ERIC AYALA

Rick Pitino says he loves coaching at Iona and is committed to his players amid speculation he could be a candidate for the Maryland coaching job.

Trevion Williams blocked a layup try in the final seconds and No. 3 Purdue, boosted by Jaden Ivey’s go-ahead three-point play, held off Maryland 62-61.

– Eric Ayala scored 23 points and Maryland clamped down on defense down the stretch to snag a 63-54 victory over No. 7 UConn in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night. The 10th-seeded Terrapins held UConn to 32% shooting to overcome the Huskies' strong physical game. Ayala and Darryl Morsell each made a pair of three throws to push the lead back to nine. It was the first meeting between Maryland and UConn since Maryland won in the 2002 regional final en route to its only national championship.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS – All Michigan coach Juwan Howard intended to do, he said, when he started walking toward the baseline during the second half of Friday’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals was question a call. After the game, Howard apologized for his actions — and also placed blame on the other bench. Don’t talk to me ever again,’ Then he charged at me. All I said is, ‘Don’t talk to me, don’t talk to me.’”Maryland scored five points after the fracas to cut the deficit in half. BIG PICTUREMaryland: A strong finish — and Thursday's victory over Michigan State — should be enough to get an NCAA Tournament bid.

If he keeps playing this way, the Ohio State senior and his teammates just might keep running deep into March. That, along with 10 3-pointers on the offensive end, was enough to get Ohio State its eighth win in nine games. Ad“Give them credit, they’re a good team," coach Mark Turgeon said of Ohio State. Ohio State trailed 13-5 in the early going before rattling off a trio of 3-pointers in the span of 57 seconds to take the lead. Ohio State was previously 1-6 in College Park, 0-4 since Maryland joined the Big Ten in 2014.

Eric Ayala scored 17 points, while Aaron Wiggins added 15 points and nine rebounds as Maryland beat No. Maryland outscored Wisconsin 38-20 in the paint, limiting the Badgers’ post team of Nate Reuvers and Micah Potter to just 12 points on 6-of-18 shooting. Maryland responded down the stretch to each run the Badgers made trying to take back the lead. Wisconsin: The Badgers dropped 85 points in Michigan State three days earlier. Wisconsin: The Badgers host Minnesota on Thursday.

Ron Harper Jr. scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half, and the 19th-ranked Scarlet Knights cruised past Maryland 74-60 on Monday night. The Scarlet Knights hadn't won a Big Ten opener since joining the league in 2014, and were 16-73 in conference play before going 11-9 last season. The Scarlet Knights broke open a tight game with a 10-0 run that made it 50-38 with 11:49 left. “Harper took over the game on the offensive end and Johnson was phenomenal on the defensive end," Turgeon said. BIG PICTURERutgers: That was a solid start in conference play for the Scarlet Knights.