Top 25 roundup: Purdue escapes Penn State for Big Ten title

 

[March 13, 2023]  Zach Edey totaled 30 points and 13 rebounds to help No. 5 Purdue hang on for a 67-65 victory over Penn State and secure the Big Ten Conference tournament championship on Sunday afternoon in Chicago.

The top-seeded Boilermakers (29-5) won the Big Ten tournament title for the second time in program history and first time since 2009. It was the first time Purdue, which earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, won both the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles in the same year.

Penn State (22-13), the No. 10 seed, was the lowest seed to ever advance to the tournament final. The Nittany Lions will try to make a splash in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 10 seed.

Penn State pulled to within a point with 6.4 seconds remaining. Down five, Myles Dread made a 3-pointer, and Camren Wynter then scored following a steal by Evan Mahaffey. Purdue's Fletcher Loyer was fouled and made the first free throw at the other end but missed the second, allowing Penn State to collect the rebound and call timeout with 3.3 seconds left. But Wynter bobbled a quick pass at the perimeter from Dread and then traveled with the ball, turning it over with 0.6 seconds left.

Memphis 75, No. 1 Houston 65

Kendric Davis poured in 31 points as the Tigers built a huge lead and held on to upset the Cougars and capture the American Athletic Conference championship in Fort Worth, Texas.

Second-seeded Memphis (26-8) earned the AAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament and will be a No. 8 seed. DeAndre Williams added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Tigers, with Alex Lomax scoring 10.

Houston, the AAC's top seed, still earned a No. 1 seed in the 68-team tournament field. Jamal Shead led Houston with 16 points while Jarace Walker had 13 and J'Wan Roberts scored 12 and took 20 rebounds. The Cougars played without All-American and league player of the year Marcus Sasser, who injured his groin Saturday.

No. 4 Alabama 82, No. 18 Texas A&M 63

Brandon Miller had 23 points and 12 rebounds as the Crimson Tide -- the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament -- cruised to their second Southeastern Conference tournament title in the past three years, beating the Aggies in Nashville, Tenn.

Miller, the SEC's Player and Freshman of the Year, added four assists and three steals, while Jahvon Quinerly had 22 points for top-seeded Alabama (29-5). Charles Bediako finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks for Alabama, which won for the seventh time in its past eight games.

Second-seeded Texas A&M (25-9), which saw its four-game winning streak end, was led by Dexter Dennis' 14 points and five rebounds. Wade Taylor IV scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half and Tyrece Radford had 12 points for the Aggies, a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

--Field Level Media

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