NCAA Conference Tournaments 2015: Predictions, Results for Thursday's Top Games

NCAA conference championship week is rolling on, with crucial games on the docket from coast to coast.

With conference tournaments and potential invitations to the NCAA tournament on the line, fans were treated to non-stop action Thursday.

Here's a look at all the major-conference games from the day. The action should only intensify on Friday as teams continue to play for their tournament lives.

AAC Tournament

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Results

UConn 69, South Florida 43

It may be a bit of a pipe dream, but there is nothing that Connecticut head coach Kevin Ollie wants more than to see his team get a chance to defend its NCAA championship.

This may not be a classic UConn team, but the Huskies pulled off a convincing 69-43 win over the South Florida Bulls to advance in the AAC tournament. UConn played aggressively from the start and built a big lead behind the scoring of Daniel Hamilton, who finished with a game-high 20 points. Rodney Purvis had 13 points, while Ryan Boatright had 12 points and three assists for the Huskies.

Nehemias Morillo scored 13 points to lead the way for the overmatched Bulls.

—Updated by Steve Silverman

Houston 66, Tulane 60

For the second time in about a week, Houston got the better of Tulane. On Thursday in Hartford, the Cougars edged out the Green Wave by a score of 66-60.

Juniors Jherrod Stiggers and Devonta Pollard have been the catalysts of a strong second half of the season for Houston—a trend that continued on Thursday. Stiggers led the way with 23 points, while Pollard chipped in with 12 points and seven rebounds.

—Updated by Carol Schram

East Carolina 81, UCF 80

An overtime thriller came down to a series of mistakes by UCF. The Knights succumbed to missed shots and turnovers as they fell 81-80 to East Carolina in their AAC matchup.

Freshman guard B.J. Tyson led the way for the Pirates with 19 points, while UCF’s similarly-named B.J. Taylor, also a freshman guard, was the game's top scorer with 22 points.

UCF sophomore center Justin McBride earned a double-double thanks to 12 points and 11 boards in a losing cause.

—Updated by Carol Schram

ACC Tournament

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Results

Notre Dame 70, Miami 63

Notre Dame is breathing a huge sigh of relief after holding on to beat Miami 70-63 in the ACC tournament.

The Irish appeared to be on their way to an easy victory when they rolled into the lockerroom with a 43-25 halftime lead. However, the Hurricanes were not about to go quietly with their NCAA chances hanging in the balance, and they started the second half with a 19-2 run.

Miami took a 51-49 lead with 6:30 remaining, but Steve Vasturia hit a three-pointer to get the lead back for the Irish. Vasturia finished with 16 points and was Notre Dame’s leading scorer.

Angel Rodriguez had 15 points to lead the Hurricanes.

—Updated by Steve Silverman

Duke 77, NC State 53

The rested Duke Blue Devils had a huge advantage over the tired NC State Wolfpack, and the fatigue factor showed as the Blue Devils never looked back in an easy 77-53 victory.

Duke jumped out to a 49-22 lead at halftime, and the game was never in doubt in the second half. The Blue Devils were led by Quinn Cook's 15 points, and five of his teammates reached double digits. Ralston Turner had 16 points for North Carolina State, but Abdul-Malik Abu was his only teammate to score in double figures.

North Carolina State had beaten Pittsburgh in a tough and physical game Wednesday.

Duke came out with a head of steam and was no doubt motivated by the Wolfpack’s upset in Raleigh earlier in the season.

 —Updated by Carol Schram

North Carolina 70, Louisville 60

After opening its ACC tournament with an easy win over Boston College, North Carolina outscored Louisville by 15 points in the second half to overcome a five-point mid-game deficit and cruise to a 70-60 win.

Junior Brice Johnson was the hot hand for the Tar Heels on Thursday, shooting 7-of-15 from the field and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line to lead North Carolina with 22 points.

North Carolina now moves on to play Virginia in the ACC semifinal.

 —Updated by Carol Schram

Virginia 58, Florida State 44

The defending ACC tournament champion and two-time regular-season champion, 29-2 Virginia had little trouble disposing of Florida State on Thursday.

