NCAA tournament headquarters
Follow your team's progress in the tournament as we update this page with schedules, scores and game rundowns.
Monday, April 1, 2013
National Championship: Monday
- Louisville (34-5) vs. Michigan (31-7), 9 p.m., WDBJ
Final Four: Saturday
Michigan beats Syracuse's defense to reach national final
ATLANTA — Attacking Syracuse’s suffocating zone defense in the first half with 3-pointers, crisp passing and a fearless attitude, the Wolverines advanced to the national championship game with a 61-56 victory over the Orange in the Final Four on Saturday night.
Michigan (31-7) will be going for its first national title since 1989 when it faces Louisville on Monday at the Georgia Dome. Syracuse (30-10) failed to complete an all-Big East final in the fabled league’s last season before breaking up.
The Wolverines got sloppy in the second half and barely hung on at the end, winning despite a tough night for Associated Press player of the year Trey Burke. He scored only seven points.
Hancock leads Louisville over Wichita State
ATLANTA — Luke Hancock came off the bench to score 20 points, walk-on Tim Henderson sparked a second-half rally with a pair of monster 3s and Louisville advanced to the NCAA title game Saturday night, escaping with a 72-68 victory over Wichita State.
As the final buzzer sounded, a Louisville player tossed the ball high into the air and injured Kevin Ware stood up, thrusting his arms above his head.
It was the 15th straight victory for the top-seeded Cardinals (34-5), who will play the winner of Syracuse-Michigan for the national title Monday night. It is the Cardinals’ first trip to the title game since they won it all in 1986.
REGIONAL FINALS
Louisville beats Duke to reach Final Four
INDIANAPOLIS - With tears in their eyes and Kevin Ware in their hearts, there was no way Louisville was losing this game.
Russ Smith scored 23 points, Gorgui Dieng had 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks and top-seeded Louisville put aside the shock from Ware's gruesome leg injury to beat Duke 85-63 on Sunday and earn a second straight trip to the Final Four.
It will be some time before the Cardinals can celebrate this victory, however. Ware, who's played a key role in Louisville's 14-game winning streak, was hospitalized after appearing to snap his lower right leg with 6:33 left in the first half.
Michigan rolls into Final Four, beats Florida
ARLINGTON, Texas - Freshman guard Nik Stauskas scored 22 points including six 3-pointers and Michigan is going to the Final Four for the first time since the Fab Five era after a 79-59 rout of Florida in the South Regional final Sunday.
The Wolverines (30-7) scored the game's first 13 points and maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the game against the SEC regular-season champion Gators (29-8), who lost in a regional final for the third straight year.
Stauskas hit all six of his 3-point attempts, including consecutive makes from the left corner for to give Michigan a 41-17 lead.
Sophomore Trey Burke, the Big Ten player of the year, added 15 points for Michigan. Mitch McGary, another freshman, had 11 points and nine rebounds. He scored eight in the opening 13-0 run.
Kenny Boynton and Will Yeguette had 13 points each for Florida.
REGIONAL FINALS
Syracuse on to Final Four, beats Marquette
WASHINGTON - Using its trapping, shot-challenging 2-3 zone defense to perfect effect, No. 4-seeded Syracuse shut down No. 3 Marquette 55-39 in the East Regional final Saturday, reaching the Final Four for the first time in a decade.
Coach Jim Boeheim and the Orange (30-9) haven't been to the national semifinals since a freshman named Carmelo Anthony led them to the 2003 championship.
Fittingly, a matchup between schools from the soon-to-break-apart, rough-and-tumble Big East became quite a struggle to score. Syracuse was led by senior forward James Southerland's 16 points.
Marquette (26-9) hadn't scored fewer than 47 points this season. But with Syracuse playing Boeheim's beloved zone throughout, Marquette kept turning the ball over, seeing its shots blocked or just plain missing.
Wichita State upsets OSU for Final Four trip
LOS ANGELES - Malcolm Armstead scored 14 points, Fred Van Vleet bounced in a big basket with 1 minute left, and ninth-seeded Wichita State earned its first trip to the Final Four since 1965 with a 70-66 victory over Ohio State on Saturday.
