Weekend Hoops Roundup: March Getting Closer

Northwestern, Ohio State, Providence Pull Upsets

Top-ranked North Carolina turned to its role players to beat No. 13 Maryland Saturday.

The Tar Heels got career highs of 27 points from Jason Capel and 18 from Julius Peppers as they broke open a close game in the second half en route to a 96-82 victory over the reeling Terrapins.

The Tar Heels (21-2, 11-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their 18th straight -- the nation's longest streak and the program's best since starting 21-0 in 1985-86. Joseph Forte added 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Tar Heels improved to 138-23 all-time as a No. 1 team.

Full Story: Tar Heels Tame Terrapins

No. 2 Stanford 82, Oregon State 63

Jason Collins scored 21 points as No. 2 Stanford struggled for the second straight game but pulled away to beat Oregon State 82-63 Saturday night.

Stanford (22-1, 10-1 Pac-10) led 58-54 with 9:48 left, but went on a 19-4 run to put away the overmatched Beavers (8-15, 2-9). The Cardinal hit four straight 3-pointers -- one by Michael McDonald, two by Teyo Johnson and the last by Casey Jacobsen -- during the 19-4 run.

A breakaway slam by Collins ended the spurt and gave Stanford a 77-58 lead with 3:33 to go. Jimmie Haywood scored a career-high 20 points to lead Oregon State, which had just seven players because of injuries and suspensions.

No. 3 Duke 101, N.C. State 75

Duke has decided to start laying the groundwork for a solid foundation in the NCAA tournament now.

After a couple of mediocre games by Duke standards, the No. 3 Blue Devils shot 53 percent, forced 24 turnovers and used a 17-0 first-half run to roll over North Carolina State 101-75 on Sunday. Jason Williams, coming off a pair of season-low eight-point games against Florida State and Clemson, scored 23 as Duke's starters all hit double figures.

"This is the Duke team that we're going to be," said Williams, who was 8-for-12 from the field and had eight assists. "In college basketball, you have four or five months and then it's going to be over. It feels like March is getting here quicker and quicker so you've got to live every day like it's your last when you step on the court with your team.

"You have to treat every game now like it's a tournament game. If you lose it, your season is done. That makes you play the best you can play."

No. 4 Michigan St. 94, Minnesota 83

Though they were down to six scholarship players, Minnesota managed to scare fourth-ranked Michigan State.

The Gophers, led by Terrance Simmons' career-high 34 points, made 16 3-pointers against the Spartans' zone defense and pulled within two points with less than four minutes remaining on Saturday night. Eventually, Michigan State's size and depth wore the Gophers down to pull out a 94-83 victory. The Spartans outrebounded the Gophers 41-23 and had six players in double figures.

"They're so good on the boards," Minnesota coach Dan Monson said. "That's kind of their trademark and what they do. Let's face it: They don't have a lot of flaws."

No. 5 Kansas 77, Oklahoma St. 61

Kirk Hinrich scored 20 points and hit a driving reverse layup that halted an Oklahoma State rally and helped No. 5 Kansas to a 77-61 victory over the Cowboys on Saturday.

Hinrich hit six of his first eight field goal attempts and also assisted in holding Oklahoma State's Maurice Baker to 12 points, 11 below the league-leading average he's had in Big 12 Conference games.

Eric Chenowith, the 7-1 senior center who had come under criticism for scoring in double figures only twice in his last 11 games, had 17 points and 12 rebounds and went a long way toward helping make up the loss of Gooden.

Georgia Tech 62, No. 6 Virginia 56

Georgia Tech in the NCAA tournament? The idea doesn't seem so ludicrous anymore.

The Yellow Jackets, picked to finish near the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference, knocked off another ranked team Sunday, beating No. 6 Virginia 62-56 as Tony Akins scored 19 points and freshman Halston Lane hit two key baskets. First-year coach Paul Hewitt told his players from day one that his goal was an NCAA bid, even though Georgia Tech hasn't been to the tournament since 1996.

"That's our goal," said Akins, who also did a smothering defensive job on Virginia guard Donald Hand. "Coach told us if we don't make the tournament, we haven't accomplished anything. If we keep it up, that's where we're going to be."

The Yellow Jackets (14-8, 6-5 ACC) defeated their second ranked team in five days and fourth of the season. They are tied for third in the conference after sweeping the season series from Virginia.

