Category: NCAA Basketball

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Arizona is headed back to the Final Four for the first time in 25 years after the top-seeded Wildcats got 20 points from freshman Koa Peat to beat Purdue 79-64 in the NCAA Tournament’s West Region final on Saturday night.

After years of disappointment in March, coach Tommy Lloyd has gotten Arizona (36-2) back to being a championship contender thanks to a talented freshman class led by Peat to go along with veterans like Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley.

The Wildcats showed they can win in almost any style. They used a nearly flawless performance on offense to beat Arkansas in the Sweet 16 and then shut down one of the nation’s most efficient offenses against second-seeded Purdue (30-9).

Arizona frustrated the NCAA record-holder in assists, Braden Smith, and prevented his fellow four-year seniors Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer from getting into a rhythm. Purdue was held to its second-lowest point total of the season and shot just 38% from the field.

Arizona used an 16-3 run early in the second half to erase a seven-point halftime deficit and take a six-point lead on a 3-pointer from Anthony Dell’Orso. The Wildcats stayed in control from there. Brayden Burries hit a 3-pointer, and after a turnover by Smith, Ivan Kharchenkov made a layup for an 11-point lead.

Peat put the exclamation point on the win with dunk that made it 68-55 with less than six minutes remaining, sending the Wildcats to Indianapolis next week on a 13-game winning streak.

SOUTH REGION

No. 3 ILLINOIS 71, NO. 9 IOWA 59

HOUSTON (AP) — Freshman Keaton Wagler scored 25 points and Illinois ended Iowa’s underdog March Madness run by dominating in the frontcourt, beating the Hawkeyes to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2005.

This will be the sixth trip to the Final Four for Illinois, which has never won a national title. The Fighting Illini will face either Duke or UConn next weekend in Indianapolis.

The much taller Illini (28-8) outrebounded Iowa 38-21 in the South Region final. David Mirkovic led the way with 12 rebounds.

Coach Brad Underwood’s emphasis on recruiting in Eastern Europe has paid off in this tournament. Tomislav Ivisic of Croatia, who stands 7-foot-1, and his 7-2 twin brother Zvonimir have shined in March.

Andrej Stojakovic, who was born in Greece but whose father is Serbian three-time NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic, scored 17 points for third-seeded Illinois. His famous father watched proudly as his son punched his ticket to the Final Four, and Wagler’s parents — who met when they played basketball at a junior college in Kansas — cheered wildly throughout for their son, who was named MVP of the region.

Bennett Stirtz scored 24 points for the ninth-seeded Hawkeyes (24-13), who knocked off top-seeded Florida in the second round as part of an impressive run under first-year coach Ben McCollum, a four-time Division II national champion at Northwest Missouri State.

HOUSTON (AP) — Alvaro Folgueiras converted a critical three-point play when Nebraska only had four defenders on the floor, and ninth-seeded Iowa continued its unpredictable NCAA Tournament run under first-year coach Ben McCollum, beating Nebraska 77-71 in a South Region semifinal on Thursday night.

Bennett Stirtz scored 20 points and Folgueiras had 16 for the Hawkeyes (24-12), who knocked off top-seeded Florida in the second round on Folgueiras’ 3-pointer in the closing seconds.

Iowa will face either Illinois or Houston on Saturday for a spot in the Final Four. McCollum, who won four Division II national titles at Northwest Missouri State, has now led Iowa to its fifth Elite Eight and first since 1987.

Fourth-seeded Nebraska (28-7) took an early 10-point lead against its Big Ten rival, and Iowa tied it four times but never led until Stirtz buried a 3-pointer to make it 68-65 with 2:10 to go. Sage Tate hit another 3 to cap a 9-0 run and put Iowa ahead 71-65.

The Cornhuskers got within three on a second-chance 3 by Braden Frager, but they were disorganized on the inbound play, leaving Folgueiras unguarded near the rim. He slammed it home — popping up screaming after he finished through contact as Iowa fans roared — and converted the free throw for a six-point lead.

Another dunk by Folgueiras with 34 seconds left made it 76-68.

Iowa transfer Pryce Sandfort made six 3s and scored 25 points for Nebraska, which won the first two March Madness games in program history to get this far. Frager added 16 points for coach Fred Hoiberg’s Cornhuskers, who delighted a traveling contingent of red-clad fans throughout their tournament run.

