Seed of Doubt Is Planted for Michigan State

Michigan State might have cost itself a No. 1 regional seed in the NCAA tournament Friday night, but that wasn’t the biggest concern for Spartan Coach Tom Izzo.

“If we don’t play better, we’re not going to accomplish what we need to accomplish,” said Izzo after No. 2-ranked and defending national champion Michigan State lost to Penn State, 65-63, in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament at Chicago. “Do I think we’re deserving of a No. 1 seed? I would say probably not.”

Michigan State (24-4) gave up 21 points on 17 turnovers and made only 16 of 30 free throws.

“You’re not going to win against good teams doing that,” Izzo said. “And make no mistake about it, Penn State’s a good team.”

Michigan State is the highest-ranked team Penn State (19-10) has ever beaten, and the players rushed the floor as the buzzer sounded. Coach Jerry Dunn embraced his son and daughter while Gyasi Cline-Heard picked up the Nittany Lion mascot and threw him over his shoulder.

The victory probably sealed the first NCAA bid in five years for the Penn State, which was on the bubble after losing three of its last four regular-season games.

“We were looking to come here and do something special,” said Joe Crispin, who had 22 points and made an off-balance three-point shot with 21 seconds left that was decisive.

Penn State’s next opponent is Iowa (20-11)--which rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit to beat Ohio State (20-10), 75-66, and keep its NCAA hopes alive. In a foul-filled game, Iowa made 31 of 45 free throws while Ohio State was 27 for 39.

No. 4 Illinois (24-6) and Indiana (20-11) play in the other semifinal.

Kirk Haston scored 19 points and Indiana held No. 23 Wisconsin (18-10) without a field goal for almost 14 1/2 minutes in cruising to a 64-52 victory. The Hoosiers have held their last four opponents under 60 points.

Illinois, meanwhile, got 13 points and 11 assists from conference player of the year Frank Williams in an 83-66 victory over Purdue (15-14). The Illini could be in position for a No. 1 NCAA regional seed by winning the Big Ten tournament.

ATLANTIC COAST

No. 3 Duke hopes the biggest mistakes made in a quest for a third consecutive tournament championship are those by team managers. The Blue Devils were designated the home team for their quarterfinal game against North Carolina State at Atlanta, but team managers forgot to pack their white home uniforms. Duke, wearing its road black uniforms, hardly missed a beat after Jason Williams scored 10 of his 19 points during a 15-0 first-half run that ignited a 76-61 victory.

Said Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski about the mix-up after the Blue Devils (27-4) defeated the Wolfpack (13-15) for the 10th consecutive time. “[North Carolina State Coach] Herb [Sendek] was great. He told us they were wearing red so we didn’t have to wear our underwear.” The managers also forgot to pack warmup suits. The players wore blue Duke T-shirts that were purchased at the Georgia Dome concession stands for the pregame shoot-around. The Blue Devils are expected to have their white uniforms for today’s game against No. 11 Maryland (21-9)--a 71-53 winner over No. 22 Wake Forest (19-10). It was the Terrapins’ fifth victory over a ranked team during a six-game win streak.

Alvin Jones had 20 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots as Georgia Tech (17-11) solidified its NCAA credentials with a 74-69 victory over No. 12 Virginia (20-8) at Atlanta. It was the Yellow Jackets’ first ACC tournament victory in five years and the seventh time this season they beat a Top 25 team. North Carolina was a 99-81 winner over Clemson (12-19) as Jason Capel made all six of his three-point shots and scored 23 points. On Feb. 18, Clemson beat North Carolina, 75-65, when the Tar Heels were ranked No. 1 and had an 18-game win streak.

BIG EAST

No. 10 Boston College (25-4) ended Seton Hall’s unlikely run toward an NCAA berth with a 74-48 victory in the semifinals at New York. Seton Hall (16-14)--playing its fourth must-win game in six days--managed only two baskets after the score was tied at 42-42 with 11:59 remaining. Troy Bell, co-Player of the Year in the Big East, had 24 points for Boston College, which was 11-19 last season and didn’t qualify for the tournament.

