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Tournaments end, Big Dance begins
Kentucky overpowers Florida in tournament
ATLANTA — Chuck Hayes scored 23 points and the eighth-ranked Kentucky Wildcats romped to another title in the Southeastern Conference tournament, beating the Florida Gators 89-73 yesterday to make a strong case for being a top seed in the NCAA tournament.
Kentucky (26-4) dismantled the Gators (20-10) for the second time in a week, following up a 20-point win at Rupp Arena to close the regular season.
With the game less than 4 minutes old, the Wildcats grabbed their first double-digit lead at 14-4. They led by as many as 15 points in the first half before settling for a 49-37 halftime lead. Florida only got that close because Matt Walsh hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Any thoughts the Gators had of mounting a comeback were quickly eradicated when they missed their first seven shots after halftime. Kentucky started 0-of-6, then got rolling. Hayes scored with 15:38 remaining to make it 54-40, a precursor of all the easy baskets to come.
Kelena Azubuike, the least- heralded of Kentucky's starters, had another strong game especially in those early, tone-setting minutes. He had 18 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Walsh led the Gators with 17 points, but this was another disappointment in an up-and-down season. Florida still made the NCAA tournament but hardly lived up to the promise from early in the season, when the Gators climbed to No. 1 in the rankings for one week.
The Associated Press
Oklahoma State defeats Texas, wins Big 12 title
DALLAS — Surprise winners of the Big 12 regular season, the Oklahoma State Cowboys didn't let up in the conference tournament.
With three transfers and two holdovers blending into the seventh-ranked team in the nation, the Cowboys continued their combination of tenacious defense and athleticism to beat No.11 Texas 65-49 yesterday to win their first Big 12 tournament title.
Tony Allen scored 21 points and led a defense that kept the Longhorns without a field goal for nearly 14 of the final 15 minutes, turning a three-point game into a rout.
Texas was down 16 points in the opening minutes this time, but chipped away to get within 42-39 with 14:48 left on a three-point play by Jason Klotz.
Allen, the tournament MVP and the coaches' pick for conference player of the year, set the tone by holding Brandon Mouton, Texas' leading scorer, to more turnovers (four) than field goals (three). Mouton scored six points.
Klotz was the only consistent performer for the Longhorns, scoring 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Thomas was the next-leading scorer with just nine points, five from the line.
In beating Texas for a fourth straight time, Oklahoma State became the league's first winner of the regular season and conference tournament since Iowa State in 2000. The Longhorns fell to 0-2 in Big 12 title games.
The Associated Press
Illinois goes cold, falls to red-hot Wisconsin
INDIANAPOLIS — Devin Harris scored 29 points and the Wisconsin Badgers held Illinois to a season-low 32.7 percent shooting to win their first Big Ten tournament title 70-53 yesterday
Harris was 10-of-16 from the field and scored No. 10 Wisconsin's first 11 points of the second half to help snap 12th-ranked Illinois' 12-game winning streak.
Harris, the junior who was named the tournament's most outstanding player, punctuated Sunday's win with an explosive alley-oop dunk as the Wisconsin
faithful chanted "One more year! One more year!"
Both teams were shoo-ins for the NCAA tournament and were more interested in a higher seed than the automatic bid that goes to the tournament winner.
Dee Brown was Illinois' only effective offensive player. He scored 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting. His teammates were 10-for-37 from the field (27 percent).
Mike Wilkinson added 11 points and eight rebounds for Wisconsin, which led by as many as 21 points in the second half.
The Illini appeared lethargic on Sunday against Wisconsin, too often settling for jump shots that fell short. They were also outrebounded 34-27 and outscored 12-2 on fast break points.
Deron Williams added 14 points for Illinois.
Wisconsin was more balanced. Harris had nine points and Wilkinson added eight to help the Badgers take a 35-23 halftime lead.
Illinois shot 29 percent in the first half. Brown kept Illinois in the game with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting. His teammates managed just 12 points on 3-of-18 shooting.
- The Associated Press
Junior breaks record; UConn takes Big East
NEW YORK — Ben Gordon scored 23 points to lead Connecticut to its record-tying sixth Big East conference tournament title with its victory over Pittsburgh Saturday.
The junior guard was the star for the Huskies (27-6) in the first two games when center Emeka Okafor was out with back spams. Gordon struggled with his shooting in the championship game, but it was his jumper in the lane with 30 seconds left that gave Connecticut a 59-58 lead. Gordon then added two free throws with 0.5 seconds to play to cap the victory.
- The Associated Press
Gordon had 29 points in each of the first two games and set a tournament record for points with 81, two more than Allen Iverson of Georgetown had in 1996.
Stanford gets revenge defeats Washington
LOS ANGELES — Matt Lottich had 20 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Stanford defeated Washington to win its first Pac-10 tournament title and a berth to the NCAA tournament for the 10th consecutive season.
Josh Childress, the Pac-10 player of the year and tourney MVP, added 14 points and nine rebounds. Justin Davis had 13 points and Kirchofer had 11 points and eight rebounds.
A week ago, Washington (19- 11) spoiled Stanford's bid for a perfect season with a 75-62 victory in Seattle.
Nate Robinson, the 5-foot-9 guard led the Huskies with 16 points and five assists. Bobby Jones and Mike Jensen added 11 points each.
The Associated Press
Bobbitt recovers to lead Bearcats past Depaul
The 13th-ranked Bearcats (24-6) survived a tumultuous second half—a technical foul, an ejection,a wild last minute—to get their fourth tournament title. They also won a share of the regular season championship.
Bobbitt left the game after LeVar Seals hit him in the groin with 8:22 left, drawing an ejection. When he recovered from the low blow, Bobbitt returned and made a pivotal 3-pointer and a driving lay-in that clinched it. He was voted the tournament's MVP, finishing with a team-high 17 points.
The Associated Press
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