizona on Saturday night.

Houston beat the Wildcats 72-64 last year for its first Big 12 Tournament title.

Darryn Peterson had 14 points to lead the Jayhawks (23-10), who had beaten the Cougars in their only regular-season matchup. But the Jayhawks were a whole lot better that night in Allen Fieldhouse than they were at T-Mobile Center, where they were 6 for 31 from the field in the second half and shot 24.6% overall in their lowest-scoring game of the season.

NO. 6 UCONN 67, GEORGETOWN 51

NEW YORK (AP) — Braylon Mullins scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half, Jayden Ross hit a couple of momentum-stunting 3-pointers in the second, and UConn defeated Georgetown to set up a showdown of the top two seeds in the Big East Tournament final.

The second-seeded Huskies (29-4) will face regular-season conference champion and 13th-ranked St. John’s in the title game Saturday night after the Red Storm beat Seton Hall 78-68 in the other semifinal.

Like St. John’s, UConn has yet to trail in either of its first two games this week at Madison Square Garden. Mullins scored five of the team’s first seven points to go up 7-0, and the closest 11th-seeded Georgetown (16-18) got after that was down three at the 7 1/2-minute mark.

UConn led by 11 at halftime, despite not attempting a free throw to that point, and finished with assists on 21 of its 28 field goals. Without leading scorer KJ Lewis, who was ruled out for the season with a left ankle injury, the Hoyas were ultimately overmatched by a stacked opponent they played tight in January and again in February.

UCLA 88, NO. 8 MICHIGAN STATE 84

CHICAGO (AP) — Donovan Dent had 23 points and 12 assists, Trent Perry added 22 points and UCLA held off Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals despite losing star Tyler Bilodeau to a leg injury.

Bilodeau had to be helped off the court late in the first half and spent the second on the sideline with his right knee wrapped. The Bruins led by 15 early in the second half and withstood several big pushes down the stretch to advance to a semifinal matchup with No. 18 Purdue, which beat No. 11 Nebraska 74-58.

They were clinging to an 82-80 lead when Brandon Williams scored on a fast-break layup to make it a four-point game with 25 seconds remaining. Carson Cooper made a layup for Michigan State with 12 seconds left. UCLA’s Trent Perry immediately answered with two free throws.

Jeremy Fears Jr. then drove for a layup to cut it to 86-84 with six seconds remaining. But Perry sealed the win with two free throws.

NO. 10 VIRGINIA 84, MIAMI 62

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Virginia beat Miami to advance to the ACC Tournament championship game for the first time since 2023.

Mailk Thomas scored nine of his 15 points in the second half for the Cavaliers, who improved to 29-4 under first-year coach Ryan Odom.

Tru Washington scored 13 points and Shelton Henderson added 12 for Miami, which shot just 39% from the field and was outrebounded 35-24.

Virginia broke open a tightly contested defensive game with a 13-2 run over the final 2:47 of the first half for a 38-23 lead at the break. Chance Mallory closed out the run with a running 3-pointer to beat the buzzer following a Miami turnover.

The Hurricanes never recovered.

The lead grew to 18 points six minutes into the second half as Miami struggled to find lanes to attack the basket against the taller Cavaliers. Miami couldn’t hit from deep, missing 10 of its first 11 shots from behind the 3-point line.

NO. 18 PURDUE 74, NO. 11 NEBRASKA 58

CHICAGO (AP) — Fletcher Loyer scored 19 points, Braden Smith collected 10 more assists and Purdue beat Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.

C.J. Cox and Oscar Cluff each had 12 points for the Boilermakers, and Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Smith set a Big Ten Tournament record and matched a career high with 16 assists in an 81-68 victory over Northwestern on Thursday. The senior guard needs 22 more assists to break Bobby Hurley’s NCAA record of 1,076 assists in 140 games for Duke from 1989-93.

Purdue (25-8) advanced to the Big Ten semifinals for the fourth time in the last five years, bouncing back nicely after closing the regular season with four losses in six games. It will play UCLA on Saturday.

Pryce Sandford scored 15 points for Nebraska, which dropped to 6-14 all-time in the Big Ten tourney. Rienk Mast finished with 11.

NO. 13 ST. JOHN'S 78, SETON HALL 68

NEW YORK (AP) — Zuby Ejiofor scored 20 points and St. John’s beat Seton Hall to reach the Big East Tournament title game for the second consecutive season.

Joson Sanon added 15 points off the bench for the defending champion Red Storm (27-6), who will face sixth-ranked and second-seeded UConn on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

St. John’s, outright regular-season champions each of the past two years, has never won back-to-back Big East Tournament crowns. The program has advanced to the semifinals in all three seasons under Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino after failing to do so at all from 2001-23.

Bryce Hopkins had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Johnnies, who improved to 10-1 as the top seed in this event. Dillon Mitchell provided 13 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Budd Clark paced the fourth-seeded Pirates (21-12) with 17 points and 11 assists. Seton Hall was trying to reach the final for the first time since a 74-72 loss to Villanova in 2019.

St. John’s has won six straight matchups in the Hudson River rivalry, its longest streak since winning 15 in a row from 1982-88.

MISSISSIPPI 80, NO. 15 ALABAMA 79

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — AJ Storr scored 17 points, Ilias Kamardine added 16 and 15th-seeded Mississippi upset second-seeded Alabama in the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

Mississippi (15-19) won for the third time in three days in the tournament after losing 12 of the final 13 regular-season games. The Rebels advanced to the semifinals Saturday against the winner of the final quarterfinal matchup between No. 17 Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Labaron Philon led Alabama (23-9) with 28 points. Aden Holloway added 18 points and Aiden Sherrell had 14. Philon was five for seven from 3-point range and shot 9 of 16 overall.

Philon cut Mississippi’s lead to a point with two free throws with 13.4 seconds remaining. Mississippi’s Eduardo Klafke missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 9.4 seconds remaining. Alabama went the other way on the rebound, but turned the ball over under its own basket.

NO. 23 WISCONSIN 91, NO. 9 ILLINOIS 88, OT

CHICAGO (AP) — Nick Boyd scored a career-high 38 points, John Blackwell added 31 and Wisconsin rallied from 15 down in the second half to beat Illinois in overtime in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.

It was tied at 80 in overtime when Boyd scored in the paint and Austin Rapp nailed a 3 to give Wisconsin a five-point lead with 2:33 remaining.

The Badgers were up by four with about a minute left when Boyd rebounded a missed 3 by Rapp. That led to two free throws for Blackwell, making it 87-81 with 46 seconds left.

Illinois got within 90-88 on David Mirkovic’s layup with six seconds remaining. Wisconsin’s Braeden Carrington then missed a free throw and hit the second to make it a three-point game before Illinois’ Keaton Wagler missed a long 3 at the buzzer.

The Badgers (24-9) advanced to the semifinals against No. 3 Michigan on Saturday. The Wolverines, seeking their second straight Big Ten Tournament title, held off Ohio State 71-67.

Boyd surpassed his previous high of 36 points in a win against Providence on Nov. 27. Blackwell, coming off a career-best 34 a day earlier against Washington, became Wisconsin’s all-time leading scorer in Big Ten Tournament games with 144 points.

NO. 22 VANDERBILT 75, NO. 25 TENNESSEE 68

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Duke Miles scored a season-high 30 points as Vanderbilt beat Tennessee to advance to the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals.

The fourth-seeded Commodores (25-7) came in with its highest seeding since winning the 2012 SEC Tournament. They will play regular-season SEC champ Florida, a 71-63 winner over Kentucky, on Saturday.

Tyler Tanner added 19 points for the Commodores, who won their third straight.

No. 25 Tennessee (22-11) lost to Vanderbilt for the second time in a week and leaves well short of the tournament title game where the Vols lost to Florida last year.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie led Tennessee with 21 points. Nate Ament, who had 27 points in the second round, missed his first eight shots. He finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds. J.P. Estrella added 12 points and Jaylen Carey 10.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Milan Momcilovic scored 21 points, Joshua Jefferson had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and seventh-ranked Iowa State trounced turnover-prone Arizona State 91-42 on Wednesday in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament.

