NCAA Conference Tournaments 2016: Predictions, Results for Thursday's Top Games
Championship Week continued Thursday night with a slew of critical quarterfinal games in the power conferences.
Notre Dame may have had the most memorable performance of all the teams in action, as the Fighting Irish rallied from a 16-point deficit to defeat the Duke Blue Devils in overtime. The Irish comeback featured a 19-point, 22-rebound effort from Zach Auguste.
In the Big 12, Buddy Hield put on one of his best performances as he scored 39 points and outdueled Georges Niang in Oklahoma's victory over Iowa State.
Tennessee dealt a big blow to Vanderbilt's chances of gaining an NCAA tournament bid as the Vols came through with a 67-65 upset. The Commodores were hoping for a decent run in the SEC tournament, but Tennessee would not let that happen.
Conference play continues Friday night, with many tournaments reaching the semifinal round.
AAC
1 of 9
South Florida 71, East Carolina 66
A strong inside-out effort helped South Florida (8-24) grab a 71-66 win against East Carolina (12-20).
In addition to Angel Nunez powering his way to 19 points and 11 rebounds, Chris Perry had 18 points. The Bulls exacted revenge on an opponent that had limited them to 39 points just last week.
Pirates guard B.J. Tyson finished an ugly 0-of-10 beyond the arc, where the team was a dreadful 6-of-30.
South Florida can celebrate its deserved victory, but it will need a minor miracle vs. top-seeded Temple (20-10) on Friday at noon ET.
—Updated by David Kenyon
Tulane 65, UCF 63
Cameron Reynolds hit both ends of a one-and-one with 16 seconds to go and helped key the AAC tournament win for Tulane (11-21) over UCF.
UCF (12-18) had beaten Tulane in both regular-season meetings, but turnovers hurt them badly in this game. After Reynold hit his free throws, UCF turned the ball over the ensuing inbounds play and that ruined their chances of advancing in the tournament
Louis Dabney finished with 13 points to lead the Green Wave, while Reynolds was right behind with 12 points.
A.J. Davis had 20 points and nine rebounds to lead UCF, while teammate Adonys Henriquez chipped in with 15 points.
Tulane will face Houston Friday night at 7 p.m. ET in the AAC quarterfinals.
—Updated by Steve Silverman
ACC
2 of 9
North Carolina 88, Pittsburgh 71
North Carolina (26-6) started slowly but ripped off a 49-36 advantage after halftime to eliminate Pittsburgh (21-11) from the ACC tournament.
Joel Berry drilled 7-of-8 attempts for 20 points, while Brice Johnson tallied 19 points and 11 rebounds. UNC shot a scorching 58.9 percent from the floor.
Pittsburgh is considered one of the safer teams on the bubble, but the Panthers will still be hoping for conference-tournament favorites to defend their billing.
On Friday at 7 p.m. ET, the top-seeded Tar Heels will challenge Notre Dame.
—Updated by David Kenyon
Notre Dame 84, Duke 79 (OT)
Duke (23-10) coughed up a 16-point second-half lead, and Notre Dame (21-10) capitalized during the extra frame to steal a 84-79 victory.
Highlighted by Zach Auguste's 19-point, 22-rebound day, the Irish overcame 18 turnovers. V.J. Beachem drained four timely trifectas and scored 19 points, tying his second-highest output of the season.
Grayson Allen hoisted 15 three-pointers but misfired on 10. The Blue Devils knocked down just 11-of-36 shots from deep. Allen recorded 27 points and four steals.
Next up for Notre Dame is No. 1 North Carolina on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
—Updated by David Kenyon
Virginia 72, Georgia Tech 52
Virginia (25-6) struggled with Georgia Tech through most of the first half, but the Cavaliers asserted themselves in the final 20 minutes and ran away with the ACC tournament game.
With the game in doubt after 20 minutes, Virginia relied on its tremendous team defense to make life miserable for Georgia Tech (19-14). The Cavaliers got clutch scoring form Malcolm Brogdon, who led the way with 26 points.
