No. 7 Syracuse ends losing streak with 74-58 win
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- C.J. Fair scored 22 points and No. 7 Syracuse closed the regular season with a 74-58 victory in the program's first trip to Florida State.
The Orange, who ended a two-game losing streak, had lost 4 of 5 after starting the season 25-0.
Jerami Grant, who had been bothered by back problems recently, had 16 points and eight rebounds while Tyler Ennis finished with 16 points for Syracuse (27-4, 14-4 Atlantic Coast Conference).
Okaro White led Florida State with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Fellow senior Ian Miller scored 16 points in his last home game while Aaron Thomas chipped in 14.
The bubble may have burst for Florida State (18-12, 9-9) which desperately needed a signature win at this point of the season to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament.
Wichita State makes it 34-0, wins Valley tourney
ST. LOUIS -- Fred VanVleet scored 22 points including several key baskets late to lead another strong ensemble effort and No. 2 Wichita State remained the nation's lone unbeaten after defeating Indiana State 83-69 on Sunday in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament final.
Tekele Cotton added 20 points -- with four 3-pointers -- and Ron Baker had 14 points for the Shockers (34-0), who got tested in the second half before putting the title game out of reach with a 13-0 run capped by two 3-pointers from VanVleet that put them up by 18 points with 5:38 to go.
Wichita State matched the NCAA record for victories to start the season held by UNLV in 1990-91 with its third consecutive convincing tournament win after going 18-0 in the conference regular season. The Shockers won their first conference tournament since 1987.
Manny Arop and Justin Gant had 18 points apiece for second-seeded Indiana State (23-10), which has one of the closer calls against Wichita State with a seven-point loss at home in early February.
Maryland stuns No. 5 Virginia 75-69 in ACC finale
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Maryland closed out its 61st and final Atlantic Coast Conference regular season in stunning fashion, outlasting No. 5 Virginia 75-69 in overtime Sunday to end the Cavaliers' 13-game winning streak.
After blowing a seemingly secure lead in the closing seconds of regulation, the Terrapins never trailed in the extra session in front of an emotional sellout crowd of 17,950 at the school's final home basketball game in a conference it joined as a charter member in 1953. When the final buzzer sounded, thousands of fans stormed the court to celebrate another unforgettable ACC memory at the expense of one of its biggest rivals.
Seth Allen scored five of his 20 points in overtime and Dez Wells finished with 18 for the Terrapins (17-14, 9-9 ACC), who will play in the Big Ten next season. Maryland had lost six in a row to Virginia, including a 61-53 decision in February that was part of the Cavaliers' school-record winning streak against ACC competition.
Anthony Gill scored 15 points and London Perrantes had 14 for Virginia (25-6, 16-2), which had already won the regular-season title and was vying to set an ACC record for most league wins during the regular season.
Nebraska beats No. 9 Wisconsin to bolster resume
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Shavon Shields and Terran Petteway scored 26 points apiece, and Nebraska beat No. 9 Wisconsin 77-68 on Sunday night to bolster its resume for an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament.
The Cornhuskers (19-11, 11-7) won for the 10th time in 12 games to clinch fourth place in the Big Ten for their highest conference finish since 1997-98. The Badgers (25-6, 12-6) had their longest conference win streak since 1940-41 end at eight games.
Shields made a couple of free throws, Ray Gallegos hit a 3 and Shields dunked in transition to start a 12-1 run that turned a 52-48 deficit into a 60-53 lead with 5 minutes left.
By the time it was over, Nebraska's student section had emptied and the party had started on the court.
Frank Kaminsky led Wisconsin with 14 points. Nigel Hayes added 12, Josh Gasser had 11 and Ben Brust finished with 10.
No. 17 Saint Louis ends 3-game losing streak
AMHERST, Mass. -- Jordair Jett scored on a driving layup with 3 seconds to play and No. 17 Saint Louis snapped a three-game losing streak with a 64-62 victory against Massachusetts on Sunday as the Billikens won the Atlantic 10 regular-season title outright for the second consecutive season.
Jett finished with 17 points, including the Billikens' last six of the game. Saint Louis (16-5, 13-3 A-10) got its final possession on a jump ball call with 36.4 seconds left. Jett dribbled out the clock near midcourt before starting in the game-winning drive.
Chaz Williams, who had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Minutemen (23-7, 10-6), had a 3-point attempt at the buzzer bounce off the rim.
Saint Louis, which started its losing skid after a school-record 19-game winning streak, didn't lead in the second half until Jett's game-winning shot.
Buckeyes score last four in 69-67 win against No. 22 MSU
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- LaQuinton Ross scored 22 points and Aaron Craft added 12, including a late free throw, to lead Ohio State past No. 22 Michigan State 69-67 on Sunday.
Keith Appling's jumper with 2 seconds left was off the mark for the Spartans, who failed to score during the final 4:30 as Ohio State scored the game's final four points.
Adreian Payne scored 23 points, Gary Harris had 12 and Denzel Valentine 11 for the Spartans (23-8, 12-6 Big Ten), who have lost seven of their past 11.
Much-maligned center Amir Williams hit a free throw with 37.2 seconds left to put Ohio State (23-8, 10-8) ahead for good. Craft then added a free throw with 20.9 seconds remaining.
Both teams were seeking some traction heading into the postseason. The Buckeyes had dropped their past two on the road to second-tier Big Ten teams.
