College Top 25 Men's Basketball Capsules: Louisville shocks No. 1 Syracuse

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A reserve guard that Louisville coach Rick Pitino considers so bashful, he sounds shy even when he yells, made sure to send venerable Freedom Hall out with one more memorable game.

Kyle Kuric scored all of his career-high 22 points in the second half, and the Cardinals stunned No. 1 Syracuse 78-68 on Saturday before a record-crowd of 20,135 at the 54-year-old venue. It was the final game there before Louisville moves into a new downtown arena.

"It’s an unbelievable moment," Kuric said. "It’s what every kid dreams of."

Kuric may have also assured Louisville (20-11, 11-7 Big East) a return trip to the NCAA tournament by sweeping the regular-season series from the Orange (28-3, 15-3), whose only other loss came against No. 17 Pittsburgh.

"These seniors have never gone to an NIT," Pitino said. "And now they never will."

Although Syracuse led by eight points late in the first half, Kuric was a one-man wrecking crew in the second. He made 9 of 11 shots — including four 3-pointers — to make for another happy ending at Freedom Hall, which has seen its share of historic games.

"There have been 54 years of great basketball, and for us to come out and beat the No. 1 team is a great going away present for all our fans," senior Edgar Sosa said.

Trailing 42-39 early in the second half, the Cardinals found their inside game with three straight baskets in the paint that gave them the lead for good. Kuric had two of them, a fastbreak dunk and layup.

In a span of just over five minutes, Kuric also had all four of his 3-pointers. After his second one, Syracuse’s Scoop Jardine immediately answered with a 3, so Kuric simply answered right back with another one. Jardine finished with 20 points.

With under four minutes left, it was Kuric’s dunk that pushed the Louisville lead to 10, and he got another one on a break that buried the Orange with under two minutes left.

"Everybody that comes off their bench is capable of hitting three or four 3s," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "He might be the best at doing that."

Louisville took 40 3-point attempts in the game, making 12 of them — including three by Sosa, who had 12 points.

It was a completely different game in the first half, when Syracuse dominated the paint, getting 26 points there compared to 12 for the Cardinals.

Syracuse took an early 21-20 lead with more than six minutes to go in the first half on a dunk by Rick Jackson, then stretched it to a game-high eight points a couple minutes later after a 3-pointer and fastbreak layup by Jardine.

Sosa nailed a 3 seconds before halftime to make it 35-30 at the break.

Boeheim said Louisville seems to have deciphered the Orange’s zone defense, and the players said they were having an off shooting night.

"We just weren’t flowing in our offense," Arinze Onuaku said.

Although the Cardinals connected on 46 percent of their shots and the Orange 44 percent, the two were cold from the gate, combining for 11 shots but no points over the opening three minutes. Jerry Smith finally hit consecutive 3s for the Cardinals, and later turned in one of the more dazzling plays of the game, grabbing a steal out of midair and cruising the other way to finish with a one-handed dunk.

Smith was sidelined the second half after spraining the thumb on his right hand.

This one had all the pageantry of the final Louisville game in one of college basketball’s most storied arenas. The stands were filled long before tipoff, and fans waved towels with glowing red flashlights during player introductions.

Pitino, sporting a bright red suit coat to match the attire of most fans in attendance, introduced the team’s seniors before the game and expressed some sentimental thoughts about Freedom Hall.

"Never as a coach did I feel pressure," Pitino said. "Tonight I felt pressure for the first time. I woke up about 2:30 in the morning and said, ‘What if we lose?’ No bid, the legends come all this way.’ It was like a nightmare."

Freedom Hall has hosted six national championship games, a handful of NCAA tournament regional finals and 682 Louisville victories.

Denny Crum, who led the Cardinals to national titles in 1980 and 1986 and whose name is adorned on the court, was introduced at halftime alongside players from those teams.

"I love them all," Crum said. "It’s just really fun to be here, be around them."

No. 4 Duke routs struggling rival UNC, 82-50

DURHAM, N.C. — Jon Scheyer stood near midcourt after his home finale at Duke. As he soaked it all in, he couldn’t help but crack a wry smile.

"I was just trying to remember that moment, that picture in my head," Scheyer said.

Nobody else affiliated with the fourth-ranked Blue Devils will forget this night, either.

Not after an 82-50 rout of North Carolina on Saturday that marked their most one-sided home win in college basketball’s fiercest rivalry and gave them a share of their 12th Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title.

Kyle Singler scored 19 of his 25 points in the decisive first half, and Scheyer finished with 20 points in his final game before the Cameron Crazies.

Duke (26-5, 13-3) shot nearly 46 percent — 51 percent in a dominant first half — and made eight 3-pointers in beating the Tar Heels at home for the first time since 2005 and wrapping up the No. 1 seed in next week’s league tournament.

Freshman John Henson matched a season high with 14 points for the Tar Heels (16-15, 5-11), who had their lowest point total under coach Roy Williams and absorbed their worst loss in seven years.

"This is the first time that we’ve had to come in this locker room after a loss," fifth-year senior Marcus Ginyard said. "But the thing is, teams in the past found success here because we were tough enough and we came in and stuck it out through the times that weren’t going our way and we made things go our way. And tonight we didn’t do that. They were the aggressors on everything, and when it got tough, we allowed them to put it on us."

Nolan Smith scored 20 points and Brian Zoubek continued his late-season surge with 13 rebounds for the Blue Devils, who took command with an early 31-8 run, led by 30 in the first half and showed no mercy in polishing off their first sweep of North Carolina since 2004.

"You never go into a game thinking you’re going to blow somebody out by 30," Scheyer said. "But once we get a lead like that, we really want to have a killer instinct and put them away. I thought we never let off the gas."