Teammate Anthony Gill contributed 12 points and eight rebounds to the victory.
Guard Adam Smith led Georgia Tech with 16 points. Teammate Marcus Georges-Hunt was held to seven points after scoring 28 points in the ACC tournament victory over Clemson.
Virginia will play Miami Friday night in the ACC semifinals.
—Updated by Steve Silverman
Miami 88, Virginia Tech 82
Sheldon McClellan had a brilliant effort to lead Miami past a feisty Virginia Tech team and into the semifinals of the ACC tournament.
McClellan scored 21 points and connected on eight of 12 shots from the floor. He got plenty of help from Angel Rodriguez who scored 15 points and Davon Reed with 14 points. The Hurricanes shot 57 percent from the floor.
Even though Virginia Tech came out on the short end of the scoreboard, Buzz Williams’ Hokies hustled and demonstrated the improvement they made throughout the season. Seth Allen led the way for Virginia Tech with 23 points, while Jalen Hudson had 12 points and seven rebounds.
Miami will meet Virginia for the right to go to the ACC championship game. Miami and Virginia split their two games during the regular season.
—Updated by Steve Silverman
Atlantic 10
3 of 9
Richmond 70, Fordham 55
Fordham (17-13) recovered from a 17-point deficit and came within one point, but Richmond (16-15) staved off the comeback for a 70-55 triumph.
After the Rams cut the lead to 46-45—largely thanks to Joseph Chartouny (19 points) and Ryan Rhoomes (18)—the Spiders ended the contest on a 24-10 stretch.
ShawnDre' Jones and T.J. Cline each netted 17 points for Richmond, which will challenge top-seeded Dayton (24-6) on Friday at noon ET.
—Updated by David Kenyon
George Washington 73, Saint Louis 65
George Washington (23-9) never trailed en route to a 73-65 victory over Saint Louis (11-21).
Yutu Watanabe notched a game-best 19 points, and three other Colonials players reached double figures. Joe McDonald chipped in nine points and 10 rebounds.
Even though George Washington couldn't quite break away, it did an excellent job keeping Saint Louis at arm's length. Just twice did the Billikens have a potential game-tying possession during the second half.
The Colonials will greatly help their NCAA tournament hopes if they can upend No. 4 St. Joseph's (24-7) on Friday at 2:30 p.m. ET.
—Updated by David Kenyon
Massachusetts 67, Rhode Island 62
Senior guard Jabarie Hinds scored 21 points to lead the UMass Minutemen to an Atlantic 10 tournament victory over Rhode Island.
The Minutemen (14-17) survived despite missing 14 straight shots in the second half that allowed the Rams (17-15) to climb back in the game. UMass had built an 18-point lead with three minutes to play in the first half, but their offense went into a complete stall down the stretch in the second half.
Rhode Island had made six turnovers in the first six minutes, but they made just three the rest of the way and that’s one of the primary reason they were able to climb back into the game.
Trey Davis hit two key free throws with 1:24 remaining to give UMass a 59-58 lead and he followed with a three-pointer that extended the lead to four point. The three-pointer broke a drought of 9:55 without a field goal.
Davis scored 20 points and made all 10 of his free throws. Guard Four McGlynn led the Rams with 16 points.
The Minutemen will meet VCU Friday night.
—Updated by Steve Silverman
Davidson 78, La Salle 63
Davidson (19-11) figured to have a tough time against high-scoring Jordan Price and La Salle, but the Wildcats used its superior defense to frustrate the Explorers (9-22) at every turn.
Price had scored 36 points in La Salle’s Wednesday night victory over Duquesne and while he scored 23 points against Davidson, made just 5 of 22 shots from the field.
Davidson built a 12-point halftime lead and after a slow start to the second half, the Wildcats found their rhythm and pulled away from La Salle. Peyton Aldridge led the way with 27 points for Davidson and teammate Brian Sullivan added 15 points.
Davidson will take on third-seeded St. Bonaventure Friday night.
