Kansas battles past TCU, sets up Big 12 semifinal vs. Houston

Darryn Peterson scored 16 of his 24 points after halftime to help No. 14 Kansas survive with a hard-fought 78-73 win over TCU in the final Big 12 tournament quarterfinal Thursday in Kansas City, Mo.

Peterson was an inefficient 5-for-17 from the floor but made up for it by making 13 of 16 free throws in 37 minutes of action. He added eight rebounds and three steals for third-seeded Kansas (23-9), which will face second-seeded and fifth-ranked Houston in the late semifinal on Friday.

Flory Bidunga contributed 13 points, 10 boards and three blocks, and Elmarko Jackson and Bryson Tiller chipped in 13 apiece to help Kansas win consecutive games for the first time in more than a month.

David Punch led sixth-seeded TCU (22-11) with 24 points -- 18 of which came in the second half -- and 10 rebounds. Liutauras Lelevicius added 14 points and Jayden Pierre tallied 11 with a team-high three 3-pointers for the Horned Frogs, whose six-game winning streak was snapped.

After a closely contested second half in which neither team led by more than six points, Kansas scored six straight points capped by a Tiller dunk to take a 70-63 lead with 3:22 left.

A 2:41 Kansas scoring drought followed, but TCU was unable to take advantage, missing four straight shots and turning it over five times in the final 4:20. The Horned Frogs finished with 14 turnovers, 11 of which came after halftime.

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TCU's Micah Robinson made a 3-pointer with seven seconds left, and Punch sank another after two Kansas free throws to get the Horned Frogs within 76-73. Jackson iced the game with two more free throws, finishing 10-for-10 from the stripe.

Kansas shot just 37.9% from the floor overall and 23.5% (4 of 17) from 3-point range. The Jayhawks scored 26 of their 47 second-half points at the free-throw line, where they shot 81.1% overall (30 of 37).

Despite trailing 9-0 in the opening minutes, TCU took a 34-31 lead into halftime thanks to a Pierre 3-pointer with 13 seconds left. The Horned Frogs overcame a 12-0 Kansas run midway through the half.

TCU turned it over just three times in the half but shot 39.4% from the floor and 38.5% (5 of 13) from outside the arc.

Lelevicius was the lone exception to that lesser shooting, making 4 of 5 field-goal attempts and both 3-point tries on the way to a game-high 11 first-half points.

Peterson led the Jayhawks with eight first-half points, helping them overcome Bidunga's early foul trouble. Bidunga picked up a pair of fouls in the first 10 minutes of the game.

--Field Level Media

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March 13, 2026

Kansas battles past TCU, sets up Big 12 semifinal vs. Houston

Darryn Peterson scored 16 of his 24 points after halftime to help No. 14 Kansas survive with a hard-fought 78-73 win o...

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Clemson edges No. 19 UNC, faces No. 1 Duke in semifinals

Nick Davidson posted 17 points and 11 rebounds as fifth-seeded Clemson held on to upset No. 4 seed North Carolina 80-79 in the ACC tournament on Thursday night in Charlotte, N.C.

The Tar Heels (24-8), ranked No. 19, turn their attention to Selection Sunday to see their NCAA Tournament fate, while the Tigers (24-9) move on to face the top seed, No. 1 Duke, in Friday's semifinals.

Derek Dixon's 3-pointer on a Seth Trimble dish trimmed Clemson's lead to one with 2.9 seconds to play, capping the Tar Heels' late 21-7 late surge. North Carolina had a chance to win on the game's final possession, but Jarin Stevenson's heave from halfcourt was short.

Davidson was one of six Clemson players to score in double figures. Dillon Hunter scored 14 points, RJ Godfrey tallied 13, Ace Buckner notched 11 and Butta Johnson and Jestin Porter each had 10 points apiece.

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In their second straight loss since freshman phenom Caleb Wilson was ruled out for the season with a hand injury, the Tar Heels were carried by Henri Veesaar's career-high 28 points and 17 rebounds. Diixon scored 16 points, Jarin Stevenson added 12 and Trimble chipped in 13 points and eight assists. UNC shot 47.5% from the field and 36.7% from 3-point range.

Clemson led by as many as 18 and overtook the Tar Heels in the first half with a 19-5 run, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Buckner from the left wing on an assist from Godfrey. The Tigers had an eight-point advantage at the break and grew their lead with a 12-4 run, a surge punctuated by a deep 3-pointer from Davidson on a dime from Porter.

