Duke’s Closing Rush Stops Heels 20-7 Run In Late Going Nets Devils Acc Title

Top 25

Top-ranked Duke won the rematch against No. 3 North Carolina with a crushing closing run that set off a wild celebration in the Durham, N.C., building known for just that.

The Blue Devils outscored North Carolina 20-7 the final 8 minutes Saturday for a 77-75 victory, a split of the season series with their archrival and another Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title.

The first time these teams met, then-No. 2 North Carolina closed the game with a 24-4 run for a 97-73 victory in the 1-vs.-2 matchup.

The Blue Devils (27-2, 15-1) fell behind big early and still were trailing 68-57 with 8:12 left. Duke scored on all but two of its last 12 possessions, while North Carolina (27-3, 13-3) managed one field goal in the same span and committed five turnovers.

(5) Utah 65, (16) New Mexico 55

Hanno Mottola scored 18 points as the fifth-ranked Utes (25-2, 12-2) downed the Lobos (21-6, 11-3) in a showdown for the Western Athletic Conference’s Mountain Division title in Salt Lake.

The victory also gave the Utes the No. 1 seed into next week’s conference tournament in Las Vegas.

(6) Connecticut 87, St. John’s 58

At Storrs, Conn., Khalid El-Amin had 29 points as the Huskies (25-4, 15-3) clinched the Big East regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament with a victory over the Red Storm (21-8, 13-5).

The Huskies, who have a five-game winning streak, convincingly avenged a 64-62 loss to the Red Storm on Jan. 19.

(7) Kentucky 69, (14) S. Carolina 57

At Columbia, S.C., Jeff Sheppard and the Wildcats made the Gamecocks pay for ruining the Wildcats’ 1997 Senior Day, ending a 22-game home winning streak.

Kentucky’s seniors (26-4, 14-2 Southeastern Conference) hadn’t lost their closing home game in 33 years until South Carolina (21-6, 11-5) went to Rupp Arena last March 2 and won 72-66.

(9) Princeton 72, Cornell 59

At Ithaca, N.Y., Steve Goodrich had 19 points and the Tigers (25-1, 13-0 Ivy League) used 3-point sharp-shooting for their 18th straight win, besting the Red Raiders (9-17, 6-8).

Princeton made 10 of 20 3-point shots.

Alabama 65, (12) Arkansas 63

At Tuscaloosa, Ala., Brian Williams scored 20 points, including a free throw with 5.9 seconds left, as the Crimson Tide (14-15, 6-10 Southeastern Conference) upset the Razorbacks (22-7, 11-5) to give fired Alabama coach David Hobbs a victory in his last regular-season game.

(13) Mississippi 74, Auburn 67

Ansu Sesay, one of three Mississippi players in their last home game, scored 24 points as the Rebels (21-5, 12-4) clinched at least a share of the Southeastern Conference West Division title with a victory over the Tigers (15-12, 7-9) at Oxford, Miss.

(15) Texas Christian 86, Rice 73

Lee Nailon scored 25 points as the Horned Frogs won their 15th consecutive game, defeating the Owls and became the first team in Western Athletic Conference history to go undefeated in conference play.

The Horned Frogs, champions of the WAC Pacific Division, improved to 26-4 overall and 14-0 in conference. The Owls dropped to 6-22, 3-11.

(17) Cincinnati 61, Saint Louis 58

D’Juan Baker made a jumper with 17 seconds left as the Bearcats (23-5, 14-2) overcame an 18-point deficit and beat the Billikens (20-9, 11-5) in Cincinnati, clinching the best regular-season record in Conference USA.

Miami 70, (19) West Virginia 66

At Miami, Kevin Norris scored seven points in the final 1:13, lifting the Hurricanes (18-8, 11-7 Big East) to a victory over the Mountaineers (22-7, 11-7), boosting Miami’s NCAA Tournament hopes.

(21) Michigan 76, Wisconsin 70

At Ann Arbor, Mich., Robert Traylor scored 26 points and Louis Bullock added 25 as the Wolverines (21-8, 11-5 Big Ten) rallied past the Badgers (11-18, 3-13) in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Michigan won its third straight to clinch the No. 4 seed in the first Big Ten tournament.

Maryland 83, (24) Temple 66

Rodney Elliott, playing the final regular-season game of his career in his hometown of Baltimore, scored 20 points and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds, leading the Terrapins (18-9) over the Owls (19-7).

Temple, which fell to 30-32 against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents, plays Massachusetts today for the Atlantic 10 East Division title.