After travel trouble, Michigan beats Illini 75-55 in Big Ten

By HOWARD FENDRICH
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Flying into town only a few hours before tipoff because of travel trouble a day earlier, and wearing yellow practice jerseys instead of the game uniforms that got stuck on their abandoned airplane, Michigan raced to an early double-digit lead and beat Illinois 75-55 to reach the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday.

Derrick Walton scored 19 points for No. 8 seed Michigan (21-11), which meets regular-season conference champion Purdue next.

The Wolverines were stuck wearing the simple, practice tank tops — no players' names on the back — against ninth-seeded Illinois (18-14) because their proper uniforms, along with everyone's suitcases, were trapped under the plane that slid off a runway during an aborted takeoff Wednesday, according to Michigan spokesman Kurt Svoboda.

No one was injured, Svoboda said.

Tyler Davis, a team manager, tweeted a brief video of the aftermath.

Players and coaches packed new luggage for the trip, the practice jerseys were retrieved from campus, and Michigan flew — successfully, this time — to the D.C. area on Thursday morning. The team landed at 8:45 a.m., got to the arena at around 10:35 a.m., then were playing basketball less than two hours after that.

And the Wolverines didn't miss a beat.

Michigan went up by 13 at 22-9 a little more than 8½ minutes in, when Zak Irvin collected an Illinois turnover then fed D.J. Wilson for a two-handed alley-oop slam. That Wolverines pair then leaped into each other, with Wilson knocking down Irvin, who seamlessly transitioned into a push up near midcourt.

Malcolm Hill's turnaround jumper was the game's next basket — and his only one of the first half.

Not much later, Michigan's lead had grown to a whopping 20 points at 31-11, when Irvin made a 3 from the top of the arc.

Over the next 2½ minutes, Illinois finally got into the flow of things, using a 12-0 run — the first 10 all from Tracy Abrams — to make the game competitive. By halftime, Michigan's lead was 40-29, but it again got the margin back to as many as 20 in the second half.

Irvin finished with 18 points and seven rebounds for Michigan. Illinois got 23 points from Abrams. Hill, the senior guard who leads the Illini in points, rebounds, assists and steals, wound up with four points on 1-of-8 shooting.

BIG PICTURE

Illinois: Likely looking at an NIT bid after failing to produce the kind of impressive Big Ten Tournament run that could have allowed it to sneak into the NCAA field.

Michigan: Came to the Big Ten Tournament figuring this week was about seeding for the NCAAs; knocking off Purdue would surely give the Wolverines a boost in that regard.

UP NEXT

Michigan: Faces No. 1 seed Purdue in Friday's opening game. The Wolverines already beat the Boilermarkers once this season, 82-70 on Feb. 25.

Bluiett's 17 pts in 2nd half leads Xavier past DePaul 75-64

By TOM CANAVAN
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Even when his shots were clanging off the rim in the first half, Trevon Bluiett never lost confidence, and that's a major reason Xavier still has a shot at the NCAA Tournament.

Bluiett scored all 17 of his points in the second half and Xavier posted its fourth straight 20-win season with a 75-64 victory over DePaul in the first round of the Big East Tournament on Wednesday night.

The win was the seventh-seeded Musketeers' second in five days over DePaul, and it set up a second-round game on Thursday against No. 18 Butler, the second seed.

"They want to play in the dance," Xavier coach Chris Mack said of the crucial upcoming game. "They want to continue their season. So there's a lot of pressure."

The Musketeers (20-12) seemed headed to the NCAAs a couple of weeks ago, but they went on a late six-game losing streak that put a bid in jeopardy.

Bluiett kept it alive despite missing his first eight shots.

"When that happens, still be aggressive but find better shots, easier shots," said Bluiett, who finished 5 of 17 from the field. "Maybe start inside and work my way out and kind of get lost into the game. Just take what the defense gives me."

