Nate Johnson hit a short pull-up jumper with two seconds left and top-seeded Akron rallied from 18 points down to beat Miami (OH) 76-74 Saturday night for a second-straight Mid-American Conference Tournament championship and second-straight berth in the NCAA Tournament. The victory also gave Akron coach John Groce his fourth win in five meetings over his 10-years-younger half-brother, Akron coach Travis Steele. Akron clawed back to cut its deficit to 12 at the break.
Akron beats Miami Ohio in MAC tournament on last-second layup as coach Josh Groce bests brother Travis Steele
Akron's Nate Johnson hit a game-winning layup in the final two seconds to beat the RedHawks and send the Zips dancing.
Watch Tre Donaldson’s end-to-end rush to send Michigan basketball to Big Ten tourney final
Watch Tre Donaldson's end-to-end rush to send Michigan basketball to Big Ten tourney final in Indianapolis on Saturday, March 15, 2025.
No. 6 St. John’s beats Creighton 82-66 for 1st Big East Tournament crown in 25 years
The pied piper of college basketball rebuilds, Rick Pitino has St. John's back atop the Big East. RJ Luis Jr. scored all but two of his 29 points after halftime and No. 6 St. John's made 14 straight shots from the field in the second half to beat Creighton 82-66 on Saturday night for its first Big East Tournament title in 25 years. “Wow, this is incredible just to come from last year to this year and to see the transformation,” Luis said.
Nets drop third straight with tight 115-113 loss to Celtics
NEW YORK (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis scored 24 points in his return from an eight-game absence with an illness, getting 14 in the fourth quarter to help the Boston Celtics hold off the Brooklyn Nets 115-113 on Saturday night.
Payton Pritchard added 22 points and Jayson Tatum had 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Celtics, who seemed headed for an easy night after a 25-7 run to open the second quarter gave them a 21-point lead. The Nets cut it to two in the fourth quarter before Porzingis made some clutch plays in his first game since Feb. 26.
The Celtics rested Derrick White and Al Horford a night after winning in Miami and clinching a playoff spot, then lost Jaylen Brown in the second half after he left with back spasms.
Pritchard, who set the NBA single-season record during the game with his 219th 3-pointer off the bench, made three free throws in the closing seconds.
Cam Johnson scored 23 points and Keon Johnson had 21 for the Nets, who lost for the 10th time in 11 games.
Takeaways
Celtics: Boston relies on the 3-pointer, but having Porzingis man the middle provides a different dimension when the long balls aren’t falling.
Nets: Brooklyn announced Saturday that leading scorer Cam Thomas is expected to miss the rest of the season with a strained left hamstring. Thomas averaged 24 points but was limited to 25 games by the injury he initially sustained in November.
Key moment
Boston’s lead was down to 94-92 with 7:59 to play before Porzingis converted a three-point play and then made his only 3-pointer of the night to push it to 100-92 a minute later.
Key stat
Boston has won eight straight in the regular season in Brooklyn, not losing since April 23, 2021.
Up next
Brooklyn hosts Atlanta on Sunday. The Celtics don’t play again until hosting the Nets on Tuesday night.
Uzan scores 25 points, No. 2 Houston ramps up ‘D’ to beat Arizona 72-64 for the Big 12 tourney title
Houston had crowded onto the podium inside T-Mobile Center on Saturday night, and the second-ranked Cougars were beginning to celebrate their Big 12 Tournament title, when Emanuel Sharp was handed a championship belt as the tourney MVP. It was just about the only obvious misstep that anyone from Houston made all week. Milos Uzan poured in 25 points against Arizona in the finale, Sharp added 17 in another brilliant effort, and the Cougars turned up their trademark defense in the final minute to hold on for a 72-64 victory over the Big 12 newcomer.
Fantastic finishes in Big Ten semifinals deliver March Madness feel heading into championship game
Tre Donaldson made the drive of his life on Saturday, going the length of the floor for a buzzer-beating layup to send No. 22 Michigan into the Big Ten Tournament title game. Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. never got his chance. In less than three hours, two games in Indianapolis came down, literally, to the final play. Donaldson's magical moment will go down as an instant classic in Michigan lore.
Tired of ‘getting punked,’ Michigan basketball flexes muscle as it stuns Maryland at buzzer
"We're thinking about one thing right now, that's beat Wisconsin," said Rubin Jones. "We're playing for a championship, that's what we came here for."
Lidge, Southern beat Alcorn St. 64-44 in SWAC title game, clinch NCAA Tournament berth
Tionna Lidge scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds — the senior's first career double-double — to help No. 1 seed Southern beat Alcorn State 64-44 on Saturday night to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament. DaKiyah Sanders and Soniyah Reed also scored 11 points apiece for Southern.
Selection Sunday 2025: 5 toughest decisions facing NCAA tournament selection committee
Is Auburn still the No. 1 overall seed? Is North Carolina in or out? Here are the key questions facing the committee before the NCAA selection show on Sunday.
NCAA’s Gavitt: Duke, ACC tell selection committee Flagg will be available for March Madness
Top-ranked Duke and the Atlantic Coast Conference have informed the NCAA Tournament selection committee that freshman Cooper Flagg will be available for March Madness, NCAA senior vice president for basketball Dan Gavitt said Saturday. Gavitt made the comments on CBS in the lead-up to Sunday's announcement of the field of 68 teams. Flagg sprained his left ankle during Duke's win against Georgia Tech on Thursday in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
Selection Sunday show 2025: NCAA tournament conference champions and automatic bids; printable bracket
The 2025 NCAA tournament bracket is taking shape ahead of Selection Sunday.
Steph hilariously grades Draymond's ‘night night' celly against Knicks
Steph hilariously grades Draymond's ‘night night' celly against Knicks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Everyone has the ability to improve.
