March 20, 2010

Top-Seeded Duke Routs Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 73-44
Duke's confident mascot wore a piece of tape across his forehead that read: "Played In, Blown Out."

The Blue Devils didn't disappoint.

Avoiding the upset bug that has taken down several favorites in the NCAA tournament, the top-seeded Atlantic Coast Conference champions opened play in the South Regional with a dominating 73-44 victory Friday night over No. 16 seed Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Terps Top Houston, 89-77, in NCAAs
Jordan Williams set career highs with 21 points and 17 rebounds, and Maryland beat Houston 89-77 in the first round of the NCAA tournament's Midwest Regional on Friday night.

Williams carried the fourth-seeded Terrapins (24-8) into Sunday's second-round game against fifth-seeded Michigan State (25-8), a 70-67 winner over New Mexico State.

Greivis Vasquez, the ACC player of the year, said Maryland's plan was to go to Williams, his roommate.

Georgia Tech Outlasts Oklahoma State, 64-59
Gani Lawal scored 14 points, Derrick Favors came within a rebound of a double-double and the free throw-challenged Yellow Jackets scored their last 13 points at the line Friday night to hold off seventh-seeded Oklahoma State 64-59 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

It was a disappointing finish for James Anderson and the Cowboys (22-11), who never quite found their rhythm. Anderson, the nation's third-leading scorer, was just 3 of 12 for 11 points while Obi Muonelo had 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting. The Cowboys were one of the nation's best 3-point shooting teams, averaging better than 35 percent. But they were just 6 of 22 from long range, including Anderson's 0 for 6.

The 10th-seeded Yellow Jackets will play the winner of UC Santa Barbara-Ohio State on Sunday. The Buckeyes may be the No. 2 seed in the Midwest, but Georgia Tech has to like its chances. Its victory Friday moved them to 5-0 in NCAA tournament games at the Bradley Center.

Seminoles Fall To Bulldogs In First Round, 67-60
Matt Bouldin scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half to help eighth-seeded Gonzaga hang on for a 67-60 victory over No. 9 Florida State on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA tournament's West Regional.

Steven Gray scored 15 points while Robert Sacre had nine rebounds for the Bulldogs (27-6), who nearly squandered an 18-point lead.

Deividas Dulkys scored 14 points for the Seminoles (22-10), whose second-half rally ran out of gas. Dulkys banked in a 3-pointer to cut Gonzaga's lead to 59-54 with 2:21 left. Florida State had a chance to pull closer but Michael Snaer missed two free throws a minute later.

Mizzou Outlasts Clemson in NCAA First Round, 86-78
Clemson point guards Demontez Stitt and Andre Young combined for 40 points Friday, but it was not enough as Missouri took advantage of 20 turnovers by the Tigers in an 86-78 loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers out of the Big 12 had a 20-5 advantage in points off turnovers, leading to Clemson's defeat.

The Tigers got a sizzling outside shooting performance, as Clemson went 12-for-24 from three-point range for a 50 percent clip. It marked the third time in the last six games of the season that Clemson made a double-digit amount from beyond the three-point line. Stitt and Young combined to go 9-for-13 from long range, but the Tigers struggled shooting the ball in the second half (38.9 percent).

It matched a career-high for both players. Stitt went over the 20-point plateau for the third time this season, and fourth time in his career. The junior out of Matthews, NC hit 4-of-5 from three-point range, giving him a total of eight long-range shots in his three career NCAA Tournament games. He is Clemson's all-time leader with eight long-range makes in NCAA Tournament play, and is an astounding 8-of-10 (80 percent) in his career in the national tournament.

Back to ACC Home

Email this article

Printer-friendly format