We wrap up the first day of the ACC Tournament with a few extra notes, including a couple of Hurricane award winners, slumping Tigers and a reflective coach.
Conference Notes
Boston College Gets Some Southern Hospitality
All season long, Boston College has gotten support for star guard Tyrese Rice. On Thursday night, it came from someone who hasn’t always given them the support they need.
Big East: Syracuse Outlasts Connecticut in 6 Overtimes
The Orange beat the Huskies 127-117 in a thrilling marathon that lasted nearly four hour and might go down in history as one of the greatest college basketball games ever played.
Hayes Awakens Maryland, Leads Victory
Early on, Maryland looked like they could get blown out as they started slowly on offense. But Eric Hayes came into the game and got them going, and later they took the game over en route to a victory over NC State.
Ball State Survives Central Michigan in Overtime in First MAC Quarterfinal
The matchup of Ball State and Central Michigan was one of contrasting styles. In the end, the athletic and guard-oriented Cardinals came out on top in overtime.
Atlantic 10: Duquesne Springs First Upset, Xavier, Dayton and Temple Move On
No. 1 Xavier held No. 9 St. Louis to less than 50 points for the second time this season in a 66-47 quarterfinal victory. No. 4 Temple beat cross-town rival No. 5 Saint Joseph’s for a third time this season, winning 79-65. Despite giving up 20 offensive rebounds and missing 11-of-23 free throws, No. 7 Duquesne found a way to beat No. 2 Rhode Island 78-74. No. 3 Dayton beat No. 6 Richmond 69-64 thanks to its advantage in the post and solid shooting from junior guard Marcus Johnson, who led the Flyers with 15 points.
Big 12: Baylor and Oklahoma State Take Down Top 2 Seeds
No. 7 Oklahoma State sophomore guard James Anderson drained two free throws with two seconds to go, giving the Cowboys a 71-70 win against No. 2 Oklahoma. No. 9 Baylor kept its season alive with a 71-64 upset of No. 1 Kansas. Neither team led by more than six points, and senior guard A.J. Abrams hit a tie-breaking three-pointer with two minutes remaining to help give No. 5 Texas a 61-58 victory against No. 4 Kansas State. No. 3 Missouri derailed the Mike Singletary show in the second half of the Tigers’ 81-60 win against No. 11 Texas Tech.
Big East: West Virginia Looks to Improve NCAA Seeding With Big Win Over Pitt
No. 7 West Virginia proved it can go toe to toe with anyone in the country by beating No. 2 Pittsburgh 74-60. No. 1 Louisville might have popped No. 8 Providence’s bubble in a 73-55 romp in the quarterfinals. Senior forward Dwayne Anderson made his only basket of the game on a layup that hit every part of the rim with nearly no time remaining to give No. 4 Villanova a 76-75 against No. 5 Marquette.
Big Ten: Northwestern Emerges as Biggest Loser on Day One of Tourney
No. 8 Minnesota’s balance beat No. 9 Northwestern’s dominant shooter in a 66-53 win that might leave the Wildcats outside the NCAA Tournament once again. Meanwhile, No. 7 Michigan looked like an NCAA Tournament in pasting No. 10 Iowa 73-45. No. 6 Penn State avoided a potentially devastating loss to No. 11 Indiana in a 66-51 victory.
Big West: Pacific and Santa Barbara Handle Underdogs
No. 3 Pacific senior forward Bryan LeDuc shot 70 percent from the field to lead the Tigers to a 67-60 win against No. 8 UC Davis. No. 4 Santa Barbara won a foul-filled affair against No. 7 Cal State Fullerton 73-64 to move into the semifinals against No. 1 Cal State Northridge.