In some ways, this result was like so many others here this season. In setting a school record by finishing 17-0 at Cameron, Duke won all but one home game by double figures, and it entered with an average margin of victory here of 26 points. Just as they’ve done all year, the Blue Devils pounced early and never let up on their overmatched visitor, no matter who that opponent was.

But of course, for the Blue Devils, this one meant so much more — especially after the Tar Heels won their last four visits. North Carolina is the only visiting team in three full years to beat Mike Krzyzewski on the court that bears his nickname, and following last year’s victory, some players flashed four fingers as they walked off the floor to mark their fourth win in a row at Cameron.

Already stewing from those defeats — and this week’s loss at Maryland that kept them from clinching an outright ACC regular-season title — Duke’s "Big Three" made certain from the jump that there wouldn’t be a fifth.

In the process, they made the opening half feel like a 20-minute-long burst by the Blue Devils.

Scheyer, Singler and Smith knocked down 3s on three straight trips downcourt to start the overwhelming run that put the Blue Devils in command. That spurt was so one-sided that by the time it ended, Duke had two players — Singler (12) and Smith (10) — who had outscored the Tar Heels (9).

"We told each other before the game (that) we need to have a game where the three of us start, every one of us start playing better," Scheyer said. "I thought that happened tonight, and it was a step in the right direction."

The Blue Devils went up by double figures to stay 6½ minutes into the game, stretched the margin to 20 on Smith’s three-point play midway through the half and made it a 30-point game on Smith’s free throw in the final minute of the half.

The only question in the second half was whether Duke would administer its most lopsided beating in the history of college basketball’s fiercest rivalry: Ultimately, the Blue Devils fell shy of the 35-point drubbing they handed North Carolina in 1964.

"That was one of the best games we’ve played all year," Krzyzewski said. "The three veterans on the perimeter really set the stage in the first half with how they passed and moved with one another. ... I think we would have been tough to beat by anybody tonight."

It was the Tar Heels’ worst loss since a 96-56 loss at Maryland in 2003, and their fewest points since a 60-48 loss to Duke in the 2002 ACC tournament. Their No. 10 seed in the ACC tournament is their worst; the last time their record was this bad, the league had nine teams.

"There’s not a lot you can say. We got our tails kicked," Williams said. "I told them if they take this and learn something from it and change, you can still get something. But if you just say, ‘Oh, well,’ you’re not going to get anything from it."

Deon Thompson had 11 points for the Tar Heels, who were serenaded by chants of "NIT" throughout and played without freshman guard Leslie McDonald after team officials said he strained his right hamstring during Friday’s practice.

-- Joedy McCreary

No. 7 Purdue beats Penn St. for share of Big 10

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Purdue’s fans came to Happy Valley ready to celebrate.

After the final buzzer sounded Saturday, they held black and yellow placards that read in bold letters, "Big Ten Champs."

JaJuan Johnson had 21 points and 10 rebounds and the No. 7 Boilermakers clinched a share of its first conference title in 14 years after holding off Penn State, 64-60.

It’s a victory all the more sweeter for the Boilermakers given top forward Robbie Hummel is out for the year with a right knee injury.

"I’m super happy we were able to come out here and get this win, especially for him," Johnson said. "Just for our team period just because we’ve been through a lot."

Keaton Grant added 17 points for Purdue, while Chris Babb and Talor Battle each had 17 to pace Penn State. The Nittany Lions played the last six-plus minutes without Battle, and coach Ed DeChellis later said his star guard suffered from cramps.

That made their late rally even more impressive after three foul shots by Babb got Penn State within 61-60 with 18 seconds left.

The Boilermakers (26-4, 14-4) held on after E’Twaun Moore hit two free throws and Babb missed a potential tying 3 with 7 seconds left. The rebound skipped off teammate Tim Frazier’s hands and went out of bounds.

"We didn’t panic, kept fighting and fighting and fighting, trying to get it to where we could steal the win," DeChellis said. "I thought we could give ourselves a chance again."

But the play of Johnson and a poor-shooting first half, in which Penn State (11-19, 3-15) hit 31 percent, foiled the comeback. The Nittany Lions head into the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis as the last seed.

Purdue has the second seed since conference co-leader Ohio State owns the tiebreaker.

Getting this far, though, might be accomplishment enough for Purdue given they played without Hummel, the team’s second-leading scorer and rebounder.

"Guys could have folded," coach Matt Painter said. "You lose one of those major pieces and it’s tough. ... You can’t feel sorry for yourself."

No wonder a large black- and yellow-clad Purdue contingent made the trip to the Jordan Center. Without Hummel, Painter’s club regrouped to win its last two games, against the Big Ten’s two worst teams in Indiana and Penn State.

The Nittany Lions had closed an eight-point deficit to 58-55 with 2:45 left after a 3 by Babb and a layup by Andrew Jones.

Moore had a subpar night shooting on 3 of 10 from the field, but hit a lucky shot after his straightaway 3 caromed off the backboard into the net to put Purdue six with a minute to go.

It’s these type of situations when Penn State turns to Battle, it’s do-everything leader. But with the guard out of the game, his teammates stepped up after Brooks dunked and Babb nailed all three free throws after getting fouled on a 3-point attempt to get to within 61-60.

As in many of its previous losses this year, Penn State couldn’t break through. It was their second straight last-minute defeat to a ranked foe after falling to No. 11 Michigan State 67-65 on Thursday.

Brooks, who finished with 12 points and seven boards, chalked it up to a run of bad luck.

"Maybe luck will swing our way in the tournament and we will be the ones out celebrating on the court," he said.

Better interior defense might help, too. The 6-foot-10 Johnson proved to be a tough matchup for Penn State’s big men with his mid-range jumper and ability to get to the foul line, where he hit 11 of 14 free-throw attempts.

Now, Johnson is starting to think about bigger goals if they can advance far in the conference tournament without Hummel.

