No. 2 Kansas wraps up Big 12 title

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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Publication Date: 
Sun, 2011-03-06 20:24

Robinson had 15 points and 13 rebounds, returning to form less than a month after arthroscopic surgery on the right knee he injured against Missouri at home. Morris had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Kansas, which has won 14 of the last 17 in a lopsided border series.
The Jayhawks (29-2, 14-2) committed a season-worst 24 turnovers, but dominated inside and held Missouri (22-9, 8-8) to season-worst 29.3 percent shooting. They have won 10 of 11 heading into the conference tournament.
The Tigers were 3 for 23 from 3-point range, many of them hurried attempts and several of them air balls.
Laurence Bowers had 22 points, 10 rebounds and five steals for Missouri, which entered 17-0 with an average winning margin of 22.5 points at the Mizzou Arena, but flubbed its shot for a second unbeaten home record in three seasons.
No. 3 BYU 102 Wyoming 78: In Provo, Utah, Jimmer Fredette scored 38 points and BYU closed a tumultuous week with a runaway win, clinching a share of the Mountain West title and the top seed in the conference tournament.
Charles Abouo scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half for the Cougars (28-3, 14-2), who earned their first win since Brandon Davies was kicked off the team for breaking the school’s honor code.
No. 13 North Carolina 81 No. 4 Duke 67: In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Harrison Barnes scored 18 points and North Carolina clinched the Atlantic Coast Conference title.
Kendall Marshall had 15 points and 11 assists as the Tar Heels (24-6, 14-2) ended a three-game losing streak to their fierce rival and earned the top seed in next week’s ACC tournament. North Carolina also avenged last month’s loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium in which the Tar Heels blew a 16-point lead in the first half.
No. 4 Pittsburgh 60 No. 19 Villanova 50: In Pittsburgh, Ashton Gibbs had 18 points to help Pittsburgh clinch the outright Big East title.
After Notre Dame won at Connecticut earlier Saturday, Pitt (27-4, 15-3) needed a victory to secure the No. 1 seed for the Big East tournament for the first time since 2004 and third overall. Nasir Robinson, Travon Woodall and Gilbert Brown each had nine points for the Panthers.
Iowa 67 No. 6 Purdue 65: In Iowa City, Jarryd Cole had 16 points and 10 rebounds in his final home game and Iowa stunned Purdue, clinching the Big Ten title for top-ranked Ohio State.
Bryce Cartwright and Matt Gatens each added 13 points for the Hawkeyes (11-19, 4-14), who snapped the Boilermakers’ seven-game winning streak.
Cartwright hit a floater that bounced up and in with 31 seconds left to put the Hawkeyes ahead 65-61. Purdue’s Lewis Jackson answered with a layup, but Gatens raced down the floor and hit two game-icing free throws with 6 seconds left.
No. 7 Texas 60 Baylor 54: In Waco, Texas, Texas freshman Tristan Thompson had 19 points and 13 rebounds with some spectacular putback dunks, and the Longhorns pulled out a victory at Baylor, whose NCAA tournament hopes took another big hit.
The Longhorns (25-6, 13-3 Big 12), coming off consecutive losses for the first time this season, overcame a nine-point deficit in the second half. They go into next week’s Big 12 tournament as the No. 2 seed.
No. 8 Notre Dame 70 No. 16 Connecticut 67: In Storrs, Connecticut, Ben Hansbrough scored 21 points despite fouling out with over 8 minutes left and Notre Dame held on for the win.
Kemba Walker scored 34 points for Connecticut but missed a 3-point attempt with 8 seconds left and the Huskies trailing 69-67. Donnell Beverly also fumbled away a pass just before time ran out.
No. 9 San Diego State 66 Colorado State 48: In San Diego, Kawhi Leonard had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and San Diego State beat Colorado State to share the Mountain West Conference title with BYU.
The Aztecs (29-2, 14-2) will be the No. 2 seed in the MWC tournament at Las Vegas. BYU will be No. 1 because of its two 13-point wins against the Aztecs.
Students rushed the court at the buzzer to celebrate the second conference title in coach Steve Fisher’s 12 seasons at SDSU, and the first for this group of players.
West Virginia 72 No. 11 Louisville 70: In Morgantown, W.Virginia, Truck Bryant sank two free throws with 1 second left to lift West Virginia to the win.
West Virginia (20-10, 11-7 Big East) clinched a first-round bye in the conference tournament. The Mountaineers earned their fourth consecutive 20-win season under coach Bob Huggins and the seventh straight overall.
No. 12 Syracuse 107 DePaul 59: In Syracuse, New York, Rick Jackson had 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocks for Syracuse, making sure his final game in the Carrier Dome was a memorable one.
It was the fifth straight win for Syracuse (25-6, 12-6 Big East) after a midseason swoon in which the Orange lost four straight and six of eight after an 18-0 start. Syracuse also clinched a double-bye in next week’s Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden.
No. 14 Florida 86 No. 21 Vanderbilt 76: In Nashville, Tennessee, Kenny Boynton scored 17 points, all three of Florida’s seniors reached double figures and the Gators clinched the Southeastern Conference regular-season title.
Florida (24-6, 13-3) set a school record for conference wins and earned its third outright SEC title. The Gators pulled away after a technical foul on Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings midway through the second half.
The loss knocked Vanderbilt out of position for a first-round bye in next week’s SEC tournament. The Commodores must now hope that No. 20 Kentucky beats Tennessee on Sunday to help them remain the Eastern Division’s No. 3 seed.
 

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