WEST REGION

NO. 2 PURDUE 79, NO. 11 TEXAS 77

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Trey Kaufman-Renn tipped in a miss by Braden Smith with 0.7 seconds left, and Purdue edged hobbling Texas star Tramon Mark and the Longhorns in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Texas (21-15) tied it moments earlier when Dailyn Swain made a driving layup, was fouled and converted the three-point play with 11.9 seconds to go. Smith had scored on his own drive with 38 seconds remaining and finished with 16 points.

Kaufman-Renn hit his first seven shots — going 6 for 6 and grabbing five rebounds in the first half — on the way to 20 points. He was mobbed by teammates right after the final buzzer sounded at SAP Center.

Mark scored 29 for the Longhorns, grimacing and clearly in pain limping on his injured left foot through the closing minutes when the sixth-year senior’s team needed him most. His points were the most by a Texas player in an NCAA Tournament game since Kevin Durant scored 30 against Southern California in the second round of the 2007 tournament.

Purdue (30-8) advances to Saturday’s Elite Eight game against either top-seeded Arizona (34-2) or No. 4 seed Arkansas (28-8), who were playing the late game at SAP Center.

Texas coach Sean Miller made his ninth Sweet 16 appearance in 21 seasons, the most of any coach who hasn’t reached the Final Four.

DraftKings has been using “March Madness” and other familiar terms to refer to the NCAA Tournament for more than five years and has the legal right to do so, the sportsbook said in a court filing Wednesday in response to a complaint filed by the NCAA last week.

The NCAA is seeking an emergency temporary restraining order to stop DraftKings from using registered trademarks associated with its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

The complaint for trademark infringement, filed in the Southern District of Indiana, requests that DraftKings stop using “March Madness,” “Final Four,” “Elite Eight” and “Sweet Sixteen” and variations of those terms to promote its business.

In its response, DraftKings described those terms as “the universally recognized names for the tournaments and their rounds, used by millions of college basketball fans, journalists, and participants in the sports-betting ecosystem. They are the same words used by other online sportsbooks, who have not been singled out by the NCAA’s fevered complaint.”

DraftKings said the NCAA had asked for the restraining order “based on a contrived and manufactured ‘emergency,’” and it noted that the NCAA has a commercial agreement with a company whose business is providing in-game data to sportsbooks.

The NCAA said it actively avoids any appearance of affiliation with gambling and said in the complaint that DraftKings’ use of the terms confuses customers by making it appear the NCAA is on board.

DraftKings said its use of the terms is protected under the First Amendment, arguing the NCAA's trademark claim would fail on the merits.

“No trademark gives any organization the right to monopolize the language fans, players, journalists, and sportsbooks use every day to accurately refer to college basketball tournaments,” the company said in a statement.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Ronald Nored will be returning to Butler as the head coach of the men’s basketball program, vice president and director of athletics Grant Leiendecker announced Wednesday.

Nored succeeds coach Thad Matta, who announced his retirement last week after leading Butler for the past four seasons, all of which the Bulldogs finished with losing records in Big East conference play. Matta will stay on board at the school as special assistant to the president and athletic director.

Nored graduated from Butler in 2012, helping the Bulldogs to back-to-back NCAA national championship games as the team’s starting point guard under coach Brad Stevens. He leads the program in games played (143) and postseason games played (16).

Nored brings experience coaching in various capacities for several NBA franchises, including the Hawks, Pacers, Hornets and Celtics. He was also the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets’ G-League team, the Long Island Nets, from 2016-18.

He most recently served as a Hawks assistant coach over the past three seasons.

“The term ‘dream job’ doesn’t do justice to how I feel about the opportunity to lead the Butler program,” Nored said in a statement. “Butler is an incredibly special place. As a player, I poured blood, sweat and tears into this program. No one appreciates both the responsibility and the potential that comes with this position more than me.”

Leiendecker describes Nored as “the absolute best leader to spearhead the future of Butler basketball.”

The Bulldogs finished the 2025-26 season with a 16-16 record following a 91-81 loss to Providence in the Big East Tournament on March 11.