The Tigers managed without second-leading scorer and top rebounder Carter Welling, who tore his right ACL in Wednesday's win over Wake Forest. He had been averaging 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Clemson shot 49.1% from the floor, 47.4% from 3-point land and turned the ball over just seven times.

--Field Level Media

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March 13, 2026

Clemson edges No. 19 UNC, faces No. 1 Duke in semifinals

Nick Davidson posted 17 points and 11 rebounds as fifth-seeded Clemson held on to upset No. 4 seed North Carolina 80-7...

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Luka Doncic turns trash talk into first 50-point game with the Lakers

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic doesn't need an excuse to pile on points, so when Chicago guard Matas Buzelis started jawing with him Thursday night, it became the fuel for his first 50-point game with the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Doncic turned what he called unprovoked trash talk from Buzelis into 51 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in theLakers' 142-130 victory.

"It always feels special," Doncic said after his eighth career 50-point game. "I obviously haven't had a 50-point game in a year, so it was very special. I mean, in the second quarter, I kind of felt it. You know, somebody started talking to me, so that woke me up."

Doncic would not disclose what was said by Buzelis, a second-year forward, because, "I would say that I would definitely get a tech."

Buzelis was asked if learned any lessons from his exchange with Doncic.

"Probably not to talk to him," Buzelis said.

It wasn't like Doncic needed any extra inspiration, either. The NBA scoring leader got off to a strong start with 12 points in the first quarter and had another 12 in the second by making 5 of 6 shots from the field once Buzelis decided to get garrulous.

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Doncic ripped off 17 points in the third quarter before notching 10 points on just four field goal attempts in the fourth. He finished 17 of 31 from the field, going 9 of 14 from 3, and 8 for 9 on free throws.

Lakers coach JJ Redick described Doncic's ability to direct the unsporting words or deeds of opponents into his own game as a "unique trait.

"It's not just the fact that he response to a rough play or trash talking, it's that he can channel it, and he can channel it while still doing all the other things that needs to be done," Redick said. "That's obviously reflective of, you know, his defensive rebounding, his assists, his steals. Again, another game where he gets a high assist number with low turnovers."

Buzelis picked an especially bad time to challenge Doncic, who had averaged 39.5 points per game during the Lakers' previous three wins with LeBron James out because of right hip contusion and arthritis in his left foot. That included Doncic scoring 44 points against Indiana on Friday.

Doncic has 13 40-point games in 82 regular-season appearances for Los Angeles, moving into ninth in franchise history. Eleven of those have come this season.

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/nba

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March 13, 2026

Luka Doncic turns trash talk into first 50-point game with the Lakers

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic doesn't need an excuse to pile on points, so when Chicago guard Matas Buzelis started ...

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No. 6 UConn blasts Xavier in Big East tourney romp

NEW YORK -- Solo Ball scored 19 points as No. 6 UConn led by double digits most of the way and cruised to a wire-to-wire 93-68 rout of 10th-seeded Xavier in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament on Thursday night.

The second-seeded Huskies (28-4) led by double digits for the final 28:35 and advanced to the semifinals for the sixth straight season since rejoining the Big East for the 2020-21 season. UConn will face 11th-seeded Georgetown, which upset third-seed Villanova 78-64 in the quarters.

Ball shot 34.1% (15 of 44) in his final five regular season games and made 5 of 12 shots, including four 3s.

Tarris Reed collected 17 points and a season-high 14 rebounds for his 10th double-double this season. Reed had a trio of dunks as part of an 8-of-12 showing from the floor and his effort helped the Huskies get a 40-28 rebounding edge.

Alex Karaban bounced back from a two-point showing in the Huskies' six-point loss at Marquette on Saturday and added 15 on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor.

UConn shot 57.4% and made 12 of 32 3s after missing 21 of 24 triples in the regular season finale. The Huskies also thrived at the rim as they went 13 of 18 on layups and converted all six of their dunk attempts while finishing with 22 second-chance points.

Filip Borovicanin led Xavier with a career-high 22 points, but the Musketeers lost the three meetings with UConn by a combined 80 points. Roddie Anderson III added 15 and Tre Carroll struggled and shot 2 of 10 in a 12-point showing.

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Xavier also saw the duo of Malik Messina-Moore and Jovan Milcevic struggle all night. Messina-Moore was held to five points on 1-of-7 shooting and Milecevic finished with six on 2 of 9.

Xavier shot 37.3%, was 9 of 28 from behind the arc and missed 12 of its 33 free throw attempts.

