March 21, 2009

FSU Falls to Wisconsin in Overtime Heart-Breaker, 61-59

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - After spending all night doing the dirty work on defense, Trevon Hughes got a more glamorous role at the end: Shooter of the crazy, spinning, bank shot with the game on the line.

Otherwise known as the game-winner for Wisconsin.

Hughes' twisting shot over Florida State's outstretched arms dropped with 2 seconds left to lift the Badgers to a 61-59 victory in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday night.

It's doubtful the Badgers or Hughes will face a tougher test than what they had in Seminoles star Toney Douglas, the unheralded guard who averages 21 points and led the fifth-seeded Seminoles (25-10) to their first tournament appearance in 11 years.

Douglas finished with 26 points, not a single one of them easy, thanks to Hughes' huge defensive work.

BC Men's Basketball Loses to USC, 69-55

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Taj Gibson was a perfect 10 for Southern California, and way out of Boston College's league.

Gibson had 24 points on 10-for-10 shooting from the field, sending the 10th-seeded Trojans to a 69-55 victory over Boston College in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday night.

Dwight Lewis had 20 points and DeMar DeRozan added 18 points and nine rebounds for USC (22-12), which maintained the momentum from last week's Pac-10 tournament title and advanced to Sunday's second round against the Robert Morris-Michigan State winner in the Midwest Region.

Corey Raji led No. 7 seed Boston College (22-12) with 15 points. The Eagles made only one field goal in a dreadful stretch of nearly 13 minutes that ultimately sent them back to Beantown. Star guard Tyrese Rice went 1-for-6 from 3-point range and finished with nine points, and USC improved to 13-0 this season when holding an opponent under 60.

Cleveland State Upsets Wake Forest in NCAA Tournament

MIAMI, Fla. - Cleveland State scored the first nine points of the game and never looked back, as the 13th-seeded Vikings upset fourth-seeded Wake Forest, 84-69, on Friday evening at American Airlines Arena.

With the loss, the Demon Deacons end the season at 24-7 overall (11-5 ACC). The Vikings improve to 26-10 overall and move on to face 12th-seeded Arizona on Sunday afternoon.

James Johnson led Wake Forest with 22 points and eight rebounds. Johnson went 8-for-13 from the field, including a 4-of-5 mark from three-point range, and posted his sixth 20+ point performance in his last eight games.

Johnson also finished with four blocks as Wake Forest turned in a season-high 13 as a team.

Jeff Teague reached the 1,000-point plateau after finishing with 10 points. Teague registered his 1,000th point with a free throw at the 2:35 mark of the second half. He ends the year with exactly 1,000 points in his two-year career.