—Updated by Steve Silverman
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Big 12
4 of 9
Baylor 75, Texas 61
Taurean Prince accumulated 24 points and 13 rebounds, leading Baylor (22-10) to a 75-61 victory over Texas (20-12).
Scott Drew's team held a dominant 42-22 edge on the glass. Rico Gathers registered 13 points and nine boards, while Al Freeman added 12 points for the Bears.
Fortunately for the Longhorns, the loss shouldn’t affect their standing as an NCAA tournament team. Connor Lammert paced Texas with 15 points.
Baylor will battle Kansas on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
—Updated by David Kenyon
Kansas 85, Kansas State 63
Perry Ellis and Kansas (28-4) encountered little resistance on the way to dispatching in-state rival Kansas State (17-16) with a resounding 85-63 final.
The All-American-caliber forward ended with 21 points. Devonte' Graham had 11 points and eight assists to complement 16 points and seven dimes from Frank Mason.
Justin Edwards sported a 23-point, 10-rebound stat line, but the Wildcats trudged to a 38.7 percent day shooting. Although Edwards was 5-of-7 from long range, his teammates hit just 1-of-12 triples.
Kansas' road to its first Big 12 tournament title since 2013 runs through Baylor on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
—Updated by David Kenyon
West Virginia 86, TCU 66
West Virginia (25-7) was supposed to have an easy time of it when it took the court in the Big 12 conference tournament against TCU, and the Mountaineers’ gameplan went according to plan as they recorded a one-sided victory.
TCU (12-21) had earned an impressive victory over Texas Tech in the opening round of the tournament, but the Horned Frogs did not have the game or the scoring talent to stay with the Mountaineers.
Devin Williams had 18 points and 11 rebounds to pace the West Virginia attack, and Jevon Carter contributed 15 points to the victory.
Chauncey Collins had a big night with 18 points and 10 rebounds, but he did not get the support he needed to help TCU turn it into a competitive game.
West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins is now 12-0 in his career against TCU.
The Mountaineers will face Oklahoma Friday night.
—Updated by Steve Silverman
Oklahoma 79, Iowa State 76
The Iowa State Cyclones should know by now that it’s not wise to challenge Buddy Hield.
The Oklahoma star scored 39 points as the Sooners were able to hold off the determined Cyclones and advance in the Big 12 conference tournament.
In addition to Hield, the Sooners had a big game from Ryan Spangler, who scored 10 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.
Iowa State’s Georges Niang tried to match Hield in scoring and he came close by tying his career-high with 31 points. Iowa State made an excellent run after falling behind by 14 points in the second half, but the Cyclones could not make it all the way back.
Oklahoma will meet West Virginia in the semifinals Friday night.
—Updated by Steve Silverman
Big East
5 of 9
Villanova 81, Georgetown 67
Villanova (28-4) used a 12-1 run midway through the second half to pull away from Georgetown (15-18) and earn an 81-67 victory.
Josh Hart and Ryan Arcidiacono combined to score 44 points after burying 13-of-23 field goals, including an 8-of-12 mark from beyond the arc. As a team, the Wildcats nailed 61.9 percent of their triples.
The Hoyas, on the other hand, mustered a 32.0 percent clip from long distance. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera and Tre Campbell were 0-of-4 and 2-of-9, respectively. L.J. Peak's 18 points led Georgetown.
Villanova will face fourth-seeded Providence on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
—Updated by David Kenyon
Providence 74, Butler 60
Ben Bentil poured in 38 points on 16-of-24 shooting to lead Providence (23-9) past Butler (21-10).
The Friars assembled an efficient outing, recording a 55.4 percent mark as a team while holding the Bulldogs to a meager 36.2 percent clip. Kris Dunn added 15 points and seven assists.
Despite the loss, Butler remains in good shape for the NCAA tournament. Still, there may be a few anxious moments for Chris Holtmann's team on Selection Sunday.
