Arizona 80, Oregon 52

LAS VEGAS — Arizona’s incomprehensible 13-year Pac-12 Tournament championship drought ended emphatically Saturday night. Forward Brandon Ashley scored a game-high 20 points as the No. 5 Wildcats made their case for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, routing Oregon 80-52 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Forward Stanley Johnson added 14 points and point […]

Alan Draper  •  15 Oct 2021
Wisconsin beats Purdue to reach Big Ten final

CHICAGO — There was no panic in the Wisconsin locker room at halftime even as the top-seeded Badgers trailed 35-30 after a lackluster first half. “We’re never going to freak out,” said Badgers forward Sam Dekker. “We’re never going to try to get it all back in one play.” It took only a few plays […]

Alan Draper  •  15 Oct 2021
Top 25 roundup: Iowa State rallies past Kansas for Big 12 title

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Iowa State stormed back from a big second-half deficit to defeat Kansas 70-66 in the Big 12 Tournament championship game on Saturday at the Sprint Center. The Cyclones hit 5 of 6 free throws in the final 48 seconds to open a five-point lead before Jayhawks forward Brannen Greene made a […]

Alan Draper  •  16 Feb 2022
Michigan State gets Wisconsin, and that’s final

CHICAGO — When more blue-collar basketball players are needed, Michigan State will provide them. Trailing third-seeded Maryland, 15-4, early in their Big Ten tournament semifinal, the second-seeded Spartans rallied to score a 62-58 victory on Saturday and advanced to the title game for the fifth time. Their opponent: Wisconsin, another school with a junkyard-dog defensive […]

Alan Draper  •  15 Oct 2021
SMU advances to AAC final

HARTFORD, Conn. — Southern Methodist is back in a place it hasn’t been in quite some time. Next week, the Mustangs will return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 22 years. Southern Methodist used stellar defense against Temple on Saturday to advance to the American Athletic Conference championship game with a 69-56 […]

Alan Draper  •  15 Oct 2021
By the numbers, Arkansas gets Kentucky

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The 2015 Southeastern Conference Tournament held true to form as No. 2-seeded Arkansas defeated No. 3-seeded Georgia, 60-49, in Saturday’s semifinals. The Razorbacks advanced to meet No. 1-seeded Kentucky on Sunday. Arkansas (26-7) won the game, but it was hardly in its “Fastest 40” fashion of an up-tempo, high-scoring affair. The Razorbacks […]

Alan Draper  •  15 Feb 2022
Wyoming clamps down on MWC title, tourney invite

LAS VEGAS – – It wasn’t pretty, but that’s just the way the Wyoming Cowboys liked it. The fourth-seeded Cowboys (25-9), who rank ninth nationally in scoring defense (56.4) and frequently run the clock down before attempting a shot, made the key shots and got the defensive stops they needed down the stretch to grind […]

Alan Draper  •  15 Feb 2022
Buffalo 89, Central Michigan 84

CLEVELAND — Forward Xavier Ford and guard Shannon Evans each scored 18 points and Buffalo advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history after defeating Central Michigan 89-84 in the Mid-American Conference title game on Saturday night. Bulls coach Bobby Hurley also guided his team to its first outright MAC East […]

Alan Draper  •  15 Oct 2021
Iowa State rallies against Kansas to win Big 12

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Who needs blowouts? Iowa State stormed back from a big second-half deficit to defeat Kansas 70-66 in the Big 12 Tournament title game on Saturday at the Sprint Center. The four-point margin was the Cyclones’ largest of the tournament. Iowa State hit 5 of 6 free throws in the final 48 […]

Alan Draper  •  15 Oct 2021