Blake Buchanan added 17 points and Tamin Lipsey had 11 for the fifth-seeded Cyclones (26-6), who beat the No. 14 seed Sun Devils (17-16) for the second time in less than a week while advancing to play No. 16 Texas Tech in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Santiago Trouet had 13 points for Arizona State, which was just 1 of 19 from 3-point range, turned the ball over 23 times and was called for three technical fouls in what might have been the final game with coach Bobby Hurley on the bench.

His contract expires soon and every indication has been that the Sun Devils are ready to move on.

Iowa State was so thoroughly dominant that it had built a 45-16 lead by halftime. The decisive blow was an 18-0 run late in the first half, when the Sun Devils earned two of their three technicals on a single disastrous trip down court.

NO. 24 LOUISVILLE 62, SMU 58

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Ryan Conwell hit two key shots in the final 1:17 and finished with 16 points as Louisville battled back to beat SMU and advance to the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament quarterfinals.

Adrian Wooley added 14 points and Isaac McKneely had 10 for the Cardinals (23-9), who’ll face Miami on Thursday.

Jarron Pierre Jr. had 17 points and Jaden Toombs added 13 points and nine rebounds for SMU (20-13), which led by six in the second half before Louisville stormed back behind three inside baskets from Vangelis Zougris.

After a defensive struggle in the first half ended in a 26-all tie, SMU built its biggest lead at 41-35 on back-to-back 3s by Sam Walters and Pierre from the same spot in right corner.

The Mustangs, playing their second game in two days, appeared content to patiently work time off the shot clock, extending every possession and shortening the game.

The Associated Press national player of the week in men’s college basketball for Week 18 of the season:

Cameron Boozer, No. 1 Duke

The 6-foot-9 freshman became the second player to earn AP national player of the week honors twice this season after helping the top-ranked Blue Devils close out the ACC regular-season crown last week. Boozer started off with 26 points on 8-of-10 shooting with nine rebounds and six assists in a rout of N.C. State, then had 26 points, 15 boards and five assists in a win over North Carolina.

Boozer, who is expected to be among the top three picks in the upcoming NBA draft, also was the national player of the week on Dec. 9, joining Brayden Burries of Arizona as the only two-time winners this season. Boozer also has been the runner-up for the award on two occasions and an honorable mention pick two other weeks.

Runner-up

Cameron Hunter, Central Arkansas. The 6-3 senior averaged 34.3 points over three games over three days in the Atlantic Sun tourney last week. He started with 31 points in a win over Bellarmine, then had 23 points and eight rebounds a day later in a win over Florida Gulf Coast. He closed with eight 3-pointers and 49 points in a 98-93 loss to Queens in the championship game.

Honorable mention

Hannes Steinbach, Washington; Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt; Kanon Catchings, Georgia.

Keep an eye on

Jaiden Glover-Toscano, St. Joseph’s. The sophomore had 23 points and nine rebounds in a win over Davidson, then had 15 points and five boards in a win over La Salle. That clinched St. Joseph's the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament this week.

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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Graham Ike had 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead No. 12 Gonzaga to a 65-56 victory over Oregon State on Monday night and put the Bulldogs in the West Coast Conference Tournament championship game for the 29th straight time.

Gonzaga (29-3) will play No. 21 Saint Mary’s or Santa Clara in the title game. Those teams met later Monday night. It will be the Zags’ last WCC championship before heading to the Pac-12 Conference next season.

Oregon State’s seasons ends at 17-16.

Ike, the WCC player of the year, made 10 of 17 shots for his 14th double-double this season and 45th of his career. He was the only Gonzaga player to score in double figures.

Jorge Diaz Graham led the Beavers with 15 points and Noah Amenhauser scored 11.

SANTA CLARA 76, NO. 21 SAINT MARY'S 71

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Sash Gavalyugov scored 23 points including a back-breaking 3-pointer to lead Santa Clara to a victory over Saint Mary’s in the semifinals of the West Coast Conference Tournament to take a big step toward making the Big Dance.

The Broncos (26-7) will play No. 12 Gonzaga (29-3) in the championship game on Tuesday night. The winner receives the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

While the Bulldogs are safely in the tournament, Santa Clara was considered on the bubble. The Broncos entered this game No. 42 in the NCAA’s NET rankings and No. 37 in Kenpom.

Saint Mary’s (27-5) could take a hit in the tournament seeding, but the Gaels figure to get into the field of 68. They were No. 20 in the NET and No. 22 in KenPom.

This is the first time since 2021 that the WCC final hasn’t been between Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s.

Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek claimed his 600th career victory, a somewhat mild upset over the Gaels, who were favored by 5 1/2 points at BetMGM Sportsbook.

Elijah Mahi added 19 points for the Broncos and Allen Graves finished with 10.

Paulius Murauskas scored 26 points to lead Saint Mary’s, Mikey Lewis had 23 and Andrew McKeever totaled 11 points and 11 rebounds.

March Madness is almost here.

The beloved annual tradition that is the NCAA Tournament opens with Selection Sunday this weekend, opening the door for hundreds of thousands of fans to fill out brackets and take a shot at winning the office pool.

The tournament tips off with the First Four on March 17-18 in Dayton, Ohio, with the first round starting March 19 at sites across the country. For the first time, the NCAA will punish teams that do not provide player availability reports. Fines start at $10,000. The reports are intended to to combat betting-related pressure, solicitations and harassment athletes receive from bettors connected to their playing status.

Bubble teams have the rest of this week to prove to the NCAA Selection Committee they belong in the 68-team field. This is also championship week for the nation's biggest conferences whose teams can jockey for better seeding with a good run.

If you like the tourney at 68 teams, enjoy the moment! Discussions continue on whether to expand the field by at least fourteams and possibly more.

The betting favorites

According to BetMGM Sportsbook, the favorites to win the national championship are Duke (plus-320), Michigan (plus-325), Arizona (plus-475) and defending champ Florida (plus-675).

Food for thought: Michigan State in 2000 was the last Big Ten team to win the national championship, which was played that year in Indianapolis, the site of this year’s Final Four. But remember: Three of Duke’s five national championships (1991, 2010 and 2015) were won in Indianapolis while Arizona captured its only national title in Indy in 1997. Florida also won the first of back-to-back national championships in 2006 — also in Indy.

How to watch

Every game of the men’s tournament will be aired — here is a schedule that will be updated with matchups — either on CBS, TBS, TNT or TruTV and their digital platforms, including Paramount+. TBS will broadcast the Final Four and national title game this year. The NCAA will also stream games via its March Madness Live option.

Who is playing

There are 31 automatic bids for league tournament champions. The selection committee will then pick 37 at-large teams. The full field will be revealed on Selection Sunday, March 15, starting at 6 p.m. Eastern.

When the Madness begins

After the First Four, the first- and second-round games will be played March 19-22 in Buffalo, New York; Greenville, South Carolina; Oklahoma City; Portland, Oregon; Philadelphia; San Diego; St. Louis; and Tampa, Florida.

Sweet 16 games will be played March 26-29 in Houston (South), Washington (East), Chicago (Midwest) and San Jose, California (West).

The Final Four is Saturday, April 4, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, with the title game the night of Monday, April 6, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Yaxel Lendeborg scored 19 of his 27 points in the first half and Morez Johnson Jr. finished with 18 points, leading No. 3 Michigan in a 90-80 win over No. 8 Michigan State on Sunday to give the Big Ten champions a 15th straight conference win.

The Wolverines (29-2, 19-1 Big Ten) head to the conference tournament, hoping to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament before shooting for the school’s second national championship and first since 1989

The Spartans (25-6, 15-5) were swept by their rivals in the regular season, but might get a third shot against them in a week at the Big Ten Tournament final.