"Especially a lot of teams now are at full strength or close to it, so we have a good showing against them maybe it will show the (NCAA) selection committee that we are deserving of a higher seed even without Rob."

-- Genaro C. Armas

Butler leads No. 10 West Virginia over No. 9 ‘Nova

PHILADELPHIA — Some situations conjure up great images. Even if they don’t happen.

West Virginia had just played its worst half of the season against Villanova on Saturday. Those who know the coaching techniques of Bob Huggins would expect him to put on a tremendous display in the locker room as he tries to right his team in the last game of the regular season.

Wrong. There was no chair throwing, no wild tirade discussing the horrible offensive effort of the first half. There wasn’t even a raised voice.

"He didn’t go nuts. I was surprised," Da’Sean Butler said of his coach, who did get a technical foul in the second half. "I said to myself, ‘I don’t know how he expects us to come back with him sitting there and talking regularly."’

There might be a new halftime attitude in Morgantown as the 10th-ranked Mountaineers rallied from that ugly first half to beat No. 9 Villanova 68-66 in overtime.

"I told the guys at halftime ‘I don’t know if we can play any worse,"’ Huggins said.

The turnaround was quick.

Trailing 29-16 at halftime after a poor shooting trifecta of 24 percent from the field (6 of 25), 16.7 percent on 3s (2 of 12) and 20 percent from the free throw line (2 of 10), the Mountaineers opened the second half with an 18-5 run to tie the game. They managed to score as many points as they did in the first half by 6:23 into the second.

"We’ve done it all year but I don’t think I can take any more of these kind," Huggins said. "If there’s such a thing as making people overconfident we’re the masters at it, but our guys compete."

Butler scored 21 points, including the decisive basket with 5.8 seconds left in overtime, grabbed 10 rebounds and finished 13 of 14 from the foul line for the Mountaineers (24-6, 13-5), who will be the No. 3 seed in next week’s Big East tournament.

Villanova, which has lost four of its last six games, would be the No. 2 seed if Rutgers beats Pittsburgh later Saturday, and the Wildcats would be No. 4 if the Panthers win.

Butler’s winning drive came after the Mountaineers had taken possession with 26 seconds left when Villanova was forced into a 35-second shot clock violation.

"I looked right at (Jonnie West) and saw him open a little in the corner but Scottie (Reynolds) jumped right in the passing lane so that was my first step," Butler said. "Then I looked at Kevin Jones and he was open but the guy on me dropped right back off. So I was in air, pulled up, put in on the glass and I prayed. The angle it hit the backboard I knew it was in."

Reynolds, who led the Wildcats (14-6, 13-5) with 17 points, had an open 3-point attempt from the corner but it bounced off the rim as the buzzer sounded.

"Butler made a hell of a running bank shot," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "Reggie Redding found Scottie at the end, he just didn’t make it. It’s the Big East. Now we just have to get ready for Thursday."

Villanova forced overtime when Corey Fisher made his only 3-point attempt of the game with 7.7 seconds to play to make it 60-60. Huggins was signaling wildly for a timeout but none of the officials saw it — it was pretty loud in the Wachovia Center — and the Mountaineers settled on a long 3-point attempt by Devin Ebanks that missed everything.

Wellington Smith had 15 points — 13 after halftime — for West Virginia, which has won five of six. Ebanks had 12.

Fisher had 12 points for the Wildcats, who missed their season low for points by one despite playing an extra 5 minutes and were held 18 points below their season average that leads the Big East.

West Virginia, the Big East’s top defensive team allowing 64.8 points on average, did an exceptional job on Reynolds, the Wildcats’ leading scorer at 18.9 points per game. The 6-foot-2 senior finished 5 of 16 from the field, including 1 of 9 from 3-point range, struggling throughout against West Virginia’s taller guards who all had a chance to cover him.

"They just had a hand in my face and they’re very long," Reynolds said. "It was two great teams battling each other. They just made another play better than we did."

-- Jimmy O'Connel

No. 12 Butler gets past Wisconsin-Milwaukee 68-59

INDIANAPOLIS — Butler guard Ronald Nored demonstrated he can do more than just defend.

He can score and rebound like a Horizon League player of the year, too.

Nored had 13 points, eight rebounds and big hand in the Bulldogs' decisive run Saturday, leading No. 12 Butler to a 68-59 victory over rival Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

"It was really down, those late possessions, in that (Horizon) championship game last year that we didn't really do what we were supposed to do, that's make tough plays so I think that's really kind of been a focus," Nored said.

Nobody made more big plays Saturday than Nored, this year's co-defensive player of the year, and Matt Howard, last year's Horizon League player of the year.

The two combined to score all 10 points in Butler's critical run, turning a one-point game into a seven-point lead.

It was enough to extend the nation's longest winning streak to 19 games and punch Butler's ticket to its fifth straight conference title game. The top-seeded Bulldogs will face second-seeded Wright State, a 69-50 winner over Detroit in Saturday's other semifinal, Tuesday night on their home court.

The victory also kept Butler (27-4) a perfect 14-0 at Hinkle Fieldhouse, perfect against league foes at 19-0, and the favorite for teams still hoping to sneak into this year's NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs are going to the NCAA tournament regardless of what happens in the league title game, but if they slip up like last year at home against Cleveland State and have to go via the at-large route, it'll cost some team hoping to be picked by the selection committee.

"It's a little bit of unfinished business, you feel like when you get all that way and then you don't finish the deal," Howard said. "It's the same thing this year. We're focused, we want to win that, we don't feel comfortable with where we're, I can tell you that."

Butler certainly need a more typical game than it had against the Panthers (20-14).

Gordon Hayward, this season's conference player of the year, scored just one point in the second half and finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Howard had 18 points and four rebounds. And Nored delivered the kind of all-around performance normally reserved for the higher-profile guys.

