college basketball roundup
college basketball roundup
NCAA MEN-FIRST FOUR
North Dakota State 78, North Carolina Central 74
DAYTON
Tyson Ward scored 23 points, and North Dakota State advanced to the NCAA Tournament round of 64. Vinnie Shahid had 14 points, including a pair of foul shots with 8 seconds left to seal the game for North Dakota State (19-15), which advances to play East Region No. 1 seed Duke on Friday in Columbia, S.C. Sam Griesel and Jared Samuelson each added 10 points for the Summit League Tournament winners. The Bison picked up their second NCAA Tournament win after upsetting Oklahoma in the opening round in 2014. N.C. Central (18-16) squandered an outstanding night by senior center Raasean Davis, who scored 20 points and pulled down 16 rebounds — the 16th double-double of his career. Larry McKnight Jr. also had 20 points and Randy Miller Jr. scored 18 for the Eagles.
Arizona State 74, St. John’s 65
DAYTON
Luguentz Dort overcame a hard foul and a leg injury, scored 21 points and led Arizona State to a long-awaited NCAA Tournament victory. The 11th-seeded Sun Devils (23-10) will play Mid-American Conference champion Buffalo on Friday in the West Region, coming off their first NCAA Tournament win in 10 years. Arizona State also provided a Pac-12 breakthrough: the conference’s first NCAA Tournament win in two years. The Pac-12 was 0-3 in the tournament last season, with two teams — Arizona State and UCLA — falling in the First Four. Arizona then got knocked out in the round of 64. The Pac-12 got three teams in again this year, with Oregon and Washington joining the Sun Devils. St. John’s (21-13) was the last team picked for the tournament, sneaking in despite a late-season fade. The Red Storm wound up one of the first ones out as well. Shamorie Ponds scored 25 points for St. John’s, which hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2000.
NIT MEN-FIRST ROUND
Nebraska 80, Butler 76
LINCOLN, NEB.
Isaiah Roby had a career-high 28 points as Nebraska edged past Butler. James Palmer Jr. added 23 points for the Cornhuskers. Roby shot 9 for 12 from the floor and converted 9 of 10 foul shots. Glynn Watson Jr. had 17 points for Nebraska (19-16). Sean McDermott had 14 points for the Bulldogs (16-17).
TCU 82, Sam Houston State 69
FORT WORTH, TEXAS
JD Miller had 15 points to lead six TCU players in double figures as the Horned Frogs beat Sam Houston State. Desmond Bane and Alex Robinson added 13 points apiece for the Horned Frogs. Kai Mitchell scored a season-high 24 points for the Bearkats (21-12).
Norfolk State 80, Alabama 79
TUSCALOOSA, ALA.
Derrik Jamerson Jr. had 25 points and made two free throws with 17 seconds left in overtime as Norfolk State narrowly defeated Alabama. Nic Thomas had 15 points and five steals for Norfolk State (22-13). Steven Whitley added 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Jordan Butler had 11 points and 12 rebounds for the visitors. Herbert Jones had 18 points for the Crimson Tide (18-16). Alex Reese added 17 points and seven rebounds.
Wichita State 76, Furman 70
GREENVILLE, S.C.
Markis McDuffie had 20 points as Wichita State topped Furman. Jaime Echenique had 16 points and 10 rebounds for Wichita State (20-14). Erik Stevenson added 12 points and six rebounds. Asbjorn Midtgaard had 10 rebounds for the visitors. Matt Rafferty had 27 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals for the Paladins (25-8).
Harvard 71, Georgetown 68
WASHINGTON
Bryce Aiken registered 18 points, including two free throws with 14 seconds left, as Harvard edged past Georgetown. Robert Baker had 11 points for Harvard (19-11). Noah Kirkwood added 11 points and seven assists. Chris Lewis had 10 points.
Xavier 78, Toledo 64
CINCINNATI
Naji Marshall had 20 points and 21 rebounds as Xavier beat Toledo. Tyrique Jones had 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocks for Xavier (19-15). Quentin Goodin added 11 points and Paul Scruggs had 10 points. Jaelan Sanford had 23 points and six rebounds for the Rockets (25-8).
Associated Press