The Cavaliers jumped out to an early 7-0 lead that they never relinquished, limiting the Seminoles to just 32.6 percent shooting from the floor while making 47.5 percent of their shots from the field and 81 percent from the free-throw line.

Balanced scoring was the order of the day for Virginia, with 11-point performances from Evan Nolte and Mike Tobey, along with 10 points from Malcolm Brogdon.

 —Updated by Carol Schram

Atlantic 10 Tournament

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Results

George Washington 73, Duquesne 55

After splitting two games in the regular season, George Washington did not want to give Duquesne any hope of advancing to the third round of the Atlantic 10 tournament.

The Colonials took charge early and built a 13-point halftime lead that they would not relinquish. They rolled past the Dukes, 73-55, as Joe McDonald, Patricio Garino and Yuta Watanabe scored 12 points each for the victors.

Micah Mason had a game-high 22 points for the Dukes, but his teammates lacked the scoring prowess to succeed against George Washington’s relentless defense. George Washington will face Rhode Island on Friday.

—Updated by Steve Silverman

St. Bonaventure 60, St. Joseph's 49

It was another hard-fought battle between St. Bonaventure and St. Joseph’s, but the Bonnies got the best of the Hawks for the third consecutive game this season.

St. Bonaventure overcame a five-point halftime deficit and registered a 60-49 victory. The key to the win was the Bonnies’ tough second-half defense, which limited St. Joseph’s to 21 points over the final 20 minutes.

Dion Wright led the way for the Bonnies with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Isaiah Miles had a team-high 19 points and three rebounds for the Hawks.

—Updated by Steve Silverman

VCU 63, Fordham 57

Senior Treveon Graham and junior Melvin Johnson made the difference as a strong second half helped VCU defeat Fordham 63-57.

Graham was one rebound shy of a double-double with 22 points and nine boards, while Johnson chipped in for 16 points and six rebounds of his own.

—Updated by Carol Schram

La Salle 76, Massachusetts 69

In a seesaw battle at Barclays Center, La Salle ultimately prevailed over Massachusetts by a score of 76-69.

Sophomore guard Jordan Price was all over the court for the Explorers, going 6-of-16 from the field and 14-of-18 from the charity stripe to lead all players with 28 points.

The Minutemen out-rebounded La Salle 42-37 and got a 23-point performance from Donte Clark in a losing cause.

—Updated by Carol Schram

Big 12 Tournament

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Results

Oklahoma 64, Oklahoma State 49

It did not look good for the Oklahoma Sooners when they went into the locker room trailing Oklahoma State by five points at halftime, having only scored 21.

However, the Sooners were not about to let their early deficit cause long-term problems. Oklahoma simply got on track and found its offensive groove in the final 20 minutes as it coasted to a 64-49 victory.

As usual, Big 12 Player of the Year Buddy Hield was at the forefront of the attack with 22 points. Powerful TaShawn Thomas added 17 points, and the Cowboys just could not contain that duo.

Le’Bryan Nash had a game-high 27 points for Oklahoma State, but the Cowboys defense fell apart in the second half.

—Updated by Steve Silverman

Iowa State 69, Texas 67

Monte Morris hit a 14-foot shot with a second remaining to give the Iowa State Cyclones a 69-67 victory over the Texas Longhorns in the Big 12 tournament.

The heartbreaking loss for Texas almost certainly means that the bubble has burst. It needed a big win prior to Selection Sunday, and a win over Iowa State would have been very impressive.

Morris had 24 points to lead the Cyclones, while teammate Georges Niang had 22 points. Jonathan Holmes had 15 points and nine rebounds to lead the way for the Longhorns.

—Updated by Steve Silverman

Kansas 64, TCU 59

It wasn’t the Big 12 slam dunk that many expected, but Kansas did a tidy job of dispatching TCU by a score of 64-59 at Sprint Centre in Kansas City, Missouri.

Freshman guard Kelly Oubre took full advantage of his opportunities at the foul line for the Jayhawks, going 15-of-19 from the stripe en route to a game-high 25 points.

