Blue Devils, Tar Heels to Battle Again

Duke and North Carolina are getting ready for the grudge match.

The No. 3 Blue Devils held off No. 11 Maryland, 84-82, and the No. 6 Tar Heels survived a scare from Georgia Tech, 70-63, in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament on Saturday at Atlanta.

It’s only fitting that today’s matchup--the third between the powerhouses--be played on a neutral court. North Carolina won the first meeting, 85-83, at Duke, and the Blue Devils got revenge with a 95-81 victory at North Carolina.

Duke needed a tip-in by Nate James with 1.3 seconds left to defeat the Terrapins (21-10). James’ tip came off a missed shot by Jason Williams.

A half-court shot at the buzzer by Juan Dixon, who led the Terrapins with 17 points, nearly went in, but it bounced off the rim.

“Talk about two teams fighting cleanly and going after it,” Blue Devil Coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “I thought Dixon’s shot was in. It was right on line.”

Shane Battier had 20 points for Duke (28-4).

Joseph Forte scored 27 points in North Carolina’s victory, including two free throws with 33.6 seconds remaining after a disputed foul call against Georgia Tech’s T.J. Vines.

Forte finished with a layup at the buzzer for the Tar Heels (25-5).

The Yellowjackets (17-12) were led Shaun Fein, who had 18 points. All-ACC center Alvin Jones had only seven points.

Tar Heel center Brendan Haywood, who had 13 points, was a bit perturbed about being bumped to the conference’s second team behind Jones. He also was looking to show the NBA scouts that he’s the better prospect.

“This was more than a college basketball game,” said Haywood, who also had three blocks. “We were playing for money a little bit. You hate to say it, but it’s true.”

BIG EAST

Boston College used its zone press to wear down Pittsburgh in a 79-57 victory at New York. The Eagles (26-4) assured themselves of a high seeding in the NCAA tournament and completed the first worst-to-first regular season in Big East history. Boston College was 3-13 in the conference last season but finished 13-3 this season. The Panthers (18-13) were chasing history, trying to become the first team to win four games in a Big East tournament.

BIG 12

Kelley Newton made two timely three-point baskets in the final five minutes as No. 16 Oklahoma clipped No. 9 Kansas, 62-57, to advance to the title game at Kansas City, Mo. Oklahoma (25-6), which also hit 13 of its last 14 foul shots, shot only 32% from the field but made 20 of 24 from the line. Kansas (24-6) had two chances to tie the score late, but Kirk Hinrich missed on three-point attempts.

Texas earned its spot in the final with a 76-62 victory over Baylor (19-10). Chris Owens scored 23 points for the Longhorns (25-7), who were swept by Oklahoma in two games, including an embarrassing 75-54 romp at Austin that turned out to be Texas’ last loss since its current eight-game winning streak.

SOUTHEASTERN

Justin Reed scored 15 points and Jason Flanigan made three free throws down the stretch to help No. 14 Mississippi upset No. 5 Florida, 74-69, at Nashville and earn a berth to the title game. Florida (23-6), which had won eight in a row, got 20 points and 14 rebounds from Udonis Haslem. Brent Wright, a key reserve for Florida, missed a second tournament game to rehabilitate his right foot.

Kentucky Coach Tubby Smith improved to 8-1 in the tournament as the No. 15 Wildcats returned to the title game with an 87-78 victory against Arkansas. Keith Bogans had 23 points and 10 rebounds the help Kentucky (21-9) rally from a 15-point deficit in the first half. The victory ended a six-game winning streak for Arkansas (20-10).

OTHER TOURNAMENTS

America East--Hofstra earned its second consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament with a 68-54 victory over Delaware. Norman Richardson had 20 points to lead the Pride (26-4), who have won 18 games in a row, the longest streak in the nation.

Atlantic 10--Temple, which earlier in the season lost seven games in a row, completed its turnaround with a 76-65 victory over Massachusetts in the title game at Philadelphia. It was the second consecutive conference championship for the Owls (21-12).

Conference USA--KenKay Jones matched a career high with 18 points and Charlotte outrebounded Cincinnati, 45-29, in an 80-72 win over the Bearcats in the championship game at Louisville, Ky. The Bearcats (23-9), who are expected to get an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament, and the 49ers (21-10) have won four of the six Conference USA tournaments.

Mid-American--Trevor Huffman scored 27 points as Kent State (23-9) earned its second trip to the NCAA tournament and second conference tournament title with a 67-61 victory over Miami (Ohio) at Cleveland.

Mid-Eastern Athletic--Tarvis Williams scored 11 of his 18 points in the second half and Hampton (24-6) defeated South Carolina State, 70-58, at Richmond, Va., to earn its first trip to the NCAA tournament in its sixth season in Division I.

Mountain West--Brigham Young (25-8) held off New Mexico, 69-65, at Las Vegas to earn a berth to the NCAA tournament. The Lobos are 19-13.

Southland--The team with the poorest record in the NCAA tournament? That would be Northwestern State (15-15), which defeated McNeese State, 72-71, on Michael Byers-Dawson’s two free throws with nine seconds remaining at Bossier City, La. The Cowboys (22-8) entered with a 15-game winning streak, the second-longest in the nation.

Southwestern Athletic--Joey Ball scored 14 points and Tyrone Levett added 12 as Alabama State (22-8) beat Alcorn State, 64-52, at Birmingham, Ala., and earned its first trip to the NCAA tournament.

Western Athletic--Freshman Carl English made a shot to force overtime, then scored seven points in the extra period to carry Hawaii to a 78-72 victory over Tulsa (21-11) in the championship game at Tulsa, Okla. The victory sends Hawaii (17-13) to the NCAA tournament for only the third time in school history and first time since 1994.

NCAA Division II--Jacob Stevenson scored 19 points as Western Washington (26-3) won the championship with a 58-55 victory over Cal State San Bernardino (24-4) at Bellingham, Wash.