Bluiett, who missed all seven of his first-half shots and his first of the second half, finally got going with a 3-pointer with 17:35 to play. It gave Xavier a 38-36 lead that it never lost and ignited a 17-7 run that opened a 52-43 lead with 12:58 to play.

"The coaches voted him first team all-Big East for a reason, because he has the ability to score the basketball," DePaul coach Dave Leitao said of Bluiett. "What he is is a really good shooter and today he was a really good player. He only made one 3, but it was his ability to drive, his ability to rebound and his ability to pass, he had four assists, played a bigger part in the game than the ball going in the basket."

JP Macura had 13 points and six assists and Quentin Goodin added 13 points for Xavier.

Billy Garrett Jr. had 16 points to lead No. 10 seed DePaul (9-23), losers of 11 of their last 12. Eli Cain added 15 and Tre'Darius McCallum had 12 points and 11 rebounds.

The game was Garrett's last at DePaul, and he said from a wins and losses standpoint his four years have not been ideal.

"I met a lot of great people and I learned a lot of lessons," Garrett said. "I come away a lot stronger person. It was a positive experience."

Xavier, which was playing in the opening round for the first time in its four seasons in the Big East, led by as many as 14 points and was never threatened.

BIG PICTURE

DePaul: The Blue Demons now have been eliminated in the first round in seven of the last eight Big East Tournaments.

Xavier: The Musketeers needed a big second half to beat the Blue Demons.

UP NEXT

DePaul: The season is over.

Xavier: Will face No. 2 seed Butler in second round game on Thursday night.

USC tops Washington in Pac-12 tourney, boosts NCAA hopes

By MIKE CRANSTON
Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Southern California's quest to reach the NCAA Tournament likely couldn't survive a loss to one of the Pac-12's worst teams.

The Trojans prevailed, and while it was a struggle, coach Andy Enfield believes they've now done enough to earn a bid.

Chimezie Metu had 24 points and nine rebounds, and USC withstood a poor start and sloppy finish to hold off Washington 78-73 on Wednesday night in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament.

Bennie Boatwright added 13 points for the sixth-seeded Trojans, who rallied from 10 points down in the first half and then nearly blew a 14-point lead before securing a spot in Thursday's quarterfinals against No. 3 UCLA.

"Our RPI is in the high 30s and we're 24-8, so we feel like we're in pretty good shape for the NCAA Tournament," Enfield said.

David Crisp had 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Huskies (9-22) but missed a game-tying 3-point attempt in the closing seconds. Noah Dickerson scored 18 points, but Washington was undone by 10 second-half turnovers in its school-record 13th straight loss.

Washington, holding an RPI of 202 entering the day, played without potential No. 1 NBA draft pick Markelle Fultz for a fourth straight game. The Pac-12 top scorer sat out with a sore knee, meaning the freshman's college career is likely over.

The question now is whether coach Lorenzo Romar will return. He said a report that indicated it had been decided he will be retained was false.

"I have not received any indications from the administration one way or another," Romar said. "It's an evaluation process going on right now."

Washington tied a school record for losses in a season, but the Trojans still struggled for much of the night. USC didn't put it away until Shaqquan Aaron hit two free throws with 3 seconds left.

Aaron had missed two free throws with 21 seconds remaining and De'Anthony Melton missed one with 34 seconds to go.

"When you miss two or three or four free throws at the end of the game, you give yourself a chance to lose," Enfield said. "We didn't lose tonight, but you saw in the NCAA Tournament last year we couldn't make free throws."

Washington came out hot in the teams' second meeting in five days, with Matisse Thybulle (14 points) hitting three straight 3-pointers to put the 11th-seeded Huskies up 37-27.

But USC switching to a zone and Metu's play inside fueled a 10-2 run to close the half. The Trojans took their first lead early in the second half on consecutive dunks by Metu.

Things unraveled for the Huskies from there. Malik Dime had to leave briefly with an apparent finger injury after blocking a shot. Then a foul and ensuing technical foul on Carlos Johnson led to Boatwright hitting four straight free throws and USC soon led by 14.