Trey Zeigler was the top shooter for TCU with 20 points.

—Updated by Carol Schram

Baylor 80, West Virginia 70

An injury to first-team All-Big 12 senior guard Juwan Staten may have been the difference as West Virginia fell 80-70 to Baylor at Sprint Centre.

After winning both regular-season meetings against the Mountaineers, Baylor continued its dominance thanks to an 18-point performance from Taurean Prince, 51 percent shooting from the floor and an impressive 26-for-34 showing at the free-throw line.

Junior forward Rico Gathers fell just short of a double-double, chipping in 15 points and leading the Bears with nine rebounds.

—Updated by Carol Schram

Big East Tournament

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Results

Xavier 67, Butler 61 (OT)

Xavier may have found itself trailing in the second half, but there was no way the Musketeers were about to let a nine-point deficit keep them from coming back against a solid Butler team.

Jalen Reynolds started the comeback with a layup and Trevon Bluiett made the three-pointer that tied the score and eventually sent the game into overtime. Xavier took over in the extra session and pounded out a 67-61 victory.

Matt Stainbrook and Dee Davis led the way for the Musketeers with 13 points each, while Bluiett added 11 points. Alex Barlow had 22 points to lead the Bulldogs.

Despite the loss in the Big East tournament, Butler is likely headed to the NCAA tournament.

Georgetown 60, Creighton 55

Georgetown rode the hot shooting of D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera to cruise past Creighton, 60-55, in the Big East tournament.

Smith-Rivera scored a game-high 25 points as he made 7-of-13 shots from the floor and was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. James Milliken had 17 points to lead the Bluejays.

The Hoyas appear to be headed for their 30th all-time appearance in the NCAA tournament after sweeping all three games against Creighton this season.

—Updated by Steve Silverman

Providence 74, St. John's 57

A big-scoring game from the 2014 Big East tournament champions led to a decisive 74-57 Providence win over St. John's at Madison Square Garden.

Three Friars finished the game with double-doubles. All-Big East First Team forward LaDontae Henton scored 20 points and added 12 rebounds, while fellow honoree, guard Kris Dunn, had 17 points and 11 assists.

Freshman forward Ben Bentil chipped in with 14 points and 13 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass.

—Updated by Carol Schram

Villanova 84, Marquette 49

Led by Big East Coach of the Year Jay Wright, top seed Villanova got its tournament off to a solid start with an 84-49 win over Marquette at Madison Square Garden.

Normally a balanced team offensively, the Wildcats enjoyed a 20-point performance from Josh Hart on Thursday, while Marquette was unable to ride the momentum of an impressive 22-point win over Seton Hall to open the tournament Wednesday

—Updated by Carol Schram

Big Ten Tournament

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Results

Ohio State 79, Minnesota 73

Minnesota was hoping to push Ohio State to the limit in the Big Ten tournament, but the Gophers just could not find the firepower and dropped a 79-73 decision to the Buckeyes.

Ohio State was led by star freshman D’Angelo Russell, who scored 23 points and had five rebounds, and that was enough to keep the Gophers at bay. Minnesota got to within two points with 5:17 remaining, but Ohio State regained its composure after head coach Thad Matta’s timeout call.

DeAndre Mathieu had 16 points for the Gophers, while teammate Andre Hollins added 13 points.

The Buckeyes will meet Michigan State on Friday.

—Updated by Steve Silverman

Indiana 71, Northwestern 56

If Indiana is going to have any chance of finding glory in the postseason, it has to make a strong showing in the Big Ten tournament.

The Hoosiers took their first step successfully, as they got out in front of Northwestern and registered a solid 71-56 victory. James Blackmon Jr. led the way for Indiana with 25 points and seven assists, while Yogi Ferrell added 17 points.

Bryant McIntosh and Alex Olah scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, for the Wildcats, who have never earned a spot in the NCAA tournament.

Indiana’s much-maligned defense (ranked 298th in points allowed per game), was superb, limiting the Wildcats to 20 field goals on 46 shots.