Another problem: Butler's 3-point shooting was off. The Bulldogs were 4 of 18 on 3s.

So Nored and his teammates got things started with defense.

Though Milwaukee's Anthony Hill finished with 15 points and James Eayrs had 10, Butler limited Milwaukee to four baskets during a stretch of nearly 16 minutes sandwiched around halftime.

"We were not able to finish the first half the way we like to play basketball because of our foul trouble," Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter said. "We get the lead to 10, we have to sit five guys with two fouls and we were unable to finish the half the way we like to play, which carried over into the second half. ... We got to this point by playing a certain style, and it was just unfortunate we didn't get to finish that style out."

Milwaukee's rugged play caused all kinds of problems for the Bulldogs, who looked rusty after an eight-day break.

The Panthers jumped to a 25-15 lead in the first half and still led 29-28 at halftime.

And when it looked like Butler might take control early in the second half, taking a 38-31 lead with 15:53 to go, Milwaukee continued to scrap.

But the Bulldogs had an answer for every challenge.

When Milwaukee closed to 44-40, Willie Veasley hit a 3. When the Panthers closed to 48-47, Howard laid in an alley-oop that hung tantalizingly on the rim before dropping through the net. And when the Panthers got within 50-49, Howard drew a foul in the post, made two free throws and Nored completed a three-point play on the ensuing possession to make it 55-49. Butler pushed the lead to as much as 10 and Milwaukee never got closer than seven the rest of the night.

Now Butler can try and complete the mission with a second tourney title in three years and another NCAA bid, though that topic has been off-limits around Hinkle Fieldhouse.

"These guys have not once talked about seeding, they have not once talked about NCAA tournament and they're locker room is right next to my office and I have not once heard bracketology or any of that stuff from them," Butler coach Brad Stevens said. "These guys stay pretty focused on the task at hand."

-- Michael Marot

South Carolina upsets No. 13 Vanderbilt 77-73

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — South Carolina coach Darrin Horn drew the play up for his senior in the huddle, and Devan Downey executed to perfection.

Downey came off a ball screen and hit a 3-pointer with 1:48 left to break a 69-all tie, and South Carolina upset No. 13 Vanderbilt 77-73 on Saturday in its regular season finale. South Carolina (15-15, 6-10) snapped a six-game skid with a victory that pushed the Gamecocks up to the East's fifth seed in the upcoming Southeastern Conference tournament.

"He's done that his whole career," Horn said. "It's never about what somebody's done something to him. It's about, 'It's time to win,' and he's a young man who really relishes that moment. He made some huge plays tonight."

Downey had just four points in the first half, but the league's top scorer finished with 26 in rallying the Gamecocks. The senior said his teammates agreed to keep fighting.

"Right now, just playing for pride," Downey said. "We got a big win, Top 25 win on the road. We've just got to carry that momentum into the SEC tournament."

Vanderbilt (23-7, 12-4) already had the No. 2 seed in the East locked up before blowing a 10-point lead by going cold from the floor for 9:20. The Commodores rallied and tied it for the ninth time at 69 on Jermaine Beal's 3-pointer.

Downey answered with his sixth 3, Beal missed his 3-pointer and also missed a layup on the next trip down the floor. South Carolina hit 2 of 4 free throws, and Downey avoided being fouled in the final seconds by passing upcourt where Stephen Spinella dunked to seal the victory.

Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said his Commodores became too tentative once they got control of the game and too many players didn't show up ready to play.

"I'm not proud of it, but they've bounced back all season long. I don't have any concerns. If they don't want to play, they'll lose," Stallings said.

Sam Muldrow added 20 points and nine rebounds for South Carolina.

Beal finished with 21 for Vandy in the senior's final home game, A.J. Ogilvy had 15 and Jeff Taylor 13. Beal finished as the winningest four-year player in Vanderbilt history with 90 wins.

"Obviously, it's very disappointing," Ogilvy said. "Jermaine has meant so much to us and to the program and of course we wanted to send him off with the win."

South Carolina had struggled against Vanderbilt, losing 79-69 in Columbia on Jan. 16, and the Gamecocks came to Memorial Gym having lost seven of the last eight in this series overall.

Downey, averaging a league-high 26.2 points, was the key as he bounced back from a poor first half in which he hit only 2 of 9 from the floor. He had only 11 points with 10 minutes left when he finally got going, keying a 16-0 spurt with 10 points. Downey said assistant coach Neill Berry talked to him at halftime.

"I was getting good looks but wasn't prepared to shoot so it was more mental, me being ready to shoot," Downey said.

Stallings said he knew Downey would come back on the Commodores.

"He'll come out and try and go crazy, and he did," Stallings said.

Just as Downey got scoring, the Commodores went cold after John Jenkins hit a 3-pointer with 12:21 to put them up 53-43 with 12:21 left.

After Beal hit two free throws, Muldrow got the Gamecocks started with a bucket, then Downey heated up. The senior hit back-to-back 3s, stole the ball and scored on a layup and also had a pair of free throws that pushed South Carolina up 64-57. Downey's bucket with 4:10 to go pushed the lead to 68-59.

Vanderbilt finally started scoring again. Ogilvy hit a pair of free throws, then Jenkins hit a 3, ending a drought that stretched 9:20.

A sellout crowd tried to scream the Commodores to victory on a home-court where they had been 14-1 this season, but they couldn't counter Downey. The senior threw his entire body into launching a 3 that put the Gamecocks ahead to stay for good.

Beal scored on a pair of layups that just weren't enough as time ran out.

South Carolina wound up outshooting Vanderbilt 49.1 percent to 42.9 percent, while out-rebounding the Commodores 33-28.