Van Vleet scored 12 points as the Shockers (30-8) followed up last week's win over top-ranked Gonzaga with a nail-biting victory over the second-seeded Buckeyes (29-8), whose 11-game winning streak ended one game short of their second straight Final Four.
Wichita State roared to a 20-point lead with 11 minutes to play after Ohio State played an awful first half, but LaQuinton Ross scored 15 of his 19 points after halftime, leading a ferocious rally to within three points in the final minutes.
REGIONAL SEMIFINALS
South Region
at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Midwest Region
at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
Curry sends Duke past Michigan State
INDIANAPOLIS - Seth Curry shot Duke right into the regional finals - and put Mike Krzyzewski on the verge of another major milestone.
Curry scored 29 points to lead the second-seeded Blue Devils past third-seeded Michigan State 71-61 on Friday night and into the Midwest Regional final.
If Duke (30-5) beats top-seeded Louisville (32-5) in Sunday's regional final, Krzyzewski would tie John Wooden's record with 12 Final Four trips.
Michigan State (27-9) just couldn't keep up with Curry and Duke's shooters. The Spartans were led by Keith Appling with 16 points and Adreian Payne with 14.
Curry's sixth 3 of the game broke a 38-38 tie early in the second half, sending Duke on a 9-0 run. It never trailed again.
Florida ousts Florida Gulf Coast
ARLINGTON, Texas - Mike Rosario had 15 points and Florida is going to an NCAA regional final for the third year in a row after a 62-50 victory over Florida Gulf Coast, the No. 15 seed whose improbable tournament journey ended just before midnight Friday.
Florida Gulf Coast, the high-flying team from "Dunk City" few people knew before this NCAA tourney, jumped out to an early 11-point lead against the SEC regular-season champs.
But the No. 3 seed Gators (29-7), with a roster filled with NCAA tourney experience, were just too strong and too good.
Michael Frazier made a pair of 3-pointer to start a 16-0 run late in the first half. That came in a 4½-minute span when the Eagles (26-11) had four turnovers and missed their only shot. They trailed the rest of the game.
The Gators play Michigan in the South Regional final at Cowboys Stadium on Sunday. They are trying to get to their first NCAA Final Four since consecutive national championships in 2006 and 2007.
Burke leads improbable Michigan rally over Kansas
ARLINGTON, Texas - Trey Burke scored all 23 of his points after halftime, including a long, tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation, and Michigan rallied to beat Kansas 87-85 in the South Regional semifinals Friday night.
The fourth-seeded Wolverines wiped out a 10-point Kansas lead in the last 3 minutes of regulation, and Burke gave them their first lead since early in the game with another long 3 to open Michigan's scoring in overtime.
Michigan (29-7) reached the regional finals for the first time since the Fab Five era 19 years ago, the last time they were in the round of 16.
Ben McLemore had 20 points to lead the Jayhawks (31-6), who looked to be on their way to a third straight regional final before Michigan's improbable rally.
Smith leads Louisville over Ducks
INDIANAPOLIS — Russ Smith matched his career high with 31 points to lead three Cardinals in double figures, and top-seeded Louisville overcame its toughest test yet in a 77-69 victory over Oregon on Friday night.
Kevin Ware added 11 and Gorgui Dieng had 10 points and nine rebounds for Louisville, which has now won 13 straight.
The 12th-seeded Ducks (28-9) managed to make a game of it late. After Louisville went up 66-48 with 9:01 left, Oregon made six straight field goals to pull within 70-64 — the closest anyone’s been to the Cardinals in a couple of weeks. But Kevin Ware scored on a layup and Chane Behanan threw down a monstrous dunk to put the game out of reach.
Louisville (32-5) plays the winner of Michigan State-Duke on Sunday.
REGIONAL SEMIFINALS
East Region
at The Verizon Center, Washington
West Region
at The Staples Center, Los Angeles
Shockers roll to win over La Salle
LOS ANGELES — Wichita State went from sweet to elite, beating La Salle 72-58 on Thursday night to reach the final eight of the NCAA tournament for the first time in 32 years.
Malcolm Armstead scored 18 points, Carl Hall added 16 points and freshman Ron Baker 13 for the ninth-seeded Shockers, who proved their upset of No. 1 seed Gonzaga in the third round was no fluke. They never trailed in this matchup of small schools whose past NCAA tourney success was long buried in the history books.