But late miscues led to some tense moments before Crisp's straightaway 3 clanged off the rim.

"It's on us as players," guard Jordan McLaughlin said of USC's inconsistency. "The coaches do a good job getting us ready for the game. Defensive strategy and everything, they set it up perfectly, and it's on us to come and play with energy."

BIG PICTURE

Washington: Romar did sign Michael Porter Jr., the No. 1 player in the 2017 recruiting class, which could help him avoid getting fired.

USC: Thanks to a recent four-game losing streak and only two wins over AP Top 25 teams (UCLA, No. 12 SMU), falling to the downtrodden Huskies might have extinguished the Trojans' NCAA Tournament hopes.

FULTZ'S LAST SHOT

Maybe Fultz should have tried to play while sitting on the bench. The freshman posted a video on his Twitter account from the shootaround in which he made a shot from the first row of the stands behind the basket.

UP NEXT

Washington: Romar, the Pac-12's longest-tenured coach, hopes to return for a 16th season. "I think that our administration is very supportive," he said.

USC: The Trojans split two games with UCLA, but the last meeting was ugly. The Bruins rolled at home, 102-70 on Feb. 18, and are hoping to secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

March Madness Daily Preview (March 7, 2017)

Good morning once again Madness fans!

We'll be witnessing must-wins today for Clemson & Georgia Tech in Brooklyn if they want a shot at getting an at-large.

Wake Forest also gets going today. A win today puts them into the Tournament. They could still get in w/a loss, but it could be tight.

Milwaukee won their game last night, so we'll be having a Milwaukee/Northern Kentucky Horizon Final.

And Milwaukee, who went 4-14 in conference play and 10-23 overall, is one win away from the NCAA Tournament. It's March, Baby.

UNCW DESERVES NOTICE

I think we need to take a moment to realize what UNCW did last night. They beat a really good Charleston team IN Charleston for the CAA.

NO ONE will want to see UNC-Wilmington in a 5/12 or 6/11 matchup. No one.

REMEMBER THE NAME

Good stuff last night from ETSU & UNCG. Remember the name T.J. Cromer of ETSU. He could single handedly wreck your bracket next week.

Bracketology - Edition XIII

With Power Five Conference Tournaments beginning this week, this bracket could literally be changing drastically from hour to hour, minute to minute. Tonight, Gonzaga takes on St. Mary's for the third time this season in the WCC Final. If Gonzaga wins, they more than likely wrap up a number one seed. If St. Mary's wins, the door opens up for someone else to grab a one seed. The ACC Tournament also begins today with Clemson battling North Carolina State and Georgia Tech clashing with Pittsburgh. It's must win games for both Clemson and Georgia Tech if they want to have a shot at seeing their name in the field of 68 come Sunday.

East Regional
#1 Villanova vs. #16 North Carolina Central/#16 Mount St. Mary's
#8 Maryland vs. #9 Miami
#5 Notre Dame vs. #12 Vermont
#4 West Virginia vs. #13 Princeton
#6 St. Mary's vs. #11 Syracuse
#3 Florida vs. #14 Florida Gulf Coast*
#7 Oklahoma State vs. #10 Michigan State
#2 North Carolina vs. #15 Iona*
West Regional
#1 Gonzaga vs. #16 New Orleans
#8 Wichita State* vs. #9 Virginia Commonwealth
#5 Florida State vs. #12 Nevada
#4 Southern Methodist vs. #13 UT-Arlington
#6 Minnesota vs. #11 Xavier/#11 Wake Forest
#3 Baylor vs. #14 Cal State Bakersfield
#7 South Carolina vs. #10 Seton Hall
#2 Arizona vs. #15 Omaha
Mid-West Regional
#1 Kansas vs. #16 Texas Southern/#16 UC Irvine
#8 Arkansas vs. #9 Michigan
#5 Virginia vs. #12 North Carolina-Wilmington*
#4 Purdue vs. #13 Akron
#6 Iowa State vs. #11 Marquette
#3 Louisville vs. #14 Bucknell
#7 Creighton vs. #10 Middle Tennessee
#2 UCLA vs. #15 North Dakota
South Regional
#1 Oregon vs. #16 Jacksonville State*
#8 Dayton vs. #9 Northwestern
#5 Cincinnati vs. #12 Vanderbilt/#12 Kansas State
#4 Duke vs. #13 East Tennessee State*
#6 Wisconsin vs. #11 Providence
#3 Butler vs. #14 Winthrop*
#7 Virginia Tech vs. #10 Southern California
#2 Kentucky vs. #15 Northern Kentucky

