Doherty Gets an ACC First

Fourth-ranked North Carolina was worrying about making the NCAA tournament field at this time a year ago, not ruling it.

What a difference a year makes.

Joseph Forte scored 27 points and Matt Doherty became the first coach to win or share an Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title in his first season Wednesday night as the Tar Heels defeated North Carolina State, 76-63, at Chapel Hill, N.C.

“I would rather be on top than at the bottom,” senior center Brendan Haywood said. “Last year at this time we were struggling. Now, we’re just trying to see if we’re going to be a No. 1 or a No. 2 seed. That’s definitely a better feeling.”

The Tar Heels, 23-4 overall and 13-2 in the ACC, captured the No. 1 seeding in next week’s ACC tournament in Atlanta, making 57% of their shots.

No coach in the storied league--not Dean Smith, Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Valvano, Lefty Driesell, Norm Sloan or Everett Case--ever had as successful a first season as the 39-year-old Doherty.

“He’s not going to say anything about it because he wants us to get the credit,” Haywood said.

North Carolina State (13-14, 5-10) could not stop North Carolina from earning a share of its 23rd ACC regular-season title.

No. 6 Florida 72, Vanderbilt 62--Brett Nelson scored 24 points to lead the Gators (21-5, 11-4) over the Commodores (15-13, 4-11) in a Southeastern Conference game at Nashville.

No. 7 Virginia 84, Clemson 65--Donald Hand had 15 points, eight assists and four steals to help the Cavaliers (20-6, 9-6) rout the Tigers (11-17, 2-13) in an ACC game at Charlottesville, Va.

No. 8 Iowa State 80, Texas Tech 63--Martin Rancik scored 22 points to help the Cyclones (24-4, 12-3) roll over the Red Raiders (9-17, 3-12) at Ames, Iowa, and clinch at least a tie for the Big 12 championship.

No. 10 Kansas 77, Kansas State 65--Drew Gooden returned after sitting out five games because of a hand injury and had 17 points and seven rebounds to help the Jayhawks (22-5, 11-4) cruise to their 21st consecutive victory over the Wildcats (9-17, 3-12) in a Big 12 game at Manhattan, Kan.

No. 11 Boston College 67, St. John’s 62--Troy Bell scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half to help the Eagles (22-4, 12-3) celebrate their Big East division championship with a victory over the Red Storm (14-13, 8-7) at Boston.

Louisiana State 78, No. 14 Mississippi 77--Collis Temple III scored five points in overtime and rebounded Mississippi’s desperation shot at the buzzer at Baton Rogue, La., as the Tigers (12-14, 2-13) prevented the Rebels (22-6, 10-5) from locking up the SEC West title and a school record for victories.

No. 15 Kentucky 90, Auburn 78--Freshman Jason Parker scored a career-high 19 points to help the Wildcats (19-8, 12-3) hold off the Tigers (16-12, 6-9) at Lexington, Ky., en route to clinching a share of their 41st SEC championship.

No. 17 Oklahoma 86, Colorado 67--Nolan Johnson matched his career high with 23 points to lead the Sooners (22-6, 11-4) over the Buffaloes (15-13, 5-10) in a Big 12 game at Norman, Okla.

Arkansas 66, No. 20 Alabama 63--Joe Johnson scored 17 points and the Razorbacks (18-9, 9-6) forced 28 turnovers to surprise the Crimson Tide (20-8, 8-7) in an SEC game at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

No. 21 Georgetown 74, Rutgers 58--Ruben Boumtje Boumtje scored 15 points to lead the Hoyas (22-6, 9-6) to a Big East victory over the Scarlet Knights (11-5, 3-12) at Washington.

OTHER GAMES

Southern Mississippi 74, Memphis 55--Vandarel Jones scored 22 points at Hattiesburg, Miss., to help the Golden Eagles (20-7, 10-5) pull into a tie with the Tigers (16-12, 10-5) for the lead in Conference USA’s National Division.

Georgia 94, Mississippi State 73--Ezra Williams scored 25 points and the Bulldogs (16-12, 9-6) made 70% of their shots in keeping their slim NCAA tournament hopes alive with an SEC victory over the Bulldogs (15-11, 6-9) at Athens, Ga.

Florida State 69, Georgia Tech 59--Adrian Crawford scored 20 points and sparked an 18-3 second-half run that carried the Seminoles (8-20, 3-12) over the Yellow Jackets (16-11, 8-8) in an ACC game at Tallahassee, Fla.

The loss was a blow to the Yellow Jackets’ efforts to lock up a spot in the NCAA tournament.

Indiana 89, Minnesota 53--Kirk Haston scored 21 points to lead the Hoosiers (18-11, 9-6) to a Big Ten rout of the Gophers (17-11, 5-10) at Bloomington, Ind.

Oklahoma State 71, Baylor 68--Victor Williams made two free throws with 9.3 seconds remaining to help the Cowboys (19-7, 10-5) hold off the Bears (16-10, 5-10) in a Big 12 game at Stillwater, Okla.