The Shockers advanced to Saturday’s West Regional final against No. 2 seed Ohio State, a 73-70 winner over Arizona in the first semifinal at Staples Center. Their yellow-clad fans, several waving handmade signs, made up nearly all of the smaller crowd that stuck around to see the end.
Syracuse’s D, Carter-Williams beat Indiana
WASHINGTON — With its 2-3 zone defense disruptive from start to finish, and Michael Carter-Williams pouring in 24 points, fourth-seeded Syracuse upset No. 1 seed Indiana 61-50 Thursday night to reach the NCAA tournament’s East Regional final.
Syracuse limited Indiana to its lowest point total of the season, forced 19 turnovers, compiled 10 blocks and held the normally efficient Hoosiers to 33 percent shooting.
After getting past preseason No. 1 Indiana, Syracuse (29-9) will face No. 3 seed Marquette on Saturday night in an all-Big East matchup for a berth in the Final Four. Coach Jim Boeheim and the Orange haven’t been to the national semifinals since Carmelo Anthony led them to the 2003 title.
Marquette beat No. 2 seed Miami 71-61 in Thursday’s first game in Washington.
Ross' late 3-pointer lifts Ohio State over Arizona
LOS ANGELES — LaQuinton Ross hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 2 seconds to play, and Ohio State advanced to the brink of its second straight Final Four appearance with a 73-70 victory over Arizona on Thursday night in the West Regional semifinals.
Ross, the Buckeyes’ remarkable reserve, scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half for the second-seeded Buckeyes (29-7), who rallied from an early 11-point deficit and weathered the sixth-seeded Wildcats’ late charge for their 11th consecutive victory since mid-February.
Deshaun Thomas scored 20 points for Ohio State, and Aaron Craft added 13 before ceding the Buckeyes’ final shot to Ross. Craft hit an awfully similar 3-pointer against Iowa State last Sunday to send the Buckeyes forward.
Mark Lyons’ acrobatic three-point play for the Wildcats (27-8) had tied it with 21.8 seconds left.
Marquette marches on, beating Miami
WASHINGTON — Jamil Wilson scored 16 points, Vander Blue and Davante Gardner had 14 apiece, and Marquette advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2003 with a 71-61 win over Miami on Thursday night.
The third-seeded Golden Eagles took a double-digit lead in the first half and never relinquished it, quite the contrast from their nail-biters earlier in the NCAA tournament. They shot 54 percent from the field and held the Hurricanes to 35 percent. Miami missed 18 of 26 3-point attempts.
Marquette (26-8) will face either top-seeded Indiana or No. 4 Syracuse in the East Regional final on Saturday.
Shane Larkin scored 14 points for the second-seeded Hurricanes (29-7), who matched the best NCAA run in school history.
REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS
West Region
East Region
Miami 63, Illinois 59
South Region
Florida Gulf Coast 81, San Diego State 71
Midwest Region
* * *
Sulaimon, Surry lead Duke to Sweet 16
PHILADELPHIA — Rasheed Sulaimon scored 21 points, Seth Curry scored had 17 and No. 2 seed Duke held off seventh-seeded Creighton 66-50 on Sunday to advance to the round of 16 for the fourth time in five years.
A year after they lost their NCAA tournament opener, the Blue Devils (29-5) are back in the regional semifinal for the 23rd time. They'll play No. 3 seed Michigan State (27-8) in the regional semifinal Friday in Indianapolis.
Mason Plumlee, Josh Hariston and Ryan Kelly battled foul trouble all game long that could have doomeed the Blue Devils. Creighton (28-8) went cold and never made a serious run in the second half. Doug McDermott scored 21 points but made only four baskets.</p><p> With McDermott slumping, the Bluejays were knocked out in the third round by an ACC team for the second straight season.
Garland’s late shot leads La Salle to round of 16
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Tyrone Garland banked home a scooping layup with 2 seconds left and 13th-seeded La Salle beat Mississippi 76-74 on Sunday, vaulting the Explorers to their deepest run in the NCAA tournament since they played for the championship in 1955.
