Miami's Durand Scott Player of the Day; 8 More Conferences Crown Champions

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 16, 2013

Miami's Durand Scott turned in the performance of the day, leading the Hurricanes into Sunday's ACC final, seeking the championship for the first time in the nine years Miami has been a member of the conference.

Scott dazzled NC State defenders with 12-for-18 shooting, making five of eight from outside the 3-point line, for a game-high 32 points. Scott was also active elsewhere, with three boards, four assists and a pair of steals. Miami's 81-71 victory was one in which they led almost the entire game.

In the final, the #9 Hurricanes will face North Carolina at 1:00 pm EDT Sunday. Miami won both meetings with the Tar Heels during the regular season and a win could result in a #1 seeding.

Recapping late action:

Louisville shredded Syracuse's vaunted 2-3 zone defense with 56 second half points, upending a 35-22 deficit to win the Big East championship going away, 78-61. The dominant win will likely land Louisville the #1 seed in the East region of the NCAA tourney.

Oregon grabbed the auomatic bid from the PAC-12, thumping UCLA, 78-69, in the conference final. The Ducks struggled though the latter half of their conference schedule, losing three of their last five, but regained their swagger in the tourney and hopefully will carry their confidence into the NCAAs.

Other conference winners (all receive automatic NCAA bids:

Chicago State 75 Houston Baptist 60 - 11-21 Cougars win Great West title.

Northwestern State 68 SF Austin 66 - Southland championship.

Montana 67 Weber State 64 - Big Sky

Pacific 64 UC Irvine 55 - Big West

New Mexico State 64 Texas-Arlington 55 - Western Athletic Conference (WAC) title.

Kansas Takes Big 12; New Mexico Wins Mountain West; Akron, Southern, NC A&T Go Dancing

#15 New Mexico followed up its Mountain West regular season title by winning the conference tournament, 63-56, over UNLV.

Tony Snell led all scorers with 21 points, nailing five three-pointers and scoring 13 straight points for the Lobos in the waning minutes of the game.

Kansas easily topped #11 Kansas State, 70-54, to take the Big 12 tourney championship. Jeff Withey led the Jayhawks with 17 points and nine boards.

The win puts #7 Kansas in a solid position to be the #1 seed in the Midwest region of the NCAA tourney.

Other conference tourney winners this afternoon included Southern, topping Prarie View A&M, 45-44, for the SWAC championship and North Carolina A&T, a 57-54 winner over Morgan State, to clinch the MEAC title.

Akron took the MAC championship, romping, 65-46, over Ohio.

SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Atlantic-10 Semi-Final Results, Highlights

Conference Tournament Updates:

Big Ten Semi-Finals

Wisconsin 68 Indiana 56 - The Badgers beat Indiana for the 12st straight time and third time this season, something to keep in mind should the two meet again in the NCAA tournament.

Ohio State 61 Michigan State 58 - Arron Craft scored 20 points, had three rebounds, nine assists and four steals to lead the Buckeyes past the Spartans and into the Big Ten final.

Ohio State and Wisconsin will duel for the Big Ten championship Sunday afternoon.

ACC Semi-Finals

Miami 91 NC State 81 - Durand Scott pumped in 32 points as the Hurricanes blew past the Wolfpack, advancing to the Sunday tourney final.

North Carolina 79 Maryland 76 - North Carolina held on against a determined Maryland team to advance to the ACC final. With the loss, Maryland will have to wait until Sunday afternoon to determine their post-season fate, though any team that beats Duke twice in a season deserves a good, hard look.

Sunday's ACC final features the tournament's top-seeded team, the Miami Hurricanes, against the Tar Heels from North Carolina.

SEC Semi-Finals

Florida 61 Alabama 51 - The Gators broke open a close game with a 15-point, second half run and cruised to the win. Kenny Boynton led all scorers with 16 points.

Mississippi 64 Vanderbilt 52 - Ole Miss likely played themselves into the NCAA tourney with this semi-final win, turning a 26-all tie at the half into a solid victory and a shot at Florida in the conference final on Sunday.

