Cavs down UNC for ACC title
Kyle Guy, Devon Hall and No. 1 Virginia completed one of the most successful seasons in the storied history of ACC basketball, beating No. 12 North Carolina 71-63 in the tournament championship game Saturday night in Brooklyn to finish 20-1 against league competition.
Guy, the tournament MVP, scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half and Hall added 15 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Cavaliers, who will certainly enter the NCAA tournament as the top overall seed.
Virginia held the Tar Heels (25-10) scoreless for five minutes and took a 58-49 lead on De’Andre Hunter’s jumper with 3:32 left. UNC snapped the drought with a 3-pointer by Luke Maye, who scored 20, but Ty Jerome nailed a 3 out of a timeout to restore the nine-point lead.
’Nova super in OT: Mikal Bridges scored 25 points and hit two 3-pointers in overtime while Jalen Brunson poured in a career-high 31 points to lift No. 2 Villanova (30-4) to a 76-66 win over Providence in the Big East tournament title game.
Chalk it up: Devonte Graham piled up 18 points and 13 assists and Silvio De Sousa had 16 points and 10 rebounds in place of injured center Udoka Azubuike as No. 9 Kansas (27-7) beat No. 18 West Virginia 81-70 in the Big 12 title game in Kansas City, Mo.
Tickets punched: Deandre Ayton had 32 points on 14-for-20 shooting with 18 rebounds as No. 15 Arizona (27-7) defeated USC 75-61 for the Pac-12 title in Las Vegas. ... Troy Kell scored 28 points to lead San Diego State (22-10) to an 82-75 victory over New Mexico in the Mountain West championship in Las Vegas. ... Other teams securing bids were Marshall (Conference USA), Buffalo (MAC), Montana (Big Sky), New Mexico State (WAC), Stephen F. Austin (Southland), UMBC (America East), North Carolina Central (MEAC) and Texas Southern (SWAC).
Layups: UConn fired coach Kevin Ollie and Georgia dismissed coach Mark Fox. ... Missouri senior forward Jordan Barnett was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated early Saturday. AP