Jayhawks Sneak Past Wildcats

Men’s Top 25

Paul Pierce and Raef LaFrentz each sank two free throws in the final 1:55 after being fouled by Manny Dies, lifting No. 3 Kansas (32-3) past Kansas State (17-11) 68-61 in the second round of the Big 12 tournament at Kansas City, Mo., on Friday.

Kansas’ two preseason All-Americans were fouled on consecutive possessions by Dies, the Wildcats’ leading scorer and rebounder who had missed three games following his arrest on alcohol charges.

(4) North Carolina 73, N. Carolina St. 46

Antawn Jamison turned away a Wolfpack (16-14) upset bid with 25 points and seven rebounds, sending the Tar Heels to victory in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament quarterfinals at Greensboro, N.C.

North Carolina State upset the Tar Heels in their last meeting.

(6) Connecticut 64, Rutgers 50

At New York, freshman Khalid El-Amin scored 21 points and the Huskies (28-4) reached the finals of the Big East tournament for the third time in four years, ending the Scarlet Knights’ (14-15) magical ride.

(7) Kentucky 82, Alabama 71

Jeff Sheppard and Nazr Mohammed keyed a late 13-4 run that enabled the defending Southeastern Conference tournament champion Wildcats (27-4) to survive a scare and defeat the Crimson Tide (15-16) in a quarterfinal at Atlanta.

(9) Purdue 76, Indiana 71

Mike Robinson had 25 points and 10 rebounds and the Boilermakers (25-6) played outstanding defense down the stretch in defeating the Hoosiers (19-11) in the most exciting game of the inaugural Big Ten tournament in Chicago.

(10) Mississippi 72, Georgia 67

Also at Atlanta, Anthony Boone converted a three-point play with 45 seconds remaining and the Rebels (22-5) defeated the Bulldogs (16-14), advancing to the semifinals of the SEC tournament, despite making only one field goal in the final nine minutes.

Minnesota 76, (12) Michigan State 73

Eric Harris scored a career-high 29 points and helped limit Mateen Cleaves to 2-for-18 shooting as the Golden Gophers (15-14) eliminated the Spartans (20-7) from the Big Ten tournament in Chicago.

(20) New Mexico 80, (13) TCU 73

At Las Vegas, Kenny Thomas scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half as the Lobos (23-6) came back to beat the Horned Frogs (27-5) in the semifinals of the Western Athletic Conference tournament.

(14) Cincinnati 100, Ala.-Birmingham 85

D’Juan Baker scored 26 points over the Blazers’ zone defense, leading the Bearcats (25-5) to victory in the Conference USA tournament semifinals at Cincinnati.

(15) South Carolina 71, Florida 60

LeRon Williams burned his old team by scoring 14 points and the Gamecocks (22-6) cruised to a victory over the Gators (14-14) in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament.

(16) Arkansas 102, Tennessee 96

Pat Bradley scored 24 points to help the Razorbacks (23-7) set a Southeastern Conference tournament scoring record in the victory over the Vols (20-8).

(17) Michigan 77, Iowa 66

Louis Bullock scored 21 points and Robert “Tractor” Traylor had 16 rebounds, leading the Wolverines (22-8) past the slumping Hawkeyes (20-10) in the quarterfinals of the inaugural Big Ten tournament in Chicago.

(18) Illinois 66, Wisconsin 61

Also at Chicago, Kevin Turner scored 24 points and sparked a late 13-2 run as the Fighting Illini (22-8) squandered an 18-point lead before rallying to defeat the Badgers (12-19) in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.

(21) Maryland 83, Georgia Tech 65

At Greensboro, N.C., Laron Profit scored nine of his 19 points over a two-minute stretch of the second half as the Terrapins (19-9) probably ended the Yellowjackets’ (17-13) NCAA tournament hopes in a quarterfinal game of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

(22) Syracuse 69, St. John’s 67 (OT)

Ryan Blackwell, who committed a turnover and missed a free throw late in regulation, hit a 15-footer jumper at the buzzer, giving the Orangemen (24-7) an overtime victory over the Red Storm (22-9) in the semifinals of the Big East tournament.

George Washington 78, (24) Temple 64

At Philadelphia, Mike King scored 19 points and J.J. Brade had 17 as the Colonials (24-7) defeated the Owls (21-8) to reach the Atlantic 10 tournament final for the first time in seven years.

Texas 65, (25) Oklahoma St. 64

Brandy Perryman’s 3-pointer with 28.9 seconds remaining lifted the 10th-seeded Longhorns (14-16) past the Cowboys (21-6) in the second round of the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City, Mo.