Atlantic-10 Semi-Finals

St. Louis 67 Butler 56 - 16th-ranked Billikens whipped Butler for the third time this season, advancing to the A-10 final. Dwayne Evans scored a game-high 25 and scored a double-double with 11 rebounds. St. Louis boasts a 26-6 record and a 13-3 mark in conference.

VCU 71 Massachusetts 62 - Troy Daniels came off the bench to score a game-high 20 points and Juvonte Reddic scored 18 with 12 rebounds to lead the Commodores into the A-10 Final.

VCU faces St. Louis in the tourney final Sunday. The Billikens took a 76-62 victory at home over VCU during the regular season.

Great Danes and Tigers Capture Conference Titles, Go Dancing

The Albany Great Dames became the first team this Saturday to punch their ticket to the NCAA tourney with a 53-49 victory over the Vermont Catamounts. Albany won the America East conference tourney and the automatic bid.

In Tulsa, it took two overtimes, but the Memphis Tigers grabbed their seventh Conference-USA championship and third in a row, topping Southern Miss, 91-79.

More scores and highlights as the big day of conference championships develops...

Dez Wells Pumps in 30 as Maryland Ousts Duke in ACC Tourney

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, March 15, 2013

On a night of heavy conference tournament action, the upset of the night was produced by the Maryland Terrapins, who whipped the 2nd-ranked Duke Blue Devils for the second time this season, 83-74, advancing to the semi-finals to face North Carolina Saturday afternoon.

The Terps led the entire game, though Duke cut the lead to one point midway through the second half, but Dez Wells, who pumped in a career high 30 points for Maryland, would not allow his team to fail in what some considered a must-win for the Terrapins' tournament hopes.

Wells was 9-for-13 from the field, including 2-for-2 from outside the arc and made all 10 of his chances at the foul line. He added six boards, three assists and a steal in 32 minutes.

Maryland topped the Blue Devils back on February 8th, 83-81, at the Verizon Center in Washington DC, and proved it was no fluke as they dominated Duke and sent them packing in a one-and-done tournament appearance, out-rebounding Duke, 36-26, and had 18 assists to the Blue Devils' 10.

The Terps were just 8-10 in ACC play, but 22-11 overall, stringing together 11 straight wins prior to conference action. Their match-up with the Tar Heels may be a troublesome one, as North Carolina topped the Terrapins twice during the regular season.

Elsewhere, Georgetown and Syracuse met for the third time this season, and this time the Orange avenged their previous two losses to the Hoyas with a 58-55 OT win, advancing to the Big East final against Louisville, a 69-57 victor over Notre Dame.

The Cardinals and Orange tip at 8:35 pm EDT at Madison Square Garden.

The Big 12 will also crown a champion Saturday night, when #7 Kansas meets #11 Kansas State for the tourney title.

Also on Saturday, UCLA faces Oregon for the PAC-12 championship.

It will be a busy weekend for crowning, as the Mountain West, Conference USA, America East, Southland, Big West, Great West, Big Sky, SWAC, MEAC, WAC and MAC all play tournament finals on Saturday. The ACC, SEC, Big Ten, and Atlantic-10 each have championship games on Sunday.

Olivier Hanlan Sets ACC Frosh Record in Boston College Win over Georgia Tech

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, March 14, 2013

With a 16-16 record and a 7-11 mark in conference, the Boston College Eagles are likely headed to the NIT rather than the NCAA tournament, but freshman Olivier Hanlan made certain that he'd leave a permanent mark on the ACC tournament.

Hanlan scored a career-high 41 points in the Eagles' 84-64 win over Georgia Tech in the opening round of the ACC championship, the most ever scored by an ACC freshman in the history of the conference, post-season or otherwise.

Hanlan had a nice season for the Eagles, scoring at a 15.4 ppg clip, but his performance on Thursday afternoon was one for the ages, making 14 of 18 shots, including eight of 10 from beyond the arc, adding five of six from the foul line.

In his 36 minutes of floor time, Hanlan also collected five boards, make three steals and dished a pair of assists. BC will play top-seeded Miami at noon EDT on Friday.

Elsewhere, the Big East tournament produced a pair of semi-final match-ups as Syracuse topped Pitt, 62-59, and Georgetown cruised past Cincinnati, 62-43. Georgetown and SU will meet for the third time this season at 7:00 pm EDT Friday night. Georgetown won the previous two meetings handily.