Ramon Galloway had 24 points for La Salle (24-9), which was playing its third game in five days. No. 12 Ole Miss (27-9) led 74-72 with 1:58 left but failed to reach the regional semifinals for the first time since 2001.
After Tyreek Duren's two foul shots tied it 74-all at the 1:07 mark, Marshall Henderson failed to hit an off-balance bank shot that would have given Mississippi the lead.
Henderson had 21 points in game with 11 lead changes.
Duren had 19 points for La Salle and Garland had 17.
Murphy Holloway had 14 points for Mississippi, which fell one win shy of breaking the school record. Jarvis Summers had 12 and Nick Williams had 10 for the Rebels, who were a miserable 10 for 21 from the foul line.
No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast beats SDSU 81-71
PHILADELPHIA — Not even many basketball fans knew about Florida Gulf Coast just a couple of weeks ago. They do now — the Eagles are the first No. 15 seed to make the Sweet 16.
Bernard Thompson scored 23 points and Sherwood Robinson added 17 to lead FGCU to its second NCAA tournament win in as many tries, an 81-71 victory over San Diego State on Sunday night.
FGCU (26-10), which shocked the world in the second round with a 78-68 victory over second-seeded Georgetown, was just as entertaining and impressive in the third round, again using a big second-half run to take control of the game.
Now, the Eagles will face an opponent that should know a lot more about them. Third-seeded Florida will play FGCU on Friday night in the semifinals of the South Regional in Dallas.
The upstart state school against the main campus. Seems right up FGCU's alley.
Jamal Franklin had 20 points for the seventh-seeded Aztecs (23-11), who were trying to reach the regional semifinals for the second time in three years.
Big 1st half propels Florida over Minnesota 78-64
AUSTIN, Texas — Mike Rosario scored 25 points and Florida used an overpowering first half to roll past Minnesota and into the NCAA tournament round of 16 for third consecutive year with a 78-64 win Sunday in the South Regional.
The No. 3 seed Gators (28-7) shot a blistering 65 percent in the first half and led by 21 by halftime. The win earns Florida a return trip to the Lone Star State to play their next game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.
Andre Hollins scored 25 points to lead the No. 11-seed Gophers (21-13). Hollins' 3-point shooting sparked a second-half rally that pulled Minnesota within seven points, but Rosario's sixth 3-pointer with 3 minutes left pushed the Gators' lead back to 16 and effectively locked up the win.
Second-half run sends Kansas past Tar Heels
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas got the best of 'ol Roy and his Tar Heels once again.
Behind the impassioned play of Travis Releford and Jeff Withey, the top-seeded Jayhawks shook themselves out of a first-half slumber and blitzed No. 8 seed North Carolina down the stretch for a 70-58 victory Sunday in the third round of the NCAA tournament.
Withey had 16 points and 16 rebounds, and Releford finished with 22 points for the Jayhawks (31-5), who also knocked former coach Roy Williams' team out of the NCAA tournament during their 2008 title run and again last season, when Kansas marched all the way to the Final Four.
It'll keep marching this year — at least to the Sweet 16 — thanks to a superb second half.
P.J. Hairston scored 15 points and James Michael McAdoo finished with 11 for the Tar Heels (25-11).
Indiana holds off Temple 58-52 to reach Sweet 16
DAYTON, Ohio — Victor Oladipo hit a key 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining and Indiana, minutes away from being the second No. 1 seed to be swept from the NCAA tournament, held off Temple 58-52 on Sunday in the East Regional.
The Hoosiers (29-6) trailed by four with 2:56 left, but closed with a big run to advance to the round of 16 for the second straight year.
Indiana will play No. 4 seed Syracuse in the regional semifinals on Thursday in Washington.
Temple's Khalif Wyatt scored 31 points to lead the Owls (24-10), who gave one of the Big Ten's big boys all they could handle before collapsing when it mattered most.
Oladipo, who spent the afternoon trying to slow down Wyatt, scored 16 and Cody Zeller added 15 for the Hoosiers.
No. 2 Ohio State beats Iowa State
DAYTON, Ohio — Aaron Craft hit a 3-pointer with a half-second left, and Ohio State escaped Dayton — a place of heartaches — as the lone high seed left in the NCAA tournament’s wild West Regional, beating Iowa State 78-75 on Sunday.