Providence will try to upset No. 1 Villanova on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
—Updated by David Kenyon
Xavier 90, Marquette 72
High-scoring Xavier rolled up a big halftime lead and cruised to an easy victory against overmatched Marquette.
The Musketeers (27-4) jumped all over the Golden Eagles and Marquette simply did not have the firepower to get back in the game. Trevon Bluiett connected on 9-of-14 shots from the field and led Xavier with 24 points, while guard J.P. Macura contributed 12 points to the victory.
JaJuan Johnson had a huge game off the bench for the Golden Eagles (20-13), as he scored 19 points. Henryt Ellenson had scored 42 points in two previous losses to Xavier, but he was held to 14 points in this game.
Xavier will face Seton Hall in the semifinal round Friday night.
—Updated by Steve Silverman
Seton Hall 81, Creighton 73
Seton Hall got all it could handle from a hustling and hard-working Creighton squad before it took control and put the game away.
Seton Hall scored the final eight points of the game, as Isaiah Whitehead and Khadeen Carrington refused to let the Pirates lose.
Carrington put Seton Hall up to stay when he scored with 50 seconds remaining. Carrington had 27 points, while Whitehead contributed 24 points and 12 rebounds.
Cole Huff tried to carry the Bluejays throughout the game, and he was successful until the final moments. He scored 35 points and made 7 of 11 three-point shots.
Seton Hall will meet powerful Xavier Friday night.
—Updated by Steve Silverman
Big Ten
6 of 9
Michigan 72, Northwestern 70 (OT)
Zak Irvin drilled a game-winning jumper with 3.3 seconds remaining in overtime to help Michigan (21-11) escape with a 72-70 victory over Northwestern (20-12).
The result included even more theatrics.
First, Wildcats center Alex Olah hit two clutch shots—most notably a game-tying jumper with 0.1 seconds left in regulation. Then with 0.6 ticks during the extra period, Wolverines guard Derrick Walton stepped out of bounds on his own, giving Northwestern a chance to win. The buzzer-beater fell short, however.
Michigan will attempt to pad its tournament resume when it takes on top-seeded Indiana (25-6) on Friday at noon ET.
—Updated by David Kenyon
Illinois 68, Iowa 66
Jalen Coleman-Lands helped Illinois (15-18) spring the first major upset of the day, edging fifth-seeded Iowa (21-9) by a final of 68-66.
The freshman guard rattled home five three-pointers and scored a team-high 17 points. Kendrick Nunn added 16 points, and Maverick Morgan managed 14.
Hawkeyes guard Peter Jok went on a ridiculous six-possession streak during the first half and scored 15 of his game-best 29, but Iowa players not named Jok or Jarrod Uthoff shot a putrid 6-of-30 combined.
Illinois' potential Cinderalla story will continue vs. No. 4 Purdue (24-7) on Friday at 2:30 p.m. ET.
—Updated by David Kenyon
Ohio State 79, Penn State 75
Ohio State was pushed hard by a feisty Penn State squad, but the Buckeyes survived their Big Ten tournament quarterfinal matchup. The Buckeyes’ hopes of landing a spot in the NCAA tournament remain alive as a result of the victory.
Ohio State (20-12) was led by Marc Loving, who had 24 points and made 13 of 15 free throws. He got quite a bit of help from JaQuan Lyle, who contributed 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Penn State (16-16) got a huge contribution from Shep Garner who had 25 points, five rebounds and five assists. Donovon Jack had 18 points for the Nittany Lions.
Ohio State will have a formidable assignment on Friday when it meets Michigan State in the quarterfinals.
—Updated by Steve Silverman
Nebraska 70, Wisconsin 58
Nebraska jumped on Wisconsin early with an aggressive defensive effort and some surprising offense as the Cornhuskers pulled off the upset of the Badgers.
Shavon Shields didn’t pay any attention to the regular-season standings or the expectations of Big Ten observers. He just played sharp basketball and was opportunistic on the offensive end as he scored 20 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Teammate Glynn Watson Jr. added 16 points.
