Category: NCAA Basketball

Tennessee Volunteers vs. Auburn Tigers Game Preview

Fueled by 24 points from Jalen Haynes and 18 from Jared Billups, George Mason rolled past rival George Washington to advance to the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament.

Freshman Quel'Ron House led Jacksonville State with 20 points, including two free throws with 22 seconds remaining as the Gamecocks took down Middle Tennessee 70-68 on Friday in the Conference USA Tournament semifinals. Jacksonville State will face Liberty in the championship game on Saturday. House shot 6 for 10 (2 for 4 from 3-point range) and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line for the Gamecocks (22-11).

Chaz Lanier scored 17 of No. 8 Tennessee's first 21 points, and the Volunteers never trailed Friday beating Texas 83-72 in the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals. The fourth-seeded Volunteers (26-6) also gave coach Rick Barnes the 832nd victory of his career, moving him into sole possession of 10th all-time after being tied with Cliff Ellis. The Vols will play regular season champ and third-ranked Auburn, a 62-57 winner over Ole Miss, in the semifinals Saturday.

Memphis coach Penny Hardaway was speaking from experience with his message to standout guard PJ Haggerty before the start of the American Athletic Conference Tournament. "When you’re the man and you’re expected to go out to produce, you’ve got to go out and produce,” Hardaway told the sophomore. Haggerty responded with a career-high 42 points, including nine in a 12-0 run after halftime that put the 16th-ranked Tigers ahead to stay in an 83-80 win over nemesis Wichita State in a quarterfinal game Friday.

CJ Hines had 15 points in Alabama State's 64-62 win against Grambling on Friday in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals. TJ Madlock made two free throws with 56 seconds left to give Alabama State a 64-58 lead. Hines added five assists for the Hornets (18-15).

Des Watson had 25 points in Loyola Chicago's 72-64 win over Saint Louis on Friday in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Loyola Chicago (22-10) will play top-seeded VCU in the semifinals on Saturday. Watson shot 7 of 14 from the field, including 3 for 5 from 3-point range, and went 8 for 9 from the line for the Ramblers.

John Tonje matched his career high with six 3-pointers on his way to 26 points, and No. 18 Wisconsin tied the Big Ten Tournament single-game record by making 19 3s in an 86-70 victory over fourth-seeded UCLA on Friday. Tonje also had nine rebounds and four assists. John Blackwell added 18 points, five rebounds and four assists while making four 3s.

The Bruins received a wakeup call as they came out sluggish, fell behind by double digits early and never recovered against the Badgers on Friday.

McCaffery had intended to return for a 16th season rather than retire.

The senior forward leads VCU in average rebounds per game.

Iowa fires men's basketball coach Fran McCaffery, program's longest-tenured coach.

The guard was recently named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team.

PJ Haggerty scored a career-high 42 points and led the go-ahead run for 16th-ranked Memphis in an 83-80 win over Wichita State in a quarterfinal game at the American Athletic Conference tournament Friday. The Tigers (27-5) went ahead to stay with a 12-0 run over a 2 1/2-minute span after halftime in which Haggerty scored nine of those points. Two of his baskets in that spurt came off turnovers by Wichita State (19-14), which knocked the Tigers out of last year’s AAC tournament and is responsible for their only loss in 15 games since Jan. 16.

Johni Broome scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as regular-season champion Auburn opened its bid to repeat at the Southeastern Conference Tournament by holding off eighth-seeded Mississippi 62-57 Friday. The third-ranked Tigers (28-4) will play either No. 13 seed Texas or eighth-ranked Tennessee in the semifinals Saturday. Denver Jones also had 13 points as Auburn snapped a two-game skid.