Hokies

HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Adama Sanogo stood on the sideline watching his UConn teammates dribble out the final seconds to secure the program&rsquo;s fifth NCAA championship. He looked eager, ready to sprint in at the first chance.
When the horn sounded, reserve Andrew Hurley used both hands to spike the basketball near midcourt and start the celebration &mdash; only to see Sanogo run straight in and secure it like a fair catch.
&ldquo;I need that ball. That&rsquo;s a ball I want to save for my kids, my grandkids,&rdquo; Sanogo told The Associated Press. &ldquo;I need that ball.&rdquo;
It was fitting for the first souvenir to go to the big man who had been the rugged interior presence all season for the Huskies.
Sanogo finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Monday night&rsquo;s 76-59 win against San Diego State in the national title game. The 6-foot-9, 245-pound big man from Mali was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four after tallying his fourth double-double in six tournament games, making him the centerpiece of the Huskies&rsquo; dominant run to title No. 5 &mdash; just as he had been all season, really.
While teammates cut down the nets, Sanogo confessed that he had been planning all day to keep track of the ball at the horn if UConn completed its dominant tournament run.
&ldquo;He was sitting on that one, I guess, before the game,&rdquo; Hurley said with a chuckle.
And with Sanogo&rsquo;s play, was there really any question who deserved that ball?
&ldquo;Oh, he has every right to keep it,&rdquo; guard Nahiem Alleyne said when told Sanogo snagged the ball. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s the most outstanding player of this tournament. He&rsquo;s been a dominant force this whole tournament. I mean, without this guy, we wouldn&rsquo;t be here, simple as that.&rdquo;
After coming into the game averaging team-highs of 17.2 points and 7.6 rebounds, he was efficient, going 5 for 9 from the field and 7 for 8 from the foul line. He was active, with five of his rebounds coming on the offensive glass. And it all came from a player who has spent recent weeks managing a strict fast from dawn until sunset to observe Ramadan as a Muslim.
&ldquo;He wanted to step up,&rdquo; forward Alex Karaban said. &ldquo;He wanted this moment so badly.&rdquo;
For Sanogo, it was the end of a yearlong push after a first-round exit from the NCAA Tournament in a loss to New Mexico State. That included getting to visit with former UConn great Emeka Okafor &mdash; the top big man on the program&rsquo;s 2004 title winner &mdash; last fall and picking his brain about what it would take to win a championship.
Roughly seven months later, Okafor was standing on the court, watching the Huskies players cut down the nets and pose for trophy photos.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s just done an excellent job being just a foundation,&rdquo; Okafor said.
&ldquo;He did it defensively, he did it offensively. He made big plays when you needed it. And this past weekend he did it while fasting. I think that&rsquo;s just a testament to his mindset, his will and his dedication to achieving the goal set to achieve at the beginning of the year.&rdquo;
His biggest offensive rebound came after UConn&rsquo;s once-comfortable lead had shrunk, the pressure rising. Tristen Newton drove into the paint and launched a floater that bounced off the back of the rim, only for Sanogo to jostle a San Diego State rebounder for position and bat the ball with his right hand off the backboard and straight through the net for a 58-50 lead with 7:12 left.
It was part of a night when the Huskies squandered most of a 16-point first-half lead, but kept coming up with key plays &mdash; a stop here, a basket there &mdash; after the Aztecs kept repeatedly pushing back and got as close as five with 5 1/2 minutes left.
Ultimately, UConn reestablished its comfortable margin down the stretch, allowing coach Dan Hurley to sub out his top-of-lineup guys to enjoy the finish from the bench. That included Sanogo checking out with 30.2 seconds left and walking straight to Hurley, who was already locked in a hug with Karaban.
It didn&rsquo;t matter. The big man wrapped his arms around both Hurley and Karaban to turn it into a brief group hug to share the moment.
Well, except for making sure to snatch that ball once the horn sounded.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m definitely keeping it,&rdquo; he said with a big smile. &ldquo;Yeah, definitely, definitely.&rdquo;

“I need that ball. That’s a ball I want to save for my kids, my grandkids,” Sanogo told The Associated Press.