Pittsburgh (18-12) also advanced to the championship game as Isaac Hawkins’ free throw with three seconds left in overtime was decisive in a 55-54 victory over No. 17 Syracuse (24-8). Pittsburgh is the first Big East team to reach the tournament final with a losing conference record (7-9) since Syracuse in 1981. The Orangemen played most of the second half without leading scorer Preston Shumpert, who had blurred vision after getting hit in the eye.

SOUTHEASTERN

No. 5 Florida (23-5), with a 69-61 victory over Alabama (21-10) in the quarterfinals at Nashville, Tenn., continued its bid for a No. 1 NCAA regional seed. Matt Bonner made his first four three-point shots en route to a career-high 22 points. Florida’s next opponent is Arkansas (20-9)--which got 27 points from Joe Johnson and rallied from an 18-point first-half deficit in a 77-72 victory over Louisiana State (13-16).

No. 14 Mississippi (24-6) and No. 15 Kentucky (20-9) play in the other semifinal. Mississippi made all 10 of its free throws in the final 50 seconds of an 86-73 victory over Tennessee (22-10). The Volunteers are the only SEC team that hasn’t reached the semifinals since the conference expanded to 12 teams in 1992. Kentucky, meanwhile, reached 20 wins for the 11th consecutive season with a 78-65 victory over South Carolina (15-14).

OTHER TOURNAMENTS

Atlantic 10--Monty Mack made 10 of 16 shots and scored 27 points to lead Massachusetts (15-14) to a 75-70 victory over No. 21 St. Joseph’s (25-6) at Philadelphia and into the tournament championship game for the first time since 1996. In the other semifinal, Lynn Greer made three free throws after getting fouled on a three-point shot with 2.9 seconds left to give Temple (20-12) a 77-76 victory over George Washington (14-18).

Conference USA--Steve Logan matched a career high with 32 points and Cincinnati (23-8) advanced to the championship game for the first time in three years with an 89-79 victory over Memphis (17-14) at Louisville, Ky. Charlotte (20-10) also reached the final with 75-63 victory over Southern Mississippi (22-8).

Mountain West--Utah (19-11)--one of three teams that tied for the regular-season championship--was a 56-53 loser to New Mexico (19-11) in the semifinals at Las Vegas. In a matchup of the other teams that tied for first place, Terrell Lyday scored 32 points for Brigham Young (23-8) in a 77-66 victory over Wyoming (20-8).

Patriot League--Ryan Serravalle’s two three point baskets in overtime lifted Holy Cross (22-7) to a 68-64 victory over Navy (19-12) in the championship game at Worchester, Mass. Holy Cross is in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1993. Navy’s Robert Reeder, who played at Pasadena Poly, accounted for the final points of regulation with a short jumper with 15 seconds left.

NCAA Division II--Reserve James Taylor made 24 points and eight rebounds to lead Cal State San Bernardino (24-3) to a 79-74 victory over Central Washington (18-10) in the semifinals of the West Regional at Bellingham, Wash.

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NCAA Men Qualifiers

Schools that have gained NCAA men’s tournament automatic bids by virtue of conference tournament championships, with exception of the Ivy League and Pacific 10--the only conferences that don’t conduct tournaments.

School: Conference

Butler: Midwestern Collegiate

Eastern Illinois: Ohio Valley

George Mason: Colonial Athletic Assn.

Georgia State: Trans America Athletic

Gonzaga: West Coast

Indiana State: Missouri Valley

Holy Cross: Patriot

Iona: Metro Atlantic Athletic

Monmouth, N.J.: Northeast

N.C. Greensboro: Southern

Princeton: Ivy

Southern Utah: Mid-Continent

Western Kentucky: Sun Belt

Winthrop: Big South