On the other side of the bracket, #4 Louisville overwhelmed Villanova, 74-55, and Notre Dame stopped Marquette, 73-65, setting up a 9:00 pm EDT meeting between the Cardinals and the Fighting Irish.

Conference tournament action heats up this weekend as all conferences will crown champions prior to the NCAA committee selections on Sunday at 6:00 pm EDT.

Jahii Carson Lifts Arizona State over Stanford in OT; Bucknell Bison Earn a Bid

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, March 13, Month, 2013

Conference tournaments spanned the countryside on Wednesday with action from the Big East to the PAC-12 on tap.

In one of the most hotly-contested battles of the night, Arizona State's Jahii Carson scored the first five points for the Sun Devils in overtime on a three-pointer and a layup and teammate Evan Gordon sealed the 89-88 ASU victory, making five of six free throws to close out Stanford in the first round of the PAC-12 championship.

Carson, a 5'10" freshman who led the Sun devils in scoring at 18.2 points per game, topped the scoring charts with a career-high 34 points on 14-for-22 shooting, including three of four from three-point range. The diminutive guard was a perfect 3-for-3 from the foul line and added a steal, three rebounds and four assists.

Also in the PAC-12, Colorado advanced with a 74-68 win over Oregon State, Washington edged Washington State, 64-62 and Utah slipped by USC, 69-66.

In the Big East, Syracuse, Villanova, Notre Dame and Cincinnati advanced in second round games.

A full slate is set for Thursday, with the Big 12 and Big Ten opening tourney play. There are 53 games on the college hoops schedule for Thursday.

Bucknell captured the Patriot League title and received the automatic bid with a 64-56 win over Lafayette in the league final.

The Bison were led by Mike Muscala's double-double: 20 points and 11 boards.

Valparaiso, South Dakota State Make Tourney Field; CJ Garner Leads LIU-Brooklyn with Career Effort

College Hoops Player of the Day for DAY, Month, 2012

LIU Brooklyn defeated Mount St. Mary's for the Northeast conference championship and an invitation to their third straight NCAA tournament, with a 91-70 victory.

Trailing by eight points midway through the first half, LIU head coach, Jack Perri, switched from man-to-man to a 2-3 zone on defense and his players responded, taking a 35-31 lead by half time and pulling away in the second half.

The Blackbirds were led by C.J. Garner, who scored a career-high 31 points on 13-for-17 shooting, adding five of seven from the foul line. LIU-Brooklyn shot 61% for the game, making five of nine from three-point range.

South Dakota State returned to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year, winning the Summit League tittle with a 73-67 win over North Dakota State.

Nate Wolters led all scorers with 27 points for the Jackrabbits, to go with six assists and six rebounds.

Valparaiso won the Horizon League championship, topping Wright State in the tournament final, 62-54. Erik Buggsled three Crusaders in double figures with 22 points.

13 teams have now qualified for the NCAA tournament by winning their league championships.

Harvard - Ivy League
Belmont - Ohio Valley
Florida Gulf Coast - Atlantic Sun
James Madison - Colonial Athletic Association
Iona - MAAC
Creighton - Missouri Valley
LIU Brooklyn - Northeast
Western Kentucky - Sun Belt
Liberty - Big South
Gonzaga - West Coast
Davidson - Southern
South Dakota State - Summit League
Valparaiso - Horizon League

Kelly Olynyk Leads Gonzaga into Tourney; Iona Takes MAAC

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, March 11, 2013



Gonzaga defeated St. Mary's in the West Coast conference tourney final to stamp their ticket to the NCAA tournament with emphasis, winning by a decisive, 65-51, score.

It was the third time Gonzaga had defeated St. Mary's this season; the Gaels will have to wait until selection Sunday to see if they receive an at-large invitation.

The Bulldogs were led by center Kelly Olynyk, who topped the scoring charts with 21 points and added 12 rebounds. Olynyk was 7-for-12 from the field and made seven of nine from the foul line.

Ranked #1 in the nation, Gonzaga completed a 16-0 season in conference and has the best overall record in the college ranks at 31-2.

