BIG EAST
NO. 2 VILLANOVA 76, PROVIDENCE 66 , OT
NEW YORK -- Mikal Bridges scored 25 points and hit two three-pointers in overtime to lift No. 2 Villanova to a 76-66 victory over Providence in the Big East Tournament championship game Saturday night.
The Wildcats (30-4) won their second consecutive Big East Tournament and third in four years (losing in the 2016 final). They put the bow on a fantastic season that should have them earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Villanova had rolled to a pair of dominant victories in the tourney and held off a pesky Providence team that played its third consecutive overtime game.
The fifth-seeded Friars (21-13) rallied in the second half from yet another double-digit hole and seemed set to pull off one more upset and earn the automatic NCAA berth. Providence erased a 17-point hole in the second half to beat top-seeded Xavier to reach the final. With one stunning rally on its resume, Providence nearly made it two.
Kyron Cartwright hit a jumper with 1:38 left that tied the game at 58-all and Alpha Diallo scored on a driving layup with 40 seconds left for a 60-58 lead.
Big East player of the year Jalen Brunson tied it for Villanova with two free throws.
Providence missed a last-gasp shot at the buzzer and played in its third consecutive overtime game.
The Friars ran out of gas in OT. Bridges, who scored 25 points, opened overtime with a three and hit another that helped stretch the lead for good. Brunson tied a career-high with 31 points on an emphatic dunk that sent the Madison Square Garden crowd into a frenzy.
Diallo led with 22 points and Cartwright scored 19 for Providence.
ACC
Virginia successful
NEW YORK — Kyle Guy, Devon Hall and No. 1 Virginia completed one of the most successful seasons in the storied history of Atlantic Coast Conference basketball, beating No. 12 North Carolina 71-63 to finish 20-1 against league competition.
The top-seeded Cavaliers (31-2) set a school record for victories and won the ACC Tournament for the second time in five seasons under Coach Tony Bennett, and third time overall. With plenty of their fans packing Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the Cavaliers beat sixth-seeded North Carolina (25-10) for the second time this season and snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Tar Heels in ACC Tournament play.
Guy, the tournament MVP, scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half and Hall added 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Ty Jerome had 12 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds for Virginia, which will certainly enter the NCAA Tournament as the top overall seed.
BIG 12
Kansas on top
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Devonte Graham piled up 18 points and 13 assists, Silvio De Sousa came up big in place of Udoka Azubuike and No. 9 Kansas proved its toughness down the stretch for an 81-70 victory over No. 18 West Virginia.
De Sousa had 16 points on 8 of 8 shooting while grabbing 10 rebounds, and Malik Newman added 20 points to cap a phenomenal tournament, lifting the Jayhawks (27-7) to their 11th tournament title and a likely No. 1 seed when the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed today.
AMERICA EAST
UMBC holds on
BURLINGTON, Vt. — Jairus Lyles hit a long three-pointer with less than a second left, lifting Maryland-Baltimore County over top-seeded Vermont 65-62.
Second-seeded UMBC (24-10) had lost 23 consecutive times to the Catamounts over the last 10 years, but rallied to earn its first NCAA Tournament trip since 2008.
Vermont (27-7) led 57-48, but didn’t make a basket in the final 8:21.
MID-EASTERN
NC Central prevails
NORFOLK, Va. — Pablo Rivas had 22 points and North Carolina Central scored 11 in a row to break a 58-58 tie and beat Hampton 71-63.
Jordan Perkins added 13 points and nine assists and John Guerra scored 12 for the Eagles (19-15), who earned the league’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five years.
Malique Trent-Street scored 15 points to lead the Pirates (19-15), who also were seeking their third MEAC title in five years. Akim Mitchell and Greg Heckstall each added 11 points.
MOUNTAIN WEST
Aztecs victorious
LAS VEGAS — Troy Kell scored 28 points to lead San Diego State to an 82-75 victory over New Mexico.
The Aztecs (22-10) earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
San Diego State also got 16 points from Malik Pope and 12 from Devin Watson.
The Aztecs, who played in a record 10th Mountain West tournament championship game, were playing in the title game for the fourth time in five seasons, and eighth time in 10 years.
MID-AMERICAN
Buffalo wins 3rd title
CLEVELAND — Wes Clark scored 26 points, Nick Perkins added 16, including a big three-pointer, and Buffalo won its third Mid-American Conference championship — and the league’s automatic NCAA bid — in four years by beating Toledo 76-66.
The top-seeded Bulls (26-8) were the MAC’s best team all season, and it was no different inside Quicken Loans Arena, where Buffalo won its three games by an average of 14.
BIG SKY
Montana rallies
RENO, Nevada — Michael Oguine scored 21 points and top-seeded Montana rallied for an 82-65 victory over Eastern Washington and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Grizzlies trailed 40-29 at halftime but outscored the Eagles 53-25 in the second half, adding the conference tournament championship to their regular-season title.
CONFERENCE USA
Marshall ends drought
FRISCO, Texas — Jon Elmore scored 20 of his 27 points after halftime, including 11 in a row in a span of just over two minutes, and Marshall is going to its first NCAA Tournament since 1987 after a 67-66 victory over Western Kentucky.
The Thundering Herd (24-10) held on to end their 31-year NCAA drought after Western Kentucky scored the game’s last 11 points before missing two shots in the final 20 seconds. Jannson Williams got the final rebound and managed to call timeout while falling to the court with 7.3 seconds left.
Marshall had to inbound the ball twice but the Hilltoppers (24-10) never got the ball back.
NCAA automatic bids
Bucknell (Patriot League)
Buffalo (Mid-American Conference) College of Charleston (Colonial Athletic Association)
Gonzaga (West Coast Conference) Iona, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Kansas (Big 12 Conference)
LIU Brooklyn (Northeast Conference) Lipscomb (Atlantic Sun Conference) Loyola of Chicago (Missouri Valley Conference)
Marshall (Conference USA)
Michigan (Big Ten Conference)
Montana (Big Sky Conference)
Murray State (Ohio Valley Conference) N.C. Central (MEAC)
Radford (Big South Conference)
San Diego State (Mountain West Conference)
South Dakota State (Summit League) Texas Southern (SWAC)
UMBC (America East Conference) UNC-Greensboro (Southern Conference)
Villanova (Big East Conference)
Virginia (ACC
Wright State (Horizon League)
VILLANOVA 76, PROVIDENCE 66, OT
Sports on 03/11/2018