Ethan Happ led the Badgers with 17 points and he got help from Vitto Brown who contributed 16 points. Wisconsin had a brutal shooting day, making just 16 of 53 shots from the field for a 30 percent shooting night.
The Cornhuskers will meet Maryland Friday night in the quarterfinal round.
—Updated by Steve Silverman
Mountain West
7 of 9
San Diego State 71, Utah State 65
Utah State (16-15) provided a scare, but San Diego State (24-8) survived to play another day.
Trey Kell netted 17 to lead the Aztecs, who might be left out of March Madness if they fail to win the Mountain West tournament. Malik Pope accrued 15 points and seven rebounds.
San Diego State will proceed on its championship quest opposite Nevada on Friday at 9 p.m. ET.
—Updated by David Kenyon
Nevada 64, New Mexico 62
Freshman Cameron Oliver scored 26 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked a key last-second shot to key Nevada’s 64-62 victory over New Mexico in the Mountain West Conference tournament game.
While Oliver had a heroic effort, it was Tyron Criswell’s layup with 27 seconds left that gave the Wolf Pack (19-12) the lead in this back-and-forth game.
Criswell scored 20 points and had five rebounds to supplement Oliver’s sensational game.
Elijah Brown did everything he could to get the win for the Lobos (17-15), scoring 26 points and corralling six rebounds. Sam Logwood had 16 points for New Mexico, and his layup had given the Lobos the lead before Criswell made the decisive shot.
Nevada will face top-seeded San Diego State Friday at 9 p.m. ET.
—Updated by Steve Silverman
Fresno State 95, UNLV 82
Fresno State had trouble with a pesky UNLV team in the first half, but the Bulldogs were determined not to let the Running Rebels hang around.
They did just that by scoring 55 points in a high-scoring second half and advancing in the Mountain West Conference tournament. Fresno State was led by Julian Lewis, who scored 27 points and added eight rebounds. Four of his teammates also reached double figures.
UNLV had done a nice job in holding Fresno State to 40 points in the first half, but the defense lost its grip in the second. Patrick McCaw had 28 points to lead UNLV, while Patrick Seagears had 11 assists.
Fresno State will meet Colorado State Friday night.
—Updated by Steve Silverman
Colorado State 88, Boise State 81
Colorado State surged in the late stages of the second half and used that advantage to upset Boise State in the Mountain West Conference tournament.
The two teams had gone back and forth with lead changes throughout the night, but the Rams went on an 8-0 run to turn a one-point lead into a nine-point advantage in the final minute.
Antwan Scott led the Rams with 23 points, while John Gillon added 20 points. Joe De Cimian contributed 18 points to the effort for the Rams
Nick Duncan had 23 points to lead Boise State.
The Rams will face Fresno State Friday night.
—Updated by Steve Silverman
Pac-12
8 of 9
Oregon 83, Washington 77
Chris Boucher and Elgin Cook each had 17 points to help Oregon (26-6) dispose of a Washington (18-14) team with an upset on the brain. The Ducks converted each of their four free throws during the final 32 seconds to ice the victory.
In all likelihood, Washington will appear in a postseason tournament. It just won't be the big one.
Oregon will return to the court on Friday at 9:15 p.m. ET against the winner of Thursday's showdown between Arizona and Colorado.
—Updated by David Kenyon
Arizona 82, Colorado 78
The final minute was a little too close for Arizona's (25-7) comfort, but Sean Miller's crew held off a late charge from Colorado (22-11) to capture an 82-78 victory.
Led by Allonzo Trier's 23 points, the Wildcats managed to avoid surrendering what was once a 19-point advantage. Ryan Anderson collected 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Though the Buffaloes have likely done enough to secure an at-large bid, they'll be able to breathe a sigh of relief if conference tournaments are wrapped up without many more unforeseen champions.
Arizona will clash with No. 1 Oregon on Friday at 9:15 p.m. ET.
