College Basketball Roundup : Pitt Clinches Tie for Big East Title

Pitt Coach Paul Evans wasn’t talking about his team’s clinching at least a tie for the Big East Conference regular-season basketball title Monday night at Pittsburgh. He had other things on his mind after the ninth-ranked Panthers’ 94-83 victory over Villanova.

“We’re still hurting a little in depth and we’re hurting . . . on defense,” Evans said after the Panthers improved to 23-5 overall and 12-3 in the conference. Pitt can win the title outright and earn the No. 1 seeding in the Big East tournament with a victory at St. John’s Saturday night.

Syracuse and Georgetown are tied for second place in the Big East with 10-4 records.

Charles Smith led the Panthers against Villanova with 22 points. Jerome Lane, the nation’s leading rebounder, had 20 points and 17 rebounds.

“I thought Smith played a very good second half,” Evans said. “He came out and had six of his 10 rebounds in the second half and he hit his last seven shots.”

Evans also praised Villanova’s Harold Jensen, who scored 20 of his 26 points in the second half, and Doug West, who had 23 points.

“Jensen and West both shot the lights out from the outside,” Evans said. “Jensen was just eating us up.”

Jensen made 6 of 10 three-point field goal attempts, and the Wildcats (15-13, 6-9) made 11 of 22 in the game.

Purdue 76, Illinois 75--Todd Mitchell scored 19 points and Troy Lewis added 18, including the go-ahead basket in overtime, as the sixth-ranked Boilermakers rallied from a 16-point deficit to beat the No. 14 Illini in a Big Ten game at Champaign, Ill.

The Boilermakers (21-3, 12-2) trailed, 46-30, with 12 minutes to play. Purdue rallied and led, 61-55, with one minute left. But Illinois’ Doug Altenberger hit two three-point field goals to tie the game, 63-63, and force the overtime period after Purdue missed a final shot in regulation.

In the overtime, the teams traded baskets before Purdue, which won its fifth straight game, took the lead for good at 69-67 on a jump shot by Lewis. Purdue’s Everette Stephens added a three-pointer to seal the victory, and the Illini (19-7, 9-5) were able to get within the final margin on a three-pointer at the buzzer by Altenberger, who finished with 23 points.

It was the second time this season that Illinois blew a large lead at home. The Illini led Iowa by 22 points earlier in the season before falling, 91-88, in overtime.

Ken Norman, who was blanketed by a smothering Purdue zone defense, was held to a season-low 10 points.

Auburn 91, Vanderbilt 83--Mike Jones scored 14 of his 22 points in the second half at Auburn, Ala., to lead the Tigers to a Southeastern Conference victory.

Auburn is 15-10, 8-8; Vanderbilt is 14-14, 5-11.

Florida St. 107, Virginia Tech 78--Pee Wee Barber scored 23 points, and four of his Florida State teammates were in double figures as the Seminoles won a Metro Conference game at Tallahassee, Fla.

Florida State is 16-9, 5-6. Virginia Tech is 10-16, 5-6.