Marquette improves NCAA tourney odds
Darius Johnson-Odom scored 11 points, including 2 big 3-pointers in the final minutes, and Marquette beat No. 20 West Virginia 67-61 on Wednesday night in the second round of the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The 11th-seeded Golden Eagles (20-13) advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face third-seeded and 14th-ranked Louisville (23-8) tonight.
Marquette came into the conference tournament considered the last of the 11 Big East teams that could get a bid into the NCAA Tournament’s field of 68. It seems the wins over Providence and West Virginia seem to have made that an almost certainty.
Kevin Jones had 15 points for the Mountaineers (20-11), the defending tournament champions who went on to the Final Four.
UConn 79, Georgetown 62:
Kemba Walker scored 28 points in another stellar performance, leading No. 21 Connecticut past No. 22 Georgetown 79-62 and into the Big East quarterfinals.
Many consider Walker a favorite for national player of the year honors, yet he wasn’t even a unanimous first-team All-Big East selection — at least one opposing coach left him off his ballot. And when the conference announced its player of the year Tuesday, it was Notre Dame star Ben Hansbrough who stepped up to the microphone and accepted the award.
“I think someone took a vacation and didn’t tell us and has been gone five months. That’s one theory of mine,” replied UConn coach Jim Calhoun, when asked how Walker could be overlooked among the five best players in the league.
“Whether we have a player of the year or not,” Calhoun continued, “I think he’s the best player in the country, and that should be more important.”
St. John’s 65, Rutgers 63:
Big East commissioner John Marinatto issued a statement about 40 minutes after No. 17 St. John’s victory, admitting two errors made by the veteran officiating crew.
A wild last minute had two lead changes, 2 turnovers that were called, 2 that weren’t and 2 missed free throws finished with Justin Brownlee of St. John’s (21-10) taking a couple of extra steps, stepping out of bounds and throwing the ball into the stands while the final 1.7 seconds ticked off the clock.
Cincinnati 87, South Florida 61:
Yancy Gates (10-for-11) was nearly perfect from the field, scoring a career-high 25 points and leading 25th-ranked Cincinnati (25-7) to a rout of upstart South Florida (10-23) in the Big East tournament.
Automatic berths:
Jamal Olasewere scored 7 of his 31 points in overtime and Long Island University (27-5) earned its first NCAA Tournament bid in 14 years with an 85-82 overtime victory over two-time defending champion Robert Morris (18-14) in the Northeast Conference title game. ... Devon Beitzel scored 13 of his 27 points over the final five minutes, and Northern Colorado (21-10) are in the NCAA Tournament for the first time with a 65-60 win over Montana (21-10).