No. 2 Ohio State (28-7) needed Craft’s only 3-pointer of the game — an arching shot over 6-foot-7 defender Georges Niang from the top of the key — to avoid yet another upset in the West. Four of the top five seeds have fallen fast and hard in that most-busted bracket.
The Buckeyes’ 10th straight win sends them into the round of 16 for the fourth straight year, a school record. They’ll play sixth-seeded Arizona on Thursday in Los Angeles.
Tenth-seeded Iowa State (23-12) overcame a late 13-point deficit by hitting 3s — the Cyclones’ specialty — but wound up beaten by Craft’s lone basket from behind the arc.
MARCH 22
East Region
South Region
Midwest Region
Louisville 82, Colorado State 56
West Region
* * *
Syracuse tops California 66-60
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Syracuse overcame poor shooting and a partisan crowd to earn a return trip to the round of 16.
C.J. Fair scored 18 points, James Southerland added 14 and the fourth-seeded Orange survived a second-half drought of more than 12 minutes without a field goal to beat No. 12 seed California 66-60 on Saturday night in the NCAA tournament.
Syracuse (28-9) frustrated the Golden Bears with its zone defense to overcome a dismal shooting night when it made just 39 percent of its shots and missed 15 of 41 free throws.
Wichita State's 3-pointers boot No. 1 Gonzaga 76-70
SALT LAKE CITY — Gonzaga's gone.
Cleanthony Early and Ron Baker scored 16 points apiece and Wichita State hit a season-high 14 3-pointers, including seven straight late, to knock the top-ranked and No. 1 seeded Bulldogs out of the NCAA tournament 76-70 tonight.
The Shockers (28-8) advanced to the Round of 16 for the first time since 2006, while Gonzaga becomes the first top seed to be eliminated.
Gonzaga survived a scare in the second round against Southern but couldn't hold up against a fellow mid-major from Kansas whose motto is "play angry."
The Shockers face the winner of Sunday's game between La Salle and Ole Miss.
Wichita State had the Zags down 13 early. Though Gonzaga (32-3) fought back, the barrage of 3s was too much for the small school from Spokane, Wash.
Kelly Olynyk scored 26 points to lead Gonzaga, and Kevin Pangos had 19.
Marquette survives Butler, 74-72
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Vander Blue scored 19 second-half points to rally third-seeded Marquette out of another hole, and the Golden Eagles survived No. 6 Butler 74-72 tonight to reach the Round of 16.
Like November's first meeting between the teams at the Maui Invitational, won 72-71 by Butler on Rotnei Clarke's buzzer-beating 3-pointer, this was a back-and-forth, high-intensity affair, that came down to the final shot.
Only this time, Butler missed.
Marquette (25-8) will meet the winner of Sunday's game between Illinois and Miami (Fla.) on Thursday in Washington, D.C.
Clarke's 24 points led Butler (28-9).
Blue, the junior whose last-second layup edged Davidson on Thursday, led the Golden Eagles' rally from a 35-27 halftime deficit and tied the game at 69 on 3-pointer with 1:25 remaining.
Oregon blows past Saint Louis 74-57
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Oregon is riding its much-debated No. 12 seed all the way to the round of 16.
Damyean Dotson scored 23 points, Carlos Emory added 14 points and the hot-shooting Ducks sprinted past fourth-seeded Saint Louis 74-57 in the NCAA tournament tonight.
Dotson made his first five 3-pointers to carry Oregon (28-8) into the second weekend for the first time since 2007, when it lost to eventual repeat champion Florida in the regional final. The Ducks made 8 of 11 shots from beyond the arc, while the Billikens finished 3 for 21 from long range.
Oregon will play No. 1 overall seed Louisville in the Midwest Regional in Indianapolis next. The Cardinals routed Colorado State 82-56 in Lexington, Ky.
Arizona sends Harvard home with a thump, 74-51
SALT LAKE CITY — Clearly unfazed by their Ivy League opponent's plucky brand of Smartball, Arizona showed how a real basketball school does it Saturday. Mark Lyons matched his career high with 27 points in Arizona's wire-to-wire 74-51 blowout of Harvard.
No. 6 seed Arizona's next stop in the NCAA tournament is southern California, where the Wildcats will make their 15th appearance in the regional semifinals. They'll play the winner of Sunday's game between Ohio State and Iowa State.