Blame the early afternoon tipoff or simply sloppy play, but the teams swapped the lead seven times with five ties in the first half of a physical start — the two teams averaged more than a foul per minute early.

Four Gamecocks had at least three fouls each with 10 minutes left, while three Commodores had three apiece before the teams finished with a combined 40 fouls.

-- Teresea M. Walker

No. 16 Tennessee routs Mississippi State 75-59

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State played video highlights of last year’s Southeastern Conference tournament championship victory over Tennessee before and during Saturday’s rematch.

Oops. Meant to fire up the Bulldogs and the crowd, the clips had the opposite effect. No. 16 Tennessee held Mississippi State without a point for the first 6 minutes and pushed the Bulldogs around in a 75-59 win to end the regular season on a three-game win streak.

"Honestly I didn’t think about it till they showed it," Tennessee’s J.P. Prince said. "So I guess it’s kind of their fault."

Prince, it turns out, was one of the few Volunteers coming in who wasn’t thinking about how the Bulldogs upset them 64-61 to win the title.

That left Tennessee reeling — they lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament the next week — and several Volunteers couldn’t wait to get to Starkville, a place most opponents would rather not visit.

"It was not just a little about payback, it was a lot about payback," guard Bobby Maze said. "We were sitting over there watching them celebrate and we feel like we should have won the championship. It was tough watching them putting on their T-shirts and putting on their hats, and we’re sitting over there on our side teary-eyed. That was hard."

The Volunteers (23-7, 11-5 Southeastern Conference) are determined the same fate won’t hit them this year and are proving it on the court, winning five of their last six. Coach Bruce Pearl thinks they’re playing their best ball of the season and they proved it by embarrassing the Bulldogs (21-10, 9-7) in a game meant to be a celebration of the careers of seniors Jarvis Varnado and Barry Stewart.

Just minutes after those two were saluted in front of fans, though, Tennessee led 17-0 and never let up, giving senior Wayne Chism and Quinn Cannington a school-record 99 wins.

Chism, however, had to be restrained by an assistant coach after the game following a verbal confrontation with Mississippi State players.

The loss forced the Bulldogs to share the SEC West title with rival Mississippi, a team they beat twice this season. Mississippi State will open the SEC tournament as the West’s No. 1 seed, while Tennessee is No. 3 in the East.

Tennessee blitzed Mississippi State from the start, hitting eight of its first 11 shots, including five layups and a dunk.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs opened 0 of 5 from the field and didn’t make their first basket until Phil Turner’s layup with 6:10 gone. That stretch included four steals by the Volunteers.

"It was absolutely about the worst 5 minutes you could ever imagine as a coach," Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury said.

It was a curious start for Mississippi State, which needed a quality win in its pursuit of an NCAA tournament bid.

"I really like Rick and his staff," Pearl said. "We take no pleasure at all in denying them a quality win. But this was a big win for us. We needed this win for seeding purposes. Coming down here and getting a win could move us up a whole line."

The Bulldogs were 6 of 25 (24 percent) in the first half and trailed by 17 three times, including 38-21 at halftime after Cameron Tatum’s layup at the buzzer — the ninth layup of the first 20 minutes. It was the lowest first-half total of the season for the Bulldogs.

Prince, who led the Vols with 16 points, opened the game with a 3-pointer, then Scotty Hopson began the parade in the paint. Hopson, who made a verbal commitment to the Bulldogs before signing with Tennessee, was booed each time he touched the ball — and loved it.

Hopson, who finished with 14 points, fearlessly drove past Varnado for a layup, then dropped his shoulder to bull past Stewart for a 7-0 lead. He dropped in his third layup of the opening run to make it 17-0 at 14:23.

Hopson also stopped Mississippi State short when the Bulldogs got off to a quick start in the second half with eight quick points to push the lead back to 48-32 with 15:55 left.

"It kind of got me fired up," Hopson said of the hostile reception. "Definitely them booing me, I just wanted to get back at them and score buckets for my team."

Chism struggled and finished with one point after missing four shots. He appeared to get into a verbal spat shortly after the game with Mississippi State freshman Renardo Sidney, who hasn’t played this season due to an NCAA investigation but sits on the bench at home.

Chism was not immediately available for comment and a team spokesman said he would not address the altercation. Neither coach saw what started the back and forth.

"Got to move on," Stansbury said. "They can do all the talking they want. They won."

-- Chris Talbott

Brown’s 19 lead Pitt past Rutgers 83-54

PITTSBURGH — Rutgers coach Fred Hill voted for Jamie Dixon as the Big East coach of the year. Hill only wishes Pitt’s dominant-in-all-phases performance against his team hadn’t justified his vote.

Gilbert Brown scored 19 points and No. 17 Pittsburgh took control early with a 19-2 run Saturday that sent the Panthers to an 83-54 rout and the No. 2 seed in the Big East tournament.

The Panthers (24-7, 13-5) were picked to finish ninth in the Big East preseason coaches poll, only to earn a double bye into the conference quarterfinals — setting themselves up for a possible semifinal matchup against No. 10 West Virginia if both win Thursday in New York.

This kind of season wasn’t expected from a Pitt team that lost four starters — including all-Big East players DeJuan Blair and Sam Young — after going 31-5 and reaching the NCAA round of eight last season.

"Losing the amount of talent he did, that’s the sign of a great program to finish second," Hill said. "He’s done a phenomenal year."

Pitt followed one of its most uneven performances all season, a last-second 73-71 victory over Providence made possible by Ashton Gibbs’ buzzer-beating 3-pointer, with one of its best to win its eighth in nine games.

After West Virginia beat No. 9 Villanova 68-66 in overtime earlier in the day, Pitt knew it could be seeded No. 2 if it won. The Panthers needed about 10 minutes to make sure they did.