Karaban's open corner 3 following an offensive rebound put the Huskies up 22-10 with 12:28 remaining. The Huskies ripped off a 12-1 run by converting two dunks and three layups and another Karaban hoop extended the lead to 39-19 with 5:03 left.

UConn finished the half with a 50-30 lead after Ball hit three free throws with 35 seconds left.

Xavier scored the first seven points of the second half and cut the lead to 50-37 on two free throws by Borovicanin with 16:59 left.

UConn gradually pulled away again and took a 59-41 lead when Reed and Jayden Ross converted dunks in a span of 32 seconds. The Huskies regained their 20-point lead when Ross got a corner 3 to roll in with 8:50 left and took an 80-55 lead with 5 1/2 minutes to go when Reed had a one-handed slam and Ball hit a corner 3.

--Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media

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March 12, 2026

No. 6 UConn blasts Xavier in Big East tourney romp

NEW YORK -- Solo Ball scored 19 points as No. 6 UConn led by double digits most of the way and cruised to a wire-to-wi...

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No. 5 Houston fends off AJ Dybantsa, BYU in Big 12 tourney

Kingston Flemings led four players in double figures to help No. 5 Houston pull away from BYU for a 73-66 win in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals Thursday in Kansas City.

Emanuel Sharp added 13 points, Joseph Tugler tallied 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds and Chris Cenac Jr. notched 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting for second-seeded Houston (27-5), which won its fourth straight game to return to the Big 12 semifinals for the third time in as many years in the league.

Houston will face No. 14 and third-seeded Kansas in the semis after the Jayhawks beat TCU 78-73 on Thursday.

Freshman sensation AJ Dybantsa racked up a game-high 26 points -- his 13th straight game with 20-plus points -- and Robert Wright III scored 15 and a game-high five assists for 10th-seeded BYU (23-11).

After Wright scored three straight points to cut the deficit to 59-58 with 6:52 left, Houston put the game away with a 12-3 run to take the first double-digit lead of the game for either team at 71-61 with 20 seconds left.

Sharp iced the game with six free throws in the last 33 seconds, making up for a 1-for-9 performance from the floor with a 10-for-10 showing from the charity stripe.

Houston got off to a strong start, jumping out to an 8-2 advantage as BYU missed its first six shots from the floor. That edge continued through the opening 10 minutes as Houston led 19-12 with 9:50 left behind an 8-for-13 shooting start.

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Trailing by eight with 7:37 left in the half, BYU finally came to life, breaking off a 7-0 run which began a larger 24-9 surge for a 41-34 lead with 28 seconds left in the half.

Dybantsa scored nine points during this surge -- over half of his game-high 16 first-half points -- and Aleksej Kostic hit back-to-back threes to turn a one-point deficit into a five-point lead.

Kalifa Sakho completed a three-point play in the final second to cut Houston's halftime deficit to 41-37.

Houston opened the second half on a 10-5 run to reclaim the lead, and the Cougars jumped ahead for good on an 8-2 surge behind four points from Mercy Miller.

BYU made just one field goal over a span of 6:53 in the middle of the second half and managed just five made field goals over the final 14:14, missing 16 of their final 21 shots to finish 41.2% from the floor.

Houston wasn't much better at 44.8% but made up for it with a 37-30 rebounding edge and a 19-10 advantage in second-chance points.

--Field Level Media

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March 12, 2026

No. 5 Houston fends off AJ Dybantsa, BYU in Big 12 tourney

Kingston Flemings led four players in double figures to help No. 5 Houston pull away from BYU for a 73-66 win in the B...

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How many points did Luka Doncic score tonight? Bulls vs. Lakers stats

Luka Doncic led the offense in theLos Angeles Lakers' 142-130 victory over the Chicago Bulls at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday, March 12.

Doncic nearly produced a triple-double while scoring 51 points in front of the home crowd. It marked his first 50-point game as a member of the Lakers after putting up 12 40-point games, including a 49-point effort on Oct. 24, 2025.

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The Lakers have won four straight games and seven of their last eight. Doncic put together a triple-double effort against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday with 31 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

Here's how he did Thursday night against the Bulls:

Luka Doncic stats vs. Bulls

• Points: 51

• FG: 17-for-31

• 3PT: 9-for-14

• Free Throws: 8-for-9

• Rebounds: 10

• Assists: 9

• Steals: 3

• Blocks: 1

• Turnovers: 1

• Fouls: 3

• Minutes: 37

Luka Doncic highlights vs. Bulls

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Luka Doncic stats, points tonight, Lakers vs Bulls highlights

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March 12, 2026

How many points did Luka Doncic score tonight? Bulls vs. Lakers stats

Luka Doncic led the offense in theLos Angeles Lakers' 142-130 victory over the Chicago Bulls at Crypto.com Arena o...

