Deng Lifts Duke Over North Carolina

Freshman forward Luol Deng bounced back from his worst outing of the season with 25 points to help third-ranked Duke defeat No. 14 North Carolina, 70-65, Saturday night in Durham, N.C.

“He’s a freshman. People keep forgetting that,” Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “The same freshman who was one for 14 on Wednesday gave one of the great performances in a Duke-Carolina game. He was sensational. To go 12 for 16 and respond after that type of game the way he did was phenomenal. That sets him apart.”

The Blue Devils (25-4, 13-3) had already clinched the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title for the sixth time in eight years, but they were coming off a rare home loss.

Georgia Tech beat them, 76-68, on Wednesday night to end their 41-game home inning streak, the longest in the nation.

The win was the 14th in 16 games for Duke against North Carolina (18-9, 8-8), including an 83-81 overtime victory in Chapel Hill on Feb. 5.

No. 5 Mississippi State 82, Alabama 81 -- Timmy Bowers made last-second baskets in regulation and overtime at Tuscaloosa, Ala., and the Bulldogs clinched their first outright Southeastern Conference regular-season title in 41 years.

With the win, Mississippi State (25-2, 14-2) set school regular-season records for overall and league wins. They also finished 12-0 on the road. The Crimson Tide (16-11, 8-8) won the first meeting, 77-73, to start a four-game winning streak

No. 6 Pittsburgh 59, Villanova 45 -- The Panthers clinched the top seeding in the Big East tournament by rebounding from a slow start at Pittsburgh.

The Panthers (27-3), finished 13-3 in the Big East for the third consecutive season. No. 7 Connecticut can tie them for the regular-season title by beating Syracuse today, but the Panthers own the tiebreaker.

Pittsburgh scored only three points over the first 12:38 of play. Villanova (14-15, 6-10) led, 17-3, midway through the first half, but was held to 28 points the rest of the game.

No. 8 Oklahoma State 70, Texas A&M; 41 -- The Cowboys (24-3, 14-2) wrapped up the Big 12 Conference regular-season title by routing the last-place Aggies (7-19, 0-16) at Stillwater, Okla.

It’s their first outright conference championship since 1964-65, when they won the Big Eight. They also set a school record for most conference wins and finished 15-0 at home.

Kansas State 58, No. 10 Texas 48 -- Tim Ellis made six free throws in the final 52 seconds at Manhattan, Kan., and the Wildcats, despite setting an arena record for fewest points in a half, upset the Longhorns (21-6, 12-4). The victory was only the fifth against a ranked team in 27 tries for Wildcat Coach Jim Wooldridge.

Kansas State (14-13, 6-10) missed 22 of its first 26 shots while scoring only 17 points in the first half. Since Bramlage Coliseum opened in 1988, no Wildcat team had scored fewer than 18 in any half.

No. 16 North Carolina State 81, No. 11 Wake Forest 70 -- The Wolfpack (19-8, 11-5) clinched second place in the ACC by beating the Demon Deacons (19-8, 9-7) at Winston-Salem, N.C.

Wake Forest had a chance to tie the Wolfpack (19-8, 11-5) for second place, but instead must now wait to see where it ends the season. The Demon Deacons can wind up anywhere from third to fifth in the ACC tournament seedings.

Boston College 63, No. 12 Providence 54 -- The Eagles (21-8, 10-6 Big East) held the Friars to 15 points in the first half at Providence, R.I., in winning their fifth in a row and eighth in nine games.

Providence star Ryan Gomes missed his first seven shots and finished with 13 points on four-for-15 shooting, and the Friars (20-7, 11-5) shot only 19% in the first half.

No. 13 Cincinnati 83, No. 20 Memphis 79 -- Tony Bobbitt made a three-point basket and two free throws in the final 36 seconds at Cincinnati, resulting in a five-way tie for the Conference USA regular-season title.

The Bearcats (21-6, 12-4) earned a share of their eighth regular-season championship. The Tigers (21-6, 12-4), Charlotte, Alabama Birmingham and DePaul also will share the title.

No. 15 Southern Illinois 93, Evansville 67 -- The Salukis (25-3) are seeded third in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament at St. Louis but are seeking their first tournament championship in nine seasons. The ninth-seeded Aces (7-22) didn’t provide much of a challenge, falling behind 19-6 after five minutes, by 12 at the half and by as many as 34 points the rest of the way.

No. 17 Wisconsin 70, Indiana 52 -- Devin Harris scored 26 points, including 16 in the first 13 minutes, and the Badger defense shut down the Hoosiers at Bloomington, Ind. Indiana (13-14, 7-9) shot only 34.5% from the field, including six of 23 from three-point range.

The victory put the Badgers (21-7, 12-4) in position to claim a share of their third consecutive Big Ten regular-season title. They need No. 18 Illinois to lose at Ohio State today to tie for the championship.

No. 19 Georgia Tech 63, Florida State 60 -- Jarrett Jack made two free throws with 33.5 seconds left at Atlanta to clinch the victory for the Yellow Jackets (22-8, 9-7 ACC). The Seminoles (18-12, 6-10) lost their fourth in a row and finished 0-8 on the road in the ACC.

Marquette 81, No. 25 Louisville 80 -- Freshman Dameon Mason’s three-point play with eight-tenths of a second left lifted the Golden Eagles (17-10, 8-8 Conference USA) over the Cardinals (19-8, 9-7) at Milwaukee.

Mason caught an inbounds pass from Scott Merritt and made a jump shot as he was being fouled by Alhaji Mohammed. After a Louisville timeout, Mason made the free throw.