Category: NCAA Basketball

The final horn sounded and St. John’s skipped cutting down the nets. The players instead held the trophy after the No. 7 Red Storm clinched the program's first outright Big East title since 1985 and posed for pictures on the court while confetti fell from the ceiling at Madison Square Garden in front of a sellout crowd. Toward the end of the celebration following a 71-61 victory over Seton Hall on Saturday, coach Rick Pitino declared to the excited fans: “We’re just getting started.”

Maxime Raynaud scored 26 points, including a spectacular follow slam with 8.7 seconds left, and Stanford defeated SMU 73-68 on Saturday. The Mustangs had a 13-0 run to erase a 10-point deficit and take a 60-57 lead midway through the second half. Benny Gealer and Oziyah Sellers both scored to put the Cardinal up 71-68 with 2:18 to play.

Martaz Robinson's 26 points helped Delaware State defeat Coppin State 83-79 on Saturday. Robinson added six steals for the Hornets (15-12, 7-5 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference). Robert Smith scored 20 points while going 8 of 18 (3 for 7 from 3-point range).

Addison Patterson had 26 points in Northwestern State's 61-56 victory over Houston Christian on Saturday. Patterson shot 9 of 15 from the field, including 2 for 5 from 3-point range, and went 6 for 8 from the line for the Demons (15-15, 11-8 Southland Conference). Jon Sanders shot 2 of 5 from the field and 5 for 6 from the line to add 10 points.

Zach Freemantle scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half to help Xavier beat Creighton 83-61 on Saturday for its fifth straight win. Freemantle added six rebounds for the Musketeers (19-10, 11-7 Big East Conference). Ryan Conwell scored 20 points and Dante Maddox Jr. had 16.

Arkansas was trending in the right direction until it completely dropped the ball against South Carolina.

Tyler Brelsford scored 13 points as Morehead State beat UT Martin 59-47 on Saturday. Brelsford shot 3 of 8 from the field, including 2 for 7 from 3-point range, and went 5 for 6 from the line for the Eagles (15-16, 10-10 Ohio Valley Conference). Jerone Morton scored 13 points, going 5 of 10 (1 for 3 from 3-point range).

Essam Mostafa scored 16 points to lead Middle Tennessee and Kamari Lands hit the game-winning layup with four seconds remaining in the overtime as the Blue Raiders knocked off UTEP 76-75 on Saturday. The victory keeps Middle Tennessee (20-9, 11-5 Conference USA) a half-game back of Liberty and Jacksonville State with two games left in the regular season and sets up a first-place showdown with the Flames Thursday in Murfreesboro. Mostafa added 16 rebounds for the Blue Raiders.

Nakyel Shelton scored 28 points as Eastern Illinois beat Ohio Valley Conference champion Southeast Missouri State 73-58 to end the Redhawks' 10-game winning streak in a season finale on Saturday. Shelton added three blocks for the Panthers (12-19, 8-12). Artese Stapleton scored 22 points and added five rebounds and six steals.

Tennessee basketball's Jahmai Mashack hit a deep 3-pointer as time expired to beat Alabama on Saturday. See the video here:

L.J. Cryer scored 20 points and No. 4 Houston clinched the outright Big 12 regular-season title for a second straight season with a 73-64 win over Cincinnati on Saturday. Terrance Arceneaux added 10 points for Houston (25-4, 17-1 Big 12), which has won eight straight. The Cougars became the first team to win the regular-season championship in its first two years in a major conference since Idaho, which won the PCC in the 1921-22 and 1922-23 seasons.

Jahmai Mashack raced up the court and hit a 3-pointer from well beyond the arc at the buzzer to give No. 5 Tennessee a 79-76 victory over No. 6 Alabama on Saturday. The Volunteers (24-5, 11-5 Southeastern Conference) got the final shot by forcing a five-second inbounds violation under Alabama's basket with 3.8 seconds left. Chaz Lanier and Jordan Gainey each scored 18 points for Tennessee.

Vasean Allette had 17 points, seven rebounds and nine assists to lead TCU to an 89-78 victory over UCF on Saturday for the Horned Frogs' 14th home win this season. In the second half, the Horned Frogs were unable to improve on their 19-point halftime lead but they maintained a double-digit advantage until Darius Johnson's layup near the three-minute mark made it 82-73. The Horned Frogs finished the win by making enough free throws to stay comfortably ahead, although they made only 7 of 13 from the line in the last three-plus minutes.

Gibson Jimerson's 33 points led Saint Louis over Loyola Chicago 98-67 on Saturday, creating a four-way tie for third place in the Atlantic-10 Conference with two games left to play in the regular season. Loyola-Chicago (19-10, 10-6) were alone in third place going into the game and the loss created a four-way tie with Dayton, Saint Joseph's and Saint Louis, all four games back of conference leader VCU with two games left in the regular season. Jimerson finished 9 of 17 from 3-point range and 6 for 6 from the line for the Billikens (17-12, 10-6).

Alabama squandered its chance at a game-winning shot after committing a 5-second violation.