College Basketball: No. 1 Syracuse loses; Purdue wins share of Big Ten title

Louisville's 54-year run of basketball in Freedom Hall came to an end yesterday. And nobody in attendance could have dreamed up a better way to say goodbye to the soon-to-be-replaced arena.

The Cardinals (20-11, 11-7 Big East) smothered Syracuse (28-3, 15-3), the nation's No. 1-ranked team, with a dominating second-half run to post a 78-68 win that greatly improved their chances for an at-large NCAA bid.

"These seniors have never gone to an NIT," said Louisville coach Rick Pitino. "and now they never will."

Kyle Kuric, a 6-foot-4 sophomore averaging 3.5 points a game, was scoreless in the first half, but he went off in the final 20 minutes, scoring 22 points in a dizzying array of dunks and three-pointers.

"It's an unbelievable moment," Kuric said. "It's what every kid dreams of."

Neumann-Goretti product Scoop Jardine had 20 points for Syracuse.

Purdue 64, Penn State 60 - JaJuan Johnson had 21 points and 10 rebounds as No. 7 Purdue (26-4, 14-4) clinched a share of its first Big Ten title in 14 years by holding off the host Nittany Lions (11-19, 3-15) in State College

Purdue led by as many as 13 points in the second half before Penn State closed to 61-60 with 18 seconds left with three foul shots by Chris Babb (17 points). But the Lions could get no more points.

For the sixth time in nine years, Penn State will be the lowest seed in the Big Ten tournament.

"Maybe luck will swing our way in the tournament, and we will be the ones out celebrating on the court," Lions guard Jeff Brooks said.

Georgetown 74, Cincinnati 47 - The scoreboard kept track of Austin Freeman's points. The trainer kept track of his blood sugar levels.

Both were fine, and so was No. 19 Georgetown. Six days after being taken to the hospital and found to have diabetes, Freeman scored 24 points as the Hoyas (20-9, 10-8 Big East) topped the Bearcats (16-14, 7-11) in Washington.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Freeman said after playing 30 minutes. "It was just good to be out there again, to be playing with my teammates and just doing what I do."

Kansas 77, Missouri 56 - The No. 2 Jayhawks (29-2, 15-1 Big Twelve) responded to a scary injury to Marcus Morris with a 20-4 run that destroyed the Tigers (22-9, 10-6) in Columbia, Mo.

Morris, a Prep Charter graduate, had 12 points and 10 rebounds. He was able to return to action after crashing his head into signs attached to a courtside table.

Duke 82, North Carolina 50 - The No. 4 Blue Devils scored their most-lopsided home triumph over their biggest rivals, humbling the Tar Heels in Durham, N.C.

Jon Scheyer had 20 points as Duke (26-5, 13-3) clinched a share of its 12th ACC regular-season title. The Tar Heels, fell to 16-15 and 5-11 as they had their lowest point total under coach Roy Williams.

Pittsburgh 83, Rutgers 54 - No. 17 Pitt took control early with a 19-2 run that sent the Panthers (24-7, 13-5) to a home rout of Rutgers (15-16, 5-13) and the No. 2 seeding in the Big East tournament.

Gilbert Brown had 19 points for Pittsburgh, and Roman Catholic grad Brad Wanamaker added 12.

Elsewhere: No. 5 Kansas State was taken down at home by Iowa State, 85-82, in overtime. . . . After falling behind by 18-4, No. 14 Brigham Young recovered for a 107-77 win over Texas Christian in Fort Worth, Texas. . . . No. 13 Vanderbilt was upset by South Carolina, 77-73, in Nashville as the Gamecocks ended a six-game skid.

No. 16 Tennessee held host Mississippi State scoreless for the first 6 minutes, 10 seconds on its way to a 75-59 SEC win. . . . Greivis Vasquez had 23 points as No. 22 Maryland beat Virginia, 74-68, in Charlottesville, Va. . . . LaceDarius Dunn scored 30 points as No. 21 Baylor wrapped up its winningest regular season in 64 years with a 92-77 victory over Texas in Waco, Texas. . . . No. 23 Texas A&M sent Oklahoma to its eighth-straight loss, posting a 69-54 win in Norman, Okla. . . . Patrick Christopher scored 23 points to help California win the Pac-10 crown with a 71-61 victory over host Stanford.

Jordan Crawford scored 22 points as No. 25 Xavier won a share of its fourth straight Atlantic Ten title by beating St. Bonaventure, 93-72. . . . David Gonzalvez had 29 points and 10 rebounds as Richmond scored an 89-84 win over Charlotte in North Carolina. . . . Rhode Island's hopes for an at-large NCAA bid took a hit with a 69-67 loss to Ricky Harris (28 points) and Massachusetts in Amherst, Mass. . . . St. Louis beat Dayton, 71-66.

In Luke Harangody's first game back from injury, Notre Dame edged Marquette in overtime, 63-60, in Milwaukee. . . . South Florida overcame a 14-point deficit and defeated Connecticut, 75-68, in Tampa, Fla. . . . Seton Hall beat host Providence, 92-80.

Big South Conference: For the fifth time in six seasons, Winthrop is headed to the NCAA tournament, having beaten Coastal Carolina by a score of 64-53 in the conference final in Conway, S.C. The Eagles (19-13) were led by 14 points from Mantoris Robinson.

Ohio Valley: Isaiah Canaan had 16 points as Murray State (30-4) joined the NCAA field with a 62-51 triumph over Morehead State in Nashville.

The Racers became the first Division I school to win 30 games this season.

Atlantic Sun: East Tennessee State (20-14) earned a return trip to the NCAAs with a 72-66 win over Mercer in Macon, Ga. The Bucs got 18 points from Justin Tubbs.

Missouri Valley: Northern Iowa reached today's final with a 57-40 win over Bradley in St. Louis. The top-seeded Panthers will face Wichita State, a 65-61 victor over Illinois State.

Horizon League: Wright State rode a 16-0 run to a 69-50 win over Detroit in a semifinal in Indianapolis. The Raiders advanced to Tuesday's final against Butler, a 68-59 winner over Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Butler, ranked No. 12, has won 19 games in a row.

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference: Lenape graduate Ryan Thompson had 22 points as Rider beat St. Peter's, 69-57, in Albany, N.Y. Also winning were Siena and Fairfield.

America East: First-round winners were Stony Brook, Boston University, New Hampshire, and Vermont.