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Iona defeated Manhattan, 60-57, to take home the Metro Atlantic Athletic conference championship. Tre Bowman came off the bench for the Gaels to lead all scorers with 20 points, making seven of nine from the field and all four of his free throw attempts.

Davidson, Western Kentucky, James Madison Are In

The Davidson Wildcats extended the nation's longest winning streak to 16 games, capturing the Southern conference championship with a 74-55 victory over the College of Charleston in the tourney final. De'Mon Brooks led all scorers with 24 points and added eight rebounds.

Davidson the nation's top free-trow shooting team, made only 14 of 21 line attempts, but shot 55% from the floor while holding the Cougars to 30% shooting.

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Western Kentucky took the Sun Belt title, winning four games in four days for the second straight season to earn the automatic invitation to the NCAA tourney.

The Hilltoppers outlasted a game Florida International squad, coached by Richard Pitino, son of Louisville coach Rick Pitino, by a 65-63 score.

Center George Fant scored 17 points on 7-for-14 shooting and snagged 13 rebounds to pace Western Kentucky.

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A.J. Davis led all scorers with 26 points to lead James Madison to the Colonial Athletic Conference championship with a 70-57 victory over Northeastern.

The Dukes led early, took a commanding 40-18 lead into the break and coasted to the easy win.

Five More Dance Tickets to Be Punched Tonight

With five teams already in the tourney (Harvard, Florida Gulf Coast, Belmont, Creighton and Liberty) five more conference champions will be crowned tonight, pushing the number of automatic bids handed out to ten.

The Southern conference starts the evening's action when Charleston 24-9 (Conf: 14-4) faces #1 seed, Davidson 25-7 (Conf: 17-1) at 7:00 pm EDT.

At the same time, James Madison 19-14 (Conf: 11-7) takes on Northeastern 20-11 (Conf: 14-4) for the Colonial conference championship and the Sun Belt final pits Western Kentucky 19-15 (Conf: 10-10) against Florida International 18-13 (Conf: 11-9).

At 9:00 pm EDT, the Metro Atlantic tourney concludes when Manhattan 14-17 (Conf: 9-9) faces
Iona 19-13 (Conf: 11-7) and the West Coast conference will crown a champion when St. Mary's battles #1 Gonzaga.

All games will be carried live on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.

Cody Zeller Leads Indiana to Big Ten Title in Win over Michigan

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, March 10, 2013

Indiana scored the last six points of the game to capture the Big Ten championship with a 72-71 win over Michigan.

After Glenn Robinson III made one of two free throws to give the Wolverines a five-point lead with 1:03 to play, Indiana took advantage of two missed front ends of one-and-one free throws by Michigan - one each by Tim Hardaway Jr. and by Trey Burke - scoring on each of their final three trips down the floor.

The win gave the Hoosiers the outright regular season title in a hotly contested Big Ten, with a 14-4 record. With a win tonight against Northwestern, Michigan State can finish tied with Ohio State for second place at 13-5.

With the loss, Michigan fell to 12-6, tied with Wisconsin for fourth place.

Cody Zeller tallied a game-high 25 points to go with ten rebounds, four on the offensive end. Victor Oladipo also had a double-double with 14 points and 14 boards.

Zeller was 10-for-19 from the field and 5-for-8 from the foul line.

Creighton Wins MVC with 68-65 Win over Wichita State

Even though All-American Doug McDermott was saddled with fouls and was held well below his average, his teammates shouldered the load and defeated Wichita State, 68-65, to capture the BlueJays second straight Missouri Valley conference tournament.

Creighton will get the automatic bid to the NCAA tourney for the second straight season. The Shockers, which finished up with a solid 26-7 mark - identical to Creighton - is likely to receive an at-large invite.

Creighton joins Belmont, Florida Gulf Coast, Harvard and Liberty as early recipients of automatic bids to the NCAAs.

Liberty Starts Season 0-8, Heads to NCAA Tourney from Big South

After starting the season 0-8, even the players of Liberty couldn't have imagined this.

The Liberty Flames won their fourth straight tournament game, topping Charleston Southern, 87-76, to capture the Big South tourney and punch their ticket to the NCAA tournament.