“There is incredible momentum at Butler right now," Nored said, "and I can’t wait to hit the ground running as we elevate Butler to new heights.”

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Santa Clara thought it had knocked Kentucky out of the NCAA Tournament when freshman Allen Graves answered a tying basket by Wildcats star Otega Oweh with a 3-pointer in front of his own bench with 2.4 seconds left in regulation.

The problem for the Broncos: There were still 2.4 seconds left in regulation.

As coach Herb Sendek tried to call timeout, Kentucky quickly got the ball into the hands of Oweh, who raced across the midcourt line and heaved up a 3-pointer, which banked through the bucket to tie the game at 73-all. The buzzer sounded when the ball was in midair.

The kind of shot that puts the madness into March Madness didn’t exactly end Santa Clara’s postseason hopes — that didn’t come until Kentucky scored eight consecutive points in OT to pull away. But the sequence of shots in those wild last few seconds of regulation will be remembered much longer than the 89-84 final score Friday, which sent the No. 7 seed Wildcats into a matchup with No. 2 seed Iowa State or No. 15 seed Tennessee State in the Midwest Region.

“You know,” Sendek said afterward, “it was a really euphoric high followed by a tough one to swallow.”

The No. 10 seed Broncos certainly gave everything they had — everything built up over the 30 years since Steve Nash last led them to the NCAA Tournament — in trying to knock off one of college basketball’s bluebloods inside the packed Enterprise Center.

The game was tied 12 times. The lead changed hands 20 times. Santa Clara led by two at halftime as the West Coast Tournament runner-up went toe-to-toe with Kentucky, which was making its record-extending 63rd NCAA Tournament appearance.

Yet the first 59 minutes merely set the stage for the dramatic conclusion.

MIDWEST

NO. 2 IOWA ST. 108, NO. 15 TENNESSEE ST. 74

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Iowa State star Joshua Jefferson left in the first half of the Cyclones’ romp past Tennessee State with a left ankle injury Friday, leaving the All-American’s status for the remainder of the NCAA Tournament in doubt.

Jefferson landed awkwardly after a layup just 2 1/2 minutes into the first-round matchup in the Midwest Region. The 6-foot-9 senior had to be helped by trainers to the X-ray room, emerged about 10 minutes later using crutches, and watched the second half from the end of the Iowa State bench with his ankle in a bulky gray boot.

Nate Heise had eight of his season-high 23 points during a 23-0 run for the Cyclones (28-7), which began shortly after Jefferson was hurt and sent them breezing past the Tigers (23-10) and into a second-round matchup with seventh-seeded Kentucky on Sunday.

The Wildcats beat No. 10 seed Santa Clara 89-84 in an overtime thriller to begin the session at the Enterprise Center.

The Cyclones already were dealing with a groin injury that limited point guard Tamin Lipsey in the Big 12 Tournament. Now, their depth will be tested even more without Jefferson, who was second on the team in scoring and their leading rebounder.

NO. 3 VIRGINIA 82, NO. 14 WRIGHT ST. 73

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jacari White hit six 3-pointers and scored 26 points, and Virginia avoided yet another early NCAA Tournament exit, beating a resolute Wright State in the first round.

The Cavaliers (30-5) will face sixth-seeded Tennessee or No. 11 seed Miami (Ohio) in the second round in the Midwest Region on Sunday.

Virginia won its first NCAA Tournament game since it won the 2019 national title.

The Cavaliers lost in the first round or the First Four in 2021, 2023 and 2024, and title-winning coach Tony Bennett abruptly retired before last season. Ryan Odom took over this season and quickly turned the program around.

Odom knows all about Virginia upsets in the tournament. He coached UMBC in 2018 when it was the first No. 16 seed to knock off a No. 1 — yes, Virginia.

Wright State (24-11), a No. 14 seed, was an 18 1/2-point underdog according to BetMGM Sportsbook but never looked out of step as it tried to pull off the shocker.

Michael Imariagbe scored 19 points and kept hope alive for that rare 14 seed win — there have been none in the tournament since 2024 — with a late 3 that pulled the Raiders within 78-73. White responded with a bucket that finally put to rest any thought of an early ride back home for the Cavaliers.