The day for No. 14 Harvard (20-10) was best summed up early in the second half when point guard Siyani Chambers took an elbow to the mouth from Kevin Parrom, who chipped off part of Chambers' front tooth. Officials stopped play and Chambers' teammate, Christian Webster, walked over, bent down and picked up the tooth fragment off the floor.
Louisville runs over Colorado State 82-56
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Russ Smith had another big night, leading four players in double figures with 27 points, and top-seeded Louisville is into the Midwest Region semifinals.
The Cardinals put on a defensive clinic as they dismantled Colorado State 82-56 today. Louisville forced the eighth-seeded Rams into a season-high 20 turnovers, made Colton Iverson look as invisible as a 6-foot-10 guy can be and limited one of the nation's best rebounding teams to 24 boards, more than a dozen below their average.
It was the 12th straight win for Louisville (31-5), which will play the winner of Saint Louis-Oregon on Friday in Indianapolis.
Harris leads Michigan State past Memphis
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Gary Harris scored 16 of his career-high 23 points in the first half to help third-seeded Michigan State cruise past sixth-seeded Memphis 70-48 on today, putting the Spartans in the round of 16 for the fifth time in six years.
Michigan State (27-8) will play the winner of the Duke-Creighton game on Friday in the Midwest Regional semifinals at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The Tigers (31-5) advanced in the NCAA tournament for the first time in Josh Pastner's four seasons. The Conference USA champions were eliminated in the third round because they struggled to stop Harris on the outside or his teammates inside all afternoon.
The Spartans' top post players — Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix — combined for 27 points and 18 rebounds.
Michigan breezes through VCU press
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Mitch McGary had 21 points and 14 rebounds, and fourth-seeded Michigan breezed through Virginia Commonwealth's vaunted pressure with a clinical performance today, beating the fifth-seeded Rams 78-53 to advance to the NCAA round of 16 for the first time since 1994.
VCU (27-9) was relentless in a 46-point rout of Akron on Thursday night, but the Rams met their match against Michigan's cool-headed backcourt. Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. rarely looked rattled against VCU, and although Michigan (28-7) committed 12 turnovers, the Rams couldn't turn many of them into quick scoring opportunities.
McGary, a 6-foot-10 freshman, set season highs in scoring and rebounding. VCU had no answer for him around the basket, and when the Rams couldn't create easy baskets with their pressure, they were finished.
MARCH 22'S GAMES
East: NC State falls to Wyatt, Temple
South: UNC's Williams gets 700th career victory
Midwest: 'Confident' Duke glides by Albany
West: La Salle stuns KSU; Mississippi shocks Wisconsin
East Region
South Region
Florida Gulf Coast 78, Georgetown 68
San Diego State 70, Oklahoma 55
North Carolina 78, Villanova 71
Kansas 64, Western Kentucky 57
Florida 79, Northwestern State 47
Midwest Region
West Region
* * *
Minnesota outmuscles UCLA
AUSTIN, Texas — Andre Hollins scored 28 points and Minnesota rolled past punchless UCLA 83-63 on Friday night in the second round of the NCAA tournament, a game that could be Bruins freshman Shabazz Muhammad's last in college and coach Ben Howland's final one leading the program.
Austin Hollins scored 16 for the 11th-seeded Gophers (21-12), who advanced to Sunday's third round against No. 3 seed Florida in the South Regional. The Gophers eased some pressure on coach Tubby Smith by giving him his first NCAA tournament win in six seasons.
Another early-round exit by the sixth-seeded Bruins (25-10) won't help Howland, who is facing public speculation back home about his future despite winning the Pac-12 regular-season title this year.
Muhammad, expected to leave for the NBA, led the Bruins with 20 points.
Kansas survives Western Kentucky upset bid
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jeff Withey scored 17 points and top-seeded Kansas struggled to put away scrappy Western Kentucky in a 64-57 victory Friday night that avoided what would have been the biggest upset on a day full of them in the NCAA tournament.
The Jayhawks (30-5), flummoxed by the Hilltoppers' full-court pressure, trailed 31-30 at halftime. Kansas eventually built an 11-point lead in the second half, but couldn't put Western Kentucky away until Ben McLemore's two foul shots with 11 seconds left in the game.