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Trade deadline boost helps New York Islanders believe they can chase the Stanley Cup right now

EAST MEADOW, N.Y. (AP) —Matthew Schaefer magicalready had the New York Islanders believing they could exceed preseason expectations and make the playoffs.

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Acquiring Brayden Schennat the NHL trade deadlineafter adding a couple of veteran depth players in January has only added to the good vibes around the team.First-year general manager Mathieu Darche"wanted to give a little push" by going out and getting Schenn,fellow Stanley Cup winner Ondrej Palatanddepth defenseman Carson Soucy, and it might be the nudge the Islanders need to not just get in but go on a run.

"Mathieu, all he wanted was to reward the players," coach Patrick Roy said Thursday. "The guys played so hard and played so well to give ourselves the best chance possible to make the playoffs. There's no guarantee. You have to play the games. But I'm sure the players appreciate the moves that he made, and looking at the way we've been playing, I think our players deserve it as well."

After missing the playoffs a year ago and winning the draft lottery to get the chanceto select Schaeferwith the top pick, the Islanders looked to be in rebuilding mode — not quite a contender but with the ingredients to get there.

Instead, the 18-year-old defenseman has been a revelation, giving a franchise more than four decades removed from the 1980s dynasty days the kind of energy perhaps not seen in hockey on Long Island since. Schaefer needs just four goals over the final 17 games to break the NHL rookie defenseman record of 23 set by Hall of Famer Brian Leetch in 1988-89.

Schaefer's presencewas a big reason Schenn waived his no-trade clause and left St. Louis.

"He's an incredible, incredible guy," Schenn said. "He really cares about his teammates. He really cares about the organization. He wants to win hockey games. People obviously see the skill and everything that he does on the ice, but it's more so how impressed I am with how he is as a guy off the ice."

Schenn already showed what kind of guy he is. In his first game with his new team, he wasn't thrilled with the San Jose Sharks taking some liberties with Schaefer and was quick to confront them about it.

"It just brings life to us knowing that a guy like that has got our back and we've got his," center Bo Horvat said. "Having that veteran presence on the ice, off the ice, I think is going to be great for us coming down the stretch."

Schenn hoisted the Stanley Cupwith the Blues in 2019. Palat helped Tampa Baywin itback to back in 2020and '21, and Darche has rings from those title runs as assistant GM of the Lightning.

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It's no coincidence, then, that the Islanders made deals for proven winners who can show Schaefer and younger teammates the way.

"They need to be surrounded with good players to help them, guide them through those steps as they progress in their career, and that's what we did with those acquisitions," Darche said. "You can only gain experience by living it. We want to make the playoffs this year. We want our younger guys to experience that. Having players that have been through it definitely helps those young kids (know) what to expect."

Schenn, especially, also fills a big role down the stretch. His addition allows Calum Ritchie to shift from center to wing and take some pressure off the 21-year-old in his first NHL season.

Darche said it was "all about having options." Roy now gets to experiment with different lineup constructions and find what works best.

Schaefer has been having a blast all along.

"We always know when it's time to work, but we always can have a little bit of fun and things like that, too," Schaefer said. "Winning and you know that your teammates and the coaching staff and everyone here helps when everyone's so close and always having fun and happy and things like that, it makes it fun to come to the rink."

The arrival of Schaefer and Ritchie with more top prospects on the way — and not traded away — make the organization's future look bright. Center Mathew Barzal, who turns 29 in May, said he appreciates Darche making the kind of aggressive deals that make it feel like the future is now to chase the Stanley Cup.

"Darchie sees opportunity here and he wants to win and everybody wants to win," Barzal said. "Schaef's 18 and he's going to have 20 years, and I'm sure he's going to hoist it one day. Why not do it a few times, and do it earlier than later? It was nice from Darchie to get a few guys."

AP NHL:https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

byAdministrator

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March 12, 2026

Trade deadline boost helps New York Islanders believe they can chase the Stanley Cup right now

EAST MEADOW, N.Y. (AP) —Matthew Schaefer magicalready had the New York Islanders believing they could exceed preseason ex...

Read More