Lendeborg, a preseason All-America selection, was the best player on the court for the second time in the series.

The UAB transfer was 8 of 12 from the field, matched a career high with five 3-pointers, had three assists and also made winning plays at the other end of the court.

After Jeremy Fears Jr. made a jumper to pull Michigan State within three points with 3:47 left, Lendeborg made a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to start a 10-2 run that sealed the victory.

NO. 9 NEBRASKA 84, IOWA 75, OT

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Cale Jacobsen came off the bench to score 13 of his 15 points after halftime and hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer in overtime, and Nebraska matched its program record for wins in a season with a victory over Iowa.

Sam Hoiberg, who scored 15 points and had five steals on his senior day, hugged teammate Pryce Sandfort near halfcourt as time ran out and then heaved the ball high into the stands. He and his father, coach Fred Hoiberg, embraced and a short time later the rest of the Huskers came out of the tunnel to salute the sellout crowd at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Nebraska (26-5, 15-5 Big Ten) led by 10 points with five minutes left in regulation but missed five of its next seven shots and a couple of late free throws to let the Hawkeyes back in it. Kael Combs scored Iowa’s last eight points of regulation, including a second-chance 3-pointer that tied it 70-all with 2.7 seconds left.

After Cooper Koch tied it at 75-all in overtime, Jacobsen made a 3 from the corner and the Huskers went on to score the final nine points. The Huskers beat Iowa (20-11, 10-10) for the first time in five meetings and split the season series.

NO. 11 ILLINOIS 78, MARYLAND 72

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — David Mirkovic had 22 points and 11 rebounds as Illinois held off Maryland.

The Terrapins (11-20, 4-16 Big Ten) have had a desultory season under first-year coach Buzz Williams, losing 20 games for the first time since 1988-89, but they gave the Illini (24-7, 15-5) a battle. Illinois led 63-62 before Ben Humrichous made a 3-pointer that started a 7-0 run for the Illini.

The Terps pulled back within two, but a successful challenge of an out-of-bounds call enabled the Illini to keep the ball with 1:04 to play. Mirkovic worked free for a layup inside, and Maryland’s next possession went about as badly as possible when the Terrapins used most of the shot clock before Andre Mills misfired from 3-point range.

Maryland was down four in the final seconds when Darius Adams was unable to convert a layup.

The win gave Illinois a bye into Friday’s quarterfinals in the Big Ten Tournament. The Illini also tied a program record with their eighth road win in Big Ten play.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Gianna Kneepkens scored 19 points and Kiki Rice added 15 points and eight assists Sunday as No. 2 UCLA rolled past No. 9 Iowa 96-45 to win its second straight Big Ten Tournament crown.

Rice was named the tourney’s Most Outstanding Player.

It’s the first time the Bruins (31-1) have captured back-to-back postseason conference titles, and it’s also the first time they have won regular-season and league tournament titles in the same season. The Bruins also extended their school-record win streak to 25 games and their Big Ten win streak to 24, dating to last season’s tourney run.

And they did it with most the lopsided championship-game margin in tournament history, easily surpassing Iowa’s 33-point win over Ohio State in 2023. Six UCLA players scored in double figures, including Sienna Betts — the younger sister of star center Lauren Betts — who matched a season high with 14 points. Lauren Betts had 10 points in 24 minutes.

Ava Heiden scored 15 points for the Hawkeyes (26-6). Addie Deal added 11 points while all-conference forward Hannah Stuelke struggled as she played through a right elbow injury and an illness for the third straight day. Stuelke was scoreless on 0-for-4 shooting and had only three rebounds as Iowa’s eight-game winning streak was snapped.

NO. 1 UCONN 100, CREIGHTON 51

Sarah Strong had 23 points, seven rebounds and six steals to lead UConn to a win over Creighton in the Big East semifinals as the Huskies advanced to a conference championship game for the 22nd season in a row.

UConn (33-0) shot 71% from 3-point range in the first three quarters on the way to its 49th consecutive win. It was also the 38th conference tournament win in a row as the Huskies scored 100 points in the Big East tournament for the first time. Kayleigh Heckel added nine points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Huskies.

Kennedy Townsend had 13 points for Creighton (16-15), which was looking to advance to conference title games in consecutive seasons for the first time since losing in the 2009 and 2010 Missouri Valley Conference championship games.

UConn made 11 of its first 13 shots as the Huskies jumped out to a 27-4 lead, Creighton only hit consecutive shots twice in the first half. Strong had 17 points, four rebounds, four assists, six steals and two blocked shots in the first half. Arnold had 15 points on 7-of-7 shooting at halftime as the Huskies lead 57-22 at the break.

NO. 4 TEXAS 78, NO. 3 SOUTH CAROLINA 61

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP)- Madison Booker scored 18 points as Texas sprinted to a 14-0 lead and beat three-time defending champion South Carolina to win its first Southeastern Conference Tournament title.

Booker was named MVP of the tournament. Justice Carlton added 15 points and Jordan Lee had 12 for the Longhorns (31-3), who joined the SEC in 2024.

Texas shot 57% from the field to avenge last year’s 19-point loss to the Gamecocks in the championship game.

Joyce Edwards had 13 points for the Gamecocks (31-3), who had their 12-game win streak snapped.

The powerhouse programs split two tightly contested meetings earlier this season, with the Longhorns winning 66-64 at a neutral site in November and the Gamecocks earning a measure of revenge with a 68-65 win on their home floor in January.

This one was never close.

NO. 15 WEST VIRGINIA 62, NO. 10 TCU 53

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jordan Harrison scored 20 points, Sydney Shaw added 17 and West Virginia avenged two regular-season losses to TCU by beating the reigning Big 12 Tournament champion in the conference title game.

Harrison also had six rebounds and four assists while wreaking havoc on defense, and Kierra Wheeler contributed 10 points, helping the second-seeded Mountaineers (27-6) win their second Big 12 tourney title and first since the 2016-17 season.

Olivia Miles, the league player of the year, scored 17 points for No. 1 seed TCU (29-5) despite playing most of the way in foul trouble. Marta Suarez added 16 points but was just 6 of 19 from the field and fouled out in the final minute.

West Virginia led 56-43 with 90 seconds left before TCU ran off seven straight points to provide some hope. But Harrison, a senior from Oklahoma City, calmly made two free throws with 33.4 seconds remaining to help put the game away.

NO. 13 DUKE 70, NO. 12 LOUISVILLE 65, OT

DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Taina Mair had 19 points and 12 rebounds, Delaney Thomas also scored 19 and Duke rallied to win its second straight women’s Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title after beating Louisville.

Thomas’ layup with 4 seconds left in regulation tied the game at 60-all and sent it to overtime after Louisville held the lead for 35 of 40 minutes.

In overtime, another layup by Thomas moved the Blue Devils (24-8) ahead to stay, and Riley Nelson put the game away when she buried a 3-pointer with 6 seconds left. Nelson finished with 12 points.

Imari Berry scored 18 points and Mackenly Randolph had 17 points and 11 rebounds for Louisville (27-7). Randolph played all 45 minutes.

Mair was named MVP of the tournament.

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Cameron Boozer had 26 points, 15 rebounds and five assists to help No. 1 Duke beat No. 17 North Carolina 76-61 on Saturday night in a rivalry rematch.

Maliq Brown added 15 points as Duke led by a single possession early after halftime before taking over with 16 unanswered points in what ballooned to a 24-2 surge.

The Blue Devils (29-2, 17-1) completed a second straight one-loss run through ACC regular-season play, this one coming a month after losing at North Carolina on Seth Trimble’s last-second 3-pointer. Duke has won eight straight, including a neutral-court victory over then-No. 1 Michigan and a romp against No. 13 Virginia.

The loss capped a rough 24 hours for the Tar Heels (24-7, 12-6). They appeared on the verge of getting star Caleb Wilson back from a fractured left hand just in time for March Madness — and maybe this game — only for him to suffer a season-ending broken right thumb during a non-contact drill Thursday.