Liberty beat Coastal Carolina, High Point and Gardner-Webb to reach the final and achieve the dream. The 15-20 Flames were 6-10 in conference play, but put it all together when it counted.

It's Liberty's third trip to the NCAA tournament and first since 2004.

Next up: Missouri Valley conference final, Creighton vs. Wichita State, underway at 2:05 pm EDT.

At 4:00 pm EDT, Michigan hosts Indiana in a contest that will determine the Big Ten regular season title.

Kenny Kadji Leads Miami to ACC Title; Florida Gulf Coast, Belmont, Harvard Earn NCAA Berths

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 9, 2013

With regular seasons ending in some of the major conferences and a couple of minor conferences hailing tourney champions and the first entrants into the NCAA field, Saturday was a huge day for college hoops.

In the Big East, Georgetown took a share of the regular season title with Marquette and Louisville - both winners on the day - with a stunning, 61-39 rout of Syracuse, finishing up their conference schedule at 14-4. The Hoyas, Cardinals, Golden eagles and Pitt Panthers will get first round byes in the upcoming conference tourney.

Miami captured the ACC title outright with a signature 62-49 home win over Clemson to wrap up the regular season with a 15-3 mark (24-6 overall), a game better than Duke, which hammered North Carolina, 69-53.

Miami was led by Kenny Kadji, who scored 23 points and ripped down 12 boards for his third straight double-double and seventh on the season. Kadji was 6-for-11 with four three-pointers and went 7-for-9 from the stripe.

Miami and Duke head to the ACC tournament the #1 and #2 seeds, setting up a possible finals match-up that could determine a #1 seeding in the NCAAs.

Three conferences crowned champions on Saturday, the first going to Florida Gulf Coast, as they topped Mercer, 88-75, capturing the Atlantic Sun tourney and grabbing the first automatic bid to March's Big Dance.

In an ironic twist, Belmont, last season's winner of the Atlantic Sun with a victory over Florida Gulf Coast, took down Murray State in overtime, topping the Racers in overtime, 70-68, to win the Ohio Valley Conference their first year in the league.

Harvard won the Ivy League, winning their final game against Cornell, 65-56, to post an 11-3 record, but the Crimson had to wait until later in the evening to celebrate their second straight Ivy title, when Brown upset Princeton, 80-67, leaving the Tigers at 9-4 with a game yet to play, Tuesday night against Penn at Philadelphia's Palestra.

NOTABLE: Kentucky likely salvaged their season and might have possibly earned an at-large bid with a 61-57 victory over #11 Florida, the Gators having already wrapped up the SEC regular season title. The Wildcats had dropped two straight before entering Saturday's game and a win over a ranked opponent was just the tonic needed to revitalize the program.

Creighton will play Wichita State in the Missouri Valley Conference tourney final Sunday, the Blue Jays hammering Indiana State, 64-43, while the Shockers took a 66-51 decision over Illinois State in the other semi-final.

A slew of other minor conference title are up for grabs on Sunday, and a huge game is on tap for 4:00 pm EDT at Ann Arbor, Michigan, as the #7 Wolverines host #2 Indiana. A Hoosier win would give them the Big Ten title outright, while a victory by Michigan could produce a four-way tie at the top of the conference between Michigan, Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan State.

#1 Gonzaga turned a one-point half time lead into a 66-48 win in a WCC semi-final. The Zags will meet St. Mary's for the West Coast conference tourney title and the automatic NCAA bid at 9:00 pm EDT Sunday night.

Tyler Brown Keep Illinois State Alive in Missouri Valley Tourney

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, March 8, 2013

Here come the bracket busters, the teams which can only hope to get an invitation to the NCAA Tourney by winning their conference tournaments.

With post-season tourneys already underway in eight conferences - Metro Atlantic, Sun Belt, Horizon, West Coast, Missouri Valley, Ohio Valley, Atlantic Sun and Southern - there are a number of hopefuls still in the mix.

Illinois State downed Northern Iowa, 73-65, in the quarter-finals of the Missouri Valley tournament, possibly ending the Panthers' chances of making it any further toward March Madness.