McLemore and Travis Releford scored 11 each for the Jayhawks (30-5), who wearily advanced to play No. 8 seed North Carolina and former coach Roy Williams in the South Regional on Sunday.
Jamal Crook scored 13 points and T.J. Price had 12 for the Hilltoppers (20-16), who would have made history by becoming the first No. 16 seed to upend a No. 1 seed in the tournament.
Franklin leads San Diego State past Oklahoma 70-55
PHILADELPHIA — Jamaal Franklin scored 21 points, James Rahon had 17 and San Diego State beat Oklahoma 70-55 on Friday night to earn its third NCAA tournament victory.
The seventh-seeded Aztecs (23-10) will play No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday in the South Regional. The Eagles introduced themselves to the college basketball world with a 78-68 win over Georgetown.
After that thriller, this game never stood a chance.
The Aztecs did nothing spectacular, but everything well and used a modest 8-0 run late in the second half to snap a tie game and take control.
Romero Osby scored 22 points for the 10th-seeded Sooners (20-12).
Iowa State rolls to 76-58 win over Notre Dame
DAYTON, Ohio — Freshman Georges Niang matched a season high with 19 points and Iowa State, showing it can do much more than just fire away from outside the 3-point line, dismantled Notre Dame 76-58 on Friday night in the NCAA tournament.
The 10th-seeded Cyclones (23-11) will play No. 2 seed Ohio State on Sunday. The Buckeyes advanced with a 95-70 thrashing of Iona.
Iowa State led the nation in 3-pointers this season, but the Cyclones were just as effective from short range in ousting the Fighting Irish (25-10), who played their final game as a member of the Big East and will join the Atlantic Coast Conference next season.
Melvin Ejim added 17 points for Iowa State, which shot better than 70 percent for much of the second half.
Tom Knight scored 14 to lead the Fighting Irish.
Florida beats Northwestern St. 79-47
AUSTIN, Texas — Erik Murphy had 18 points to lead four Florida players in double figures and the Gators shut down the NCAA's highest-scoring team Friday night, beating Northwestern State 79-47 in the second round of the South Regional.
No. 3 seed Florida turned this one into a rout with a 19-1 run in the second half and held the 14th-seeded Demons (23-9) to their fewest points this season - 34 below their average.
Patric Young had 16 points and nine rebounds for Florida (27-7). Kenny Boynton and Scottie Wilbekin both scored 11.
DeQuan Hicks had 12 points for the Demons, who upset Iowa as the No. 14 seed in their last NCAA tournament seven years ago.
They couldn't repeat that feat against the Gators, who lost in the regional finals each of the past two seasons.
North Carolina tops Villanova 78-71
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — P.J. Hairston scored 23 points, James Michael McAdoo added 17 and North Carolina unleashed a flurry of 3-pointers to subdue gritty Villanova 78-71 in the NCAA tournament Friday night, giving coach Roy Williams his 700th career victory.
The never-say-die Wildcats (20-14) erased a 20-point deficit that North Carolina built in the first half and then nearly climbed out of a nine-point hole in the final minutes after the Tar Heels hit three consecutive 3s and once again appeared to take control.
The victory set up a possible dream matchup in the third round for Kansas fans, who have been jamming the Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City, about 30 minutes from the Jayhawks' campus. The eighth-seeded Tar Heels (25-10) take on the winner between Western Kentucky and No. 1 seed Kansas, where Williams coached for 15 years and rang up more than 400 wins.
Thompson leads Ohio State over Iona 95-70
DAYTON, Ohio — Sam Thompson had career highs with 20 points and 10 rebounds on Friday night, part of a dominating performance by Ohio State's front line, and the Buckeyes ran away to a 95-70 victory over Iona in the second round of the West Regional.
The second-seeded Buckeyes (27-7) are in prime March form with nine straight wins, including their last five games in the regular season and a run to the Big Ten tournament title.
Forward Deshaun Thomas has led them in scoring during the streak, averaging 17.6 points. He had 24 points as the Buckeyes' fast breaks led to dunks and a season high in points, thrilling the large Ohio State contingent.