The freshman was on the bench with his right thumb wrapped in a black brace as North Carolina fell to 5-2 without him.

Derek Dixon had 17 points for North Carolina, which trailed just 47-44 on Trimble’s drive with 16:45 left before Duke made its decisive push. The Tar Heels went six minutes without a point and managed one basket over more than 10 minutes as Duke blew the game open.

MARQUETTE 68, NO. 4 UCONN 62

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Nigel James Jr. scored 19 points and UConn coach Dan Hurley was ejected in the final second as Marquette hung on for a victory that prevented the Huskies from claiming a share of the Big East regular-season title.

UConn (27-4, 17-3) trailed 64-62 when the Huskies’ Silas Demary Jr. drove to the basket while being defended by Ben Gold. Demary’s shot hit the glass and the rim before the ball bounced off a couple of players and hit the floor.

Marquette’s Chase Ross won the battle for the loose ball and got fouled with one second left. Hurley argued the lack of a foul call and was whistled for two technical fouls before heading to the locker room while shaking his head.

Ross then made four of six free throws to account for the final margin.

NO. 5 FLORIDA 84, KENTUCKY 77

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Thomas Haugh had 20 points and nine rebounds as Florida beat Kentucky to end the regular season with an 11-game winning streak.

Boogie Fland added 16 points and six assists for the Gators (25-6, 16-2 Southeastern Conference), the No. 1 seed in next week’s SEC Tournament at Nashville, Tennessee. The defending national champions completed a regular-season sweep of the Wildcats (19-12, 10-8).

Alex Condon scored 14 points for Florida. Rueben Chinyelu had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Xaivian Lee finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Otega Oweh led Kentucky with 28 points, 17 in the first half. Oweh was honored before the game along with follow senior Denzel Aberdeen and walk-ons Zack Tow and Walker Horn.

Aberdeen scored 15 points, and Mouhamed Dioubate added 10 off the bench for Kentucky.

NO. 6 IOWA STATE 86, ARIZONA STATE 65

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Joshua Jefferson, Tamin Lipsey and Milan Momcilovic had 16 points apiece, and Iowa State scored 24 straight points to break open a victory over Arizona State.

The Sun Devils led 45-41 when the game turned early in the second half. Momcilovic and Jefferson hit consecutive 3s to start the decisive run. Jefferson riled the Hilton Coliseum crowd when he blocked Anthony Johnson’s layup attempt and sped down the court to take Nate Heise’s long pass for a dunk.

Arizona State missed 11 shots and committed five turnovers before Massamba Diop made a free throw for his team’s first points in almost nine minutes. Arizona State’s field-goal drought lasting nearly 11 minutes ended on Andrija Grbovic’s 3-pointer with 6:21 to play. At that point, the Cyclones led by 19.

The 24-0 run was the biggest in coach TJ Otzelberger’s five years and the Cyclones’ 39th double-digit run this season, most in the nation.

Iowa State (25-6, 12-6 Big 12) outscored ASU 49-24 in the second half, the Sun Devils’ fewest points after half since they managed just 21 in a loss to the Cyclones last season.

Diop led the Sun Devils (16-15, 7-11) with 12 points but committed seven of their season-high 23 turnovers.

NO. 7 HOUSTON 82, OKLAHOMA STATE 75

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Reserve Chase McCarty scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half and Houston rallied for a win over Oklahoma State.

Kingston Flemings added 13 points, five rebounds and nine assists for Houston (26-5 overall, 14-4 Big 12 Conference), which clinched the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament and a spot in the quarterfinals on Thursday in Kansas City.

The Cougars trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half, but McCarty, a redshirt freshman, made 7 of 10 field goal, including 6 of 9 from beyond the arc to fuel the comeback.

Anthony Roy scored 18 points, Kanye Clary added 14 and Jaylen Curry had 13 for Oklahoma State (18-13, 6-12). Roy (four), Clary (four) and Curry (two) combined for all 10 of the Cowboys’ 3-point baskets.

NO. 13 VIRGINIA 76, VIRGINIA TECH 72

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Ugo Onyenso and Malik Thomas each had 16 points, Sam Lewis scored 15 and Virginia held off Virginia Tech for a win.

The Cavaliers (27-4, 15-3) had already clinched the No. 2 seed in next week’s Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina, and are all but assured of a spot in the NCAA Tournament field. The Hokies (19-12, 8-10) entered squarely on the NCAA bubble and in seek of an AP Top 25 win to enhance their resume.

Ben Hammond led the Hokies with 21 points and five assists. He missed a pair of free throws with 2:09 to play trailing by four points.

Virginia went 15 for 17 at the free-throw line.

NO. 14 KANSAS 104, KANSAS STATE 85

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Freshman star Darryn Peterson scored 27 points in his likely Allen Fieldhouse finale, Tre White and Melvin Council Jr. had memorable senior send-offs of their own, and Kansas routed Kansas State.

Peterson, the potential No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA draft, was an efficient 10 of 15 from the field for the Jayhawks (22-9, 12-6 Big 12), who clinched a double-bye in next week’s conference tournament by winning on Senior Day for the 43rd consecutive year.

White, a transfer from Illinois, had 23 points and 11 rebounds to cap his lone regular season in Lawrence, while Council — who arrived from St. Bonaventure — nearly had a triple-double with 17 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists in his final game at the Phog.

WISCONSIN 97, NO. 15 PURDUE 93

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — John Blackwell made five 3-pointers and scored 25 points, Nick Boyd added 23 and Wisconsin set a school-record with 18 3-pointers in a road game Saturday in a win over Purdue.

The Badgers (22-9, 14-6 Big Ten) have won three straight overall and six of their last eight after going 18 for 34 from beyond the arc. That tied the second-highest single-game 3-point total in school history, and they also set a school record with 12 3s in the first half, despite playing without forward Nolan Winter, who has an injured left ankle.

Fletcher Loyer had 23 points and six 3-pointers, making his 282nd career 3 to break Carsen Edwards’ school record. Braden Smith had 20 points and nine assists, while Trey Kaufman-Renn added 17 points. Smith, Loyer and Kaufman-Renn all played their home finales.

It marked the first time in nearly 14,000 days and 135 games Purdue topped the 90-point mark and lost. The last time it happened was against Iowa State in Nov. 24, 1987.

Purdue started fast, using an early 13-0 run to take a 22-13 lead. But the Boilermakers couldn’t match the Badgers barrage of 3s that helped them take the lead and thwart every Purdue charge.

NO. 16 ALABAMA 96, AUBURN 84

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway each scored 21 points and Alabama beat Auburn in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Alabama (23-8, 13-5 Southeastern Conference) never trailed, making its first six shots — three by Philon, who scored his 1,000th career point in the game.

The Crimson Tide rebounded from a 98-88 loss at Georgia on Tuesday night. It opened the second half on a 17-8 run to extend its lead to a game-high 28 points.

Kevin Overton led Auburn (16-15, 7-11) with 24 points, and Tahaad Pettiford had 19. The Tigers have lost eight of 10.

NO. 20 ARKANSAS 88, MISSOURI 84, OT

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Arkansas beat Missouri in overtime on Saturday to make John Calipari the fifth Division I men’s basketball coach to win 900 games.

Meleek Thomas scored 28 and Trevon Brazile had 19 points and nine rebounds for Arkansas (23-8, 13-5 Southeastern Conference), which played without star freshman point guard Darius Acuff Jr. He missed the game with an undisclosed injury.

Acuff entered play leading the SEC in scoring and passing with 22 points and 6.2 assists per game.

Malique Ewin had 17 points and nine rebounds, and converted four straight free throws in the final 12 seconds of overtime to seal the game for the Razorbacks.

Brazile, who played his freshman season at Missouri, drained a 3-pointer with 22 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Razorbacks an 84-82 lead.

