Duke freshman Gerald Henderson added a new chapter to the Duke-North Carolina rivalry on Sunday.
With the No. 14 Blue Devils trailing by double digits with just 14 seconds left, Henderson committed a flagrant foul on UNC star sophomore Tyler Hansbrough, breaking the forward's nose and earning an ejection. Hansbrough, who scored 26 points and pulled down 17 rebounds in the Tar Heels' 86-72 win, had to be restrained before he left the court to receive medical attention. He will play in UNC's second-round ACC tournament contest.
Henderson earned himself the everlasting antipathy of Tar Heels fans and a suspension for the first game of the ACC Tournament, in which Duke is an uncharacteristically low seventh seed, pitting it against tenth-seeded North Carolina State tomorrow. With the win, UNC clinched the No. 1 spot in the tourney and a first-round bye, edging out the Virginia Cavaliers for the top seed. Both squads had the same ACC record, but the Cavs dropped the in-season head-to-head match-up with Carolina.
In mid-major action, the Creighton Blue Jays upset No. 11 Southern Illinois to notch their sixth Missouri Valley Conference title in nine years and grab an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The tournament MVP, senior Nate Funk scored 19 points and added four assists while leading the Blue Jays to the victory, which snapped both an eight-game losing streak to the Salukis, and Southern Illinois' streak of 13-consecutive victories.
Creighton placed three players - all seniors - on the MVC All-Tournament team, where it was joined by Southern Illinois' senior guard Jamaal Tatum and junior forward Matt Shaw. Even with the loss, the Salukis' excellent computer numbers - a No. 4 RPI rating and high poll position - could net them a two- or a three-seed in the NCAA Tournament, which would make them the Missouri Valley's first top-five seeded team since Tulsa in 1984.
Who will fill the slippers of last year's NCAA Tournament Cinderella George Mason this postseason? With the Colonials' 65-59 loss to the Virginia Commonwealth Rams Monday night in the CAA title game, George Mason will almost certainly fail to earn an at-large bid to the Big Dance this season, leaving the role of tournament sleeper wide open.
George Mason had a shot to take home the CAA title and an automatic bid when it led the Rams by five with two minutes to go, but VCU sophomore guard Eric Maynor grabbed a pair of key steals and scored nine-straight points down the stretch to lead his team to victory.
The regular season champion, Virginia Commonwealth qualified for its first journey to the NCAA Tournament since the 2004 season with the win over the Colonials.
In Pac-10 play, the Washington Huskies showed some bite in toppling No. 2 UCLA 61-51 Saturday in the regular-season finale for both teams. After clinching the regular-season Pac-10 title with a 53-45 victory over No. 13 Washington State last Thursday, the Bruins had little to play for, and it showed in their lackluster effort.
Washington out-rebounded UCLA 44-29 and held the Bruins to 31 percent shooting from the field, a defensive effort made even more impressive when considering that the team entered the game dead last in the league in points allowed per game, at over 75.
Unfortunately for the Huskies, however, they still almost certainly need to win the Pac-10 Tournament to earn an NCAA bid, but they now enter the postseason with momentum in their favor after consecutive wins over UCLA and then-No. 23 USC.
No. 3 Kansas claimed the regular-season Big 12 title in impressive fashion, taking down No. 15 Texas 90-86 and withstanding another scintillating performance from Kevin Durant. The freshman phenomenon, who is leading the conference in points, rebounds and blocks per game, scored 32 points and grabbed nine boards but sprained his ankle with 11 minutes to go in the second half and was noticeably hobbled after returning to the floor.
The Jayhawks overcame a 16-point first-half deficit en route to the victory. Texas shot 57 percent from the field in the first half, connecting on mostly wide-open looks generated by the constant double-teaming of Durant. In the second half, Kansas switched to single coverage on the forward, a tactic that, combined with his injury, held the Longhorns to just 34 percent shooting in the period.
With regular season play over and conference tournament underway, bubble teams will put forward their best play in the final push towards Selection Sunday. With 27 automatic bids for tournament winners and 34 at-large bids available, anything is possible.