Sanogo snags ball, MOP honors for UConn in NCAA title win

LAS VEGAS (AP) &mdash; Jordan Hawkins scored 24 points for UConn and the Huskies are one step away from the Final Four after an 88-65 rout of Arkansas 88-65 in a West Region Sweet 16 matchup Thursday.
The fourth-seeded Huskies (28-8) will play the winner of UCLA or Gonzaga in an Elite Eight game Saturday in Las Vegas. Arkansas&rsquo; season ended at 22-14.
UConn played like a team capable of winning its fifth NCAA Tournament title and first since 2014. The Huskies have outscored their three March Madness opponents by 62 points.
They won their first two games by outscoring Iona and Saint Mary&rsquo;s by a combined 86-49 in the second half. UConn surged early against Arkansas with a 14-point run and took a 46-29 lead into halftime.
The Huskies never trailed and led by as many as 29 points when they went up 62-33. Arkansas answered with a 10-point run in just 27 seconds, but the outcome was never in doubt.
UConn, which has won nine of its past 10 games, shot 57.4% compared to 31.7% for Arkansas. The Huskies dominated inside by outrebounding the Razorbacks 43-31 and outscoring them 42-24 in the lane.
Adama Sanogo scored 18 points, Alex Karaban had 11 and Nahiem Alleyene 10 for UConn. Sanogo, who also had eight rebounds, has scored 71 points in 75 minutes this tournament.
Anthony Black led Arkansas with 20 points, Ricky Council IV had 17 and Nick Smith Jr. 11.
Arkansas, which was seeded eighth, was in the Sweet 16 for the third year in a row. The Razorbacks also reached the Elite Eight the past two years, and a third consecutive appearance would have been a first in program history.

Jordan Hawkins scored 24 points for UConn, and the Huskies have outscored their three March Madness opponents by 62 points.