Mark Mitchell scored a career-best 32, and Shawn Phillips Jr. had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Missouri (20-11, 10-8), which has lost two straight heading into the conference tournament.

LOUISVILLE 92, NO. 22 MIAMI 89

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Ryan Conwell scored 18 of his 24 points in the first half, Adrian Wooley hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 18.4 seconds remaining and Louisville wasted a 12-point lead before hanging on to beat Miami.

J’Vonne Hadley scored 16 for the Cardinals, while Wooley and Isaac McKneely each scored 15. Louisville (22-9, 11-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) wrapped up the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament with the win — and could see the Hurricanes (24-7, 13-5) in the quarterfinals.

Tre Donaldson scored 25 points for Miami, which got 18 from Malik Reneau — 14 from the foul line. Tru Washington had 12 and Shelton Henderson finished with 11 for the Hurricanes.

NO. 24 VANDERBILT 86, NO. 23 TENNESSEE 82

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tyler Tanner scored 25 points to lead Vanderbilt past Tennessee.

The Commodores (24-7, 11-7 in Southeastern Conference) led by double digits most of the game. The Volunteers (21-10, 11-7) cut their deficit to five points at 69-64 with a 3-pointer by Amari Evans with 5:25 to play. Vandy’s Chandler Bing answered with a 3-pointer to end that threat.

Tennessee, which scored 60 points in the second half, closed within four points in the final minute, but got no closer.

AK Okereke scored 17 and Duke Miles had 13 for Vandy.

Evans led Tennessee with 24 points. J.P. Estrella had 20 points and 10 rebounds. Ja’Kobi Gillespie scored 17 points and Felix Okpara had 10 rebounds.

GEORGE MASON 86, NO. 25 SAINT LOUIS 57

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Jahari Long had 21 points and nine assists, and George Mason routed Saint Louis in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Kory Mincy added 15 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Patriots (23-8, 11-7 Atlantic 10), who defeated a ranked opponent for the first time since upending then-No. 16 Dayton on Feb. 21, 2024.

Dion Brown had 13 points for the Billikens (27-4, 15-3), who had already clinched the No. 1 seed in next week’s Atlantic 10 tournament. They shared the regular-season title with VCU, a team they defeated twice this season.

Senior center Robbie Avila, who entered averaging a team-high 13.0 points for Saint Louis, played only five scoreless minutes in the first half because of foul trouble. He finished with two points and one rebound in 12 minutes.

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — MiLaysia Fulwiley had 22 points and eight assists, Flau’jae Johnson scored 16 of her 21 points in the second half and No. 6 LSU ran away from seventh-ranked Oklahoma 112-78 on Friday in the Southeastern Conference Tournament for its fifth straight victory.

LSU had the second-highest point total in SEC Tournament history, behind only Tennessee’s 118 in 1980.

Mikaylah Williams scored 14 points and Jada Richard had 13 for the Tigers (27-4), who held the Sooners to 36% shooting from the field and forced 22 turnovers. LSU shot 53% and made 13 of 24 3-point attempts.

LSU moves on to face No. 3 South Carolina, the tournament’s top seed and three-time defending champion, in Saturday’s semifinals.

Aaliyah Chavez scored 20 points and Sahara Williams had 19 points and nine rebounds for Oklahoma (24-7), which had its seven-game win streak snapped.

LSU shot 57% in the first quarter and Fulwiley made a runner to beat the buzzer and give the Tigers a 28-19 lead. The Sooners twice got back within striking distance of the lead, but LSU began to pull away and increased its lead to 26 early in the fourth quarter.

NO. 2 UCLA 78, WASHINGTON 60

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Big Ten Player of the Year Lauren Betts had 26 points and eight rebounds and Kiki Rice added 18 points and six assists to help UCLA overcome a sluggish start and beat Washington in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.

The regular-season champion Bruins (29-1) won their 23rd consecutive game, matching last season’s mark for the longest winning streak in school history. UCLA also has won 22 straight Big Ten games, a streak that began with last year’s march to the conference tourney crown.

Avery Howell scored 18 points to lead the Huskies (21-10). Brynn McGaughy had 12 points and all-conference guard Sayvia Sellers had 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting after scoring 25 in Thursday’s win over Southern California. Washington had a two-game winning streak snapped with its second loss to the Bruins this season.

Still, this game didn’t follow the expected script in front of a sparse, midday crowd in Indianapolis.

Washington charged out to a 13-6 lead after one quarter and UCLA coach Cori Close called timeout when the Huskies extended the margin to 22-12 with 6:26 left in the second.

The game then turned quickly. UCLA responded to the stoppage with 15 consecutive points while allowing just one basket the rest of the half as they rallied to take a 27-24 halftime lead.

NO. 3 SOUTH CAROLINA 87, NO. 17 KENTUCKY 64

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Joyce Edwards scored 21 points, Madina Okot added 12 points and 13 rebounds and 3 South Carolina routed Kentucky in the first of four Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinal games at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Tessa Johnson added 15 points and Ta’Niya Latson 12 for the top-seeded Gamecocks, who raced to a 17-point halftime lead and never let up.

South Carolina (30-2) looked laser focused as it began its quest for a fourth straight SEC Tournament title and 10th in the past 12 seasons under coach Dawn Staley, shooting 53% from the field, forcing 19 turnovers and outscoring Kentucky 46-24 in the paint.

Amelia Hassett had 15 points and Clara Strack scored 13 to lead Kentucky (23-10).

The Gamecocks will play Saturday against the winner of the game between No. 6 LSU and No. 7 Oklahoma.

NO. 4 TEXAS 83, ALABAMA 60

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Jordan Lee scored 16 points, Madison Booker contributed 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in limited action and Texas rolled into the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals with victory over Alabama.

Bryanna Preston added 13 points for Texas, which has won six straight.

Texas (29-3) will face No. 24 Mississippi, an 89-78 winner over No. 5 Vanderbilt, on Saturday. No. 3 South Carolina and No. 6 LSU square off in the other semifinal.

Diana Collins, Jessica Timmons and Alancia Ramsey each scored eight points for Alabama (23-10), the only unranked team to reach the tournament’s quarterfinals.

This one was never competitive.

Alabama, which lost five of its final six regular-season games, seemed to find its footing by beating Missouri and Tennessee in the tournament’s first two rounds. But the Crimson Tide appeared to have run out gas by the time tipoff arrived Friday night.

The Longhorns made 16 of 29 shots from the field to open the game and sprinted to a 40-12 lead early in the second quarter in front of a sparse crowd.

Texas forced 14 turnovers in the first half and led by 33 at the break.

NO. 24 MISSISSIPPI 89, NO. 5 VANDERBILT 78

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Latasha Lattimore scored 28 points and Cotie McMahon had 27 as No. 24 Mississippi built a 32-point third-quarter lead and held on late to beat fifth-ranked Vanderbilt 89-78 in the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Friday.

Tianna Thompson added 16 points for the Rebels (23-10), who jumped to a 23-2 lead in the first quarter and rode the wave of momentum to their second win this season over Commodores (27-4).

Ole Miss will face No. 4 Texas in Saturday’s semifinals.

Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes, who averaged more than 30 points per game in conference play this season, missed her first 12 shots — including five 3s — and didn’t make a first field goal until 2:31 remained in the third quarter after battling early foul trouble.

Blakes then helped a fuel a frantic fourth-quarter rally in which Vanderbilt trimmed the lead to nine with three minutes to go. She finished with 24 points.

Aubrey Galvan added 18 points for Vanderbilt.

NO. 8 MICHIGAN 80, OREGON 58

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Syla Swords scored 17 points and Olivia Olson had 16 as Michigan beat Oregon in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.

The Wolverines (25-5) will face No. 9 Iowa in Saturday’s semifinals.

The final margin was Michigan’s largest lead of the game. Olson went 7 of 11 from the field for the Wolverines, who shot 44%. Ashley Sofilkanich added 14 points and Kendall Dudley scored 10.

