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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Florida State knocks off No. 1 North Carolina

Deividas Dulkys (4) celebrates Florida State’s upset victory in ACC semifinal.   (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press

North Carolina can start focusing on a national championship. The nation’s top-ranked team was denied a shot at its third straight Atlantic Coast Conference title.

Toney Douglas scored 27 points, including the go-ahead free throws, and No. 22 Florida State (25-8) held on for a 73-70 win over the Tar Heels (28-4) in the ACC semifinals Saturday in Atlanta.

Tyler Hansbrough had 22 points and 12 rebounds, but the reigning national player of the year lost control of the ball trying to get inside for a shot with about 20 seconds remaining and North Carolina trailing 71-70. Florida State’s Derwin Kitchen scooped it up, was fouled and hit two clutch free throws.

(4) Memphis 64, Tulsa 39: At Memphis, Tenn., Tyreke Evans scored 18 points and Robert Dozier added 18 points and 14 rebounds, leading the Tigers (31-3) past the Golden Hurricane (24-10) for their fourth straight Conference USA tournament title.

(5) Louisville 76, (18) Syracuse 66: At New York, Earl Clark had 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Cardinals (28-5) to a victory over the Orange (26-9), giving the regular-season champs their first Big East title.

Ohio State 82, (7) Michigan State 70: At Indianapolis, Evan Turner had 18 points, along with 10 rebounds and five assists, to lead the Buckeyes (22-9) past the Spartans (26-6) in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament.

(9) Duke 67, Maryland 61: At Atlanta, Jon Scheyer scored 22 points and the Blue Devils (27-6) beat the Terrapins (20-13) to reach the ACC tournament championship game.

(14) Missouri 73, Baylor 60: At Oklahoma City, DeMarre Carroll scored 20 points and the Tigers (28-6) ended Baylor’s surprising run through the Big 12 tournament, grinding down the Bears (20-14) to win the conference title.

Mississippi State 67, (20) LSU 57: At Tampa, Fla., Jarvis Varnado scored 19 points to lead the Bulldogs (22-12) into the title game of the SEC tournament with an upset of the Tigers (26-7).

(24) Purdue 66, Illinois 56: At Indianapolis, Robbie Hummel had 19 points and 12 rebounds, leading the Boilermakers (24-9) past the Illini (24-9) in the Big Ten tournament semifinals.

Utah State 72, Nevada 62: At Reno, Nev., Gary Wilkinson scored 21 points, lifting the Aggies (30-4) past the Wolf Pack (21-12) to win the Western Athletic Conference championship and earn a berth into the NCAA tournament.

Utah 52, San Diego State 50: At Las Vegas, Luke Nevill scored 10 of his 18 points in the second half and the Utes (24-9) beat the Aztecs (23-9) to win the Mountain West Conference title and secure an NCAA tournament berth.

Temple 69, Duquesne 64: At Atlantic City, N.J., Dionte Christmas scored 29 points and the Owls (22-11) beat the Dukes (21-12) for the Atlantic 10 Conference title and an NCAA tournament berth.

Akron 65, Buffalo 53: At Cleveland, Brett McKnight scored 16 points to lead the Zips (23-12) past the Bulls (21-11) to win the Mid-American Conference championship and advance to the NCAA tournament.

Morgan State 83, Norfolk State 69: At Winston-Salem, N.C., Reggie Holmes scored 20 points and the Bears (23-11) claimed their first NCAA tournament berth by beating the Spartans (13-18) in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship game.

Binghamton 61, UMBC 51: At Vestal, N.Y., Reggie Fuller had 19 points and the Bearcats (23-8) beat the Retrievers (15-17) for the America East Conference title and an NCAA tournament berth.

Alabama State 65, Jackson State 58: At Birmingham, Ala., Andrew Hayles scored 17 points to lead the Hornets (22-9) past the Tigers (18-15) in the Southwestern Athletic Conference title game and into the NCAA tournament.

Cal State Northridge 71, Pacific 66 (OT): At Anaheim, Calif., the Matadors (17-13) scored the last five points of overtime to beat the Tigers (19-12), win the Big West title game and advance to the NCAA tourney for the first time since 2001 as a member of the Big Sky.