Bubble:
Last Four Byes: Southern California, Syracuse, Providence, Marquette
Last Four In: Wake Forest, Xavier, Vanderbilt, Kansas State
First Four Out: Rhode Island, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Illinois State
Next Four Out: Clemson, Central Florida, California, Houston

New AP Top 25 for NCAAM

Released March 6, 2017

1 Kansas
2 Villanova
3 UCLA
4 Gonzaga
5 Oregon
6 North Carolina
7 Arizona
8 Kentucky
9 Baylor
10 Louisville
11 West Virginia
12 SMU
13 Purdue
14 Duke
15 Cincinnatii
16 Florida State
17 Florida
18 Butler
19 Saint Mary's (Cal.)
20 Wichita State
21 Virginia
22 Notre Dame
23 Iowa State
24 Wisconsin
25 Maryland

Bracketology - Edition XII

Last night the bubble was completely popped for Tennessee while Xavier and TCU begin to feel more and more nervous after losses a night ago. Meanwhile, Northwestern locked up their very first Tournament birth with an amazing, buzzer beating win over Michigan. Wake Forest recorded the quality win they very much needed as they knocked off #8 Louisville in Winston-Salem. Oh yeah, it's finally March! Let the madness begin!

East Regional
#1 Villanova vs. #16 Texas Southern/#16 Mount St. Mary's
#8 Dayton vs. #9 Maryland
#5 Notre Dame vs. #12 Monmouth
#4 West Virginia vs. #13 Vermont
#6 Wisconsin vs. #11 Kansas State/#11 Xavier
#3 Florida vs. #14 Florida Gulf Coast
#7 Oklahoma State vs. #10 Southern California
#2 North Carolina vs. #15 North Carolina-Asheville
West Regional
#1 Gonzaga vs. #16 North Dakota
#8 Northwestern vs. #9 Arkansas
#5 Florida State vs. #12 Nevada
#4 Southern Methodist vs. #13 Texas-Arlington
#6 Minnesota vs. #11 Syracuse
#3 Baylor vs. #14 Cal State Bakersfield
#7 Creighton vs. #10 Michigan State
#2 UCLA vs. #15 Princeton
Mid-West Regional
#1 Kansas vs. #16 North Carolina Central/#16 UC Davis
#8 Wichita State vs. #9 Virginia Commonwealth
#5 Virginia vs. #12 North Carolina-Wilmington
#4 Purdue vs. #13 Valparaiso
#6 St. Mary's vs. #11 Marquette
#3 Louisville vs. #14 Akron
#7 South Carolina vs. #10 Seton Hall
#2 Arizona vs. #15 South Dakota
South Regional
#1 Oregon vs. #16 New Orleans
#8 Miami vs. #9 Michigan
#5 Cincinnati vs. #12 California/#12 Wake Forest
#4 Duke vs. #13 Belmont
#6 Iowa State vs. #11 Providence
#3 Butler vs. #14 East Tennessee State
#7 Virginia Tech vs. #10 Middle Tennessee
#2 Kentucky vs. #15 Bucknell

Bubble:
Last Four Byes: Seton Hall, Syracuse, Providence, Marquette
Last Four In: Kansas State, Xavier, California, Wake Forest
First Four Out: Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Illinois State, Houston
Next Four Out: Illinois, Texas Tech, TCU, Iowa State
Following Four Out: Central Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Clemson