COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP / CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS : Arkansas Survives Another Close One

Trailing late doesn’t seem to faze No. 5-ranked Arkansas, the defending national champion.

The Razorbacks seem to find a way to win the close games, and they did it again Friday in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament in Atlanta, edging Vanderbilt, 73-72, when Corey Beck made one of two free throws with 4.2 seconds remaining.

Arkansas (26-5) is 8-0 in games decided by three points or fewer. The Commodores (13-15) led 55-46 with 10 minutes remaining.

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No. 3 Kentucky 93, Auburn 81--The Wildcats took control with a 17-7 run late in the first half and then withstood a late rash of turnovers an an 11-0 run that drew the Tigers within 85-78 with 1:49 left in the SEC tournament. Walter McCarty led the Wildcats (23-4) with 22 points.

No. 20 Alabama 68, Georgia 57--Antonio McDyess had 22 points and the Tide (22-8) scored its last 12 points at the foul line to avenge a regular-season loss to the Bulldogs (18-9).

Florida 80, No. 15 Mississippi State 64--Andrew DeClercq and Greg Williams made consecutive three-point shots to stop a Mississippi State comeback as the Gators (17-11) knocked off the Bulldogs (20-7).

BIG EAST

No. 6 Connecticut 81, Pittsburgh 78--The Huskies didn’t take the lead for good until there were 5 1/2 minutes left and it was nip and tuck down the stretch in this Big East tournament quarterfinal at New York. Donny Marshall led UConn (24-3) with 22 points.

No. 24 Georgetown 69, Miami 58--The Hoyas (19-8) were never in any real trouble in this Big East quarterfinal and freshman Allen Iverson tied his career-high with 31 points. The Hurricanes (15-12) scored only five baskets in the first half, had 15 turnovers and trailed, 31-15. Constantin Popa, Miami’s 7-foot-3 center, scored 20 points, all in the second half.

No. 13 Villanova 68, Boston College 64--Alvin Williams made five free throws in the final 1:35 and the Wildcats (23-7) barely escaped with a victory in the Big East quarterfinals.

Providence 71, No. 21 Syracuse 68--Austin Croshere, a 6-9 sophomore from Crossroads High in Santa Monica, scored 28 points and 11 in a row down the stretch as the defending champion Friars (16-11) beat the Orangemen in overtime in a Big East quarterfinal. Providence’s Jason Murdoch made two foul shots with one second left in overtime.

BIG EIGHT

No. 2 Kansas 90, Kansas State 45--The Jayhawks (23-4) scored their biggest victory ever over their cross-state rivals in the first round of the Big Eight tournament at Kansas City. It was a bitter pill for first-year Kansas State Coach Tom Asbury, who left Pepperdine to take the Wildcat job. “We got hammered. Pure and simple, they absolutely drilled us,” he said.

Iowa State 68, No. 17 Missouri 50--Loren Meyer scored 25 points and the Cyclones (21-9) bounced back from a dismal start to upset the Tigers (19-8).

No. 19 Oklahoma State 68, Nebraska 48--Randy Rutherford scored 12 consecutive points during a 22-0 run as the Cowboys (21-9) overcame a slow start. Rutherford, an all-Big Eight guard who scored 45 points against No. 2 Kansas in the regular season finale last Sunday, finished with 20 points against the Cornhuskers (17-13).

No. 16 Oklahoma 71, Colorado 53--The Buffaloes not only lost the game but also Donnie Boyce, their all-time leading scorer, who suffered a broken leg in the first half. Ryan Minor led the Sooners (23-7) with 21 points.

WESTERN ATHLETIC

No. 22 Utah 86, New Mexico 50--Brandon Jessie, son of former Ram receiver Ron Jessie, scored a career-high 28 points and the Utes (26-5) used a 22-1 first-half run to beat the Lobos (15-15).

Hawaii 66, Colorado State 64--The Rainbows (16-12) led 64-57 lead with 2:26 left and held on at Albuquerque to advance to the championship game.

OTHER TOURNAMENTS

Great Midwest: LaZelle Durden scored 22 points as Cincinnati (20-11) upset Memphis, 77-64, in the semifinals at Milwaukee. . . . In the other semifinal, Erwin Claggett scored 24 points to lead Saint Louis (22-6) to a 73-56 victory over Marquette.

Metro: Louisville (17-13) opened the second half with nine consecutive points and went on to record an 84-61 victory over Virginia Commonwealth (16-14) in a first-round game at Louisville. . . . Southern Mississippi (16-11) avenged two regular-season losses to Virginia Tech with an 82-66 victory. . . . Tulane (22-8) used a 15-0 first half run to defeat South Florida, 73-64.

Mid-American: Freshman Bonzi Wells scored 22 points, including nine during an 11-0 second-half run, as fourth-seeded Ball State (18-10) upset regular-season champion Miami of Ohio, 66-61, in a semifinal game at Toledo. Miami, which went 16-2 in league play with one of the losses coming at Ball State, dropped to 22-6. . . . Eastern Michigan (20-8) completed a night of upsets by beating second-seeded Ohio University, 78-72.

Patriot: Colgate, which had never been to post-season play in 95 years of basketball, is now headed to the NCAA tournament after beating Navy, 68-63, in the Patriot League tournament final at Hamilton, N.Y. Tournament MVP Tucker Neale scored 29 points for the Red Raiders (17-12).

Southwest: Texas Tech and Texas advanced to the championship game at Dallas. The Red Raiders beat Houston, 94-79, and Roderick Anderson hit a three-point shot with 7.1 seconds left to give Texas a 78-75 victory over Rice.

Big Sky: Montana (21-7) rallied from a 13-point deficit to beat Montana State, 83-73, and advance to the final at Ogden, Utah, against Weber State (19-8), a 71-65 winner over Idaho State.