NO. 4 ALABAMA 90, NO. 13 HOFSTRA 70

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Labaron Philon Jr. scored 29 points and Alabama rallied from an early double-digit deficit to beat Hofstra in a first-round game in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament.

The Crimson Tide (24-9) advanced to a second-round matchup against fifth-seeded Texas Tech (23-10), a 20-point winner over 12th-seeded Akron in the earlier first-round game at Benchmark International Arena.

Alabama ended the opening half on a 19-7 run to wipe out a 10-point deficit, then built its own lead to 13 before Hofstra (24-11) mounted one last push for a possible upset.

Freshman Preston Edmead had 24 points for the Pride, and his basket pulled the Pride within 67-62 with just over seven minutes remaining. Victory Onuetu’s dunk trimmed Alabama’s lead to 69-64 and ignited much of a crowd of 17,769 that threw its support behind the underdogs.

Philon was simply too much down the stretch, though, delivering a layup and a long 3-pointer during a surge that enabled Alabama to rebuild the lead to double digits. Taylor Bol Bowen put an exclamation point on the Crimson Tide response with two dunks and a 3-pointer as the lead ballooned to 20.

NO. 5 TEXAS TECH 91, NO. 12 AKRON 71

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jaylen Petty scored 24 points, Christian Anderson added 18 and Texas Tech beat Akron in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Red Raiders (23-10) will face fourth-seeded Alabama in the second round in the Midwest Region on Sunday.

Playing without All-America guard JT Toppin, who tore the ACL in his right knee last month, Texas Tech got double-figure scoring from five players.

Josiah Moseley had 16 points, Donovan Atwell scored 15 and LeJuan Watts added 14.

Amani Lyles led Akron with 26 points and Shammah Scott had 20.

Akron (29-6) became first team to win the Mid-American Conference Tournament three straight years. But the Zips again failed to reach the second round in their eighth March Madness appearance.

Petty and Atwell opened the second half with consecutive 3-pointers to give Texas Tech an 11-point lead.

Akron got within 64-60 midway through second after Eric Mahaffey scored on a layup and made a free throw to complete a 3-point play. But the Zips couldn’t get any closer.

NO. 6 TENNESSEE 78, NO.11 MIAMI (OHIO) 56

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Ja’Kobi Gillespie hit six 3-pointers and scored 29 points as Tennessee ended a fabulous season for Miami (Ohio) with a win.

The Vols (23-11) shook off a rough end to the season — losing four of six games — and advanced to play third-seeded Virginia on Sunday in the Midwest Region.

Gillespie hit five 3s in the first half to help the Vols push ahead by 20 and squash any chance the 11th-seeded RedHawks (31-2) could carry over the confidence gained from their First Four win and pull off a signature victory.

The Vols did just about everything right and showed again why — no matter the seed — they are a perennial threat to go deep in March. Led by Gillespie, the Vols made 12 of 19 shots to start the game, including long 3s and 20 quick points in the paint.

Just to add one more gut punch to Miami, Ethan Burg hit a 3 at the first-half buzzer for a 51-32 lead.

Gillespie passed up a chance to score 30 points — only two other Vols have ever reached that mark in the NCAA Tournament — when he drove the lane with 1:13 left but skipped the open look and threw a lob to Felix Okpara for the bucket.

J.P. Estrella had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Vols.

Peter Suder was the lone Miami player in double digits with 27 points.

WEST REGION

No. 1 ARIZONA 92, NO. 16 LIU POST 58

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Brayden Burries hit four 3-pointers while scoring 18 points, Koa Peat added 15 points and top-seeded Arizona opened its NCAA Tournament run with a over Long Island on Friday.

Ivan Kharchenkov had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Big 12 regular-season and tournament champion Wildcats (33-2), who quickly showed why they’re the tournament’s second overall seed behind Duke.

Pushing the pace on offense and stifling the Sharks with defense, Arizona went up by double digits in the opening minutes and led the Sharks by 27 in the first half while delighting the thousands of fans who filled Viejas Arena with red.

Arizona will return Sunday to face the winner of Villanova’s meeting with Utah State in the West Region bracket.

NO. 9 UTAH STATE 86, NO.8 VILLANOVA 76

SAN DIEGO (AP) — MJ Collins’ steal and emphatic one-handed slam dunk with 1:13 left gave him 20 points and Utah State opened its fourth straight NCAA Tournament by beating Villanova.

