college basketball roundup Thursday’s other games

No. 2 Virginia 76, N.C. State 56

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Kyle Guy scored 29 points, including seven 3-pointers, and second-ranked Virginia rallied to beat North Carolina State in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. Big man Jack Salt provided an unexpected offensive boost with a career-high 18 points for the top-seeded Cavaliers (29-2), who trailed 29-27 at halftime. But Virginia shot 63 percent after the break and scored 49 points, with long runs of efficient offense to go with tough defense. Markell Johnson had 13 points to lead the eighth-seeded Wolfpack (22-11), who shot 39 percent and made only 15 of 25 free throws.

No. 3 North Carolina 83, Louisville 70

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Luke Maye had 19 points and nine rebounds, Coby White added 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists and No. 3 North Carolina beat Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference quarterfinals. Cameron Johnson scored all of his 14 points in the first half to help the Tar Heels (27-5) extend their winning streak to eight games.

No. 5 Duke 84, Syracuse 72

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Zion Williamson scored 29 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in his return from a sprained knee and fellow freshman R.J. Barrett added 23 points as the Blue Devils (27-5) beat the Orange (20-13) in the ACC quarterfinals. Duke advances to meet rival North Carolina in the semifinals. Frank Howard led Syracuse with 28 points.

West Virginia 79, No. 7 Texas Tech 74

KANSAS CITY, MO.

Emmitt Mathews scored a career-high 28 points as 10th-seeded West Virginia upset No. 7 Texas Tech in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. Jarrett Culver scored 26 points, Tariq Owens had 14, and Matt Mooney had 12 for Texas Tech (26-6).

No. 12 Florida State 65, No. 16 Virginia Tech 63, OT

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Terance Mann hit a wild off-balance runner with 1.8 seconds left in overtime to help No. 12 Florida State beat No. 16 Virginia Tech in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Mann’s shot from the right side rattled around the rim before dropping through the net to break a tie for the fourth-seeded Seminoles (26-6). The fifth-seeded Hokies (24-8) had a final chance, but Nickeil Alexander-Walker missed a long desperation 3-pointer at the horn.

No. 14 Nevada 77, Boise State 69

LAS VEGAS

Jazz Johnson scored 20 points, Caleb Martin had 19 and No. 14 Nevada rallied to beat Boise State in the Mountain West Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Tre’Shawn Thurman added 17 points, and Cody Martin had 10 to help top-seeded Nevada (29-3) to tie the school record for victories in a season. Down 34-29 at halftime, Nevada shot 62 percent from the field in the second half, going 5 of 11 from 3-point range. Derrick Alston led Boise State (13-20) with 21 points, and Justinian Jessup had 18.

No. 15 Kansas State 70, TCU 61

KANSAS CITY, MO.

Xavier Snead scored 19 points, none bigger than a 3-pointer as the shot clock sounded in the final minute, and No. 15 Kansas State rallied from a slow start to beat TCU in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. Barry Brown added 12 points, Kamau Stokes had 11 and Makol Mawien had 10 for the tournament’s top seed, which advanced to play No. 5 seed Iowa State in the semifinals Friday night. Desmond Bane had 16 points to lead the eighth-seeded Horned Frogs (20-13).

No. 18 Buffalo 82, Akron 46

CLEVELAND

Jeremy Harris scored 23 points and Dontay Caruthers added 12 as Buffalo impressively opened the postseason with a win over Akron in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference tournament. The top-seeded Bulls (29-3) built a 20-point lead in the first half and pushed it to 30 points midway through the second half. Buffalo got just 10 points from C.J. Massinburg, the MAC’s Player of the Year, and still rolled to its 10th straight win. Loren Cristian Jackson scored 16 to lead No. 8-seeded Akron (17-16).

Nebraska 69, No. 21 Maryland 61

CHICAGO

James Palmer scored 24 points and Nebraska shut down No. 21 Maryland for the first big surprise of the Big Ten Tournament, holding off the Terrapins for a victory. Glynn Watson Jr. added 19 points and Isaiah Roby finished with 15.

No. 22 Auburn 81, Missouri 71

NASHVILLE, TENN.

Bryce Brown scored all 17 of his points in the second half, and No. 22 Auburn beat Missouri in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Chuma Okeke added 12 points for Auburn. Horace Spencer and Malik Dunbar had 11 each. Jordan Geist had a game-high 25 points for Missouri, and Torrence Watson matched his career high with 20.

No. 25 Villanova 73, Providence 62

NEW YORK

Eric Paschall had 20 points and 10 rebounds Thursday, and No. 25 Villanova took control in final nine minutes to beat Providence in the quarterfinals of the Big East Conference tournament. Collin Gillespie added 19 points and six assists for the top-seeded and two-time defending champion Wildcats (23-9). Villanova capitalized on a 17-5 run to beat the Friars (18-15) for the third time this season. Nate Watson had 15 points to lead Providence.

Central Michigan 89, Kent State 81

CLEVELAND

Larry Austin Jr. scored 23 points and Central Michigan pulled away midway through the second half and hung on for awin over Kent State in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference tournament. Shawn Roundtree Jr. scored 20 for Central Michigan, which used a 20-2 run to open a 71-54 lead with 7:17 remaining. Kent State crawled back within 79-72 on a 3-pointer by Antonio Williams with 2:32 left. But the Chippewas took care of the ball and made their free throws down the stretch. Philip Whittington scored 23 with 14 rebounds and Jaylin Walker 19 with 11 boards to lead the Golden Flashes (22-10).

Minnesota 77, Penn State 72 OT

CHICAGO

Amir Coffey scored 10 of his 22 points in the final minute, and Minnesota rallied for an overtime victory in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. Coffey put the Golden Gophers (20-12) on top for good 69-66 when he drove for a 3-point play, burying the free throw after he got knocked to the floor by a rotating Josh Reaves. Dupree McBrayer scored 18 for Minnesota. Jordan Murphy added 15 points and 14 rebounds. Lamar Stevens led Penn State (14-18) with 24 points.

Associated Press