Sports

Proctor, Knueppel carry No. 1 Duke past No. 13 Louisville 73-62 for 2nd ACC title in 3 years

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Tyrese Proctor scored 19 points on six 3-pointers, Kon Knueppel added 18 points and No. 1 Duke defeated 13th-ranked Louisville 73-62 on Saturday night to clinch its second Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship in three seasons under Jon Scheyer. It was Duke’s 23rd ACC title overall, the most of any team in conference history. Sion James added 15 points for Duke, which played its final two tournament games without ACC player of the year Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown due to injuries. Terrence Edwards Jr. scored 29 points on five 3s for Louisville, which was playing in its first ACC final since joining the league in 2014.… Continue Reading

Withers’ lane violation adds improbable twist to UNC’s failed comeback against No. 1 Duke in ACCs

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina graduate forward Jae’Lyn Withers committed a lane violation with 4.1 seconds left that negated a tying free throw in the Tar Heels’ loss to No. 1 Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. Withers stepped into the paint immediately before Ven-Allen Lubin made a free throw to tie the game at 72 after UNC had trailed by 24 points. The Blue Devils held on for a 74-71 win despite playing without freshman star Cooper Flagg and versatile defender Maliq Brown. The Tar Heels were hoping to strengthen their case for an NCAA bid with a win.… Continue Reading

No. 1 Duke holds off furious North Carolina rally to win 74-71, reach ACC title game without Flagg

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kon Knueppel scored 17 points and No. 1 Duke held off a furious second half rally by rival North Carolina to beat its rival for the third time this season, 74-71 on Friday night to reach the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship game. Khaman Maluach added 13 points and nine rebounds for the Blue Devils, who played without star Cooper Flagg. Duke (30-3) will play the winner of the second semifinal between No. 10 Clemson and No. 13 Louisville. After North Carolina (22-13) cut a 24-point deficit to one, Ven-Allen Lubin had two free throws with 4.1 seconds. But he missed the first and had the second made free throw waved off after teammate Jae-Lyn Withers stepped in the lane too early.… Continue Reading

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

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

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

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

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

NC State fires coach Kevin Keatts a year after improbable ACC title and Final Four run

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — N.C. State has fired men’s basketball coach Kevin Keatts. That marks an abrupt end to an eight-year tenure and comes less than a year after the Wolfpack’s improbable run to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship and the Final Four. The school announced the move Sunday, a day after the Wolfpack closed a 12-19 season.… Continue Reading

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

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