Bubble watch: Indiana and Xavier now feeling the heat with Texas and North Carolina closing strong

Bubble watch: Indiana and Xavier now feeling the heat with Texas and North Carolina closing strong

Xavier and Indiana had chances to give their NCAA Tournament resumes a significant boost. But the Musketeers lost 89-87 to No. 25 Marquette, and Indiana fell 72-59 to No. 23 Oregon. Those aren’t bad losses by any means, but they were squandered chances. And Xavier and Indiana are very much on the bubble. Texas and North Carolina are two bubble teams whose outlooks seemed pretty precarious a couple days ago. Now they’re still alive in their conference tournaments. The Longhorns snagged a huge win over No. 14 Texas A&M, 94-89 in double overtime. The Tar Heels beat Wake Forest 68-59.… Continue Reading

North Carolina beats Wake Forest 68-59 to advance to ACC semifinals behind RJ Davis’ 23 points

North Carolina beats Wake Forest 68-59 to advance to ACC semifinals behind RJ Davis’ 23 points

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — RJ Davis had 23 points and five 3-pointers, Ven-Allen Lubin added 10 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 5 seed North Carolina beat fourth-seeded Wake Forest 68-59 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals for coach Hubert Davis’ 100th victory with the program. North Carolina (22-12), which has won eight of its last nine games, advances to play No. 1 seed Duke in the semifinals on Friday. Duke coach Jon Scheyer said it’s a “real longshot” that freshman star Cooper Flagg will be able to play because of an ankle sprain. Wake Forest (21-11) was looking to advance to its first ACC Tournament semifinals since 2006. Hunter Sallis led Wake Forest with 25 points. Tre’Von Spillers had 10 points and nine rebounds, and Efton Reid III grabbed 10 rebounds.… Continue Reading

Duke’s Cooper Flagg exits ACC quarterfinals with ankle injury, but returns to bench without a boot

Duke’s Cooper Flagg exits ACC quarterfinals with ankle injury, but returns to bench without a boot

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Duke star Cooper Flagg left his team’s Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinal game with a left ankle injury and had to be helped to the locker room. Flagg later returned to the Duke bench without a boot on his foot and walking under his own power, but is doubtful to return. The top-ranked Blue Devils were trailing 26-17 late in the first half when Flagg went up for a rebound and crashed to the floor. He hobbled back to the bench in clear distress. He was later shown in a wheelchair in the bowels of the Spectrum Center.… Continue Reading

Jae’Lyn Withers buries 7 3-pointers and North Carolina rolls past Notre Dame 76-56 in ACC Tournament

Jae’Lyn Withers buries 7 3-pointers and North Carolina rolls past Notre Dame 76-56 in ACC Tournament

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jae’Lyn Withers scored 21 points — all on 3-pointers — and Ven-Allen Lubin had 17 points and 10 rebounds in North Carolina’s 76-56 rout of Notre Dame on the second day of the ACC Tournament. North Carolina made nine of 17 3-pointers in the first half, highlighted by Withers, who made five of six. His first three 3-pointers, all in row, helped the Tar Heels build a 17-5 lead in the opening five minutes. Later, he made two more in a 12-0 run that gave the Tar Heels a 37-17 lead. North Carolina led 43-29 at halftime. The Tar Heels extended their lead to 58-38 early in the second half. The largest lead was 24 points on two occasions. North Carolina will play Wake Forest on Thursday.… Continue Reading

March Madness selection panel will have to juggle thanks to SEC overload in bracket

March Madness selection panel will have to juggle thanks to SEC overload in bracket

The NCAA selection committee will have some juggling to do before the bracket comes out Sunday to keep March Madness from looking like an extension of the Southeastern Conference’s regular season. With the league in line to place between 12 and 14 teams in the tournament, some long-held guidelines drawn to help set the matchups will have to give way. Conference rivals could face each other as early as the second round or the Sweet 16. The SEC has been led by Auburn, with Alabama, Tennessee and Florida close behind. The newly expanded conference, along with the Big Ten and Big 12, will gobble up nearly half of this year’s 68 spots in the tournament.… Continue Reading

Knueppel, Flagg help No. 2 Duke pull away late to beat rival UNC 82-69

Knueppel, Flagg help No. 2 Duke pull away late to beat rival UNC 82-69

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Freshman Kon Knueppel scored 17 points to help No. 2 Duke beat rival North Carolina 82-69 on Saturday night and clinch the outright Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title. Cooper Flagg added 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists despite first-half foul trouble for the Blue Devils. Duke is now in position to take over the No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 with top-ranked Auburn losing its last two games. Fifth-year senior RJ Davis scored 20 points in his final home game for the Tar Heels. UNC was looking for a marquee win to help its NCAA Tournament chances.… Continue Reading

NFL legend Bill Belichick is coaching practices again. Only now he’s a college rookie at UNC

NFL legend Bill Belichick is coaching practices again. Only now he’s a college rookie at UNC

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Bill Belichick is back on the practice sidelines again, though now in college at North Carolina. The 72-year-old coach who won six Super Bowls with the NFL’s New England Patriots opened spring practices at UNC this week. He also held his first news conference on campus since his introductory one after his hiring in December. Belichick told reporters that players have responded well to the new staff. That comes as Belichick and general manager Michael Lombardi have talked about building what amounts to a mini-NFL model in a college program. UNC’s spring practices run through April 12.… Continue Reading

North Carolina rolls to season-high 6th straight win, beats Virginia Tech behind season-high 15 3s

North Carolina rolls to season-high 6th straight win, beats Virginia Tech behind season-high 15 3s

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Ven-Allen Lubin collected his first double-double as a Tar Heel and Ian Jackson hit five of North Carolina’s season-high 15 3-pointers while scoring 19 points in a 91-59 victory over Virginia Tech on Tuesday night. The Tar Heels (20-11, 13-6 ACC) extended their season-high win streak to six as they prepare to end the regular season at home against No. 2 Duke on Saturday. North Carolina won 20 games in a season for the 65th time. Lubin, whose previous stops were at Notre Dame and Vanderbilt, had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Jaydon Young and Ben Burnham scored 12 points each for the Hokies.… Continue Reading

ACC, FSU, Clemson reach proposed settlement to end legal fight, change money distribution: AP source

ACC, FSU, Clemson reach proposed settlement to end legal fight, change money distribution: AP source

A person familiar with the situation says the Atlantic Coast Conference, Clemson and Florida State have reached a proposed settlement that would end their legal fight and change the league’s revenue-distribution model. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because neither the league nor the schools have publicly addressed their settlement. The proposed agreement requires approval from the league and the schools. Trustees at the two schools have scheduled meetings for Tuesday. The ACC’s Board of Directors made up of university presidents and chancellors will also have a call Tuesday on the settlement.… Continue Reading

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