Connecticut Routs Villanova, 89-75

Forget first place in the Big East Conference. The one thing that kept coming up after No. 3 Connecticut beat No. 2 Villanova was toughness.

After the Huskies’ 89-75 victory Sunday at Storrs, Conn., left everybody in Gampel Pavilion drained whether they played or watched, coaches and players talked about the attitude and style that has become the trademark of the Big East.

“This was an advertisement for how hard the teams in this league play,” Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun said. “Increasing our toughness was one thing I thought we had to do. We knew we could score, but we had to show we could come up with that kind of game like we had other times this season.”

Denham Brown, Rashad Anderson, Hilton Armstrong and Jeff Adrien all came up big for Connecticut.

The Huskies, 25-2 overall and 12-2 in the Big East, took control of the game with an 18-3 run in the second half.

The Wildcats (22-3, 12-2) came into the game with 11 straight wins.

Allan Ray had 19 points for Villanova, but the senior guard left the game with just under three minutes to play with an injury to his left knee. Ray, who said he slipped on a wet spot, said he would have an MRI exam today.

Alabama 82, No. 12 Florida 77 -- Ronald Steele scored 19 points and Alabama was six for six from the free-throw line in the final 31 seconds at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

The Crimson Tide (16-10, 9-5 Southeastern Conference) boosted their NCAA tournament resume with their third straight win over a ranked team. Taurean Green scored 20 points to lead Florida (22-6, 8-6).

Indiana 78, No. 18 Michigan State 71 -- Robert Vaden scored 21 points as the Hoosiers (15-10, 7-7 Big Ten) held off a second-half comeback in Mike Davis’ final game at Assembly Hall as coach of Indiana. The Spartans (19-9, 7-7), led by Maurice Ager’s 30 points, rallied from 16 points down early in the second half before fading down the stretch.

No. 21 North Carolina 81, Maryland 57 -- Tyler Hansbrough scored 21 points at Chapel Hill, N.C., to help the Tar Heels continue their climb in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Tar Heels (19-6, 10-4 ACC) clinched a first-round bye in the conference tournament. For the Terrapins (16-11, 6-8), chances of making the NCAA tournament continue to wane.