SUNDAY, MARCH 6 , 2022. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ M2 D3
College Basketball
BY GENE WANGThe Virginia men’s basketball
team’s final tuneup before this
week’s ACC tournament began
with a flourish and ended with
the Cavaliers withstanding a late
push from Louisville to log a
71-61 victory Saturday afternoon
at KFC Yum! Center.
Virginia (18-12, 12-8 ACC) end-
ed a two-game skid and swept the
regular season series against the
Cardinals behind center Kadin
Shedrick’s career-high 20 points,
including 16 in the first half, and
contributions on both ends of the
court by Reece Beekman.
The sophomore guard finished
with 15 points and made 6 of 9
shots. He sank all three of his
three-point attempts, none more
impactful than his last with 2:52
left that stretched the Cavaliers’
lead back to double figures at
69-59.
Beekman added a career-high
12 rebounds to go along with five
assists and a game-high five
steals.
“That’s quite a s tat line,” Vir-
ginia Coach Tony Bennett said of
the contender for ACC defensive
player of the year.
Shedrick, meanwhile, came off
the bench to shoot 8 f or 9 and
figured prominently in an 18-1
run over the final 6:10 of the first
half. That stretch allowed Vir-
ginia to take command en route
to locking up sixth place in the
ACC.
Leading 36-17 at halftime, the
Cavaliers survived Louisville’s
spirited comeback on senior dayin front of an enthusiastic crowd
that included legendary former
Cardinals coach Denny Crum,
who directed the program to two
national championships during
the 1980s.
The Cardinals (12-18, 6-14)
trimmed the deficit to single
digits several times in the second
half, but Virginia responded with
timely baskets, including a jump-
er from Beekman for a 64-53 lead
with 4:17 to go after Jarrod West’s
three-pointer for Louisville mo-
ments earlier.
“We didn’t buckle this time,”
said Bennett, whose team was
coming off losses to Florida State
and Duke by a combined five
points. “We stayed tough.”
Armaan Franklin chipped in 13
points and four rebounds to help
the Cavaliers reach 18 wins for an
11th consecutive season and a
dozen conference victories for afourth straight year. The junior
transfer from Indiana also sank
important foul shots in the sec-
ond half to keep Louisville at bay.
The Cavaliers shot their sec-
ond-highest percentage on three-
pointers this season, making 7 of
12 (58.3 percent), including 6 of
11 in the second half.
Sydney Curry led the Cardinals
with 24 points and 14 rebounds,
both game highs. The 6-foot-8
power forward had six offensive
rebounds, shot 9 for 13 and had
his way at times in the painted
area despite resistance from She-
drick, who finished with four
personal fouls, and starting cen-
ter Francisco Caffaro (three
fouls).
Malik Williams (10 points) was
the only other player to score in
double figures for Louisville,
which shot just 28 percent in the
first half.Here’s what else to know about
Virginia’s win:Brooklyn bracket
The Cavaliers locked up the
No. 6 in the ACC tournament that
begins Tuesday at Barclays Cen-
ter in Brooklyn. Virginia plays its
first game Wednesday night in
the quarterfinals with tip-off
scheduled for 9:30 against the
winner of Tuesday’s matchup be-
tween the Nos. 11 and 14 seeds.
With their NCAA tournament
credentials spotty at best, the
Cavaliers are seeking at least a
run to the ACC championship
game to boost their résumé that
includes a signature win against
Duke but also damaging losses to
Navy and James Madison.
Virginia has made seven
straight NCAA tournament ap-
pearances and won the national
championship in 2018-19 but is79th in the NET rankings the
NCAA tournament selection
committee uses in part to deter-
mine at-large bids.Unlucky 13
Virginia forward Jayden Gard-
ner’s streak of double-figure scor-
ing ended at 12 games. The senior
transfer from East Carolina had
six points on 3-for-12 shooting
while dealing with foul trouble in
the first half.
Gardner had averaged 20.6
points over the previous five
games, in three of which he
scored at least 21.
The last time Gardner scored
in single digits was Jan. 15, when
he finished with nine points in a
63-55 loss to visiting Wake Forest.Cavs start fast and hold o≠ Cardinals to earn No. 6 seed in ACC tournament
VIRGINIA 71,
LOUISVILLE 61ACC tournament
Virginia vs. TBD
Wednesday, 9:30 p.m., ESPN2ASSOCIATED PRESSNorth Carolina spoiled the
emotional home finale of retiring
Hall of Famer Mike Krzyz ewski,
beating archrival and fourth-
ranked Duke, 94-81, on Saturday
at Cameron Indoor Stadium in
Durham, N.C.