Mason Falslev, the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, scored 22 and helped bring the Aggies back from a 10-point deficit early in the second half.

Utah State (29-6), the No. 9 seed in the West Region, will play No. 1 seed Arizona in the second round on Sunday. The Wildcats beat No. 16 Long Island 92-58 on Friday.

Collins converted a three-point play with 2:53 left to give the Aggies a 78-73 lead. After No. 8 seed Villanova (24-9) committed a five-second inbound violation, Falslev fed Collins for a layup and an 80-73 lead. Collins intercepted a pass by Bryce Lindsay and went in for his slam for an 84-74 lead.

Lindsay made six 3-pointers and scored 25 points for Villanova. Duke Brennan and Tyler Perkins added 15 points apiece.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Jaylia Reed scored 16 points, DeMya Porter had 15 points and 12 rebounds and Southern closed the game on a 14-2 run to beat fellow No. 16 seed Samford 65-53 on Thursday night in the NCAA Tournament.

Southern (20-13) won a game in the First Four for the second straight season, earning a chance to play top-seeded South Carolina on Saturday in the Round of 64. It’s the Jaguars’ third appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the last four years.

D’Shantae Edwards began the fourth quarter by converting a three-point play to give Southern a 47-44 lead. Samford tied it twice in the next three minutes, but could not get any closer.

Reed put Southern ahead for good with 6:47 remaining on a 3-pointer to begin the game-closing run. Six different Jaguars scored during the run.

Samford missed eight of its last nine field goals.

Jocelyn Tate added 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Southern, which had nine of its 13 steals in the first half. The Jaguars finished with 20 points off turnovers.

NO. 10 VIRGINIA 57, NO. 10 ARIZONA STATE 55

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Kymora Johnson scored 17 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 30.6 seconds remaining, and Virginia beat Arizona State for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2018.

Virginia (20-11), the No. 10 seed, will face seventh-seeded and 24th-ranked Georgia in the first round on Saturday. The Cavaliers are making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2018 and first under coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton.

Johnson’s key 3-pointer — Virginia’s first of the second half in 10 attempts — made it 54-51.

Johnson went 1 of 2 from the free-throw line with 5.3 seconds left to cap the scoring and Arizona State guard Jyah LoVett lost control of the ball in the paint at the other end as the clock ran out.

Johnson also had 10 rebounds and five assists for her ninth career double-double. Caitlin Weimar added 11 points off the bench for Virginia and Romi Levy scored 10.

Marley Washenitz made five 3-pointers and scored 19 points for Arizona State (24-11). McKinna Brackens had 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Heloisa Carrera also scored 10.

SMU coach Andy Enfield believes star forward B.J. Edwards' right ankle would have been ready by Friday if the Mustangs had found a way to advance out of the First Four at the NCAA Tournament.

Only SMU didn't, falling to Miami (Ohio) with the senior guard out of the lineup. The Mustangs had indicated Edwards might have been available for the tournament at large, which the NCAA selection committee indicated played a factor in giving SMU an at-large berth in the 68-team field.

Enfield brushed off the suggestion that the fact Edwards didn't play could hurt how the selection committee views the Mustangs in the future.

“We deserved to be in the NCAA Tournament if you look at all our metrics and our wins,” Enfield said. “We all thought that B.J. would be back.”

Enfield described Edwards' injury as “serious." Edwards hadn't played since tweaking the ankle against California on Feb. 25. Enfield credited Edwards for making every effort to be available by Wednesday. Instead, Edwards — who averaged 12.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists — was “a day short” of being cleared by SMU's medical staff.

“It was heartbreaking when he said, ‘I’m just not quite (there),'” Enfield said. “We thought he’d be right there. But it’s a very heartbreaking thing to have someone that wants to be out there and just can’t do it. It didn’t feel comfortable quite yet.”

The Mustangs (20-14) made the tournament despite an 8-10 mark in the ACC. Their resume did include wins over conference powers North Carolina and Louisville, though they also lost to struggling Syracuse.

“As far as the committee, what they’re — we deserved to be in the NCAA Tournament, bottom line,” Enfield said. “That’s pretty to the point right there.”