The Redbirds, 8-10 during the regular season, were led by Tyler Brown's 28 points and nine rebounds, the senior guard taking charge with 11-for-17 shooting from the field with six of eight from three-point range. The Redbirds avenged a season-ending loss to UNI just six days ago, and have the opportunity to turn the Missouri Valley into a scramble.

Illinois State faces Wichita State in the semi-final at 5:05 pm ET Saturday, the winner advancing to the final to face the winner of Creighton vs. Indiana State.

NOTABLE: The Ivy League is one conference that doesn't hold a post-season tourney, and Friday's results put the ball back in the hands of the Harvard Crimson for the NCAA invite, as they slipped past Columbia, 56-51. With Princeton losing at Yale, 71-66, Harvard only has Cornell in their path to the tourney. The Crimson host Cornell at 5:30 pm ET Saturday. A win puts them into the NCAA field unless Princeton can win on the road at Brown on Saturday and at Penn on Tuesday.

In the case that Princeton and harvard tie for the title, there will be a one-game playoff, but Harvard has already beaten the Tigers twice this season.

In the Ohio Valley, Belmont, the new kid on the block after exiting the Atlantic Sun last year after three straight conference championships, will play in the tourney final against Murray State on Saturday. The Tigers, a fixture in the NCAA tourney recently, knocked off Tennessee state, 82-73, making the final on Saturday. Murray State, the #2 seed, defeated Eastern Kentucky, 81-73.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Lead Georgia over Kentucky

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, March 7, 2013

The Kentucky Wildcats may have finally played themselves right out of the NCAA tournament, losing badly in a critical spot, at unranked Georgia, 72-62.

The Wildcats dropped their second straight game and fourth of their last seven. Beyond Thursday night's loss, they host #11 Florida as they wrap up their regular season. Kentucky is 11-6 in the SEC, but sinking fast.

From the opposite perspective, the Bulldogs have been playing better of late, winning three of their last four, their only loss a 63-62 defeat at Vanderbilt last week.

Georgia's fate may be improved or denied dependent on how they fare in their season finale, when Alabama comes calling on Saturday, and how well they perform in the SEC tourney. The Bulldogs have reached respectability with a 9-8 conference mark, but a couple of wins in the post-season would go a long way toward receiving an NCAA bid as the selection committee will be taking five - possibly six - teams from the SEC.

Georgia was led by 6'5" sophomore, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who didn't shoot very well, making just six of 19 shots from the field, including going 2-for-7 from the three-point line, but he made up for his misses at the foul line, where he was 10-for-11. He also was a major factor on the boards, where he swiped 10 rebounds, three on the offensive end. His 24-point, 10-rebound effort was Caldwell-Pope's sixth double-double of the season.

NOTABLE: When a team wins by 15 points and shoots 37%, there's a good bet that the game was a Big Ten match-up, and an even better chance that the winner was Michigan State, where toughness and defense are core principles of coach Tom Izzo's success. The #10 Spartans absolutely spanked #22 Wisconsin, 58-43, holding the Badgers to just 29% from the field and 17% (4-for-23) from beyond the arc.

The game wasn't even as close as the score indicates. after 30 minutes of play, the Badgers were still in the 20s, and only Michigan State relaxing with a huge lead made the score respectable.

Travis Taylor, Xavier End St. Louis' 11-Game Win Streak with 77-66 Victory

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Upsets were everywhere in the college hoops universe Wednesday night, as five ranked teams went down to defeat.

The biggest surprise of the evening came from Philadelphia, where the Villanova Wildcats knocked off #5 Georgetown, 67-57, ending the Hoyas' 11-game winning streak and throwing next week's Big East tourney into a condition f total chaos.

Louisville, Marquette and Georgetown are tied for the regular season lead at 13-4, with one game remaining. Georgetown faces Syracuse on Saturday to close out the season. The Wildcats improved to 10-8 in the conference and have now defeated three different Top 5 teams this season, Georgetown joining Syracuse and Louisville on the victim list.

In the Big Ten, Iowa State downed #13 Oklahoma State, 87-76; the ACC suddenly became more competitive as Georgia Tech won at #6 Miami, 71-69; and the PAC-12 saw Washington State defeat UCLA, 73-61.