The day that was all about the
coach who has 1,196 career victo-
ries and five NCAA champion-
ships abruptly turned into a sea-
son-defining performance for the
Tar Heels, who played fearlessly in
an extra-rowdy arena and shot 59
percent after halftime.
By the final minutes, the Tar
Heels (23-8, 15-5 ACC) were
stretching the lead to double fig-
ures, hitting clinching free throws
and leaving the “Cameron Cra-
zies” in disbelief that Krzyzewski’s
final home game after 42 years at
the helm of Duke would end this
way.
The school held an on-court
ceremony for Krzyzewski after the
game, though the coach first
grabbed the microphone with the
loss on his mind.
“I’m sorry about this after-
noon,” he began, then waved off
cheers from the fans. “Today was
unacceptable, but the season has
been very acceptable. And the sea-
son isn’t over.”
Armando Bacot scored 23
points to lead UNC. Freshman
Paolo Banchero scored 23 points
for the Blue Devils (26-5, 16-4).
l ARIZONA 89, CALIFOR-
NIA 61: Oumar Ballo scored 16
points, Bennedict Mathurin add-
ed 13, and the second-ranked
Wildcats became the first Pac-12
team to win 18 conference games
with a rout in Tucson.
The Wildcats (28-3, 18-2) shook
off a sluggish first half to beat
Stanford on Thursday but domi-
nated the Golden Bears (12-19,
5-15) early with a 19-2 run en route
to a 1 7-point lead midway through
the first half.
l BAYLOR 75, IOWA STATE
68: James Akinjo scored 20
points, and the third-ranked Bears
clinched a s hare of the Big 12 title
with a victory over Iowa State in
Waco, Tex.
Baylor (26-5, 14-4) had never
won a B ig 12 title before claiming it
outright last season on the way to
its first national championship.
Gabe Kalscheur had 18 points
for Iowa State (20-11, 7-11), which
went from trailing 29-4 in the first
half to leading 60-58.
l AUBURN 82, SOUTH
CAROLINA 71: Freshman Jabari
Smith scored 21 points, transfer
K.D. Johnson had 18, and the No. 5
Tigers won the SEC regular season
title outright with a victory over
the Gamecocks at home.
The Tigers (27-4, 15-3) secured
the No. 1 seed for the league tour-
nament in Tampa after entering
the day one game up on No. 7
Kentucky, No. 13 Tennessee and
No. 14 Arkansas.
No tiebreakers needed, though
South Carolina (18-12, 9-9) did ral-
ly after trailing by 19 early in the
second half.
l KANSAS 70, TEXAS 63
(OT): David McCormack had 22
points and 10 rebounds and threw
down the clinching dunk in over-
time as the sixth-ranked Jayhawks
clinched the No. 1 seed in the Big
12 tournament in Lawrence, Kan.
Jalen Wilson had 17 points and
13 rebounds and Christian Braun
had 13 points and 11 boards as the
Jayhawks (25-6, 14-4) wrapped up
a share of the regular season con-
ference title.
Courtney Ramey finished with
18 points for the Longhorns (21-10,
10-8).
l KENTUCKY 71, FLORIDA
63: Oscar Tshiebwe had 27 points
and 15 rebounds for his 25th dou-
ble-double of the season, and the
seventh-ranked Wildcats (25-6,14-4) handled the Gators in
Gainesville, Fla., to secure the
No. 3 seed in the SEC tournament.
Colin Castleton led Florida (19-
12, 9-9) with 23 points and 11 re-
bounds.
l PURDUE 69, INDIANA 67:
Eric Hunter Jr. scored 17 points
and Sasha Stefanovic added 15 to
help the eighth-ranked Boiler-
makers (25-6, 14-6 Big Ten) rally
past the archrival Hoosiers in
West Lafayette, Ind.
Xavier Johnson led the Hoo-
siers (18-12, 9-11) with 18 points
and a c areer-high 12 assists.
l VILLANOVA 78, BUTLER
59: Justin Moore and the 11th-
ranked Wildcats got defensive in
their tuneup for the Big East tour-
nament.
Moore scored 16 points, Jer-
maine Samuels added 15, and Vil-
lanova (23-7, 16 -4) broke away ear-
ly to humble the Bulldogs (13-18,
6-14) in the regular season finale
for both teams in Indianapolis.
The Wildcats will be the No. 2
seed in the conference tourney.
l TENNESSEE 78, ARKAN-
SAS 74: Freshman guard Zakai
Zeigler, whose family was left
homeless by a fire in New York City
last weekend, made two key free
throws in the final seconds to help
the 13t h-ranked Volunteers (23-7,
14-4) hold off the 14th-ranked Ra-
zorbacks (24-7, 13-5) in Knoxville,
Tenn.
