Top 25 roundup: Minnesota stalls No. 11 Purdue's title chase

[March 06, 2019]  Amir Coffey scored a career-high-tying 32 points and sealed the win with two late free throws as Minnesota denied No. 11 Purdue a chance to clinch a share of the Big Ten title with a 73-69 upset Tuesday night in Minneapolis.

Minnesota (19-11, 9-10 Big Ten) firmed up its NCAA Tournament at-large resume while Purdue (22-8, 15-4) fell into a three-way tie with Michigan and Michigan State for the league lead.

Carsen Edwards' 3-point shot brought Purdue within 71-69 with 5.2 seconds to go. Minnesota's inbounds pass from underneath its basket went out of bounds along the sideline as Coffey and Purdue's Grady Eifert went for the ball.

Officials ruled the ball went off Eifert with 3.9 seconds left and stuck with the call after a lengthy review. Coffey then got the ball and was fouled with 2.5 seconds to go. He made both free throws to secure the win, as fans stormed the court on Senior Night.

No. 3 North Carolina 79, Boston College 66

Cameron Johnson and Luke Maye each posted a double-double as the Tar Heels cruised past the Eagles in their Atlantic Coast Conference matchup in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Johnson finished with a team-high 22 points to go along with 12 rebounds. Maye had 17 points and a career-high 20 rebounds for North Carolina (25-5, 15-2 ACC), which increased its winning streak to six games and remained tied with Virginia atop the league standings.

Ky Bowman scored 23 points and pulled down nine rebounds to lead the Eagles (14-15, 5-12). Nik Popovic finished with 20 points and seven rebounds for Boston College, which lost for the fourth time in its past five games.

No. 4 Duke 71, Wake Forest 70

RJ Barrett scored 28 points and the Blue Devils, in their home finale, broke a late tie to defeat the visiting Demon Deacons in Durham, N.C.

Alex O'Connell's 3-pointer for Duke (26-4, 14-3 ACC) snapped a 62-62 tie with 3:39 left. That was part of a 7-0 spurt for a 67-62 lead. Zion Williamson sat out his fourth consecutive game with a sprained knee for the Blue Devils, who are one game behind conference co-leaders Virginia and North Carolina.

Chaundee Brown had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Brandon Childress finished with 19 points for Wake Forest (11-18, 4-13), which dropped to 1-8 against ranked opponents this season.

No. 5 Tennessee 71, Mississippi State 54

Admiral Schofield made three 3-pointers and scored 18 points to help the Volunteers roll over the Bulldogs in Knoxville, Tenn.

Grant Williams recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds as the Volunteers (27-3, 15-2 Southeastern Conference) completed an 18-0 home season. Tennessee has won 26 straight home contests dating back to last season.

Tyson Carter had 14 points, seven rebounds and three steals for Mississippi State (21-9, 9-8), which has lost two straight following a five-game winning streak. Reggie Perry added 10 points and 12 rebounds, and Robert Woodard II also had 10 points.

No. 6 Kentucky 80, Ole Miss 76

Keldon Johnson scored 22 points and PJ Washington had all 13 of his points in the second half as the Wildcats held off the Rebels in Oxford, Miss.

Tyler Herro added 20 points and Ashton Hagans had 10 for the Wildcats (25-5, 14-3 SEC). Washington, the team's leading scorer at 14.9 points per game, got into early foul trouble and wasn't a factor in the first half.

Terence Davis, one of three seniors playing their last scheduled home game, led the Rebels with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Ole Miss (19-11, 9-8) has lost it past three games by a total of seven points.

No. 9 Michigan State 91, Nebraska 76

Kenny Goins scored 24 points and Matt McQuaid went for 22, both career highs, as the Spartans defeated the Cornhuskers in East Lansing, Mich.

With one game left Saturday at home against Michigan, the Spartans (24-6, 15-4 Big Ten) are tied with the Wolverines and Purdue in first place.

James Palmer Jr. scored 30 for Nebraska (15-15, 5-14) as the Cornhuskers cut a 20-point deficit to seven in the second half before Michigan State pulled away. Glynn Watson Jr. added 25 for the Huskers, while Isaiah Roby chipped in 10.

Oklahoma 81, No. 13 Kansas 68

Kristian Doolittle finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Brady Manek added 21 points as the Sooners knocked off the Jayhawks in Norman, Okla., ending the visitors' chances of winning or sharing the Big 12 title for a 15th consecutive season.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Sooners fans chanted, "The streak is over." Now, the Big 12 title chase is between Texas Tech and Kansas State.

Oklahoma (19-11, 7-10 Big 12) opened the game by hitting five 3-pointers in the first eight minutes, including five in a 19-3 run that put the Sooners ahead 23-7. Dedric Lawson and David McCormack each scored 18 for the Jayhawks (22-8, 11-6). Lawson added 11 rebounds.

No. 14 Florida State 73, No. 15 Virginia Tech 64 (OT)

The Seminoles rallied from double digits to beat the Hokies and secure the No. 4 seed -- and a double bye -- in next week's ACC tournament. The win was Florida State's 11th in the past 12 games.

Virginia Tech's Ahmed Hill hit a 3-pointer to tie the game with 11 seconds left in regulation, then Florida State's Terance Mann missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer as the clock struck zero.

In overtime, M.J. Walker drilled a deep 3-pointer with just over a minute left to give the Seminoles (24-6, 12-5 ACC) a 67-62 lead, and they never looked back. Virginia Tech (22-7, 11-6) was led by Nickeil Alexander-Walker with 19 points, followed by Hill with 18.

No. 17 Nevada 90, Air Force 79

Jazz Johnson came off the bench to score a career-high 27 points as the Wolf Pack pulled away from the Falcons in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Cody Martin added 18 points for the Wolf Pack (27-3, 14-3 Mountain West), while Caleb Martin scored 16 points. Jordan Caroline chipped in with 10 points and 10 rebounds one game after breaking the glass on a fire-extinguisher cover following the Wolf Pack's loss at Utah State.

Nevada can clinch the top seed for the Mountain West tourney by beating San Diego State on Saturday in Reno, though Utah State (25-6, 15-3) wrapped up at least a share of the league title with a 100-96 overtime win against Colorado State on Tuesday. Ryan Swan scored 21 points for Air Force (13-16, 8-9).

No. 19 Buffalo 82, Ohio 79

Jeremy Harris had 20 points, six rebounds and four assists, and the Bulls clinched the top seed in the Mid-American Conference tournament by downing the pesky Bobcats in Athens, Ohio.

Buffalo (27-3, 15-2 MAC) also clinched the East Division title while extending its winning streak to eight games. Nick Perkins had 17 points and eight rebounds, and CJ Massinburg contributed 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Doug Taylor led Ohio (13-16, 5-12) with 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Teyvion Kirk had 17 points and five assists.

--Field Level Media

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