CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina finished off its fiercest rival and the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season race with one strong performance.
Harrison Barnes scored 18 points to help No. 13 North Carolina beat No. 4 Duke 81-67 on Saturday night, clinching the ACC championship and the top seed in this week’s league tournament.
Kendall Marshall had 15 points and 11 assists as the Tar Heels ended a three-game losing streak to their fierce rival and earned the top seed in this week’s ACC Tournament. North Carolina also avenged last month’s loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium in which the Tar Heels blew a 16-point lead in the first half.
No. 4 Pitt 60, No. 19 Villanova 50
PITTSBURGH — Villanova opened the second half with a 10-3 run to take a lead, but Pitt responded with a 16-4 surge to grab the advantage for good and clinch the Big East title.
Iowa 67, No. 6 Purdue 65
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The Hawkeyes (11-19, 4-14) snapped the Boilermakers’ seven-game winning streak and earned their first victory over a ranked opponent this season, while clinching the Big Ten title for top-ranked Ohio State.
No. 8 Notre Dame 70, No. 16 Connecticut 67
STORRS, Conn. — Ben Hansbrough scored 21 points despite fouling out with more than eight minutes left, and Notre Dame closed the regular season with four straight wins and 11 wins in its last 12 games.
West Virginia 72, No. 11 Louisville 70
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Truck Bryant sank two free throws with one second left to lift West Virginia to the win and a first-round bye in the Big East Tournament.
No. 12 Syracuse 107, DePaul 59
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — It was the fifth straight win for Syracuse (25-6, 12-6 Big East) after a midseason swoon in which the Orange lost four straight and six of eight after an 18-0 start.
No. 14 Florida 86, No. 21 Vanderbilt 76
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Kenny Boynton scored 17 points, all three of Florida’s seniors reached double figures, and the Gators clinched the SEC regular-season title. Florida (24-6, 13-3) set a school record for conference wins and earned its third outright SEC title.
Cincinnati 69, No. 17 Georgetown 47
CINCINNATI — Yancy Gates scored 10 of his 13 points from the free-throw line, where Cincinnati was nearly flawless, and the Bearcats completed a sweep of Georgetown.
No. 18 Arizona 90, Oregon 82
TUCSON — Derrick Williams had 14 points despite early foul trouble and got plenty of help in what may have been his final home game, lifting Arizona to the outright Pac-10 title.
No. 23 Xavier 66, Saint Louis 55
ST. LOUIS — Tu Holloway scored 25 points and Xavier extended its winning streak to nine games, won its 16th game in 17 starts and became the No. 1 seed for this week’s Atlantic 10 Tournament in Atlantic City, N.J.
No. 25 Utah State 72, Louisiana Tech 30
RUSTON, La. — The Aggies limited the Bulldogs to just 10 field goals and 18 percent shooting (10-for-56). Louisiana Tech went 0-for-14 from 3-point range and committed 20 turnovers.