Full Story: Ga. Tech Pulls Latest Upset Against Virgnia

No. 7 Illinois 82, Purdue 61

Rather than dwelling on the past, No. 7 Illinois made history against Purdue.

Brian Cook scored 17 points and the Illini breezed past Purdue 82-61 Saturday, the most-lopsided loss for the Boilermakers in their 34 years at Mackey Arena. Illinois ended its nine-game losing streak to Purdue.

"In all honesty, 'this team' has not lost to Purdue. The past doesn't matter," Illinois coach Bill Self said.

No. 8 Florida 73, Arkansas 63

Udonis Haslem scored seven of his 19 points down the stretch Saturday in No. 8 Florida's grinding 73-63 victory over Arkansas.

The Gators (16-5, 6-4 Southeastern Conference) won for the fifth time in six games in a contest that had all the markings of a February clash in the rough SEC -- hard fouls, lots of jawing and more signs of fatigue than finesse. The loss slowed the momentum Arkansas (14-8, 5-5) had gained after its big overtime victory over No. 10 Tennessee last week, as the Razorbacks eventually wore down against a bigger, deeper opponent.

The game was decided in the final four minutes, beginning -- fittingly -- when Brandon Dean of Arkansas was called for an intentional foul for yanking Matt Bonner's jersey and whipping him to the ground as he went up for a layup.

Full Story: Haslem Helps Gators Over Razorbacks

No. 9 Syracuse 63, Seton Hall 62

All it took was one short shot by Allen Griffin to get rid of three years of frustration.

Griffin hit a baseline jumper falling away from the basket with 7.3 seconds left Saturday night to give No. 9 Syracuse a 63-62 victory over Seton Hall. The Pirates (12-9, 3-7 Big East) have lost four straight.

More importantly, though for Griffin, the Orangemen (19-4, 7-3) finally beat Seton Hall in the Carrier Dome after three straight losses.

No. 25 Miss. 87, No. 10 Tenn. 71

The road didn't get any smoother for No. 10 Tennessee when it visited Mississippi.

Aaron Harper scored 23 points as No. 25 Mississippi handed the Volunteers their fifth straight road loss, 87-71 on Saturday. The Rebels (19-4, 7-3 Southeastern Conference) continue to be the SEC's biggest surprise.

Ole Miss, after winning just six conference games last season, has won four straight and is in first place in the Western Division. Tennessee (18-6), with one of the most talented rosters in the SEC, has been arguably the league's most disappointing team. The Vols have lost four of five and are now just 5-5 in conference play. They'll likely fall out of the top 10 for the first time this season.

No.11 Arizona 86, Washington St. 51

Warmly greeted by the crowd and towering over the opposition, Loren Woods had the kind of night his sagging confidence sorely needed.

The 7-foot-2 center, who heard boos from some in his home crowd Thursday night, had 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots Saturday night as No. 11 Arizona routed Washington State 86-51.

"I expect to do things like that all the time. It's important that I play like that," said Woods, who had called his recent play "a joke" after Thursday night's 82-62 victory over Washington.

Woods was 8-for-12 from the field, including several dunks, against the much smaller Cougars.

No. 12 Iowa State 72, Missouri 64

Even without its two best players, Missouri proved to be a handful for No. 12 Iowa State.

Iowa State needed Jamaal Tinsley's strong play down the stretch to turn back the short-handed Tigers 72-64 Sunday and stay in first place in the Big 12, a half-game in front of Kansas. Martin Rancik returned after rolling his right ankle in the first half to lead Iowa State with 23 points and Tinsley scored eight of his 18 in the final 4:17 to secure the Cyclones' 33rd straight victory at home.

"We knew what type of team Missouri was, so we weren't really surprised by how well they played," Tinsley said. "They are well coached and have a lot of young talent. We knew that they could be dangerous."

They were.

Northwestern 69, No. 14 Iowa 61

Northwestern sure knows how to snap a losing streak. Winston Blake scored 20 points and Jitim Young added 16 on Saturday as Northwestern stunned No. 14 Iowa 69-61 and snapped a 32-game losing streak in regular-season Big Ten games.

The Wildcats (9-15, 1-10) hadn't won a regular-season conference game since beating Penn State on Feb. 6, 1999. It was the longest Big Ten losing streak since 1946. Collier Drayton scored nine points and had a career-high nine rebounds for Northwestern. As the final buzzer sounded, the Northwestern fans -- outmanned the entire game by the boisterous Iowa fans -- rushed the floor.

