(USA TODAY Sports) Zion Williamson led Duke past North Carolina on Friday night with a clutch last-minute basket. Florida State upset Virginia to earn a spot against Duke tonight while Rhode Island stole an at-large bid with an upset against VCU. In the NBA, the Bucks overcame a massive deficit at halftime to clinch a historic victory over the Heat while the Clippers rallied to beat the Bulls at home to keep up their winning ways. Here’s a recap of last night’s action and a look ahead to Saturday’s action on the hardwood.
Duke Edges UNC In Another Classic
Those doubting Zion’s intentions after a shoe-exploding knee injury will need to reevaluate their stance. The freshman sensation led Duke — favored by 3 points — to a 74-73 victory en route to another ACC Championship game. North Carolina backers cash on the spread but the moneyline goes to Duke at about -145. Williamson’s 31 points and 11 rebounds left NBA tanking franchises salivating for the first pick in the NBA Draft.
With under 40 seconds remaining in the game and Duke in need of a bucket, Zion entered the paint in dominating fashion almost daring Carolina players to stop him. The game-deciding bucket was two of the 50 Duke points in the paint last night — the most allowed by UNC in the last eight years.
Cameron Johnson — 23 points — missed a step-back three-pointer after the Williamson tip-in to send a fouled R.J. Barrett to the line for two free throws. Barrett kept UNC hopes alive with two misses but Carolina could not convert with time expiring. Luke Maye posted a 14-13 double-double in the loss. Carolina will wait patiently for the committee’s seeding decision on Selection Sunday.
Duke moves on to the ACC Championship to face Florida State after the Seminoles upset tournament No. 1 seed Virginia on Friday night. Florida State helped bettors cash in +8.5 tickets with a convincing ten-point victory against the Cavaliers. David Nichols scored 14 points for the Noles while Phil Cofer added 11 and center Christ Koumadje added a near double-double with 9 and 9. Saturday night’s championship appearance will be the first for Florida State since 2012.
The Virginia Cavaliers seemed to be hoaxed in Charlotte losing on the same floor as the historic loss to 16th-seeded Maryland-Baltimore County in last year’s NCAA tournament. De’Andre Hunter contributed 13 points in the loss.
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SEC Semi-Finals
With a second left in the game, Andrew Nembhard hit a 3-pointer to clinch a Florida upset over top-seed LSU on Friday night. Florida rallied from 13 points behind in the second half to sew up a spot in the semi-finals this afternoon against Auburn.
Auburn, led by 27 points from Jared Harper, defeated South Carolina to join Florida in the first SEC semi-final on Saturday. Auburn, currently a three-point favorite to move on the finals, entered the second half tied until Harper went off for 19 of his 27 points. The Tigers won the SEC Tournament in 1985 and have not appeared in the championship game since 2000.
Expect points and threes in the semi-final clash with a 134.5 O/U. The Tigers set an SEC record for the most three-point attempts — 949 in 33 games for a 28.8 per game average. Auburn defeated Florida in the teams’ last meeting on February 5, marking the first time the Tigers toppled the Gators at home since 1999.
On the other side of the SEC bracket, Kentucky meets Tennessee for a rubber match with a championship spot on the line. Both teams tied for second in the conference behind LSU with 15-3 conference records and both won their respective home matchup against the other.
Tyler Herro scored 20 points as the Kentucky Wildcats manhandled Alabama 73-55 on Friday night. The Wildcats were able to cover the 12.5 number by holding Alabama to a season-low 30.4 shooting percentage. Kira Lewis Jr. — averaging 13.9 points per game — was only able to score three points while junior Tevin Mack went scoreless. The Wildcats are now the top seed left in the tournament at No. 2 and look to win a fifth straight SEC title.
Third-seeded Tennessee advanced to face Kentucky in the semi-final by defeating Mississippi State 83-76, covering a 5.5 spread. Admiral Schofield scored 20 points to help send the Vols to a rubber match with Kentucky. The third matchup of the season, now on a neutral court, might be the most meaningful with an SEC championship spot and potential NCAA No. 1 seed up for grabs. Kentucky is currently a 1.5-point favorite on FanDuel Sportsbook.
The semi-final matchup is a rematch of last year’s conference championship game. Kentucky won 77-72 to capture its fourth straight title and looks to improve upon that number by Sunday. A victory for the Volunteers would put them in position to potentially win their first SEC championship since 1979 and potentially garner their first NCAA No. 1 seed in school history.