They turned a 5-3 deficit into a 22-7 lead during their big run, scoring 15 straight at one point while holding the Scarlet Knights (15-16, 5-13) scoreless for nearly 5½ minutes.

"We wanted to come out and play well and play together as a team," Brown said. "Against Providence, we had a couple of letdowns on defense so we really strived to make a strong effort to play defense, and it showed."

Pitt led by 24 at halftime and by as many as 32 in a second half. Freshman Dante Taylor had 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench, while Gibbs scored 13 and Brad Wanamaker had 12.

Brown followed up a scoreless game against the Friars with an excellent two-way game, getting six rebounds and three assists while making 3 of 4 from 3-point range and all six free throws. Pitt was 9 of 22 beyond the arc to Rutgers’ 4 of 16.

The Panthers were especially dominant on the defensive end, limiting the Knights to 40.9 percent shooting (18 of 44) and outrebounding them 41-24. Rutgers was outrebounded 97-52 during losses to Seton Hall and Pittsburgh.

The Scarlet Knights looked a step slow at the start and never got better during a loss that dropped them into the 14th seed and a Tuesday game in Madison Square Garden. Mike Rosario scored 14 points, but he missed eight of 12 shots and was 1 of 7 from 3-point range. Austin Johnson scored 12 points.

"This was my worst nightmare come true, but you’ve got to let it go and move on," Hill said. "Mentally, got to get ready for the Big East tournament and just throw this one out. They came out and played hard and took us out of what we wanted to do, and it’s very difficult to come back."

It wasn’t for Pitt, at least not this season.

"This team has improved more than any team in the country — more than any team probably anyone has ever seen — from November until March, so why stop now?" Dixon said. "I don’t think they were picked second by anybody."

The only downside to Pitt’s victory was guard Jermaine Dixon being lifted with a sore right ankle early in the second half, after he scored 10 points in 12 minutes. Dixon missed the first eight games of the season after twice breaking his right foot, but he insisted this injury is minor.

"I could have played, but we had the game," said Dixon, who was coming off a 24-point game against Providence. "I’m good. I’ll be ready (for Thursday)."

During the second half, Pitt’s student body chanted and held up signs urging that former walk-on Tim Frye — who didn’t score all season — get to play. Frye got a loud ovation when he entered with about five minutes remaining, but missed his only shot.

Pitt went 17-1 at home and has won 38 of its last 39 in the Petersen Events Center. The Knights are 1-9 on the road this season.

-- Alan Robinson

Diabetes doesn’t stop Freeman in Georgetown win

WASHINGTON — The scoreboard kept track of Austin Freeman’s points. The trainer kept track of his blood sugar levels.

Both were fine, and so was No. 19 Georgetown. Six days after being taken to the hospital and diagnosed with diabetes, Freeman scored 24 points Saturday as the Hoyas clinched a first-round bye in the Big East tournament with a 74-47 win over Cincinnati in both teams’ regular season finale.

"I’m proud of him," teammate Greg Monroe said. "It’s so serious. It’s a life-changing thing that you find out, but once he was back on the court, he was the same. Off the court, he was the same. He just took it all in stride."

With the doctor who heads the Georgetown Diabetes Center and trainer Lorry Michel watching his every move, Freeman played 30 minutes and made 8 of 15 shots, including 4 of 7 3-pointers. Monroe had 19 points and 15 rebounds, and Chris Wright had 16 points as Georgetown (20-9, 10-8) finished in the top half of the 16-team Big East, avoiding the dreaded Tuesday game in a conference tournament that has been expanded to five days.

"I’m fine, I’m fine," the soft-spoken Freeman said. "It was just good to be out there again to be playing with my teammates and just doing what I do. It was just a lot of fun to be out there. ... It was just the same."

Oh, but it wasn’t. Georgetown didn’t have any seniors to honor on senior day, so Saturday became a de facto Austin Freeman Day. It started when he was given a standing ovation when presented with a game ball by coach John Thompson III in recognition of the junior guard’s 1,000th career point, scored a few games ago.

Then came another standing ovation when Freeman was announced with the starting lineup. He scored Georgetown’s first basket with a layup, then hit a pair of 3-pointers. Then he drove the paint, drew heavy contact but no foul as he forced his way to a layup that prompted Cincinnati to call timeout, the crowd to rise to its feet and several sections of fans to start chanting "Aus-tin Free-man."

Among the homemade signs at the Verizon Center: "Awesome Austin," "We love you, Austin" and "AFREE15," a reference to his jersey number. Freeman played only four minutes fewer than his average of 34. When he left the game, he would sometimes sit near the far end of the bench next to Michel, who would monitor his blood sugar levels.

Thompson called the week "emotional" and "trying" but expressed guarded confidence that his leading scorer was back to his old basketball self.

"As long as we can limit the sways in his levels, we’re going to see a lot more games this year like that," the coach said.

Freeman was thought to have a stomach virus when he missed Monday’s loss to West Virginia and was limited in a loss to Notre Dame two days earlier. He was diagnosed Monday night, returned to practice Wednesday and will have the university doctor attending all of his practices and games for the rest of the season.

The bench-thin Hoyas need Freeman to have any chance at making a run in the postseason. There is no reliable scorer outside the starting five, a lack of depth that was starting to show as Georgetown entered Saturday’s game on a 1-4 skid.

"The last two games, one of the key parts of what we do was not feeling good," Thompson said. "So to go in there today, knowing he’s going to be there, makes a big difference."

Freshman Lance Stephenson scored a career-high 23 points to lead Cincinnati (16-14, 7-11), one of the eight teams that will have to play five games in five days to win the Big East tournament. Deonta Vaughn, averaging nearly 12 points, went 0-for-3 from the field and finished with two points.

The Bearcats have lost five of six, including three in a row to top 20 teams. They trailed 29-26 at the half before Freeman and the Hoyas turned the game into a rout.

