Associated Press
The national roundup …
TAMPA, Fla. ó Korvotney Barber had 12 points, 10 rebounds and a huge dunk in the final minute to help Auburn beat Florida 61-58 Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament.
Frankie Sullivan had 12 points and Tay Waller and Lucas Hargrove added 11 apiece for the Tigers, who snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Gators. Auburn won for the ninth time in its last 10 games and may have secured a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Florida, meanwhile, probably will end up in the NIT for a second consecutive season after winning back-to-back national titles.
The Gators (23-10) had a shot to tie on the final possession, but Quantez Richardson blocked Erving Walker’s 3-point attempt just before the buzzer. Walker immediately broke down in tears as the Tigers celebrated at midcourt.
Mississippi State 82, South Carolina 68
Barry Stewart scored 21 points, most of them from 3-point range, and Mississippi State beat South Carolina.
Dee Bost added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs (21-12), who won their fourth straight and might have eliminated USC from the NCAA tournament.
South Carolina (21-9) has lost three of four.
Tennessee 86, Alabama 62
Tyler Smith scored 22 points and Wayne Chism added 15 to lead Tennessee to an 86-62 rout of cold-shooting Alabama.
BIG 10
INDIANAPOLIS ó Chris Allen led three Spartans in double figures with 17 points, and Michigan State (26-5) kept its hopes for a No. 1 seed alive with a victory over scrappy Minnesota in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament.
It was Michigan State’s sixth straight win, and ninth in its last 10 games.
But if the Spartans (26-5) were trying to impress the NCAA committee, well, there’s always that game today against Ohio State. They committed 16 turnovers Friday.
No. 24 Purdue Penn State 65
Robbie Hummel scored 20 points and No. 24 Purdue (23-9) beat Penn State 79-65.
Hummel made 8 of 12 shots and grabbed five rebounds. Keaton Grant made his first five 3-pointers.
Jamelle Cornley scored 20 points for Penn State (22-11), which would have given its NCAA resume a major boost with a win.
Illinois 60, Michigan 50
Mike Davis finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds, leading second-seeded Illinois past Michigan 60-50.
Davis provided a steadying influence for the Fighting Illini (24-8), who were playing without starting guard Chester Frazier because of a hand injury.
Michigan is 21-13.
Ohio St. 61, Wisconsin 57
Evan Turner scored 19 points Friday and Ohio State held Wisconsin without a field goal for the final six minutes of the Buckeyes’ 61-57 victory.
Fifth-seeded Ohio State (21-9) will play the top-seeded and seventh-ranked Spartans in the semifinals today.
No. 4-seed Wisconsin (19-12) was led by Trevon Hughes with 15 and Bohannon with 13.
ATLANTIC 10
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. ó Dionte Christmas scored 20 points and defending champion Temple held Xavier to season lows in points and field-goal percentage in the semifinals.
Xavier (25-7) will have to settle for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament Sunday. The Musketeers have lost in the semifinals for the third straight year as the top-seeded team.
Duquesne 77, Dayton 66
Aaron Jackson and Melquan Bolding scored 24 points apiece and Duquesne moved within a victory of its first NCAA tournament berth in 32 years.
Eric Evans added 12 points as the seventh-seeded Dukes (21-11) won their third straight tournament game, knocking off the third-seeded Flyers (26-7).
C-USA
MEMPHIS, Tenn. ó Robert Dozier scored 16 points and Memphis became the first NCAA Division I program to win 30 games in four consecutive seasons by beating Houston in the Conference USA semifinals.
The Tigers (30-3) had been tied with Duke for wins in a four-year span coming in and now have 134 wins over the past four seasons. Memphis has won 60 straight league games, second to Kentucky’s 64 straight SEC wins between 1945 and 1950.
Tulsa 70, UAB 67
Tulsa will get another chance at Memphis in the Conference USA championship game as Ray Reese scored 17 points.
BIG 12
OKLAHOMA CITY ó
LaceDarius Dunn hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:12 remaining and Baylor ended a 24-game losing streak against Texas, advancing to the Big 12 championship game for the first time with a 76-70 win.
No. 14 Missouri 67, Oklahoma St. 59
Zaire Taylor scored a season-high 19 points and Leo Lyons added 12 of his 15 points in the second half as No. 14 Missouri beat Oklahoma State 67-59 to move on to the Big 12 championship game.
PAC 10
LOS ANGELES ó James Harden scored 24 points, and No. 23 Arizona State topped No. 13 Washington 75-65 in the semifinals of the Pac-10 tournament after blowing a 21-point lead.
The fourth-seeded Sun Devils (24-8) beat the Huskies (25-80) for just the second time in 15 games.
PATRIOT
WASHINGTON ó It only makes sense that the team representing the nation’s capital in the NCAA tournament can play some pretty mean defense.
American (24-7) is headed to the big show for the second year in a row, after suffocating Holy Cross in a 73-57 victory Friday in the championship game of the Patriot League tournament.
Tournament MVP Garrison Carr scored 24 points.