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No. 15 Xavier 82, No. 24 Creighton 60

Back in late January, Xavier point guard Souley Boum scored a season-low two points in a loss at Creighton and was undeniably outplayed by his counterpart, Ryan Nembhard.

Boum turned it around Friday night, scoring 23 points and playing lock-down defense as No. 15 Xavier cruised into the Big East championship game with an 82-60 victory against No. 24 Creighton.

“I definitely had that memory in my mind,” Boum said. “It’s March. I know I had to show up for us to win, and I kind of took that personal.”

Coach Sean Miller’s second-seeded Musketeers (25-8) will face top-seeded and sixth-ranked Marquette (27-6) on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in a matchup of teams looking for their first Big East Tournament title.

Nembhard managed just five points on 2-for-12 shooting after nearly getting a triple-double in Creighton's Jan. 28 victory against the Musketeers.

“Souley had a lot to do with that,” Miller said. “He really gave tremendous effort on that end.”

It will be the 10th time the top two seeds square off for the Big East Tournament championship and first since 2004.

Xavier has played in the final just once since joining the conference in 2013-14, losing to Villanova in 2015.

The Musketeers seemed to have the smallest contingent of fans at The Garden on semifinal night, but they practically had the place to themselves to celebrate as the clock wound down on a decisive victory.

Jack Nunge scored 17 points for Xavier and needed a few stitches below his lip at halftime after taking a shot to the mouth. Colby Jones added 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Boum, a first-team AP all-Big East selection, made a 3-pointer from the wing with 13:55 left to increase the lead to 18, and third-seeded Creighton (21-12) couldn't get enough stops to make a run.

“Last time we played them, I didn’t do a good job,” Boum said. “(Nembhard) was able to get over the screens. I wasn’t able to get looks or make plays. This game, I made sure I did that. It worked for me and my teammates.”

Xavier shot 52% in the second half and 47% for the game.

“We really were locked in, both on defense and offense,” Miller said. “Certainly one of our, probably our best performances of the season.”

Ryan Kalkbrenner led Creighton with 18 points on 7-for-7 shooting. The rest of the Bluejays went 14 for 49 from the field.

“Really from the jump, they had us out of rhythm offensively and forced us into some uncharacteristic turnovers,” Bluejays coach Greg McDermott said.

Creighton was looking for its third straight Big East championship game appearance and fifth overall. The Bluejays have yet to win the conference tournament since joining the league in 2013-14.

Miller, in the first season of his second stint as Xavier coach, has the Musketeers in position to win their first conference tournament title since his last run at the Cincinnati school. Xavier won the Atlantic 10 Tournament in 2006.

Miller spent 12 seasons at Arizona before parting ways with the school after the 2020-21 season amid an NCAA investigation related to the FBI's case on college basketball recruiting corruption. Miller was never sanctioned by the NCAA.

After a season away from coaching, he returned to Xavier.

Miller inherited a veteran team and led it to program-high 15 Big East wins in the regular season. The former Pitt point guard never reached the Big East title game as a player.

“There is a big difference between advancing in the tournament and just playing in it,” Miller said. “As a player, that’s what I did, I played in the Big East Tournament. You’re playing for the championship. That’s more sacred ground.”

The Musketeers needed a late comeback to beat 10th-seeded DePaul in the quarterfinals Thursday. But against Creighton, Xavier led almost start to finish.

Xavier built 40-26 lead at halftime, turning 11 Creighton turnovers into 17 points.

Boum scored eight straight for the Musketeers during one stretch, with consecutive 3s upping the lead to 12.

“He just got some good looks early. Felt like he saw the ball go in early, and it grew his confidence," Nembhard said.

The Musketeers improved to 8-3 since forward Zach Freemantle, the team’s leading rebounder, went out with a season-ending left foot injury. The 6-foot-9 senior ranks third on the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game. The three losses were by a combined four points, including a 69-68 defeat at Marquette.