"The second half we got totally outplayed," Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said. "We struggled to make layups, we struggled to make free throws, struggled to make open shots. Playing hard, focused and all that stuff, that’s just talk. You’ve got to get the ball in the basket. We play in the Big East. We’re not going to be able to just outhustle people. That only goes so far."

Freeman made the score 40-32 early in the second half with a 3-pointer, and pushed the lead to 50-35 with two free throws when he was fouled after making a steal — leading to another standing ovation.

"I’m not happy he came out and killed me today," Cronin said. "But I’m very happy for him that he’s able to play and he’s going to be healthy and have a great career, because he’s a great player."

-- Jospeh White

No. 20 Temple wins A-10 title by beating GW

PHILADELPHIA — Temple took the title, then it struck a pose.

The student section unfurled an "A-10 regular season champs" banner moments before No. 20 Temple beat George Washington 70-57 on Saturday to win a share of the conference championship. The sign served as the perfect backdrop for a team photo and a fun way to kick off a celebration the Owls have anticipated for weeks.

"This is the time we’ve waited for a little bit now," guard Ryan Brooks said. "Now that it’s here, we’re going to take it seriously."

The Owls can take a short breather to enjoy a few milestones. They also earned the No. 1 seed in next week’s conference tournament.

Temple (26-5, 14-2) has won the last two conference tournament titles, but coach Fran Dunphy’s team won’t have to sweat out winning this year to keep playing in March. They’ll be in the NCAA field — and the Owls will be there with their best chance to win a tournament game for the first time since 2001.

Temple proved the last two seasons a No. 1 seed is no guarantee of winning it all. Still, they’ll take the top honor.

"I believe we have a long season ahead of us," Brooks said.

No. 25 Xavier would finish with the same A-10 record as Temple with a win Saturday against St. Bonaventure. But the Owls hold the tiebreaker because of a 77-72 win in their lone matchup on Jan. 20.

"It’s important that we say to ourselves we played as good as anybody else in the conference in the regular season," Dunphy said.

Micheal Eric scored 18 points, Brooks scored 14 points and Lavoy Allen had 12.

The Owls honored former greats at halftime, including Mark Macon and Hall of Fame coach John Chaney. The Owls have had a season reminiscent of Chaney’s glory days when they reached the regional final five times from 1988-2001.

Dunphy has performed one of college basketball’s top coaching jobs this season, leading a team picked to finish fifth in the A-10 into the national rankings and now a conference title.

"I’m hoping they’ll be in a nice bracket," Chaney said.

Chaney greeted most of the players near the locker room after the game with a kind word or encouragement. He’s tight with Dunphy and gave the blessing for the former Penn coach to take over in 2006.

Like they have all season, the Owls got a little bit of production from just about every player. Eric scored nine of 11 Temple points early in the second half to open up a 10-point lead. Allen, Ramone Moore and Brooks went inside for buckets three straight times that stretched the lead to 14 and all but wrapped up the conference championship.

Joseph Katuka scored 13 points for George Washington (16-13, 6-10) and Lasan Kromah had 12.

"They just dominated us inside," George Washington coach Karl Hobbs said. "We’ve got to not make the mental breakdown mistakes that, for some reason, we just can’t correct."

The Owls got off to a sluggish start and trailed a chunk of the first half until Moore’s tip-in at the buzzer gave them a 30-29 lead at the break. Brooks and Eric got hot early in the second to help the Owls finish 12-1 at home this season.

What a season already for the Owls.

They cracked the Top 25 for the first time since 2001 and beat a top-5 team in Villanova for the first time since 2000. Temple also won the city series title.

"Now we have a whole new set of goals we have to reassess," Dunphy said.

First, some revelry.

The estatic Owls ran around the court high-fiving fans and gathered at halfcourt for a team huddle and a little dancing.

Guard Juan Fernandez dashed into the stands to hug some fans and some Owls jumped on their teammates’ backs as they walked down the tunnel to the locker room to celebrate some more.

"We knew teams were going to start bringing their A-game to us and we were going to have to step up," Brooks said. "We just wanted to focus on getting better as a team and building momentum going into the postseason."

-- Dan Gelston

No. 22 Maryland beats Virginia 74-68

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Locked in a spirited battle with undermanned Virginia, No. 22 Maryland got help from the most unexpected place in the final minute on Saturday afternoon.

With the Terrapins leading by a point, a blocking foul on Jerome Meyinsse sent Cavaliers coach Tony Bennett into a momentary rage. The first-year coach peeled his jacket off and threw it, and was called for a technical foul that essentially rescued the Terps.

Greivis Vasquez finished with 23 points, including both free throws on the technical with 38.6 seconds to play, and Sean Mosley added two more right after as Maryland held on, 74-68.

Maryland was 8 for 8 from the foul line in the final 38.6 seconds.

"Heck of a time to get the first technical foul of my career, that’s for sure," Bennett said, somewhat sheepishly. "I saw the referee wasn’t looking and I took my jacket off and threw it down. ... It’s a hard game to swallow. I feel bad about it, though, I really do."

The Terrapins (23-7, 13-3 ACC) clinched at least a tie for the conference regular season title with their seventh victory in a row, but let a Cavaliers team playing without suspended scoring leader Sylven Landesberg cut an 11-point deficit to one in the final minute.

The blocking call came less than a minute after Virginia’s Will Sherrill drew a charging on Vasquez that incensed Maryland coach Gary Williams, helping to fuel the intense finish.

Mosley said the decisive call was a difficult one.

"The refs did a great job tonight," Mosley said. "They’re not going to get every call right. It was shocking to me. I had to look around and make sure they called a block."

