No. 5 Georgetown used stifling defense to close its vaunted Big East rivalry against No. 17 Syracuse with a 61-39 victory yesterday in Washington and wrap up the regular-season title.
Freshman D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Hoyas (24-5, 14-4), who will be the No. 1 seed at the Big East tournament.
Syracuse (23-8, 11-7) shot 32 percent from the field.
Duke 69, North Carolina 53
In Chapel Hill, N.C., Seth Curry hit his first seven shots during No. 3 Duke’s torrid start, helping the Blue Devils (27-4, 14-4 ACC) jump to a big lead and finish a season sweep of rival North Carolina (22-9, 12-6).
Curry finished with 20 points, while Mason Plumlee turned in his best performance in a month with 23 points and 13 rebounds. That duo provided Duke all the punch it needed to earn a season sweep of the Tar Heels.
Miami 62, Clemson 49
In Coral Gables, Fla., Kenny Kadji scored a season-high 23 points to help No. 6 Miami (24-6, 15-3) win its first outright ACC title.
Gonzaga 66, Loyola Mary. 48
In Las Vegas, Elias Harris had 21 points to lead No. 1 Gonzaga over Loyola Marymount in the WCC tournament semis.
Baylor 81, Kansas 58
In Waco, Texas, Pierre Jackson had 28 points and 10 assists as Baylor (18-13, 9-9 Big 12) kept fourth-ranked Kansas (26-5, 14-4) from the outright Big 12 regular-season title. No. 9 Kansas State (25-6, 14-4) shared the crown despite losing 76-70 to No. 13 Oklahoma State (23-7, 13-5) in Stillwater, Okla.
Kentucky 61, Florida 57
In Lexington, Ky., Julius Mays’ two free throws with 9.4 seconds remaining capped a comeback by Kentucky (21-10, 12-6 SEC) from a seven-point deficit for an upset of No. 11 Florida (24-6, 14-4) that revived its NCAA Tournament prospects.
Louisville 73, Notre Dame 57
In Louisville, Ky., Gorgui Dieng had 20 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks to help No. 8 Louisville (26-5, 14-4 Big East) beat No. 24 Notre Dame (23-8, 11-7).
GOING DANCING …
Ivy: Harvard
In Cambridge, Mass., Harvard (19-9) beat Cornell 65-56 and won its third straight league title, claiming it outright when Princeton lost at Brown.
Ohio Valley: Belmont
In Nashville, Tenn., Kerron Johnson hit a 10-foot jumper with 1.2 seconds left, and conference newcomer Belmont (26-6) beat Murray State 70-68 in overtime.
Atlantic Sun: Fla.-Gulf Coast
In Macon, Ga., second-seeded Florida Gulf Coast (24-10) claimed the first NCAA berth in school history, topping Mercer, 88-75.