Tennessee, which led by 24
points in the first half, wrapped up
the No. 2 seed for the SEC tourney.
l CONNECTICUT 75, DE -
PAUL 68: Adama Sanogo scored a
game-high 26 points as the 18th-
ranked Huskies downed the Blue
Demons in their regular season
finale in Storrs, Conn.
Tyrese Martin added 19 points
and 16 rebounds for U-Conn.
(22-8, 13 -6 Big East), which held a
49-31 edge over DePaul (15-15,
6-14) on the boards.
With its win, Connecticut se-
cured the No. 3 seed in the B ig East
tournament.l MURRAY STATE 71,
MOREHEAD STATE 67: Tevin
Brown scored 23 points to propel
the 22nd-ranked Racers past the
Eagles for their 20th consecutive
win and the Ohio Valley Confer-
ence tournament championship
in Evansville, Ind.
Tournament MVP Justice Hill
added 21 points for Murray State
(30-2).
Johni Broome paced Morehead
State (23-11) with 32 points.
l LSU 80, ALABAMA 77 (OT):
Tari Eason scored 20 points and
had a key block that led to his
go-ahead dunk with 38 seconds
left in overtime, and the Tigers
(21-10, 9-9 SEC) upended the 25th-
ranked Crimson Tide (19-12, 9-9)
in Baton Rouge.Hokies stumble in finale
I n Clemson, S.C., PJ Hall scored
12 points and Alex Hemenway
added 11 to lead a b alanced offense
as Clemson (16-15, 8-12 ACC)
knocked off Virginia Tech (19-12,
11-9), 63-59, in the regular season
finale for both teams.
l FORDHAM 70, GEORGE
WASHINGTON 66: Chuba
Ohams matched his career high
with 23 points to go with 16 re-
bounds as the Rams (15-15, 8-10
Atlantic 10) edged the Colonials in
New York.
Brayon Freeman had 17 points
for GW (12-17, 8-9).
l MASSACHUSETTS 83,
GEORGE MASON 80 (OT):
Noah Fernandes scored a career-
high 28 points and Rich Kelly
scored seven of his 20 points in the
extra period as the Minutemen
(14-16, 7-11 Atlantic 10) edged the
Patriots (14-15, 7-9) at EagleBank
Arena.
l SAINT LOUIS 69, VCU 65:
Gibson Jimerson had 19 points off
the bench to lead the Billikens
(21-10, 12-6) past the Rams in St.
Louis.
VCU (21-8, 14-4) scored 12
straight points to get within one
point with 48 seconds left.MEN’S ROUNDUP
Rival UNC spoils Coach K’s farewell
NORTH CAROLINA 94,
DUKE 81JARED C. TILTON/GETTY IMAGESDuke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, who coached his final home game in front of numerous former players Saturday, is retiring after the season.
FROM NEWS SERVICES
AND STAFF REPORTSNate Johnson had 25 points as
Xavier romped past Georgetown,
97-75, on Saturday night in the
regular season finale for both
teams in Cincinnati.
Jack Nunge had 16 points and
nine rebounds for the Musketeers
(18-12, 8-11 Big East), who
snapped their five-game losing
streak. Colby Jones added 16
points, seven assists and six re-
bounds, and Adam Kunkel had 12
points and eight assists.
The 97 points were a season
best for Xavier, which also posted
a season-high 32 assists.
Dante Harris had 19 points forthe Hoyas (6-24, 0-19), whose los-
ing streak stretched to 20 games.
Collin Holloway added 17 points,
and Aminu Mohammed had 15
points and 16 rebounds.
“We’re definitely disappointed
in our season, but it is what it is,
we just have to prepare ourselves
for the Big East tournament,”
Hoyas Coach Patrick Ewing said.
“It’s a new season, and anything is
possible. You go through the
whole regular season to get to this
point. We can still salvage our-
selves with a great run in the
tournament.”
Georgetown will be the 11th
seed in the conference tourna-
ment, which begins Wednesday at
Madison Square Garden. The
Hoyas completed a stunning four-
game run to win the Big East
tournament a year ago with a rout
of Creighton, the second seed, in
the championship game.Hoyas close regular season
with 20th consecutive defeat
XAVIER 97,
GEORGETOWN 75ASSOCIATED PRESSKelsey Marshall had 18 points
and Miami pulled off its second
straight upset in the ACC tourna-
ment, beating No. 20 Notre Dame,
57-54, on Saturday in Greensboro,
N.C., to advance to the champion-
ship game for the first time.