No. 1 Houston 60, East Carolina 46

Marcus Sasser scored 30 points and top-ranked Houston got its 30th win of the season, 60-46 over East Carolina in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.

The Cougars (30-2), a sure-bet No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, have back-to-back 30-win seasons for the first time since their Phi Slama Jama era. Houston made three consecutive Final Four appearances from 1982-84, and was national runner-up in back-to-back seasons — winning 31 games in 1982-83 and 32 the next season.

Jamal Shead added 12 points for Houston, which won despite shooting a season-low 28.1% (16 of 57) from the field. Houston plays fourth-seeded Cincinnati in the AAC semifinals Saturday.

East Carolina freshman forward Ezra Ausar had 18 points and a season-high 19 rebounds, his third double-double this season. The Pirates (16-17) had a season-low scoring total and shot 31.4% (16 of 51).

No. 2 UCLA 75, Oregon 56

Tyger Campbell scored a career-high 28 points, including all seven during a key second-half run, and UCLA beat Oregon in the Pac-12 Conference Tournament semifinals.

The Bruins (29-4) will play No. 8 Arizona in Saturday’s title game.

UCLA has won 12 straight and 26 of 28, and one more victory likely would secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Oregon (19-14) had won four in a row. The Ducks are on the NCAA bubble.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 18 points for UCLA and David Singleton had 12. Quincy Guerrier and Will Richardson each scored 10 points for Oregon.

No. 3 Kansas 71, Iowa State 58

Jalen Wilson had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Gradey Dick made a couple of crucial baskets during a second-half run that gave Kansas control, and the third-ranked Jayhawks beat Iowa State to reach the Big 12 Tournament title game.

Dick finished with 15 points for the top-seeded Jayhawks (27-6), who fell behind early in the second half before the defending champs rallied to reach Saturday night’s title game against seventh-ranked Texas or No. 22 TCU.

The Jayhawks were once again without Hall of Fame coach Bill Self, who is recovering after a hospital trip Wednesday night for what doctors with the University of Kansas Health System would only call “a standard procedure.” Longtime assistant Norm Roberts, serving as the acting coach, said Self addressed the Jayhawks remotely during breakfast and was “doing a lot better.”

Jaren Holmes had 16 points to lead the No. 5 seed Cyclones (19-13). Robert Jones finished with 11.

No. 4 Alabama 72, Mississippi State 49

Brandon Miller had 18 points and nine rebounds and Alabama never trailed in a quarterfinal victory over Mississippi State in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

The top-seeded Crimson Tide (27-5) set the pace in the first half, hitting 8 of 20 shots from long range. Charles Bediako and Noah Gurley added 11 points apiece for Alabama, and Jahvon Quinerly scored 10.

Alabama will face No. 25 Missouri in the semifinals on Saturday.

Tolu Smith led Mississippi State (21-12) with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Dashawn Davis scored 13 points.

No. 5 Purdue 70, Rutgers 65

Mason Gillis had 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting, and Purdue held off Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.

With Zach Edey drawing his usual attention inside, the top-seeded Boilermakers (27-5) got a big lift from Gillis and reserve guard David Jenkins Jr. Gillis grabbed nine rebounds. The 7-foot-4 Edey finished with 16 points and 11 boards.

Purdue will face Ohio State in the semifinals on Saturday.

Derek Simpson scored 18 points for Rutgers (19-14). Cam Spencer had 13 points, and Clifford Omoruyi finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.

No. 7 Texas 66, No. 22 TCU 60

Dylan Disu and Christian Bishop scored 15 points apiece, Tyrese Hunter made two free throws in the closing seconds, Texas held off TCU in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals.

The win wasn’t in hand until the final minutes, when Micah Peavey’s miss that would have drawn TCU within 60-58 turned into a runout. Marcus Carr converted the layup at the other end for Texas.

The second-seeded Longhorns (25-8) will play top-seeded Kansas for the championship on Saturday night.