But there may be no more competitive a conference than the Atlantic-10, where Xavier took out #16 St. Louis in overtime, 77-66, as 6'8" senior forward Travis Taylor pumped in 19 points and ripped down 19 rebounds in one of the top efforts of the season.

Taylor was 6-for-11 from the field and 7-for-9 from the charity stripe, getting all of his points inside, punishing the Billikens on both ends of the court. Four of his 19 boards came on the offensive end in a game that was a total war in the paint. St. Louis record 16 offensive boards to Xavier's 11, but the Billikens could only must a 30% shooting mark for the game, getting off 19 more shots than the Musketeers, who hit at a 42% rate.

The win ended an 11-game St. louis winning streak and left the Billikens tied with VCU (a 93-82 winner over Richmond) atop the A-10 standings at 12-3. Xavier, keeping alive hopes for an NCAA bid, improved to 9-6 in the conference and 17-12 overall.

The Billikens close out their regular season at home vs. LaSalle on Saturday, while #21 VCU travels to Temple for their last A-10 game.

Missouri Hammers Arkansas, 93-63, Behind 24 and 11 from Laurence Bowers

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, March 5, 2013

#11 Florida may have already wrapped up the SEC regular season title, but that has not deterred other teams chasing the Gators from getting in valuable playing time down the stretch, leading to the conference tournament.

Missouri is one of those pursuing teams that appears to be peaking at the right time, dusting Arkansas in a big way, with a 93-63 victory over the Razorbacks at Mizzou Arena Tuesday night.

Senior forward, Laurence Bowers, led the Tiger romp with 24 points and 11 rebounds, scoring the first five points of the game, helping the Mizzou to an unassailable 48-22 halftime lead.

Bowers was simply unstoppable on senior night in Columbia, knocking down 10 of 13 shots from the floor and crashing the boards hard on both ends. Four of his rebounds were on the offensive end, leading to second-chance points for the Tigers.

It was Bowers' seventh double-double of the season and second in a row. He had 23 and 10 Saturday against LSU.

The Tigers have won three straight and four of their last five. They are 11-6 in the conference with the regular season finale at Tennessee on Saturday. Florida has two games remaining and are in the lead with a 13-3 mark.

NOTABLE: Winning on the road is huge in any conference, but it is especially tough in the Big Ten, but the Ohio State Buckeyes made their trip to Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, a memorable one, keeping alive their hope of sharing the Big Ten title with a 67-58 win over the #2-ranked Hoosiers.

The result left the Big Ten race still undecided, with Indiana leading with a 13-4 mark, followed by the Buckeyes at 12-5. Both Ohio State and Indiana have just one regular season game left. Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin are all tied at 11-5, each with two more games to play, the most important being Indiana's trip to Michigan on Sunday. The race is so tight, four teams could claim a share of the crown. Michigan State hosts Wisconsin on Thursday night, the game will eliminate one of the two from title contention.

Jeff Withey Leads Kansas to Rout of Texas Tech, 79-42

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, March 4, 2013

Texas Tech got a stark reminder of what happens when Kansas gets into its offense early and their perimeter players allow seven-foot Jeff Whithey to get loose inside.

Layups and dunks are the usual results... and a lopsided, 79-42 victory for the Jayhawks.

Withey led all scorers with 22 points, making seven of eight from the field, mostly in so close to the bucket that it would have been harder to miss than make the shots, and converted eight of nine from the charity stripe, a solid showing and a big asset for a big man.

The senior center also stepped outside for one three-point attempt and it too found the bottom of the net. It was his first and only three-point shot of the season, and probably his last, keeping his perfect record from beyond the arc intact.

Withey also grabbed nine boards, falling just short of what would have been his 13th double-double of the season.

The Jayhawks shot 53% for the game, holding the Red Raiders to just 26% on 14-for-53 shooting. Texas Tech also hit just one of 15 three-point shots.

Kansas, 14-3 in Big 12 play, has just one game left on their regular season schedule. They are home against Baylor this Saturday and can capture another conference title if second place Kansas State (13-3) stumbles at home against 1-15 TCU (unlikely) or loses at Oklahoma State this Saturday. The Cowboys will be looking to overturn an earlier, 73-67, Kansas State win.