A crucial defensive stop by Ben Gold with just two seconds left sealed Marquette’s shocking 68-62 victory over fourth-ranked UConn on Saturday in Milwaukee, preventing the Huskies from securing a share of the Big East regular season championship.
The Golden Eagles (12-19, 7-13 Big East) were led by Nigel James Jr.’s 19 points before Gold delivered the game’s most important play. With 14 seconds remaining, James missed a shot and Jayden Ross grabbed the rebound for UConn. Silas Demary Jr. pushed the ball downcourt and drove into the lane for what could have been a game-tying basket, but Gold contested the attempt without drawing a foul call.
The non-call infuriated UConn head coach Danny Hurley, who was ejected by official John Gaffney. Chase Ross then sealed the victory by converting four free throws with one second on the clock, finishing with 14 points.
Demary paced the Huskies (27-4, 17-3) with 17 points while Tarris Reed Jr. contributed 16, but UConn struggled offensively throughout the contest. The Huskies shot just 35.6% from the field and managed only three makes on 24 three-point attempts. Braylon Mullins and Alex Karaban combined to shoot 1-of-15 from beyond the arc and 4-of-21 overall.
In other Top 25 action, top-ranked Duke dominated second-ranked North Carolina 76-61 at home. Cameron Boozer powered the Blue Devils with 26 points and 15 rebounds as Duke (29-2, 17-1 ACC) avenged their lone ACC defeat. Maliq Brown added 15 points and Isaiah Evans scored 11 for the Blue Devils, who secured the top seed in the ACC tournament despite dealing with injury concerns.
Second-ranked Arizona (29-2, 16-2 Big 12) set a program record for regular season victories with an 89-79 win at Colorado. Freshmen Koa Peat and Brayden Burries were unstoppable, combining for 56 points on 21-of-31 shooting. Burries scored a career-high 31 points while Peat added 25 in the finale.
Fifth-ranked Florida extended its winning streak to 11 games with an 84-77 road victory over Kentucky. Thomas Haugh led the Gators (25-6, 16-2) with 20 points, nine rebounds and three steals as Florida completed SEC regular season play unbeaten at home.
Other notable results included sixth-ranked Iowa State rolling past Arizona State 86-65, seventh-ranked Houston rallying to beat Oklahoma State 82-75, and BYU stunning 10th-ranked Texas Tech 76-82 after overcoming a 13-point deficit.