—Updated by Steve Silverman

Penn State 67, Iowa 58

Penn State's D.J. Newbill has come to play in the 2015 Big Ten tournament.

After scoring 26 points in the Nittany Lions' victory over Nebraska on Wednesday, the 6'4" senior guard exploded for 18 points to help Penn State overcome an eight-point halftime deficit and defeat Iowa 67-58.

With 21 points from senior forward Aaron White, the Hawkeyes narrowed the lead to two points with 1:45 to play in the second half before falling to their first defeat in their last seven games.

—Updated by Carol Schram

Michigan 73, Illinois 55

Though Michigan lost seven of its last nine games to end the regular season, the Wolverines rode a strong start to an easy 73-55 win over Illinois in their tournament opener at United Center in Chicago.

Always sharp from the free-throw line, the Wolverines were a perfect 8-of-8 against Illinois, in addition to shooting a strong 49.2 percent from the field.

Last year's Big Ten Tournament runner-up will move on to face top seed Wisconsin on Friday.

—Updated by Carol Schram

Mountain West Tournament

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Results

Colorado State 71, Fresno State 59

Colorado State has had a brilliant year, but their 26-5 regular-season record has not guaranteed the Rams a spot in the NCAA tournament.

The Rams know they have to make a good showing in the Mountain West tournament if they want to make sure their ticket gets punched. They made a positive statement Thursday night in their 71-59 victory over Fresno State.

Colorado State opened up a 40-22 halftime lead, but the Bulldogs made a solid run early in the second half. That got the Rams attention, and they refocused and put the game away.

Daniel Bejerano led the Rams with 19 points, which included making 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Cezar Guerrero had 16 points to lead the Bulldogs.

—Updated by Steve Silverman

San Diego State 67, UNLV 64

San Diego State knew it was in for a tough fight when it met UNLV in the Mountain West tournament. The Aztecs had been pushed to the limit when the two teams met last week, and San Diego State emerged with a two-point win.

Thanks to the Aztecs’ relentless defense, they came away with another narrow victory over their rivals. San Diego State came back from a six-point halftime deficit and earned a 67-64 win. Guard Ageel Quinn connected on 8-of-10 shots and led San Diego State with 21 points. J.J. O’Brien added 15 points for the victors.

Christian Wood led the Rebels with 21 points, while teammate Jelan Kendrick had a double-double with 13 points and 13 boards.

—Updated by Steve Silverman

Wyoming 67, Utah State 65

After an evenly matched first half, the Wyoming Cowboys dominated the final 20 minutes of play to beat the Utah State Aggies by a score of 67-65.

Junior guard Josh Adams led the way for the Cowboys with 19 points, six assists and four rebounds.

Utah State never gave up against against defensively stingy Wyoming. A Darius Perkins three-pointer left the Aggies just two points away from tying the game as the clock ticked down to the final buzzer.

—Updated by Carol Schram

Boise State 80, Air Force 68

The Boise State Broncos came into the Mountain West tournament with wins in 14 of their last 15 games. They rode that momentum to an 80-68 win over Air Force on Thursday in Las Vegas.

Though Air Force held Mountain West player of the year Derrick Marks to just 13 points, sophomore Nick Duncan made a statement, scoring 21 of his 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting from three-point land.

All told, Boise State scored 36 of its 80 points from three-point range, shooting 42.9 percent from beyond the arc.

—Updated by Carol Schram

Pac-12 Tournament

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Results

Utah 80, Stanford 56

After struggling in the Pac-12 tournament in previous years, Utah came out and made a major statement by pounding Stanford, 80-56.

Stanford could not stay with the explosive Utes, even though the Cardinal had a 39-34 lead at halftime. The Utes simply turned it up several notches and ran over their opponents in the final 20 minutes. Delon Wright led the way for Utah with 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while teammate Jordan Loveridge chipped in 18 points.

The high-scoring Chasson Randle came through with 22 points for Stanford, but his teammates had no answers in the second half when the Cardinal were outscored 46-17.

Utah will face Oregon in the Pac-12 semifinals Friday.