UConn a step from Final Four after 88-65 blowout of Arkansas

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) &mdash; Michigan State coach Tom Izzo is not a big fan of the transfer portal, lamenting that it gives young athletes an easy out instead of an opportunity to overcome challenges.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll say until the day I die, I do not see anything good for the players in it,&rdquo; Izzo said Tuesday.
The seventh-seeded Spartans, however, would not be in the Sweet 16 for the 15th time under their Hall of Fame coach without former Northeastern guard Tyson Walker and ex-Marquette forward Joey Hauser.
The Spartans, of course, are not alone in relying on transfers. Not anymore. They are all over March Madness.
Third-seeded Kansas State, which will face the Spartans on Thursday night in New York, has relied heavily on transfers with 12 on its roster under first-year coach Jerome Tang. Former Florida forward Keyontae Johnson and ex-Arkansas-Little Rock guard Markquis Nowell, both of whom earned third-team All-America recognition, are starring for the Wildcats.
UCLA and Princeton are bucking the trend because they&rsquo;re still in the Tournament without a transfer player.
Izzo could have dipped back into the portal to bolster this season&rsquo;s team after losing his top three scorers and a solid post player from last year&rsquo;s team. Instead, he chose to stick with the players he had after they chose to stay.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s something they believed in here,&rdquo; Izzo said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the beauty of sticking together. And if it carries us through the weekend, it&rsquo;ll be one of the great life lessons learned.&rdquo;
EAST REGION
No. 4 seed Tennessee vs. No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic
Like many transfers, Tyreke Key left a smaller program (Indiana State) for a bigger one and the Volunteers are glad he did. After sophomore point guard Zakai Zeigler tore a knee ligament in the final week of the regular season, Key became even more valuable for the postseason.
Vladislav Goldin, meanwhile, went against the grain by leaving a larger school for a mid-major program. The 7-foot-1, shot-blocking Russian bolted from Texas A&amp;M to play for the Owls in search of more playing time. He found what he was looking at FAU, starting in 33 games.
SOUTH REGION
No. 1 seed Alabama vs. No. 5 seed San Diego State
All-America freshman forward Brandon Miller leads the Crimson Tide on the court, but key roles have been filled by a few transfers, including Mark Sears. The former Ohio University guard trails only Miller in scoring and has provided much-needed, 3-point shooting.
Four of San Diego State&rsquo;s top five scorers are transfers, including former California standout Matt Bradley, who is averaging a team-high 13 points per game.
No. 6 seed Creighton vs. No. 15 seed Princeton
The Bluejays have two transfers, two more than the Tigers. Baylor Scheierman starts and Francisco Farabello comes off the bench for Creighton. Scheierman was the Summit League player of the year last year at South Dakota State and Farabello played at TCU for three seasons.
MIDWEST REGION
No. 1 seed Houston vs. No. 5 seed Miami
The Courgars have recruited and developed most of their best players, but former Arkansas forward Reggie Chaney is in the rotation. The Hurricanes second-, third- and fourth-leading scorers are transfers: Jordan Miller (George Mason), Norchad Omier (Arkansas State) and Nijel Pack (Kansas State).
No. 2 seed Texas vs. No. 3 seed Xavier
The Longhorns often have four transfers in their starting lineup and leading scorer, Marcus Carr, has left two schools. The former Pittsburgh and Minnesota guard along with ex-New Mexico State guard Sir&rsquo;Jabari Rice, the team&rsquo;s second-leading scorer, are in their sixth season of college. Carr and Rice took advantage of an extra year of eligibility that the NCAA gave athletes if they were in school when the pandemic started.
Souley Boum, who started his career at San Francisco and went on to become a star at New Mexico State, leads the Musketeers with 16.5 points a game and is also in his sixth year of college. Former Iowa forward Jack Nunge, ex-Belmont guard Adam Kunkel and former Indiana forward Adam Kunkel are also among Xavier&rsquo;s top players.
WEST REGION
No. 2 seed UCLA vs. No. 3 seed Gonzaga
While the Bruins have no transfers, the Zags have Rasir Bolton, who ranks fourth on the team in scoring, played at Penn State and for Iowa State before landing at Gonzaga. Malachi Smith went from Wright State to Chattanooga before choosing a lesser role at Gonzaga.
No. 4 seed UConn vs. No. 8 seed Arkansas
The Huskies&rsquo; backcourt is full of transfers. Former East Carolina star Tristen Newton runs the point, averaging 10-plus points and nearly five assists per game. Grad student Joey Calcaterra spent four years at San Diego and Nahiem Alleyne was a three-year starter at Virginia Tech.
The Razorbacks are in the Sweet 16 for a third straight year in part because coach Eric Musselman has made good use of the portal. Former Wichita State guard Ricky Council leads Arkansas in scoring and Makhi Mitchell, who played at Maryland and Rhode Island, is one of team&rsquo;s top rebounders and scores seven points a game.
___
AP Sports Writer John Zenor, Bernie Wilson, Eric Olson, Tom Canavan, Teresa M. Walker, Dave Skretta, Tim Reynolds, Jim Vertuno and Beth Harris contributed.

Nearly every team of the men's Sweet 16 field has been significantly impacted by the NCAA transfer portal.

Transfer portal provided boost for most March Madness teams

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Jayden Gardner scored 18 points and Reece Beekman added 15 and No. 8 Virginia cooled off red-hot No. 22 North Carolina State 63-50 on Tuesday night.
The Cavaliers (18-4, 10-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) handed the Wolfpack (19-6, 9-5) their second loss in 10 games and moved into a share of first place in the conference with Clemson and Pittsburgh.
The Wolfpack arrived leading the ACC with an average of 79.6 points and were 19-2 when scoring at least 70, but became the 38th consecutive league opponent held below 70 points at John Paul Jones Arena.
Terquavion Smith led N.C. State with 19 points. Casey Morsell, who spent his first two seasons at Virginia and was jeered nearly every time he touched the ball in his first game back, had 18 points before fouling out in the final minute.
Jarkel Joiner, the Wolfpack&rsquo;s No. 2 scorer at 16.2 points per game, missed 12 of his 14 shots and scored five points. D.J. Burns Jr. (eight points) was the only other Wolfpack player to score.
Reserve forward Kadin Shedrick, who did not play in Virginia&rsquo;s loss at Virginia Tech on Saturday, had 10 points and six rebounds for the Cavaliers.
NO. 21 UCONN 87, NO. 10 MARQUETTE 72
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) &mdash; Jordan Hawkins scored 20 points and Tristen Newton recorded his second triple-double of the season for UConn.
Newton had 12 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for the Huskies (19-6, 8-6 Big East), who won their third straight game after losing six of eight.
Adama Sanogo added 18 points, while Alex Karaban and Nahiem Alleyne each chipped in with 13 for Connecticut, which never trailed.
Tyler Kolek had 17 points to lead Marquette (19-6, 11-3), which had its five-game winning streak snapped. Ben Gold and Stevie Mitchell each scored 12.
NO. 12 KANSAS STATE 82, NO. 17 TCU 61
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Markquis Nowell scored 18 points and Kansas State finished strong, snapping a two-game skid.
The Wildcats outscored TCU 17-2 to end the game.
Kansas State (19-5, 7-4 Big 12), which lost to TCU earlier this season, moved within a game of first-place Texas in a crowded conference race. The Wildcats are tied with Kansas, a half-game behind Iowa State.
TCU (17-7, 6-5) was led by Damion Baugh with 14 points.
NO. 18 INDIANA 66, NO. 24 RUTGERS 60
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Trayce Jackson-Davis scored 20 points and had 18 rebounds while reaching yet another major milestone for Indiana.
The fourth-year forward became the sixth player in school history with 2,000 career points and the first among them who also had 1,000 rebounds.
Jackson-Davis has 2,004 points, 1,035 rebounds and a school-record 242 blocks. He&rsquo;s hit all three milestones during a stretch in which Indiana (17-7, 8-5 Big Ten) has won seven of eight.
Clifford Omoruyi had 15 points to lead the Scarlet Knights (16-8, 8-5), who had won six straight over the Hoosiers.