As Blake and coach Bill Carmody waited to do a post-game interview, several fans stood behind them, singing the school's alma mater.

Providence 103, No.15 Georgetown 79

No Big East team had ever done to Georgetown what Providence did Saturday night.

The Friars, behind some excellent defense and torrid 3-point shooting beat the 15th-ranked Hoyas 103-79, the first time any conference team topped the 100-point mark against them.

"I just wish I could bottle that performance tonight. I actually even enjoyed it and like most coaches, I usually don't," Friars coach Tim Welsh said. "We were a 10-plus tonight against one of the better teams in the country. I don't usually brag too much about our guys but I can't hold it back tonight."

Ohio St. 63, No. 16 Wisconsin 58

Ken Johnson hit two foul shots with 41.7 seconds left and Ohio State limited Wisconsin to two free throws in the last four minutes in a 63-58 victory over the 16th-ranked Badgers on Saturday.

The Buckeyes (16-8, 7-5 Big Ten) lost their first four games against ranked opponents this season, but have now beaten No. 3 Michigan State, No. 14 Iowa and the Badgers in the last two weeks. Brent Darby scored 18 points, Johnson and Brian Brown each had 13 and Sean Connolly added 10 points as Ohio State won its third in a row while ending the Badgers' five-game winning streak. Wisconsin (15-6, 6-4), led by 10 points in the first half.

The Badgers took a 56-53 lead on Kirk Penney's 3-pointer with 3:59 remaining, but missed their last six shots from the field down the stretch.

Full Story: Buckeyes Get Nutty On Badgers

No. 17 B.C. 83, Va. Tech 59

Off to its best start in more than 30 years, No. 17 Boston College didn't let Virginia Tech upset its rhythm Saturday, beating the Hokies 83-59 for its sixth straight victory.

Troy Bell hit five 3-pointers and scored 22 points to lead the Eagles (18-2, 9-1 Big East), who exceeded their victory total of the last two seasons combined. The Eagles hit 10 3-pointers. Virginia Tech (8-14, 2-9), which was outrebounded 21-9 in the first half, lost its fourth in a row to start a three-game homestand.

The Eagles led 40-26 at halftime and continued their best start since the 1966-67 season, when coach Bob Cousy guided Boston College to a 23-2 start. That team lost its next game in the NCAA tournament.

No. 18 Alabama 76, Georgia 68

Georgia's tailspin and Alabama's homecourt domination continued Saturday night.

Travis Stinnett made four three throws in the final 19 seconds and the 18th-ranked Crimson Tide dominated the boards in a 76-68 victory over Georgia on Saturday night. It was the 16th straight home win for Alabama (18-5, 7-4 Southeastern Conference) and the fourth straight loss for the Bulldogs (13-10, 6-4) since briefly taking a lead in the SEC East.

"It's a good win for our program and good win for our players" said Tide coach Mark Gottfried, who beat mentor Jim Harrick for the first time in three tries. "I kept telling (the players), don't forget they won at Ole Miss, at Vandy and at Florida. They're not going to lay down."

No. 19 Wake Forest 71, Fla. St 65

Wake Forest really needed a win. The 19th-ranked Deamon Deacons had lost four of five games and were in danger of dropping out of the Top 25.

Then they won on the road Saturday, getting a balanced scoring attack and strong play off the bench by Robert O'Kelley to beat Florida State 71-65.

"Does it turn the corner?" Wake Forest coach Dave Odom asked. "We'll see about that. I think the optimal word we should try to find is consistency."

No. 20 Notre Dame 69, W. Va. 66

One of Troy Murphy's worst games of the season couldn't keep No. 20 Notre Dame from its seventh straight victory.

Murphy scored just 15 points, but his final one -- a free throw with a minute left -- gave Notre Dame the lead for good and the Irish held on for a 69-66 victory over West Virginia on Sunday. The scoring output tied Murphy for his third lowest of the season.

"I didn't get the touches, but so what?" Murphy said. "I'll take scoring no points if we win the game."

21. Oklahoma (19-4) beat Texas 75-54.

22. Southern California (16-6) did not play. Next: vs. Arizona State, Thursday.

No. 23 Fresno State 86, Hawaii 63

Fresno State turned up the defensive pressure to get back at Hawaii. Melvin Ely scored 22 points and No. 23 Fresno State forced 26 turnovers in an 86-63 victory Sunday.

24. Xavier (18-4) beat Temple 78-71.


You May Also Like ...