Katie Fiso scored 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting and Ehis Etute had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Ducks (22-12).

Oregon made 41% of its shots. Both teams struggled from 3-point range as the Ducks were 3 of 19 and the Wolverines 4 of 19.

Oregon committed 17 turnovers, eight more than Michigan.

NO. 9 IOWA 64, ILLINOIS 58

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Ava Heiden scored 16 points and Hannah Stuelke finished with 13 points and five rebounds despite playing with an injured right elbow, leading Iowa past 10th-seeded Illinois and into the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.

The Hawkeyes (25-5) have won seven straight and need two more wins to capture their fifth conference tourney crown in eight years. Taylor Stremlow had nine points and six assists, while Journey Houston grabbed 12 rebounds for Iowa.

Jasmine Brown-Haggard finished with 22 points and Berry Wallace added 13 for Illinois. The conference’s youngest team played its third game in three nights after advancing to the quarterfinal round following wins over Wisconsin and No. 18 Michigan State.

Stuelke’s return seemed to reinvigorate the Hawkeyes. She was injured during Iowa’s victory over the Fighting Illini on Feb. 26 and missed the Hawkeyes’ regular-season finale last weekend. Coach Jan Jensen said the injury was so severe Stuelke struggled to shoot during the week, consulted with wrestling trainers about how to treat it and then fell ill, making Friday’s availability unclear.

None of it didn’t seem to bother Stuelke, who went 6 of 11 from the field and helped Iowa take control quickly before getting some extra rest late in the game.

NO. 10 TCU 63, BYU 46

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Marta Suarez had 17 points and eight rebounds, Taylor Bigby scored 11 of her 13 points in the first quarter, and TCU began the defense of its women’s Big 12 Tournament championship with a quarterfinal victory over BYU.

Olivia Miles added 10 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the top-seeded Horned Frogs (28-4), who will play No. 12 seed Kansas State in the semifinals on Saturday.

Delaney Gibb scored 17 points to lead the ninth-seeded Cougars (22-11), who finished the regular season with three straight wins, and then beat Houston and Utah in the first two rounds of the conference tournament to help their NCAA Tournament hopes.

The Horned Frogs certainly looked like a team riding a six-game win streak into the postseason. They held BYU to a single field goal over the first 5 1/2 minutes, built a 24-8 lead by the end of the first quarter and led by as many as 18 in the second.

TCU did it all without a whole lot from Miles, too. The Big 12 player of the year was 0 for 3 from the field and had three turnovers in a scoreless first half, while her foul in the final seconds allowed BYU to hit a free throw to close within 32-19 at the break.

NO. 11 OHIO ST. 50, NO. 19 MINNESOTA 55

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Elsa Lemmila had 17 points and 11 rebounds, Jaloni Cambridge also scored 17, and Ohio State beat Minnesota in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.

Fourth-seeded Ohio State (26-6) plays No. 1 seed and second-ranked UCLA — which beat the Buckeyes 82-75 on Dec. 28 — in the semifinals Saturday.

Cambridge added six assists, five rebounds and three steals. Chance Gray hit three 3-pointers and finished with 13 points.

Mara Braun hit a 3-pointer that cut Minnesota’s deficit to 58-55 with 1:32 left in the game. Neither team scored again until Cambridge made a jumper with 16 seconds left.

Grace Grocholski led No. 5 seed Minnesota (22-9) with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Sophie Hart had 12 points and a career-high 19 rebounds and Amaya Battle added 10 points. Hart has 1,000 career points, 966 for the Gophers. Tori McKinney had two points on 1-for-4 shooting in just 16 foul-plagued minutes.

Kennedy Cambridge had six of Ohio State’s 12 steals and added five points, four assists and three rebounds.

NO. 12 LOUISVILLE 87, SYRACUSE 61

DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Tajianna Roberts scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, Mackenly Randolph had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Louisville beat Syracuse in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.

Second-seeded Louisville (26-6) plays No. 3 seed and 16th-ranked North Carolina in the semifinals Saturday.

Reyna Scott made 7 of 10 from the field and finished with 15 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Cardinals. Skylar Jones scored 12 while Imari Berry and Laura Ziegler each added 11 points.

Syracuse (23-8), the No. 7 seed, announced before the game that Dominique Darius — who averages 12.6 points and has a team-high 106 assists this season — would miss the rest of the tournament due to a hand injury suffered in the Orange’s 70-59 win over California in the second round.

Uche Izoje had 22 points, 16 in the first half, and nine rebounds for the Orange. Sophie Burrows added 12 points and nine rebounds and Jasmyn Cooper scored 11.

NO. 13 DUKE 60, CLEMSON 46

DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Toby Fournier had 17 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, Delaney Thomas added 14 points, and Duke cruised past Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

The defense for top-seeded Duke (22-8) stunned Clemson (21-11) in the first half, forcing 11 turnovers and four shot-clock violations. The Blue Devils responded on offense, going 5 of 9 beyond the 3-point arc and 14 of 30 from the field against the same team that upset them 53-51 merely 12 days ago.

Duke went on a 10-0 run late in the second quarter to extend its lead to 38-19 at the half. Fournier had 12 points in the first half.

Clemson turned a 25-point deficit to 13 within the final minutes of the game, but Duke closed it out.

NO. 15 WEST VIRGINIA 67, ARIZONA STATE 54

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Sydney Shaw hit five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points, Gia Cooke scored 16, and West Virginia beat No. 10 seed Arizona State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.

No. 15 West Virginia (25-6) plays Saturday in the semifinals against Colorado. The Mountaineers have won 25 games in each of coach Mark Kellogg’s first three seasons.

Shaw tied the program record for 3-pointers in a Big 12 Tournament game. Jordan Harrison added 10 points, five assists and three steals for West Virginia.

Marley Washenitz led Arizona State (24-10) with 14 points and Heloisa Carrera scored 10. Gabby Elliott left the game due to an apparent knee injury with 5:33 left in the third quarter but returned to start the fourth and finished with nine points — all in the first half.

NO. 16 NORTH CAROLINA 85, VIRGINIA TECH 68

DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Lanie Grant scored a career-high 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting, Nyla Harris had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and third-seeded North Carolina beat No. 6 seed Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Friday night.

North Carolina (26-6) plays No. 12 and second-seeded Louisville in the semifinals Saturday.

Grant hit 4 of 7 from 3-point range and Harris made 8 of 11 from the field. Elina Aarnisalo totaled 18 points, six assists and five rebounds for UNC, and Nyla Brooks added 10 points.

Harris made a layup that gave the Tar Heels the lead for good and sparked an 11-2 run that made it 30-22 with 4:33 left in the second quarter. Aarnisalo hit a 3-pointer and added two free throws as UNC scored eight of the final nine first-half points to take a 13-point lead into the intermission.

Carleigh Wenzel made 14 of 15 from the free-throw line and finished with 26 points for Virginia Tech (23-9) but was 6-of-17 shooting, 0 of 6 from 3-point range.

COLORADO 62, NO. 20 BAYLOR 53

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Desiree Wooten had 21 points, Zyanna Walker scored 19 and Colorado upset Baylor in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Conference Tournament.

No. 6 seed Colorado will play 15th-ranked West Virginia, the No. 2 seed, in a semifinal matchup on Saturday. No. 1 seed TCU plays No. 12 seed Kansas State in the other semi after the Wildcats upset No. 4 seed Oklahoma State 74-73 in the day’s first quarterfinal.

Wooten came off the bench to make 8 of 16 shots with three 3-pointers for the Buffaloes (22-10), who advanced to a conference semifinal for the first time in 11 years. She added five rebounds and three assists. Reserve Logyn Greer had nine points and four boards.

Taliah Scott scored 14 points to pace the third-seeded Lady Bears (24-8). Darianna Littlepage-Buggs had 10 points and 10 rebounds, while reserve Kyla Abraham added 10 points and six boards.