The seventh-seeded Hurri-
canes, who beat No. 4 Louisville
on Friday, will face No. 3 North
Carolina State in the title game
Sunday.
Karla Erjavec added 10 points
for Miami, including the go-
ahead layup with 2:36 left. Desti-
ny Harden, who had 27 points and
the buzzer-beater against the Car-
dinals, was held to six points, b ut
she led Miami with seven re-
bounds — the last coming on Dara
Mabrey’s game-tying three-point
attempt with five seconds left.
Maddy Westbeld had 14 points
for third-seeded Notre Dame
(22-7).
l SOUTH CAROLINA 61,
MISSISSIPPI 51: Aliyah Boston
had her 23rd straight double-
double with 15 points and 12
rebounds as the No. 1 Gamecocks
(29-1) beat the Rebels (23-8) in the
SEC tournament semifinals in
Nashville.
A ngel Baker scored 20 points
for fourth-seeded Mississippi.
l N.C. STATE 70, VIRGINIA
TECH 55: Elissa Cunane posted
20 points and 13 rebounds to help
the No. 3 Wolfpack (28-3) pull
away from the No. 21 Hokies
(23-9) and return to the ACC
tournament title game in Greens-
boro.
Kayan Traylor had 18 points for
fifth-seeded Virginia Tech, which
was without star Elizabeth Kitley.
l CONNECTICUT 84,
GEORGETOWN 38: Paige
Bueckers scored 16 points off the
bench, and the No. 7 Huskies
(23-5) routed the Hoyas (10-19) in
the Big East tournament quarter-
finals in Uncasville, Conn.
Christyn Williams added 15
points for top-seeded U-Conn.
Mary Clougherty had 10 points to
lead ninth-seeded Georgetown.
l IOWA STATE 74, WEST
VIRGINIA 57: Emily Ryan had a
career-high 29 points as the No. 8
Cyclones (25-5, 14-4 Big 12) beat
the Mountaineers (14-14, 7-11) in
Morgantown, W.Va., to remain incontention for the Big 12 title.
A Baylor loss Sunday would
give Iowa State a share of the
crown for the first time since
2000.
l TEXAS 65, OKLAHOMA
STATE 50: Lauren Ebo scored a
career-best 17 points to help the
No. 9 Longhorns (23-6, 13-5 Big
12) beat the Cowgirls (8-19, 3-15)
for their eighth straight win in the
final regular season game at
Frank Erwin Center in Austin.
l IOWA 83, NEBRASKA 66:
Caitlin Clark scored 41 points,
and the No. 12 Hawkeyes (22-7)
pulled away from the Cornhusk-
ers (24-8) in the Big Ten tourna-
ment semifinals in Indianapolis.
Monika Czinano had 22 points
for the second-seeded Hawkeyes.
Isabelle Bourne scored 16 for the
sixth-seeded Cornhuskers.
l INDIANA 70, OHIO STATE
62: Nicole Cardaño-Hillary led a
balanced attack with 16 points
and 10 rebounds as the No. 14
Hoosiers (22-7) beat the No. 13
Buckeyes (23-6) in the Big Ten
tournament semifinals in Indian-
apolis.
Ali Patberg added 15 points for
fifth-seeded Indiana, which is try-
ing to become the first team to
win the tournament with four
straight victories. Jacy Sheldon
led top-seeded Ohio State with 22
points.
l KENTUCKY 83, TENNES-
SEE 74: Rhyne Howard scored 24
points as the seventh-seeded
Wildcats (18-11) beat the No. 18
Lady Volunteers (23-8) in the SEC
tournament semifinals in Nash-
ville.
Alexus Dye had 26 points t o
lead third-seeded Tennessee.
l KANSAS 73, OKLAHOMA
67: Aniya Thomas had 10 of her 19
points in the fourth quarter, Tai-
yanna Jackson scored 17, and the
Jayhawks (20-8, 11 -7 Big 12) blew a
13-point second-half lead but still
beat the No. 19 Sooners (23-7, 12 -6
Big 12) in Norman, Okla.
Skylar Vann had 17 points and
four steals for Oklahoma, which
will face Kansas again in the Big
12 tournament quarterfinals Fri-
day.Mids advance past Raiders
Jennifer Coleman had 29
points, nine rebounds and eight
assists to lead e ighth-seeded
Navy (9-20) to a 60-55 win over
ninth-seeded Colgate (6-24) in
the first round of the Patriot
League tournament at Alumni
Hall.WOMEN’S ROUNDUPV ictory puts Hurricanes
in their first title game
MIAMI 57,
NOTRE DAME 54