Cincy stuns Syracuse to reach Big East final
NEW YORK -- Cincinnati didn't spend much time celebrating its biggest win of the season. That's because the Bearcats have one more game to go for their first Big East title.
Minutes after shooting their way to a 17-point lead and then holding on to beat No. 2 Syracuse 71-68 on Friday and advance to their first Big East tournament championship game, the Bearcats were already thinking about what could be.
"I walked in the locker room and the guys had written 'We need to win one more' on the board. I didn't even have to write it," Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said.
The fourth-seeded Bearcats (24-9) will meet seventh-seeded Louisville in today's final at Madison Square Garden. The Cardinals rolled over third-seeded and 23rd-ranked Notre Dame, 64-50.
To get there, Cincinnati ended the 11-game winning streak of the top-seeded Orange (31-2). The Bearcats did it with an incredible shooting performance over the opening 14 minutes when they took a 17-point lead, and then by holding on as Syracuse was able to get within one point in the final seconds.
"It's a huge win for our program," Cronin said. "I think what you've got to realize in college basketball is you've got to allow teams the course of the season, some teams get better."
Now a program that made headlines early in the season for a brawl against intra-city rival Xavier and sunk as low as losing at home to Presbyterian has its seventh win over a ranked team this season, the most in the country.
"No, not at first, but as the season went on, yeah," forward Yancy Gates said of thinking about playing for the conference title.
Gates was one of four Cincinnati players suspended for the December fight with Xavier. He missed six games for throwing a blindside punch in the fracas. That all seems a long time ago.
Gates and Sean Kilpatrick both had 18 points for Cincinnati, which rebounded from one of its worst 3-point efforts in the quarterfinals against Georgetown with one of its best against Syracuse. Kilpatrick made 6 of 9 from long range.
Dion Waiters scored 28 points for Syracuse, which closed within 69-68 with 5.4 seconds left when he made two free throws -- and the second one he was trying to miss. Justin Jackson was all alone when he dunked with one second left for a three-point lead, and Waiters' desperation heave from beyond midcourt was off at the buzzer.
The loss shouldn't hurt the Orange's chances of being a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but it did keep them from getting a chance to play for a sixth Big East title and first since 2006.
"Cincinnati moved the ball better than we did. ... They made eight 3s in the first half, and we didn't get anything going offensively in the first half. I was shocked we were within 12," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said.
"Then late, Dion made a couple really difficult 3s, and we got it to two and we had an opportunity, and we just couldn't make a play there. We wanted Dion to try to miss the second one, but he's such a good shooter, he couldn't do that."
Cashmere Wright and Dion Dixon both scored 11 for the Bearcats, who came into the Big East tournament with their at-large NCAA berth still up for debate. That's no longer true with the double-overtime quarterfinal win over No. 13 Georgetown and the win over Syracuse.
In the other semifinal, Peyton Siva played another near-flawless floor game, Gorgui Dieng scored 16 points and seventh-seeded Louisville (25-9) dominated third-seeded Notre Dame (22-11) to reach the Big East final for the third time in four years.
AROUND THE NATION
BIG 12
NO. 12 BAYLOR TAKES OUT NO. 3 KANSAS -- At Kansas City, Mo., Brady Heslip made two key 3-pointers down the stretch, and 12th-ranked Baylor (27-6) gained an 81-72 win over No. 3 Kansas to reach the Big 12 final. Pierre Jackson (Desert Pines) had 11 points and seven assists for the Bears.
COMBO POWERS NO. 5 MIZZOU -- At Kansas City, Mo., Phil Pressey and Kim English each scored 23 points, leading No. 5 Missouri (29-4) to an 81-67 victory over Texas (20-13) to send the Tigers to the Big 12 final. English, a 6-foot-6-inch senior, was 9-for-9 from the floor before suffering an apparent leg injury, but he quickly returned.
ATLANTIC COAST
NO. 4 TAR HEELS SWAT TERPS -- At Atlanta, No. 4 North Carolina (28-4) shook off a left wrist injury to defensive ace John Henson and pulled away for an 85-69 victory over Maryland (17-15). The Tar Heels will play N.C. State (21-11) today in an ACC semifinal.
NO. 6 DUKE A WOBBLY WINNER -- At Atlanta, Tyler Thornton had 13 points, Austin Rivers converted a clinching three-point play and No. 6 Duke (27-5) survived an ugly performance for a 60-56 victory over Virginia Tech (16-17). The Blue Devils will play No. 17 Florida State (22-9) today in an ACC semifinal. The Seminoles beat Miami, 82-71.
BIG TEN
SULLINGER KEYS NO. 7 BUCKEYES -- At Indianapolis, Jared Sullinger had a season-high 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to help No. 7 Ohio State (26-6) gain an 88-71 win over Purdue (21-12), sending the Buckeyes into today's Big Ten semifinal against No. 10 Michigan.
NO. 8 SPARTANS ROMP -- At Indianapolis, conference player of the year Draymond Green had 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead No. 8 Michigan State (25-7) to an 82-75 win over Iowa (17-16), sending the top-seeded Spartans into the Big Ten semifinal against No. 14 Wisconsin.
NO. 10 MICHIGAN PREVAILS IN OT -- At Indianapolis, Trey Burke scored a career-high 30 points to help No. 10 Michigan (24-8) rally for a 73-69 overtime victory over Minnesota (19-14). The Wolverines trailed by seven with 4:37 remaining in regulation.
WILSON FUELS NO. 14 BADGERS -- At Indianapolis, senior guard Rob Wilson made seven 3-pointers and scored a career-high 30 points off the bench to carry No. 14 Wisconsin to a 79-71 win over No. 15 Indiana (24-8). Wilson came in averaging 3.1 points. Coach Bo Ryan got his 266th win to become Wisconsin's all-time leader.
SOUTHEASTERN
NO. 1 KENTUCKY ADVANCES -- At New Orleans, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 19 points, and No. 1 Kentucky (31-1) overcame a feisty effort by Louisiana State (18-14) to gain a 60-51 victory. The Wildcats will carry a 23-game winning streak into today's SEC semifinal against No. 22 Florida (23-9), which defeated Alabama, 66-63.
ATLANTIC 10
UMASS UPSETS NO. 21 TEMPLE -- At Atlantic City, N.J., Jesse Morgan scored 21 points and Chaz Williams 20 to lead Massachusetts (22-10) to a 77-71 upset of top-seeded, 21st-ranked Temple (24-7) in an A-10 quarterfinal.
