McNamara repeats heroics as Orange upset No. 1 UConn

Gerry McNamara waited one day to one-up himself.

The senior guard hit a 3-pointer with less than a second to play to give Syracuse a win over Cincinnati in the opening round of the Big East tournament Wednesday at New York.

On Thursday, his 3-pointer with 5.5 seconds left in regulation tied the game and the ninth-seeded Orange went on to beat No. 1 Connecticut 86-84 in overtime.

“I said yesterday’s shot was the best under the circumstances,” McNamara said. “I’d have to change that to today’s. We needed it.”

The win should help the Orange (21-11) end any talk about whether they deserve an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

Syracuse will meet Georgetown in today’s semifinals.

“Obviously they’re a tournament team,” Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said. “I thought they were a tournament team yesterday.”

McNamara scored 17 points and handed out 13 assists, one short of the tournament record.

“He amazes me every time I see him play,” Orange coach Jim Boeheim said of McNamara. “He has more guts than anybody I’ve ever coached.”

Boeheim apologized for using profanity in defending McNamara on Wednesday after local media reported the player was overrated. “As soon as he released it, there was never a doubt. There was nothing but net.

“I’d say it’s one of the best wins, if not the best, Syracuse has ever had.”

The loss shouldn’t affect the No. 1 seed expected to go to Connecticut (27-3), but it ended a 10-game winning streak in the Big East quarterfinals for the Huskies, the regular-season co-champions with Villanova.

(15) Pittsburgh 68, (19) West Virginia 57: Freshman Sam Young, making his first start of the season, had 14 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Panthers (23-6) over the Mountaineers (20-10). Pitt will meet Villanova in today’s semifinals.

(23) Georgetown 62, Marquette 59: Brandon Bowman went 6 for 6 from the free-throw line in the final minute to help the Hoyas (21-8) hold off the Golden Eagles (20-10).

(2) Villanova 87, Rutgers 55: Allan Ray scored 19 of his 26 points in the second half as the Wildcats (25-3) went on a decisive run and pulled away from the Scarlet Knights (18-13).

Atlantic Coast Conference

Wake Forest 78, Florida State 66: Justin Gray had 25 points and Eric Williams added 14 to help the Demon Deacons (16-15) beat the Seminoles (19-9) in opening-round play at Greensboro, N.C. Wake Forest moves on to today’s quarterfinals to play No. 25 North Carolina State.

Maryland 82, Georgia Tech 64: Nik Caner-Medley had 20 points and Mike Jones added 19 to help the Terrapins (19-11) defeat the Yellow Jackets (11-17). Maryland will play No. 11 Boston College in today’s quarterfinals.

Virginia 60, Virginia Tech 56: J.R. Reynolds scored a game-high 23 points to help the Cavaliers (15-13) hold off the Hokies (14-16). Virginia will play North Carolina in the quarterfinals.

Miami 66, Clemson 63: Denis Clemente hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 50.9 seconds left to help the Hurricanes (16-14) rally from a 13-point deficit and beat the Tigers (18-12). Miami advanced to face top-seeded and No. 3 Duke in today’s quarterfinals.

Big 10 Conference

Minnesota 59, Michigan 55: Maurice Hargrow scored 15 points and Zach Puchtel added a career-high 15 rebounds as the Golden Gophers (15-13) defeated the Wolverines (18-10) in first-round play at Indianapolis. The Golden Gophers advanced to play Iowa in today’s quarterfinals.

Michigan State 70, Purdue 58: Maurice Ager scored 20 points and redshirt freshman Goran Suton had a career-high 12 points as the Spartans (21-10) held off the Boilermakers (9-19). Michigan State will meet No. 9 Illinois in the quarterfinals.

Penn State 60, Northwestern 42: Geary Claxton had 17 points and 10 rebounds and the zone defense of the Nittany Lions (15-13) stymied the cold-shooting Wildcats (14-15). Penn State will play top-seeded and No. 7 Ohio State in the quarterfinals.

Big 12 Conference

Oklahoma State 79, Iowa State 70: Torre Johnson followed a surprising scoring surge with two rim-rocking baskets late in the second half and JamesOn Curry nailed a key shot with 1:40 left, helping the Cowboys (17-14) defeat the Cyclones (16-14) in first-round play in Dallas. The Cowboys will play No. 17 Kansas in today’s quarterfinals.

Texas Tech 73, Kansas State 65: Jarrius Jackson scored 21 points despite making only 4 of 17 shots, leading the Red Raiders (15-16) past the Wildcats (15-13) and keeping alive one of coach Bob Knight’s most disappointing seasons. Texas Tech will play No. 8 Texas in the quarterfinals.

Nebraska 71, Missouri 64: Jamel White hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:15 left and followed with a key rebound as the Cornhuskers (18-12) beat the Tigers (12-16). Nebraska will play Oklahoma in today’s quarterfinals.

Colorado 65, Baylor 61: Marcus Hall hit a 3-pointer to start a game-ending spurt that pushed the Buffaloes (20-8) past the Bears (4-13). Colorado will meet Texas A&M in the quarterfinals.

Southeast Conference

Kentucky 71, Mississippi 57: Randolph Morris scored 17 points and the Wildcats (20-11) needed a late surge to beat the Rebels (14-16) in first-round play at Nashville, Tenn. Kentucky will play Alabama in today’s quarterfinals.

Arkansas 80, Georgia 67: Jonathon Modica scored 20 points, and the Razorbacks (22-8) posted their sixth consecutive win by eliminating the Bulldogs (15-15). Arkansas will play No. 16 Florida in the second round.

Vanderbilt 76, Auburn 71: Derrick Byars hit five 3-pointers and finished with 21 points, and the Commodores (17-11) defeated the Tigers (12-16). Vanderbilt will meet LSU in the quarterfinals.

South Carolina 59, Mississippi State 44: Renaldo Balkman scored 12 points, and the Gamecocks (16-14) overcame a sluggish start to beat the Bulldogs (15-15). SC will play 14th-ranked Tennessee in the quarterfinals.