Landesberg was suspended earlier in the day for not meeting academic responsibilities, making Virginia’s performance all the more surprising, especially when Adrian’s Bowie’s 3-pointer made it 53-41 with 12:18 to play.

The Cavaliers, after all, had lost eight straight, the last six by double digits.

"I think guys just said, ‘Screw it. We have nothing to lose,"’ Sherrill said.

That attitude, combined with Maryland putting the game into cruise control, produced a stirring comeback, and then a 3-point shooting duel with the Cavaliers matching Vasquez.

"I think we got a little complacent," Maryland guard Eric Hayes said. "We were playing not to lose. Coach told us that and we were able to reassert ourselves late in the game."

Meyinsse led Virginia (14-15, 5-11) with 17 points in his final home game. Jeff Jones hit 4 of 6 3-point attempts and scored 16 points, and Sammy Zeglinski had 14 with four 3s.

After Bowie’s 3 put the Terps ahead 53-41, Virginia scored the next seven points, capped by Meyinsse’s dunk. Dino Gregory’s free throw gave the Terps a 54-48 lead, but Jones and Vasquez traded 3-pointers before Jones hit another from deep, pulling Virginia to 57-54.

"There wasn’t much 3-point defense being played," Hayes said.

Hayes’ driving basket pushed Maryland’s lead back to five, and after Meyinsse hit a pair of free throws, Vasquez hit the first of his back-to-back 3-pointers. The second answered one by Sherrill, giving the Terps a 65-59 lead with 3:39 to play, but Virginia kept coming.

Meyinsse scored on a baby hook with 3:09 left, and after Jordan Williams’ free throw for Maryland, Mustapha Farrakhan made a layup and then fed Sherrill for another after a Maryland turnover, pulling the Cavaliers within 66-65 and setting up the controversial finish.

When Sherrill drew the charge on Vasquez, the crowd of 13,431 went wild, thinking the Cavaliers were going to close their home season by beating the Terps again, like last year.

But Farrakahn turned the ball over, Mosley was fouled at the comeback fell short.

Hayes added 11 points and Mosley 10 for Maryland.

Maryland led 21-9 after 8½ minutes and had outrebounding the Cavaliers 14-1. Virginia finally found some rhythm offensively, pulling within 28-20, but a 10-4 run by the Terps allowed them to push their lead to 38-24 before Zeglinski closed the half with a 3-pointer.

-- Hank Kruz Jr.

No. 25 Xavier beats St. Bonaventure 93-72

CINCINNATI — The buzzer sounded, the confetti flew. Xavier was about to cut down a net again. Old stuff? Never.

The 25th-ranked Musketeers won a share of their fourth straight Atlantic 10 regular-season title on Saturday, riding the emotion of senior day and Jordan Crawford’s 22 points to a 93-72 victory over St. Bonaventure. Then, they broke out those well-worn scissors.

"There’s a legacy to uphold," said first-year coach Chris Mack, who used them last. "I’m glad these guys understood it as well as the past groups."

The Musketeers (23-7, 14-2) share the title with No. 20 Temple, which beat George Washington earlier in the day. Xavier is the second team in league history to win four straight — Massachusetts got five in a row from 1992-96.

"Making history — there’s nothing like it," said senior center Jason Love, the team’s lone player who was part of all four titles. "It’s hard to do."

St. Bonaventure (14-15, 7-9) had been on its best streak of the season, winning four in a row. The Musketeers crushed that momentum with an opening 26-6 run. Andrew Nicholson led the Bonnies with 21 points.

"Jason Love and Jordan Crawford are two special players, and they’ve got great role guys," Bonnies coach Mark Schmidt said. "They were so much more physical than we were, especially early."

A shower of blue-and-white confetti fell from the rafters after reserve guard Brian Walsh dribbled out the final seconds at midcourt. Love held up a large sign listing those four straight titles, and guard Terrell Holloway carried a sign that read, "X 4 PEAT."

Mack was last to climb the stepladder. He made the final snip that freed the net, then held it up in celebration.

Love was honored before the game and had 14 points and nine rebounds against a double-teaming defense. He got a standing ovation when he left with 2:36 to go. Xavier won 20 games with fewer than two seniors on the roster for the first time in its history.

Crawford, the league’s leading scorer, went 8 of 12 from the field and pulled off several acrobatic moves to the basket. Fans cheered "One more year!" when Crawford sliced through the defense for a finger-roll layup.

The sophomore guard had to watch the championship celebration in a sweat suit last season, when he was sitting out after transferring from Indiana. This time, he snipped a piece of net and stored it over his right ear. Asked if he thought that it might be his last game at the Cintas Center as well — he could decide to go to the NBA — Crawford said, "Naw, I didn’t think about that at all."

The Musketeers have quite a collection of regular-season titles — eight during their 15 seasons in the Atlantic 10. This was one of the most unexpected.

With only one senior returning, the Musketeers weren’t picked to win it. They pulled it off by continuing their tradition of playing tough at home, and grew steadily as the season went along. They won 11 of their last 12 games, including a 76-64 victory at Florida.

Xavier has won all 32 of its A-10 home games since the start of the 2006-07 season, the second-longest streak in league history. Temple won 34 straight. Xavier has won 24 consecutive home games overall, tied for the third-longest active streak in Division I.

Love, a 6-foot-9 center, fought back tears when he was introduced on court before the game and received a large framed photograph of himself. He held it over his head to show the cheering crowd.

Then, the Musketeers transferred that energy into a huge early lead. With the Bonnies’ defense focused on stopping Love, Jamel McLean took advantage by getting open inside for a pair of three-point plays. He had eight points in the 26-6 surge.

Crawford hit a 3-pointer, made a pair of layups, then passed to Kenny Frease for a fastbreak dunk that put Xavier up 68-46 midway through the second half and began the countdown to the net cutting.

-- Joe Kay