Mike Miles had 15 points, including his third 3-pointer with just under 6 seconds left in the game, to lead the sixth-seeded Horned Frogs (21-12). Chuck O’Bannon also had 12 points for TCU.

No. 8 Arizona 78, Arizona State 59

Tautvilas Tubelis scored 17 points and No. 8 Arizona beat Arizona State in the Pac-12 Conference Tournament semifinals.

The Wildcats (27-6) get a championship rematch with No. 2 UCLA on Saturday night. Arizona beat the Bruins 84-76 last year for the title.

Arizona State (22-12) has to hope its resume is good enough to sway the committee Sunday when it assembles the 68-year NCAA Tournament field.

Arizona second-year coach Tommy Lloyd remained perfect in Las Vegas, where he is 8-0, including 7-0 at T-Mobile Arena and 5-0 in the Pac-12 Tournament.

Oumar Ballo added 14 points, 10 rebounds for the Wildcats. Cedric Henderson Jr. also scored 14 points, and Pelle Larsson had 11.

Frankie Collins and Jamiya Neal each scored 11 points for Arizona State.

No. 13 Virginia 76, Clemson 56

Jayden Gardner had 23 points and 12 rebounds and Virginia beat Clemson, sending coach Tony Bennett’s team to the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title game for the first time since 2018, when the Cavaliers won it all.

Armaan Franklin scored 16 points and Kihei Clark added 13 for the Cavaliers, who shot 50% from the field while outscoring the Tigers 40-22 in the paint.

The second-seeded Cavaliers (25-6) will meet fourth-seeded and 21st-ranked Duke in Saturday night’s championship game at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Hunter Tyson made four 3-pointers and scored 15 points, and P.J. Hall had 13 for Clemson (23-10), which is on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

No. 18 Texas A&M 67, Arkansas 61

Wade Taylor scored 18 points and Texas A&M rallied from a 13-point deficit early in the second half to beat Arkansas in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

Texas A&M (24-8) advanced for the second straight year to the semifinals, where it will face either Vanderbilt or No. 23 Kentucky on Saturday. The Aggies lost to Tennessee in the 2022 championship game.

Henry Coleman III had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Texas A&M. Dennis Dexter and Radford each added 11 points.

Nick Smith led Arkansas (20-13) with 16 points and Makhi Mitchell finished with 15.

No. 19 Indiana 70, Maryland 60

Trayce Jackson-Davis scored 24 points, Jalen Hood-Schifino added 19 points, and Indiana beat Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.

The third-seeded Hoosiers (22-10) went on a 20-2 run in the second half to wipe out a seven-point deficit and got payback for a loss at Maryland (21-12) on Jan. 31. Indiana will face No. 10 seed Penn State in the semifinals on Saturday.

Jackson-Davis had nine rebounds, seven assists and four blocks.

Hakim Hart led Maryland with 16 points.

No. 20 San Diego State 64, San Jose State 49

Keshad Johnson and Darrion Trammell each scored 15 points and San Diego State beat San Jose State in the Mountain West Conference Tournament semifinals.

The top-seeded Aztecs (26-6) advanced to the championship game for the sixth consecutive year. They will face the winner of the late semifinal between Utah State and Boise State.

The Aztecs shot 40.7% from the floor, hitting 22 of 54, including 6 of 16 from 3-point range.

Tibet Gorener scored 15 points for San Jose State (20-13).

No. 21 Duke 85, No. 14 Miami 78

Kyle Filipowski had 17 points and 11 rebounds, Jeremy Roach hit a huge 3-pointer at the 1:32 mark and Duke held off Miami in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament semifinals.

Roach’s 3 from the left wing over Isaiah Wong with the shot clock going down gave Duke a 78-71 lead that Miami couldn't overcome. The fourth-seeded Blue Devils (25-8) closed out their eighth straight win and earned their 17th trip to the title game in the past 25 tournaments. They will play No. 13 Virginia for the title on Saturday night.

This run at the league title comes in the debut run of first-year coach Jon Scheyer, who replaced retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski.

