Texas Tech Pulls Another Surprise in 73-51 Victory

From nine victories last season to 23 this season--and counting. From one victory in the five previous Big 12 tournaments to two victories in two days--and counting.

Coach Bob Knight has revitalized Texas Tech in his first season at the school, advancing to the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament with a 73-51 victory against 14th-ranked Oklahoma State on Friday at Kansas City, Mo.

“Last year at this time I was already back in Lubbock,” said All-Big 12 guard Andre Emmett, who scored 23 points.

The Red Raiders (23-7) defeated Texas A&M; in the first round on Thursday and will play No. 1 Kansas today in the semifinals.

“I’ve enjoyed working with this team as much as any I’ve had,” said Knight, who won three national championships at Indiana but was fired in September 2000 for violating a zero-tolerance policy.

Texas Tech certainly impressed Oklahoma State Coach Eddie Sutton, whose team fell to 23-8.

“They’re now one of the 25 best teams in the country,” Sutton said. The Red Raiders will be tested against the Jayhawks (28-2), who rolled past Colorado, 102-73. Colorado (15-14) ended the season by losing six of seven games.

The other semifinal will feature No. 4 Oklahoma (25-4), a 63-52 winner against Kansas State (13-16), playing Texas.

The Longhorns (20-10) held off a charge by Missouri (21-11) for an 89-85 victory.

Bob Hammel, longtime sports editor of the Bloomington (Ind.) Herald-Times, spent the day resting after his seizure on Thursday night.

“I spoke with him this morning and he said he was feeling much better,” conference spokesman Bo Carter said. “He was trying to find his glasses. They got lost in all the confusion. They told him it wasn’t a heart attack but a diabetic seizure.”

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ATLANTIC COAST

Virginia (17-11) likely had its NCAA tournament hopes dashed in a 92-72 loss to North Carolina State (21-9) at Charlotte, N.C. The Cavaliers have not won an ACC tournament game since 1995. The Wolfpack will play No. 2 Maryland (26-3), which ended the season of Florida State (12-17) with an 85-59 victory, in a semifinal today.

North Carolina (8-20) slowed the pace, but not enough to stop No. 3 Duke (27-3) in a 60-48 loss. Next up for the Blue Devils will be Wake Forest (20-11), a 92-83 winner against Georgia Tech (15-16).

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BIG EAST

A solid defensive effort helped No. 19 Connecticut defeat Notre Dame, 82-77, at New York. The Fighting Irish are 21-10. The Huskies (23-6) play No. 7 Pittsburgh (27-4), a 76-71 winner against No. 20 Miami, in tonight’s championship game. The Hurricanes are 24-7.

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BIG TEN

Luke Recker scored 24 of his 28 points in the second half, including the game-winning jump shot with 1.4 seconds left, as Iowa (18-14) defeated Wisconsin, 58-56, at Indianapolis. The Badgers, the tournament’s top-seeded team, are 18-12.... Jared Jeffries, the conference player of the year, scored 14 points to lead No. 23 Indiana (20-10) past Michigan State, 67-56, to set up a semifinal game today against the Hawkeyes. The Spartans are 19-11.

Terence Dials scored 14 points to lead No. 21 Ohio State (21-7) past Michigan, 75-68. The Wolverines finished 11-18. The Buckeyes will play No. 10 Illinois, a 92-76 winner against Minnesota (17-12).

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CONFERENCE USA

Cordell Henry scored 27 points to lead No. 13 Marquette (26-5) to an 85-73 victory against Houston (18-14) at Cincinnati. The Golden Eagles will play No. 5 Cincinnati (29-3), a 71-55 winner against Charlotte (18-11).

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SOUTHEASTERN

No. 11 Florida (22-8) was upended by Mississippi State, 62-52, at Atlanta. The Bulldogs (24-7) will play Louisiana State (18-13), which stunned No. 17 Georgia, 78-76, in today’s semifinal. The Bulldogs are 21-9.

Rod Grizzard scored a career-high 33 points, including 27 in the first half, and No. 8 Alabama (25-6) cruised to a 91-72 victory against Tennessee (15-16). The Crimson Tide will play South Carolina (18-13), which surprised No. 12 Kentucky, 70-57. The Wildcats are 20-9.

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OTHER TOURNAMENTS

Atlantic 10--Reggie Brown scored 20 points to help Richmond (19-12) defeat LaSalle, 68-60, at Philadelphia. The Explorers finished 15-17 and the Spiders will play No. 24 Xavier (24-5), a 66-59 winner against Dayton (20-10), in today’s championship game.

Big Sky--Montana (15-14) defeated top-seeded Montana State, 70-68, at Bozeman, Mont. The Bobcats fell to 19-9. The Grizzlies’ opponent in today’s championship game will be Eastern Washington (17-12), a 62-57 winner against Weber State (18-11).

Mid-American--Andrew Mitchell scored 26 points at Cleveland as Kent State won its 17th game in a row, an 86-61 victory against Toledo (16-14) at Cleveland. The Golden Flashes (26-5) will play Bowling Green (24-7), a 69-57 winner against Ball State (20-11), in today’s championship game.

Mid-Eastern Athletic--Tommy Adams scored 33 points as top-seeded Hampton (25-6) struggled to an 80-70 victory against South Carolina State (15-16) at Richmond, Va. The Pirates will play Howard (17-12), a 65-56 winner against Delaware State (17-13), in today’s championship game.

Patriot--Holy Cross (18-14) earned its second consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament with a 58-54 victory against American (18-12) at Washington. The Crusaders were NCAA champions in 1947, but haven’t won a game in the tournament since 1953. In mid-January, they had a 9-11 record. Last season they were seeded No. 15 and lost to Kentucky, 72-68, in the first round.

Southwestern Athletic--Brian Jackson led Alcorn State (20-9) with 20 points in an 87-65 victory against Texas Southern (11-17) at Birmingham, Ala. The Braves will play Alabama State (19-12), a 64-61 winner against Alabama A&M; (19-10), in today’s championship game.

Western Athletic--Greg Harrington had 25 points as Tulsa (26-5) defeated Fresno State, 81-65, at Tulsa, Okla., The Bulldogs are 19-13. The Golden Hurricane will play Hawaii today in a rematch of last season’s title game. The Warriors (26-5) routed Nevada, 90-68. The Wolf Pack is 19-13.