—Updated by David Kenyon
Utah 80, USC 72
After building a comfortable eight-point halftime lead against USC, Utah was forced to play a nail-biter throughout much of the second half before hanging on to win and advance in the Pac-12 tournament.
Kyle Kuzma had 23 points to lead the Utes, and he got plenty of scoring help from Pac-12 Player of the Year Jakob Poeltl and Lorenzo Bonam with 14 points each.
The Trojans were led by Jordan McLaughlin who had 23 points, but the Trojans just could not overcome Utah down the stretch.
USC came into the game with the strong feeling of having just beaten UCLA for the third time this season, but they were simply not good enough to overcome the powerful Utes.
Utah will face California Friday night.
—Updated by Steve Silverman
California 76, Oregon State 68
California used its tough defense to force Oregon State into a slew of turnovers, and they used that advantage to go on a late 13-3 run and defeat the Beavers in the Pac-12 conference tournament.
Ivan Rabb had an immense game for the Bears, hitting nine of 11 shots from the floor, scoring 21 points and coming down with 15 rebounds. He got plenty of help from Jabari Bird, who added 20 points in the victory.
Derrick Bruce and Gary Payton II tried to keep the Beavers in the game. Bruce scored 25 points while Payton had 20 and 17 rebounds.
The Bears will face Utah Friday night.
—Updated by Steve Silverman
SEC
9 of 9
Florida 68, Arkansas 61
Dusty Hannahs scored a career-best 33 points, but Florida (19-13) stayed alive with a 68-61 victory over Arkansas (16-16).
Two late Dorian Finney-Smith free throws and a Devin Robinson dunked sealed the win for the Gators, who are currently on the wrong side of the bubble watch. Kasey Hill tallied 18 points and five assists.
Long-distance shooting proved to be the difference in the outcome. Florida connected on 8-of-20 attempts, but the Razorbacks were a paltry 2-of-12.
No. 1 Texas A&M (24-7) awaits the Gators on Friday at 1 p.m. ET.
—Updated by David Kenyon
Tennessee 67, Vanderbilt 65
Wade Baldwin IV sliced through the defense and watched the ball drop through the net as the buzzer rang, but the Vanderbilt (19-12) guard released the rock a fraction of a second too late.
Tennessee (15-18) handed the Commodores a 67-65 loss they could ill afford. Vanderbilt finds itself squarely on the bubble heading into Selection Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Volunteers will have an opportunity on Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET to keep No. 4 LSU (18-13) out of the NCAA tournament.
—Updated by David Kenyon
Alabama 81, Ole Miss 73
Alabama may have come into the SEC tournament by losing four of their last five games, but the Crimson Tide came through with a sharp effort in coming up with the upset over Ole Miss.
Alabama played a steady game throughout, building a four-point halftime lead and maintaining their advantage in the second half. Alabama would have built a bigger final margin, but the Tide made just 13 of 28 free throws.
Retin Obasohan led the way for the Crimson Tide with 17 points, and all of his points came in the second half. Teammate Riley Norris had 16 points and nine assists for head coach Avery Johnson’s team.
The loss was heartbreaking for Stefan Moody, who had 39 points and eight rebounds in a losing effort for the Rebels.
Alabama will play Kentucky to the quarterfinals Friday night at 7 p.m. ET.
—Updated by Steve Silverman
Georgia 79, Mississippi State 69
Don’t look now, but the Georgia Bulldogs are getting hot at the right time of the year.
They won their fourth straight game in defeating Mississippi State, and if they can continue to win, they may be able to make a case for a spot in the NCAA tournament.
The Bulldogs were led by J.J. Frazier, who scored 28 points and he got sufficient help from Yante Maten, who scored 20. Georgia had a 24-15 advantage in made free throws, and that was one of the key stats in the game.
Craig Sword had 19 points to lead Mississippi State, but it was not enough to dig the Bulldogs out of the hole they had fallen in by playing from behind throughout the game.
Georgia will meet No. 4 seed South Carolina Friday night at 9:30 p.m. ET.
—Updated by Steve Silverman
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