Wong had 22 points to lead the top-seeded Hurricanes (25-7), who lost starting forward Norchad Omier to an ankle injury just 66 seconds into the game. Jordan Miller added 17 points for Miami.

Vanderbilt 80, No. 23 Kentucky 73

Ezra Manjon scored 25 points and Vanderbilt rallied from an early 10-point deficit to beat Kentucky in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

Vanderbilt (20-14) followed up its first win at Rupp Arena since January 2007 last week by beating Kentucky again and advanced to Saturday’s semifinals against No. 18 Texas A&M. The Commodores also posted their first 20-win season since 2014-15.

Vanderbilt has won 10 of its last 11 and never blinked despite making only one field goal in the final 6:29. Tyrin Lawrence and Jordan Wright each had 18 points for the Commodores.

Antonio Reeves led Kentucky (21-11) with 22 points. Jacob Toppin had 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Oscar Tshiebwe had 19 points and 15 rebounds.

No. 25 Missouri 79, No. 17 Tennessee 71

Nick Honor hit a 3-pointer with 1:45 left to put Missouri ahead to stay, and the Tigers reached the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals for the first time since joining the league.

The Tigers (24-8), who joined the SEC in 2012, will play fourth-ranked Alabama on Saturday. Missouri won its fifth straight this season to snap a three-game skid in the SEC quarterfinals.

D’Moi Hodge led Missouri with 26 points, 17 in the second half. Kobe Brown added 24 points and nine rebounds, and DeAndre Gholston had 10.

Santiago Vescovi led five Vols (23-10) in double digits with 17 points. Tyreke Key had 16, Jahmai Mashack 14, Olivier Nkamhoua added 11 points and 10 rebounds and Julian Phillips 10.

Women

No. 14 Oklahoma 77, TCU 76

Skylar Vann scored 21 points, including the game-winning layup with 2.2 seconds left and Oklahoma avoided possibly the biggest upset in Big 12 Tournament history with its quarterfinal round win.

The Horned Frogs appeared poised to be the first 10th-seed to ever beat a two-seed when Lucy Ibeh scored inside with 4.8 seconds to play. But after a timeout, Taylor Robertson threw a deep inbounds pass to Vann, who was set up on the right side of the lane, and she spun to her right and went across the lane for the basket.

Robertson made 5-of-6 3-pointers and scored 17 points for the Sooners (25-5), who will face the Baylor-Iowa State winner in the semifinals on Saturday. Aubrey Joens came off the bench to score 15 points.

Ibeh had 24 points for the Horned Frogs (8-23), who went 1-17 in league playing. The game was also the last for TCU coach Raegan Pebley, who announced last week she was stepping down after nine seasons.

No. 15 Texas 60, Kansas State 42

DeYona Gaston scored 12 points and Texas dispatched Kansas State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.

The Longhorns (24-8) will face fourth-seeded Oklahoma State in a semifinal game on Saturday.

Jaelyn Glenn led the Wildcats (17-16) with 15 points. Through three quarters they were shooting 25% (9 of 35) but went 7 of 14 in the fourth with three of their four 3-pointers.

No. 25 Middle Tennessee 68, UTEP 62

Jalynn Gregory scored 22 points, Kseniya Malashka had 18 points and 14 rebounds and No. 25 Middle Tennessee beat fourth-seeded UTEP to advance to the championship game of the Conference USA Tournament.

Middle Tennessee led for 37 minutes with UTEP’s last lead at 48-47 after N’Yah Boyd scored the first five points of the fourth quarter.

Middle Tennessee will face the winner of the semifinal between Western Kentucky and University of Texas-San Antonio in Saturday's title game.

Courtney Whitson finished with 18 points for Middle Tennessee (27-4). Savannah Wheeler, who entered averaging 15.8 points per game with 28 points on Thursday, finished with one point after going 0 for 7 from the field.

Elina Arike finished with 23 points and Boyd scored 18 for UTEP (20-11).