Top 25 roundup: No. 13 Virginia damages UNC's NCAA hopes

 

[March 10, 2023]  Jayden Gardner scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as No. 13 Virginia handed North Carolina a potentially devastating 68-59 loss in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament quarterfinals on Thursday in Greensboro, N.C.

Reece Beekman added 15 points, five assists and five steals for the second-seeded Cavaliers (24-6), who will face Clemson in the semifinals on Friday. Armaan Franklin chipped in 14 points.

Virginia shot 49 percent from the field and held North Carolina to 35.8 percent shooting. The Cavaliers compiled a decisive 14-2 edge in points off turnovers.

The seventh-seeded Tar Heels (20-13), who were No. 1 in the preseason Top 25, are in serious danger of missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010. North Carolina got 24 points from R.J. Davis but was doomed by an ineffective Caleb Love and an injured Armando Bacot.

No. 2 UCLA 80, Colorado 69

Amari Bailey had a career-high 26 points as the top-seeded Bruins held off the Buffaloes in the Pac-12 tournament quarterfinals at Las Vegas.

The Bruins won their 11th straight game despite allowing over 50 percent shooting for only the second time this season. They were playing without guard Jaylen Clark, the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, who sustained a season-ending Achilles injury in the regular-season finale.

UCLA (28-4) connected on 24 of 31 from the foul line compared to 7 of 11 for Colorado. The ninth-seeded Buffaloes (17-16) were led by Tristan Da Silva, who had 17 points.

No. 3 Kansas 78, West Virginia 61

Playing without coach Bill Self, the Jayhawks got a double-double from Big 12 Player of the Year Jalen Wilson as they stopped the Mountaineers in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament in Kansas City, Mo.

Wilson finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season, leading the top-seeded Jayhawks (26-6) into the semifinals on Friday against Iowa State. Gradey Dick added 18 points, while Dajuan Harris chipped in 13 points and dished out eight assists.

Erik Stevenson scored 13 points to lead four players in double figures for eighth-seeded West Virginia (19-14), which is still expected to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

No. 6 Marquette 72, St. John's 70 (OT)

Tyler Kolek scored seven of his game-high 19 points in overtime as the top-seeded Golden Eagles survived a stiff challenge from the eighth-seeded Red Storm in the Big East quarterfinals at New York.

Marquette (26-6) won its seventh straight by overcoming a 14-point, first-half deficit before blowing a four-point lead in the final 25 seconds of regulation. The Golden Eagles trailed by 10 at halftime.

Kolek made 5 of 6 free throws in the extra period and snapped a 70-all deadlock by hitting two free throws with 17 seconds left. Marquette sweated out the final seconds as St. John's had two chances at a game-winning shot. David Jones and Dylan Addae-Wusu each scored 16 points for the Red Storm (18-15), and Jones grabbed 11 rebounds.

No. 7 Texas 61, Oklahoma State 47

Sir'Jabari Rice scored 15 points for the Longhorns, who turned it on late in the first half and held on to beat the Cowboys in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament at Kansas City, Mo.

The Longhorns (24-8) will play sixth-seeded and No. 22 TCU on Friday. Dylan Disu added 11 points and 11 rebounds for Texas in racking up his first double-double of the season, while Tyrese Hunter and Marcus Carr added 11 points.

Oklahoma State (18-15) got 16 points from Caleb Asberry and 11 points and 11 rebounds from Kalib Boone.

No. 8 Arizona 95, Stanford 84

Post players Oumar Ballo and Azuolas Tubelis combined for 44 points and the Wildcats used a late offensive flurry to put away the Cardinal in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas.

Ballo scored 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting, and Tubelis was right behind with 20 points while making 9 of 12. Second-seeded Arizona (26-6), who got 23 points from Cedric Henderson Jr., will oppose sixth-seeded Arizona State in the semifinals.

Tenth-seeded Stanford (14-19) received 22 points from Spencer Jones and 19 from Brandon Angel.

Iowa State 78, No. 10 Baylor 72

Gabe Kalscheur made six 3-pointers while scoring 24 points and the Cyclones defeated the Bears for third straight time this season, prevailing in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament at Kansas City, Mo.

Jaren Holmes scored 17 points and Tamin Lipsey recorded 13 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and five steals for the fifth-seeded Cyclones (19-12). Iowa State, which used a 30-10 second-half run to dispatch the fourth-seeded Bears, will face top-seeded Kansas in Friday's semifinals.

Jalen Bridges established career bests of 28 points and seven 3-pointers for Baylor (22-10). Adam Flagler added 14 points and three steals.

No. 11 UConn 73, Providence 66

Jordan Hawkins scored 19 points and the Huskies survived a furious second-half comeback by the Friars to earn a victory in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament in New York.

Fourth-seeded UConn (25-7) led by 16 at intermission and by 26 in the second half, but Providence (21-11) got within five with 3:34 left before the Huskies held on. UConn will face No. 1 seed Marquette in the semifinals on Friday.

