BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – Triple-threat T.J. Ford and his Texas teammates are going home – to keep playing in the NCAA tournament, that is.
Ford shook loose in the second half and the Longhorns followed his lead, turning back Purdue 77-67 Sunday in the second round of the South Regional.
Considered by some to be the best guard in college basketball, Ford scored 21 points and added nine rebounds and eight assists.
The fast, 5-foot-10 Ford controlled the tempo down the stretch and fittingly dribbled out the final seconds, spiking the ball near midcourt at the buzzer. It was a fun way to spend his last day as a teenager – he turns 20 on Monday.
Now, Ford and the top-seeded Longhorns (24-6) can take their traveling party back to Texas. They’re headed to San Antonio, where they’ll take on fifth-seeded Connecticut on Friday at the Alamodome.
James Thomas contributed 11 points and 12 rebounds and Royal Ivey had 14 points as Texas reached the round of 16 for the second straight year, a first for the program.
Willie Deane’s disputed 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer put Purdue ahead 31-30 and sent the ninth-seeded Boilermakers running to the locker room shouting, “We’re for real!”
But Deane, the team’s leading scorer, missed all seven shots in the second half and finished only 4-for-17. Purdue (19-11) fell short of making the round of 16 for the fourth time in six seasons.
Ford, the sparkplug in an opening-round win over North Carolina Asheville, got off to an uncharacteristically slow start. Limited to five points and two assists with four turnovers at halftime, the Longhorns needed him to open up after the break, and he did.
Ford sneaked inside for a layup the first time he touched the ball, then shook loose with a sharp crossover dribble for another basket and a 34-33 edge.
After the teams seesawed for a bit, Ford gave Texas the lead for good midway through the second half with a three-point play that made it 52-50.
With the Longhorns leading 66-63, the normally emotionless Ford perked up, yelling, “Our ball! Our ball!” after a shot-clock violation.
Moments later, he was smiling after getting knocked down and sliding to the Texas bench on his backside. He was in even better spirits when the game ended despite shooting just 7-for-19.
Deane banked in a running, off-balance 3 from the right wing at the halftime buzzer – or a split-second after the horn, Texas coach Rick Barnes contended. Replays showed he was right.
Barnes stayed on the court to argue the call. He became animated and headed back toward the scorer’s table, prompting two officials to step in front of him to prevent the coach from getting any closer to the man who made the call.
Deane finished with 13 points, five below his average, and Brandon McKnight had 10.
AP-ES-03-23-03 1934EST
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