Tournament Whiparound
The Seton Hall Pirates upset 4.5-point favorites Marquette 81-79 in an ugly foul-riddled Big East semi-final matchup. The victory for the Pirates propels them to a Saturday title game versus defending NCAA champion Villanova who needed overtime to defeat Xavier. The victory versus Marquette likely solidifies Seton Hall’s bid for the NCAA tournament.
Rhode Island upset VCU 75-70 behind 22 points from Jeff Dowtin. Rhode Island has eliminated VCU from the A-10 tournament three years in a row and probably eliminate an at-large bid from bubble teams in the process. VCU will likely get in with an at-large bid as the conference championship with the tournament victor gaining a bid as well. Rhode Island is currently a 2.5-point underdog in their matchup today versus St. Bonaventure in the semi-finals of the A-10 tournament.
Michigan State meets Wisconsin in a Big 10 semi-final matchup. A 5.5 favorite, the Spartans looks to complete the season sweep over the Badgers after an eight-point win in the mid-February matchup of the teams. Michigan State defeated Ohio State 77-70 while Wisconsin edged Nebraska 66-62 to set up the third matchup between the two teams.
Warriors Travel to Oklahoma City
Over in the NBA, the Saturday spotlight matchup takes place in Oklahoma City as the Thunder welcome the Warriors, with Golden State a 1-point road favorite as of this writing (O/U 228.5). The Warriors will likely be without star Kevin Durant after an ankle injury suffered in a stunning loss to the Suns last Sunday.
Despite the loss of Durant, the Warriors were able to defeat the Rockets 106-104 on Wednesday with big games from Curry, Thompson, and newer star DeMarcus Cousins. Thompson led scoring with 30 points as the Warriors defeated the four-point home favorites.
On Thursday, the Thunder blew a lead to lose on the road to Indiana 108-106. The Pacers overcame an 18-point deficit to cover as 1.5-point home favorites. Notwithstanding the loss, Russell Westbrook posted a triple-double and Paul George showed signs of life with 36 points. George seems to be coping with a shoulder injury but should be ready for the Saturday matchup.
The Thunder clobbered the Warriors 123-95 in their last matchup in Golden State on November 21. That said, the Warriors played without Stephen Curry and DeMarcus Cousins had yet to debut. Both teams are middling as of late, going .500 in their last six games. With conference seeding so close, especially in the middle, this matchup will not take a backseat to any conference tournament games.
Injury Report
Kevin Durant is doubtful to play against the Thunder with an ankle injury.
Allen Crabbe is out for the Nets for at least two games with a knee injury.
Terry Rozier and Daniel Theis are both questionable for Saturday with an illness.
Stat of the Day
Entering last night’s matchup versus the Miami Heat, the Milwaukee Bucks were 1-100 and 0-77 on the road when trailing by 20 more points at the half. At halftime on Friday, the Heat led 62-42.
After the break, the Bucks won the second half 71-36 en route to a 113-98 victory on the road. Heat bettors with +5 closing tickets were probably not enthusiastic about the historic comeback. The Bucks were the first team in the NBA to trail by at least 20 points at halftime and win by 15.
Prop Shop: NCAA Seed Exactas
FanDuel Sportsbook is offering lines on seed groupings for the NCAA tournament. For instance, the group of Virginia, Gonzaga, Kentucky, and North Carolina are +270 to all get No. 1 seeds on Sunday. If one wanted to focus on No. 2 seeds, the group of Tennessee, LSU, Duke, and Michigan State sit at +500.
Digging deeper, Wisconsin, Florida State, Kansas, and Kansas State are +500 to all be No. 4 seeds. Check out all of the seed exactas on FanDuel Sportsbook.
The Players Championship Update
Tommy Fleetwood continued his good form with a five-under 67 on Friday to keep a share of the lead in the Player Championship tournament. That lead is only a share because Rory McIlroy closed with a -5 back nine on Friday including three birdies and an eagle. McIlroy’s 65 placed him atop the leaderboard with Fleetwood as the two share a three-stroke lead heading into Saturday.
Despite the tie, FanDuel Sportsbook has McIlroy heavily favored at +165 over Fleetwood (+310). Five shots behind the lead, Dustin Johnson is next at +1300 to win after a 68 on Friday.
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