Tristen Newton finished with 16 points and seven assists for UConn. Bryce Hopkins led Providence with 16 points and seven rebounds, and Noah Locke notched 14 points.

Mar 9, 2023; Greensboro, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers forward Jayden Gardner (1) battles for a rebound against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half of the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

No. 22 TCU 80, No. 12 Kansas State 67

Mike Miles and Chuck O'Bannon each scored 22 points as the Horned Frogs topped the Wildcats in the final quarterfinal game of the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City, Mo.

The Horned Frogs (22-11), who came in as the sixth seed, will face second-seeded and seventh-ranked Texas on Friday. Texas won the 2021 title. TCU is still looking for its first postseason conference tournament championship.

Third-seeded Kansas State (23-9) was led by Desi Sills and Keyontae Johnson with 14 points each.

No. 14 Miami 74, Wake Forest 72

Jordan Miller posted a team-high 18 points as the top-seeded Hurricanes defeated the ninth-seeded Demon Deacons in an Atlantic Coast Conference tournament quarterfinal at Greensboro, N.C.

Daivien Williamson, who scored 14 points, missed a half-court shot at the buzzer that would've won the game for Wake Forest. Williamson beat Syracuse on Wednesday with a 3-pointer at the buzzer, albeit at much closer range.

Miami (25-6) advanced to the semifinals on Friday night to face fourth-seeded and 21st-ranked Duke. Wake Forest (19-14) was led by Tyree Appleby, who had a game-high 24 points plus five assists.

No. 15 Xavier 89, DePaul 84

Colby Jones led a 14-4 run to close the game and finished with 22 points to rally the Musketeers past the Blue Demons in a Big East quarterfinal in New York.

Jack Nunge had game highs of 23 points and 10 rebounds for second-seeded Xavier (24-8), which had lost four straight Big East tournament games dating to 2019. Xavier will play Creighton in the semifinals Friday night.

Umoja Gibson had 22 points and six assists while Nick Ongenda added 16 points for 10th-seeded DePaul (10-23), which still has never reached the Big East semifinal round in its 18 seasons in the conference.

No. 17 Tennessee 70, Ole Miss 55

Josiah-Jordan James scored 20 points, Santiago Vescovi added 15 and the Volunteers defeated the Rebels in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament in Nashville.

The fifth-seeded Volunteers (23-9) will continue their defense of the tournament title when they play fourth-seeded Missouri, which had a double-bye, in the quarterfinals.

Myles Burns scored 14 and Jaemyn Brakefield and Matthew Murrell added 12 apiece to lead 13th-seeded Ole Miss (12-21), which finished 2-3 under acting head coach Win Case, who was promoted from assistant coach when Kermit Davis was fired last month.

No. 20 San Diego State 64, Colorado State 61

Lamont Butler scored 16 points and the top-seeded Aztecs held on to beat the Rams in a Mountain West tournament quarterfinal game in Las Vegas.

San Diego State (25-6), which will play fifth-seeded San Jose State on Friday, got 13 points from Matt Bradley and 10 from reserve Jaedon LeDee. John Tonje scored 17 points, Isaiah Stevens scored 16 and Patrick Cartier finished with 12 points and seven rebounds for eighth-seeded Colorado State (15-18).

Down three and inbounding the ball with 16 seconds to go, Colorado State opted to go for two points and Stevens scored on a drive to make it a one-point game. Nathan Mensah made 1 of 2 free throws with 10 seconds left, and Stevens and Cartier both missed shots in the final seconds. Mensah got the rebound and made another free throw with one second left for the final margin.

No. 21 Duke 96, Pitt 69

Kyle Filipowski scored 22 points and the Blue Devils pounded the Panthers in the ACC tournament quarterfinals in Greensboro, N.C.

Dereck Lively matched his season high with 13 points, Mark Mitchell had 12 points and Tyrese Proctor added 11 points and a season-high 10 assists as the four leading scorers for the Blue Devils were freshmen. Fourth-seeded Duke (24-8) advances to play top-seeded Miami.

Fifth-seeded Pitt (22-11) lost for the third time in its past four games. Nike Sibande led the Panthers with 17 points off the bench, while reserve Guillermo Diaz Graham had 14 points and Jamarius Burton posted 13 points.

No. 24 Creighton 87, Villanova 74

Ryan Kalkbrenner scored a game-high 21 points for the Bluejays, who never trailed in a win over the Wildcats in a Big East tournament quarterfinal game in New York.

Baylor Scheierman posted 12 points and 12 rebounds while Arthur Kaluma had 18 points for third seed Creighton (21-11). Ryan Nembhard (17 points) and Trey Alexander (13 points) also got into double figures for the Bluejays, who shot 48 percent (12-for-25) from 3-point range.

Eric Dixon scored 20 points while Brandon Slater and Caleb Daniels had 17 points each and Justin Moore added 13 points for sixth seed Villanova (17-16), whose streak of nine straight NCAA Tournament appearances is all but certain to end.

--Field Level Media

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