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Top 25 capsules: Minnesota slips past Alabama in Barclays Center Classic

Alabama guard Dazon Ingram, right, goes to the basket against Minnesota center Reggie Lynch, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017, in New York. (Mary Altaffer / Associated Press)
Associated Press

Nate Mason scored 20 points to lead No. 14 Minnesota to an 89-84 victory over No. 25 Alabama, which finished the game with just three players, in the championship game of the Barclays Center Classic in New York on Saturday.

Jordan Murphy scored 19 points and and grabbed 14 rebounds for Minnesota (7-0) while Isaiah Washington added 14 and Amir Coffey finished with 12.

Collin Sexton had 40 points for the Crimson Tide while Riley Norris had 13 and Galin Smith added 10.

Only the third ever matchup between the Southeastern Conference and Big 10 programs was marred by a near brawl involving Minnesota’s Dupree McBrayer and Alabama’s Dazon Ingram in front of the Crimson Tide bench 6:21 into the second half. Just 27 seconds earlier, Minnesota’s Nate Mason and Sexton were each assessed technical fouls for talking to each other, and the Golden Gophers senior guard was ejected.

During the fracas, Alabama players Donta Hall, Alex Reese, Daniel Giddens, Avery Johnson Jr. and Herbert Jones came off the bench and were ejected. Ingram, who had four fouls at the time of the scuffle, fouled out.

Nearly 3 minutes after the McBrayer-Ingram incident, Alabama lost John Petty to a leg injury, and the Crimson Tide ended the game playing just three players.

Leading by 14 with 10:17 left, the Golden Gophers saw their lead trimmed to 83-80 on Sexton’s layup. Alabama had a chance to cut the deficit to one – or tie – after Sexton grabbed a rebound of a miss by Coffey, but he missed a mid-range right side jumper.

Coffey responded with a layup and foul to push the lead to 86-80, only to see Smith’s dunk bring the Crimson Tide within four. McBrayer knocked down two free throws with 18 seconds remaining and Michael Hurt’s free throw increased Minnesota’s lead to 89-83, before Sexton made two free throws with 1 second remaining.

(11) Miami 86, North Florida 65: Bruce Brown and Anthony Lawrence scored 14 points each to lead the Hurricanes (5-0) to a victory over the Ospreys (1-7) in Coral Gables, Florida.

Dewan Huell finished with 13 points for the Hurricanes while Ja’Quan Newton and Chris Lykes had 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Brown scored six points in a 16-2 run that helped Miami build a 17-point lead midway through the first half. Brown’s dunk with 7:04 remaining capped the surge and gave the Hurricanes a 26-9 lead.

Brown, a sophomore guard and a projected NBA first-round draft pick in 2018, shook off a 2-for-9 shooting performance in Miami’s previous game at La Salle and shot 7 of 14 from the field against North Florida. Brown finished with seven rebounds.

JT Escobar scored 16 points for the Ospreys.