Even four-time NBA champion Draymond Green, at least when it comes to his celebrations.
After Green used his teammate’s signature “night-night” celebration to culminate the Warriors’ 97-94 win over the New York Knicks, Steph Curry shared his grade for this rendition of his now-iconic gesture.
“[Green] has evolved his version of it since the Minnesota game earlier in the year,” Curry told reporters. “He’s softened it a little bit. He’s brought it down to where a pillow is supposed to really be. I realized he does everything aggressive and with his whole body.
“I’m giving that a solid A-minus effort on the “night night” tonight. That was beautiful.”
So, why not take a closer look at this celebratory evolution?
Green first debuted the “night night” — or perhaps now the “nightmare,” per Moses Moody — after his dagger layup to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves and longtime archenemy Rudy Gobert back on Dec. 8.
Draymond hit the “night night” on Rudy Gobert and the Wolves 😅
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 9, 2024
For comparison, here is Saturday night’s anticipated sequel.
DRAYMOND DROPPED A "NIGHT NIGHT" ON THE KNICKS 😴pic.twitter.com/UDPgczUAUu
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 16, 2025
Curry clearly has a point in noticing his teammate’s celebratory progress.
The ever-aggressive Green appears less stiff this time around, in addition to his improved hand placement.
Now, does Green match the aura of a vintage Curry “night night”? There might still be room for more growth.
But that shouldn’t diminish the menacing impact of Draymond Green bombastically wishing you a safe trip home.
George Mason defeats Saint Joseph’s 74-64 in Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament semifinal
Jalen Haynes had 22 points to lead George Mason to a 74-64 victory over Saint Joseph's in an Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament semifinal on Saturday. The second-seeded Patriots will play No. 1 seed VCU in the title game on Sunday with an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament up for grabs. George Mason is aiming for its first tournament championship since joining the conference in 2013.
Warriors continue winning without relying on Butler's to score
Warriors continue winning without relying on Butler's to score originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – As much as the Warriors have gotten better since acquiring Jimmy Butler III prior to the Feb. 6 trade deadline, they’ve found ways to keep playing at a high level on those rare occasions when Butler isn’t in top form.
Saturday’s win against the New York Knicks was a perfect example.
While Butler sputtered through one of his roughest shooting outings since the trade (3 of 11), Golden State received significant contributions up and down the roster on the way to a 97-94 win over the Knicks at Chase Center.
The bottom line – another Warriors win – was primary on Butler’s mind in Golden State’s locker room after the game.
“We’re winning so I don’t care about nothing else,” Butler said. “I can say it till I’m whatever color in the face. But as long as we win, I’m straight.
“The game is just simple. You just pass the ball to the open guy. When you’re open you shoot it. Somebody got a better shot you pass it to them. Everybody is doing it here and that’s why we’ve been stacking wins.”
To no one’s surprise Stephen Curry was at the center of everything that went well for the Warriors against the Knicks. Curry cooked his way to a team-leading 28 points with seven rebounds and five assists but was minus-five in a game that Golden State didn’t fully take fully control until the very end.
Butler didn’t have a terrible game by any means (11 points, six rebounds, seven assists) but didn’t show the flashiness or firepower that Warriors fans have grown accustomed to over the past five weeks.
It hardly mattered.
Moses Moody scored 18 points and continued to play well in his role as a starter after coming off the bench for the first three months of the 2024-25 NBA season. Jonathan Kuminga had 10 points in his second game back after missing 31 games with an ankle injury. Gui Santos made his second career start and added five points and seven rebounds.
Steph’s solid supporting cast against the Knicks included more yeoman-like nights from Quinten Post (five points, six boards) and Gary Payton II (six points, four rebounds) and Kevon Looney (six points, four rebounds).
“He’s always on a superstar level because even when he’s not scoring he’s still creating for everyone,” Draymond Green said. “He draws some double-teams, he kicks out and get us open shots. I think he’s always playing at a superstar level because his presence is always at a superstar level. When he’s making the right play and you get 18 (points) out of (Moody), that’s making up for some of that. Ten from JK off the bench, we can live with that.
“But we all know there’s going to be games where we need him to go score, and we know he’s more than capable and he’ll do that. What’s been huge for us is just him always making the right play. Always make the right play. He’s getting guys easy looks. You know who gets guys easy looks? Superstars.”
That is the essence of Butler.
Blessed as one of the NBA’s most electrifying scorers, his impact goes way beyond the boxscore. As Green pointed out, Golden State having Butler in the lineup has a domino effect on the rest of the Warriors.
On most nights, Butler’s shot is pure silk and he’ll put up points by the dozens. When his shot isn’t falling, however, he still finds a way to make an impact.
Since joining the Warriors Butler has been limited to six points or fewer three times. His 11 points against the Knicks were his fourth-fewest in a Warriors uniform.
Golden State is 4-0 in those games.
That’s a very encouraging and promising sign for a team trying to maintain its hold on the No. 6 slot in the Western Conference.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr called Butler a ‘connector’ and Curry agreed.
“He’s very good at just staying under control, making the right play,” Curry said. “You can tell he doesn’t really look to score as much right now because he’s reading the defense, taking whatever they’re giving him. Having the ball in his hands is usually a good thing.”
Make no mistake, Butler remains a scorer first and foremost, and he’ll do it when the need arises. For now he’s content finding his flow with the rest of Golden State’s offense.
“I’m not just a scorer. I can score whenever I want to ,” Butler said. “I can shoot the toughest of shots if I wanted to and, nobody’s ever going to say anything. I want to get everybody involved. I want to get guys in their spots. When it’s mytime you’ll know that it’s my time. But until then we’re going to pass the ball to the open man, get my guys some jumpers, get them out in transition, keep winning.”