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Dontae Horne scored 25 points and Cory Wells had 19 as Prairie View A&M earned its first NCAA Tournament victory, 67-55 over Lehigh on Wednesday night in the First Four.

Lance Williams added 10 points for the Panthers (19-17), who are making their third tournament appearance. They advance as the No. 16 seed in the South Region to face top seed and defending national champion Florida on Friday in Tampa, Florida.

Lehigh leading scorer Nasir Whitlock went scoreless for more than 26 minutes and finished with five points. He was 2-of-15 shooting.

The last time Whitlock did not reach double figures was Nov. 9, when he had two points in a 69-47 loss at West Virginia.

Hank Alvey led Lehigh (18-17) with 23 points.

MIAMI (OHIO) 89, SMU 79

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Eian Elmer scored 22 points and Miami (Ohio) beat SMU for its first NCAA Tournament victory in 27 years.

Elmer went 6 of 9 from 3-point range as the 11th-seeded RedHawks (32-1), unbeaten during the regular season, advanced in the Midwest Region to play No. 6 seed Tennessee.

Brant Byers added 19 points, including four 3s, and Luke Skaljac had 17 for Miami, making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007. The RedHawks finished 16 of 41 from 3-point range.

Jaden Toombs led SMU (20-14) with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Jaron Pierre Jr. scored 18 points and Boopie Miller had 15 for the Mustangs.

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Bryce Harris had 19 points and 14 rebounds, and he sank a turnaround jumper with 13 seconds remaining that sent Howard to its first NCAA Tournament victory in program history, 86-83 over UMBC in the First Four on Tuesday night.

Ose Okojie scored a career-high 23 points to lead the Bison (24-10), who entered with an 0-4 record in March Madness and had to hold off a late rally by the Retrievers (24-9).

DJ Armstrong Jr.‘s 3-pointer with 43 seconds left got UMBC within 83-81. After Harris’ jumper as the shot clock expired gave Howard a four-point lead, Jah’Likah King made a layup to make it 85-83.

Isaiah Brown made one of two free throws and Armstrong couldn’t convert a 3 at the buzzer, sealing a trip to Buffalo, New York, for the Bison, who enter the Midwest Region bracket as the No. 16 seed and will face top-seeded Michigan on Thursday.

Coach Kenneth Blakeney also led Howard, one of the country’s premier historically Black universities, to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title and NCAA Tournament appearances in 2023 and ’24.

UMBC was seeking its first March Madness win since it shocked top overall seed Virginia in 2018, becoming the first No. 16 seed to knock off a No. 1. The Retrievers lost in the second round that year and this was the first NCAA Tournament appearance since for the suburban Baltimore school, located 31 miles north of the Howard campus in Washington.

King led UMBC with 19 points, Armstrong had 17 and Caden Diggs scored 15.

Cedric Taylor III scored 16 points for Howard, going 9 of 10 at the free-throw line before fouling out in the final minute

TEXAS 68, NC STATE 66

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Tramon Mark hit a fadeaway jumper from just inside the 3-point line with 1.1 seconds left, and Texas survived a late rally to beat N.C. State in a First Four matchup of power-conference teams that limped into March Madness.

Mark scored 17 points to lead the Longhorns (19-14), who had lost five of six entering the NCAA Tournament. Texas moved into the bracket as the No. 11 seed in the West region and will face sixth-seeded BYU on Thursday night in Portland, Oregon.

Coach Sean Miller’s Longhorns led 62-53 on Chendall Weaver’s two free throws with 2:56 left, but the Wolfpack (20-14) — who also lost five of six before getting sent to Dayton — scored 10 points in a span of 1:12. Paul McNeil Jr. hit two 3s before Mark beat the shot clock with a fadeaway.

Darrion Williams connected from deep to get N.C. State within one. The Wolfpack then forced a turnover by Dailyn Swain, and Tre Holloman made one of two free throws to tie it at 66-all.

Texas ran down most of the game clock before Mark connected from 19 feet, and N.C. State couldn’t get a shot off before the buzzer.

Mark finished with 17 points, Matas Vokietaitis scored 15 and Swain added 13 for the Longhorns. Weaver recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Darrion Williams led the Wolfpack with 21 points. Quadir Copeland scored 16 and McNeil finished with 11.

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

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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