NO. 25 FAIRFIELD 69, SACRED HEART 53

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Kaety L’Amoreaux scored 21 points, Meghan Andersen added 16 points and Fairfield eased by Sacred Heart in the quarterfinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament for its ninth victory in a row.

Fairfield (26-4), the No. 2 seed, continues its quest for a third straight MAAC championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. The Stags already secured their third straight regular-season title, the seventh in program history.

L’Amoreaux, the conference player of the year, and Andersen combined for 22 points in the first half to help Fairfield build a 35-24 lead. Andersen scored five points during a 12-0 second-quarter run that gave the Stags a 14-point lead.

Fairfield led by double figures the entire second half. The Stags closed the third quarter on a 9-0 run and led by as many as 27 in the fourth before Sacred Heart scored the final 11 points of the game against reserves.

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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Morez Johnson Jr. and Yaxel Lendeborg scored 16 points apiece, and Aday Mara had two tiebreaking shots in the final 1:22 as Michigan defeated Iowa.

The Wolverines (28-2, 18-1 Big Ten) were held 18 points below their season scoring average, but managed to hold off the Hawkeyes (20-10, 10-9) in the closing seconds.

Iowa went on an 11-1 run to tie the game at 64 with 1:56 to play before Mara banked in a shot before the shot clock expired, putting Michigan in front again. After Iowa’s Cam Manyawu scored inside to tie the game at 66, Mara, who finished with 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting, scored off a lob with 43 seconds left to put the Wolverines ahead to stay.

Iowa had chances to tie the game on back-to-back possessions, but missed three shots on one of the possessions and lost the ball on another after a turnover by Tavion Banks with seven seconds left.

The Hawkeyes had a final chance to tie the game after Lendeborg made two free throws with four seconds remaining, but Bennett Stirtz’s 3-pointer try was long.

Elliot Cadeau added 11 points for the Wolverines, the Big Ten regular-season champions.

Stirtz led Iowa with 21 points. Manyawu had 14.

NO. 8 MICHIGAN STATE 91, RUTGERS 87

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Jeremy Fears had 21 points and eight assists and Coen Carr also scored 21, helping Michigan State hold off Rutgers.

The Spartans (25-5, 15-4 Big Ten) will close the regular season on the road against rival and third-ranked Michigan on Sunday.

Michigan State has won five straight games to secure a top-four seed in next week’s Big Ten Tournament and a double-bye into the quarterfinals.

The Scarlet Knights (12-18, 5-14) have slumped toward the bottom of the 18-team conference.

Rutgers’ Tariq Francis scored 25 points, Lino Mark had 14 and Emmanuel Ogbole added 13.

Darius Acuff Jr. had 28 points and 13 assists, Trevon Brazile scored a career-high 28 and No. 20 Arkansas beat Texas 105-85 on Wednesday night to clinch a double bye into the quartefinals of the SEC Tournament.

After securing a top-four finish in the Southeastern Conference standings, the Razorbacks (22-8, 12-5) will bypass the first two rounds next week in Nashville, Tennessee.

Acuff became the first player in Arkansas history with at least 25 points and 10 assists in a game. He had 19 points and eight assists by halftime as the Razorbacks took a 22-point lead into the break.

Brazile, a senior playing his final home game, shot 9 of 11 from the field and added seven rebounds.

Matas Vokietaitis led Texas (18-12, 9-8) with 21 points. He was one of four Longhorns players in double figures.

NO. 7 HOUSTON 77, BAYLOR 64

HOUSTON (AP) — Kingston Flemings had 21 points and seven assists, Emanuel Sharp added 19 points and Houston rallied for a win over Baylor.

Flemings and Sharp combined to shoot 13 of 26 from the field, and Sharp was 5 of 10 on 3-pointers.

Joseph Tugler finished with 14 points and six rebounds and Milos Uzan had 12 points for Houston (25-5, 13-4 Big 12), which used a big second-half run to overcome Baylor (15-15, 5-12).

The Cougars forced 18 turnovers and converted them into 28 points. They shot 46% and were 9 of 25 on 3-pointers.

Tounde Yessoufou had 20 points and 12 rebounds, Caden Powell added 12 points and Cameron Carr and Obi Agbim each had 11 for the Bears. Baylor shot 42% from the field and 8 of 25 from behind the arc, but made just two of their final 16 from long range.

NO. 15 PURDUE 70, NORTHWESTERN 66

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — C.J. Cox scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 48 seconds left that helped Purdue edge Nick Martinelli and Northwestern.

Cox outlasted Martinelli in a memorable duel in the final minutes, sending Purdue to a sorely needed victory. The Boilermakers (23-7, 13-6 Big Ten) had lost two in a row and three of four overall.

Trey Kaufman-Renn added 11 points and 10 rebounds, shaking off a shoulder injury in the second half. Fletcher Loyer finished with 10 points.

Martinelli, a senior playing his final home game, scored 19 of his 28 points in the second half. The Big Ten’s leading scorer moved into seventh on the school’s career list with 1,687 points, passing Northwestern assistant coach Bryant McIntosh.

Jayden Reid scored 16 points for the Wildcats (13-17, 5-14), who had won three in a row.

NO. 22 MIAMI 77, SMU 69

DALLAS (AP) — Tre Donaldson scored 17 points, Malik Reneau had a double-double and Miami beat SMU, ensuring the Hurricanes a double bye in next week’s ACC Tournament.

Reneau had 12 points and 11 rebounds while Tru Washington scored 15 for Miami (24-6, 13-4), which got its seventh win in eight games since the start of February. Freshman guard Noam Dovrat had 12 points on four 3-pointers for the second game in a row.

The Hurricanes played their first game as an AP Top 25 team since December 2023 after getting ranked on Monday. They matched their school record for regular-season wins and increased Division I’s best turnaround to 17 victories more than last season with first-year coach Jai Lucas.

Jaron Pierre Jr. had 27 points with six 3s and Boopie Miller scored 21 for the Mustangs (19-11, 8-9), who have lost three in a row after earlier this season getting double-digit wins at home over Top 25 teams North Carolina and Louisville. They haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2017.

NO. 25 SAINT LOUIS 79, LOYOLA CHICAGO 65

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Amari McCottry scored 18 points, Dion Brown added 15 and Saint Louis clinched the top seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament by beating Loyola Chicago.

The Billikens (27-3, 15-2) finished unbeaten at Chaifetz Arena for the first time in the building’s 18-year history and tied the school record with their 22nd consecutive home win, 19 coming this season.

Xavier Amos led the Ramblers (7-23, 3-14) with a season-high 25 points and Kayde Dotson scored 19. Amos made all seven of his shots in an 18-point first half, including four 3-pointers in a three-minute stretch to close an early 12-point deficit.

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Xavier Edmonds had 20 points and 12 rebounds as TCU got another big win in its late push to get into the NCAA Tournament, winning 73-65 at No. 10 Texas Tech on Tuesday night.

Edmonds’ putback layup with 31 seconds left pushed the lead to 71-65 for Horned Frogs (20-10, 10-7 Big 12), who have won seven of their last eight games. It was their third win this season against a top-10 team, including a win over then-No. 5 Iowa State during this stretch.

Texas Tech (22-8, 12-5) had won three games in a row since losing standout post J.T. Toppin to a season-ending torn ACL in his right knee. The Red Raiders, who finish 14-2 at home, had moved up six spots in this week’s AP Top 25 poll, matching their season-opening ranking after going to the Elite Eight last season.

Micah Robinson scored 15 points for the Frogs, and Jayden Pierre had 14. David Punch, their leading scorer, was limited to six points while having foul issues, but still had 10 rebounds.

Donovan Atwell led Tech with 19 points and five 3-pointers, extending his single-season school record to 115. Jaylen Petty scored 17, while Christian Anderson had 11 points and nine assists.

NO. 13 VIRGINIA 75, WAKE FOREST 70

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Thijs De Ridder scored 16 points and Virginia outlasted Wake Forest to secure the No. 2 seed and a double-bye in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.