A recap of Tuesday's action in men's college hoops includes the Cavaliers slowing down the Wolfpack and a top-10 upset.

No. 8 Virginia slows down No. 22 NC State 63-50

Chapel Hill, NC &mdash; Caleb Love led all scorers in this one with 22 points, as North Carolina beat the Virginia Tech Hokies 78-68 at home. The Tar Heels were able to win the battle of the dirty work in this one with a rebounding margin of plus-11 and by hitting 22 of 26 from the free-throw line. Keve Aluma led Virginia Tech in scoring with 19 points.&nbsp;
Desperately needing a conference win, the Hokies (10-9, 2-6 ACC) have an opportunity over the next week to make a jump in the standings. They are led by upperclassmen Keve Aluma and Nahiem Alleyne. Aluma is averaging 15.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, while Alleyne is a reliable shooter, hitting 35.2% from deep and 92.1% from the free-throw line.&nbsp;
The Tar Heels (13-6, 5-3 ACC) entered standing No. 6 in the conference standings on a two-game skid, and needing to get back on track. Potential 2022 NBA Draft pick Caleb Love drives the offense. He is scoring 14.6 points per game while shooting 41.9% from deep, a significant improvement from last year. Junior center Armando Bacot leads the team in points and rebounds, averaging a double-double at 16.9 points and 11.3 boards per contest.&nbsp;
Carolina jumped out to a 17-6 lead, with Bacot scoring 12 of the team&rsquo;s first 14 points. Aluma and Alleyne turned it on halfway through the period and were able to finish with 13 points and 8 points respectively. The Tar Heels led 37-33 at the break, with one of the biggest gaps being on the glass. They were plus-7 in rebounding at that point.&nbsp;
Virginia Tech senior Justyn Mutts scored 5 quick points to open the second half, giving the Hokies a 38-37 lead and the momentum. Love stepped up with a huge three and the teams traded buckets for the next few minutes.&nbsp;
Carolina stretched the lead to 8 points at the 11-minute mark behind three-point makes from Leaky Black and Brady Manek, and never looked back. They maintained the lead moving forward and secured the 78-68 win.
Manek, the Oklahoma transfer, was key in the second half and ended with 15 points on 4 of 8 from deep. Bacot posted another double-double with 14 points and 19 rebounds before fouling out. Sophomore Tar Heel guard R.J. Davis also provided 15 points. Mutts played well for the Hokies with a double-double of his own, scoring 18 points to go along with 10 rebounds.&nbsp;
The Tar Heels get a much needed win to stay alive in the ACC standings.
UPCOMING
North Carolina hosts Boston College on Wednesday night.
Virginia Tech hosts Miami on Wednesday.&nbsp;
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Caleb Love led all scorers in this one with 22 points, as North Carolina beat the Hokies 78-68 at home.