—Updated by Steve Silverman

Oregon 93, Colorado 85

The Oregon Ducks may not have started very impressively, but they came on with a rush in the second half and rolled to a 93-85 victory over Colorado.

The Buffs took a 37-34 lead into the locker room at halftime, but Oregon’s high-powered attack rolled to the tune of a 59-point second half. Explosive Joseph Young led the way for the Ducks with 30 points and seven rebounds, while Elgin Cook added 20 points.

Josh Scott (16 points) and Dominique Collier (14 points) paced the Buffs, but Oregon’s sharp play in the second half was too much to overcome. The Ducks are in cruise control, having won 10 of their last 11 games.

—Updated by Steve Silverman

UCLA 96, USC 70

The desperate UCLA Bruins kept their faint hopes of earning a spot in the NCAA tournament alive as they overwhelmed the USC Trojans, 96-70, in the Pac-12 tournament.

The Bruins (20-12) were led by Isaac Hamilton, who torched the Trojans with 36 points. Norman Powell and Tony Parker both chipped in with 14 points apiece.

The Trojans (12-20) had upset Arizona State on Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals. However, they could not keep up with the Bruins, as they trailed by 18 points at halftime and were unable to make a run in the second half. Nikola Jovanovic led USC with 17 points and six rebounds.

—Updated by Steve Silverman

Arizona 73, California 51

As expected, the first game of the day from the Pac-12 tournament was no contest, as Arizona rolled over California by a score of 73-51.

The Wildcats limited the Bears to just 34.4 percent shooting accuracy from the floor and a mere eight trips to the free-throw line.

By contrast, Arizona shot 47.3 percent from the field, made 15 of 17 attempts from the foul line and got double-digit scoring contributions from four players: Stanley Johnson (19 points), Brandon Ashley (15 points), T.J. McConnell (13 points) and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (10 points).

—Updated by Carol Schram

SEC Tournament

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Results

South Carolina 60, Ole Miss 58

Tyrone Johnson hit three free throws in the final second to give South Carolina a thrilling 60-58 victory over Ole Miss in the Southeastern Conference tournament.

The loss could be the final blow for the Rebels, who were a bubble team at the start of the week. They have now lost four of their last five games and are unlikely to get a chance to compete in the NCAA tournament.

South Carolina was just 6-12 in the SEC this season, but they have now won two straight tournament games. Michael Carrera had 16 points to lead the Gamecocks, while teammate Duane Notice had 15. Jarvis Summers had 15 points and four rebounds for the heartbroken Rebels.

—Updated by Steve Silverman

Tennessee 67, Vanderbilt 61

Tennessee used a strong second-half rally to get by in-state rival Vanderbilit, 67-61, and advance in the SEC tournament.

Vanderbilt controlled the game through much of the first half and took a 38-32 lead into the locker room, but Tennessee rallied behind 22 points and six rebounds from Josh Richardson. Damian Jones led the Commodores with 18 points and 15 rebounds.

The Tennessee victory reversed trends for both teams. The Vols had lost six of seven games heading into the conference tournament, while the Commodores had won six of seven.

—Updated by Steve Silverman

Auburn 66, Texas A&M 59

After a 74-68 win over Mississippi State to open their SEC tournament on Wednesday, the Auburn Tigers kept it rolling by beating Texas A&M 66-59 on Thursday in Nashville.

It’s an impressive victory for the Tigers, who dropped an 80-55 decision to the Aggies back in February.

Senior guard KT Harrell led the way with 25 points for Auburn, highlighted by 4-of-6 shooting from behind the arc and 11-of-14 shooting from the foul line.

—Updated by Carol Schram

Florida 69, Alabama 61

A double-double from Dorian Finney-Smith was the difference in Florida's 69-61 win over Alabama in both teams' first game of the SEC tournament.

The 6'8" junior put down 23 points, including 4-of-9 shooting from three-point land, and 11 rebounds—six of them off the offensive glass.

All told, the Gators out-rebounded the Crimson Tide by a decisive 35-24 margin.

—Updated by Carol Schram