Jacari White added 14 points and Johann Grunloh had 12 points, nine rebounds and two blocks as the Cavaliers (26-4, 14-3) beat the Demon Deacons for the 14th time in the last 16 meetings.

Coming off a humbling loss at No. 1 Duke in which they missed 28 of 35 3-point attempts, the Cavaliers struggled again from long range. Virginia missed its first eight 3-point attempts and went 3 for 17 from beyond the arc in the opening half.

The Cavaliers were better after halftime and finished 10 of 32 from deep, including a 3 by Malik Thomas that made it 71-62 with 1:23 left. Thomas finished with 11 points.

Mekhi Mason scored 26 points and Juke Harris had 21 for the Demon Deacons (15-15, 6-11), who kept the outcome in doubt until the final seconds. Wake Forest got within 73-70 with 6.1 seconds to play, but Virginia’s Dallin Hall made two free throws with 5.2 seconds left to seal it.

GEORGIA 98 NO. 16 ALABAMA 88

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Kanon Catchings scored a career-high 32 points and Georgia ended Alabama’s eight-game winning streak with a victory.

Catchings ignited the Bulldogs (21-9, 9-8 Southeastern Conference) with 20 points before halftime, leading their fourth win in five games. He was 7 of 13 from 3-point range and delivered a signature highlight with a behind-the-back pass to Somto Cyril for a thunderous slam.

Heading into its final home game of the season, Georgia had likely done enough to clinch its second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. But tacking a sixth Quad 1 win onto the resume surely sealed a berth in the 68-team field.

The Bulldogs also reached the most regular-season victories since the 2001-02 team went 21-8 under Jim Harrick.

The Crimson Tide (22-8, 12-5) wasted a chance to bolster its seeding for the tournament, despite a spirited back-and-forth down the stretch as the teams traded 3 after 3. Labaron Philon Jr. led Alabama with 26 points.

NO. 17 NORTH CAROLINA 67, CLEMSON 63

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Luka Bogavac hit six 3-pointers and scored a career-best 20 points as North Carolina beat Clemson and set a program record by going 18-0 at home.

Henri Veesaar scored 13 points before fouling out in the final minute and Jarin Stevenson had nine points and 10 rebounds as the Tar Heels (24-6, 12-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their fourth straight game heading into a weekend rematch with No. 1 Duke.

North Carolina’s unbeaten run at home was its first in nine years.

RJ Godfrey scored a career-high 22 points on 10-for-13 shooting for Clemson (21-9, 11-6). Godfrey’s only point in the final 8½ minutes came on a free throw with 1:25 remaining that cut the deficit to 61-59. Carter Welling added 13 points.

NO. 18 ST. JOHN"S 72, GEORGETOWN 69

NEW YORK (AP) — Zuby Ejiofor scored 23 points, Joson Sanon added 15 off the bench — all after halftime — and St. John’s rallied from 12 down in the second half to beat skidding Georgetown.

With a gritty comeback on Senior Night at Madison Square Garden, the Red Storm (24-6, 17-2 Big East) tied No. 4 UConn atop the conference standings with one regular-season game remaining. A victory Friday night at Hudson River rival Seton Hall would give the Johnnies at least a share of their second consecutive Big East regular-season championship following a 32-year drought.

The only time they’ve won back-to-back league crowns was 1985 and ’86.

Dylan Darling had 12 points for St. John’s, which has won 15 of 16 overall and 11 straight meetings with Georgetown — the longest streak for either school in a series that dates to 1909.

NO. 19 MIAMI (OHIO) 74, TOLEDO 72

OXFORD, Ohio (AP) — Pete Suder scored 19 points, Antowne Woolfolk added 14 and Miami (Ohio) closed within a victory of a perfect regular season with a win over Toledo that extended the RedHawks’ season-opening winning streak to 30 games.

The RedHawks (17-0 Mid-American Conference) remain the only undefeated team in Division I men’s basketball. Miami extended the best start in program history and added to its school record for wins in a season. Miami also boasts the best start and longest win streak in MAC annals.

Brant Byers added 13 points and Luke Skaljac chipped in 12 for the RedHawks, who extended their home winning streak to 31- games in front of a sellout crowd of 10,640 at Millett Hall. That home mark matches Duke for the longest in the nation.

Leroy Blyden Jr. led Toledo (16-4, 10-7) with 21 points and Sonny Wilson added 13.

NO. 23 TENNESSEE 78, SOUTH CAROLINA 59

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — J.P. Estrella scored 22 points, Felix Okpara added 20 and Tennessee rolled past South Carolina to stop a two-game skid.

The Volunteers (21-9, 11-6 Southeastern Conference) were a force inside, even without injured starter and second-leading scorer Nate Ament, a 6-foot-10 freshman.

Tennessee shook off Ament’s absence with post players Estrella and Okpara dismantling South Carolina’s defense with dunks and layups.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie, the Vols’ leading scorer at 18.7 points per game, was held to eight points on 3-of-9 shooting. But he had a career-high 12 assists as he regularly found Estrella and Okpara close to the basket.

The Vols held a 56-18 scoring edge in the paint as Estrella and Okpara combined to make 20 of 27 shots.

Meechie Johnson, who was honored on senior night, scored 20 points to lead the Gamecocks (12-18, 3-14), who’ve lost 10 of 11.

The Associated Press national player of the week in women’s basketball for Week 17 of the season:

Mikayla Blakes, Iowa

The sophomore guard led No. 5 Vanderbilt to wins over Alabama and Tennessee last week, averaging 34.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists. She is the first SEC player in the past 26 years to have scored 30 or more points in a dozen games. She had 34 points against Tennessee and 35 against Alabama.

Runner-up

Olivia Olson, No. 8 Michigan. She led the Wolverines to wins over then-No. 13 Ohio State and 14th-ranked Maryland. Olson, a sophomore, had a career-high 31 points, including the game-winning layup in overtime, in the victory over the Buckeyes. She also had nine rebounds and four assists in that win. She followed that up with a 28-point effort against the Terrapins.

Honorable mention

Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame; Marta Suarez, No. 10 TCU; Riley Weiss, Columbia.

Keep an eye on

Marquette junior guard Skylar Forbes averaged 21.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in wins over Providence and Xavier. She had 24 in a road win over Providence, two off her career high. She scored 12 of her 19 points in the first half of a win over Xavier.

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The Associated Press national player of the week in men’s college basketball for Week 17 of the season:

Brayden Burries, No. 2 Arizona

The 6-foot-4 freshman guard is the first player to earn AP national player of the week honors twice this season after a stellar two-game stretch. Burries led the Wildcats to at least a share of the Big 12 regular-season title by averaging 22.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He scored 24 points with four assists in an 87-80 win at Baylor. He followed up with 20 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and no turnovers in an 84-61 win over No. 14 Kansas. Burries was named player of the week in Week 13 and gives Arizona three player of the week honors after fellow freshman Koa Peat earned it the opening week of the season.

Runner-up

Mikey Lewis, No. 21 Saint Mary’s. The 6-3 sophomore had 31 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal in Saturday’s 70-59 win over No. 12 Gonzaga to give the Gaels a share of the West Coast Conference regular-season crown. He made 10 of 21 shots from the floor and 7 of 13 from 3 in the game. Lewis also had 21 points and seven assists in Wednesday’s win against Santa Clara to help the Gaels close the week on an eight-game win streak.

Honorable mention

Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Alabama; Nick Martinelli, Northwestern; Seth Trimble, North Carolina.

Keep an eye on

Ty Harper, Oral Roberts. The 6-3 guard scored 47 points in a win over Denver on Thursday. Harper made 12 of 24 shots from the floor, and hit all 21 of his free throws to break the Summit League record. He followed with 27 points in a win at Kansas City on Thursday. The senior leads ORU with 17.9 points per game heading into this week's Summit League tournament.

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