Iona (20-14) returned to the court where it suffered the biggest meltdown in NCAA tournament history last year, blowing a 25-point lead. The Gaels are 1-9 all-time in the tournament with their only win - over Holy Cross in 1980 - later vacated because of NCAA violations.
Florida Gulf Coast stuns Georgetown 78-68
PHILADELPHIA — Sherwood Brown scored 24 points and Bernard Thompson had 23 to lead Florida Gulf Coast to an incredible NCAA tournament debut, a 78-68 win over second-seeded Georgetown on Friday night in the second round of the South Regional.
The Eagles, in their second season of being eligible for Division I postseason, became just the seventh No. 15 seed to beat a No. 2.
FGCU (25-10) will play the winner of the game between seventh-seeded San Diego State and No. 10 Oklahoma in the third round on Sunday.
A night after America's oldest university, Harvard, pulled off a major upset over fourth-seeded New Mexico, one of its youngest - FGCU's first student was admitted in 1997 - got one that was even bigger.
The Eagles took control with a 21-2 run that gave them a 52-33 lead with 12:28 to play, though the Hoyas used a furious rally to get within 72-68 with 52 seconds left.
It was another disappointing NCAA exit for the Hoyas (25-7), who have lost to a double-digit seed in their last four appearances.
Markel Starks had 23 points for the Hoyas.
Late 3-pointers lift Illinois past Colorado 57-49
AUSTIN, Texas — Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson made consecutive 3-pointers to give Illinois the lead with 6 minutes left and the seventh-seeded Illini pulled out a tough 57-49 win over Colorado in a game of wild momentum swings Friday in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Illinois led by 16 at halftime only to watch Colorado rip off a 21-2 run in the second to grab the lead. The Illini looked desperate until Paul and Richardson coolly knocked down their shots to put Illinois ahead 48-44.
Four free throws by Paul eventually put the game away for the Illini (23-12), who will play No. 2 seed Miami on Sunday.
Paul led Illinois with 17 points. Askia Booker scored14 points for Colorado (21-12).
Indiana overpowers James Madison 83-62
DAYTON, Ohio — Freshman Yogi Ferrell scored 14 points in the first six minutes as top-seeded Indiana slam dunked its way to an 83-62 win over James Madison in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Friday.
Not taking any chances with a No. 16 seed, the Hoosiers (28-6) started fast and built a 33-point lead in the second half over the Dukes (21-15) and opened the tourney with a statement they intend to be around for a while.
Looking every bit like a team capable of cutting down the nets in Atlanta next month, Indiana will play Temple in the second round on Sunday.
Ferrell finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Cody Zeller had four dunks for Indiana.
Freshman Andre Nation led James Madison with 24 points.
McDermott has 27, Creighton tops Cincinnati 67-63
PHILADELPHIA — Doug McDermott had 27 points and 11 rebounds, and Gregory Echenique scored 13 points to help Creighton hold on to beat Cincinnati 67-63 on Friday in the second round of the Midwest Regional.
Ethan Wragge added 12 for the Bluejays, who won their NCAA tournament opener for the second straight year.
McDermott, the two-time Missouri Valley Conference player of the year and 2012 All-American, made all 11 free throws to help the seventh-seeded Bluejays (28-7) move on to play Duke on Sunday.
Sean Kilpatrick's driving layup after Cincinnati had the arrow on a jump ball cut it to 64-63 with 17 seconds left.
Austin Chatman sank two free throws for Creighton. Kilpatrick's attempt at a tying 3 rimmed out, and the Bearcats were whistled for traveling after grabbing the rebound.
Chatman then hit one of two from the line to clinch it.
No. 13 seed La Salle beats No. 4 K-State, 63-61
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jerrell Wright made three foul shots in the final 30 seconds, and No. 13 seed La Salle survived after blowing an 18-point halftime lead to beat fourth-seeded Kansas State 63-61 on Friday in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Wright, who scored a game-high 21 points for the Explorers (22-9), made the first two free throws to give La Salle a 62-61 lead. Kansas State's Jordan Henriquez missed in the paint at the other end, and Wright made the first of two more free throws with 9.6 seconds to go.
The Wildcats (27-8) raced down court, but point guard Angel Rodriguez got hung up in the corner by the Kansas State bench, and his off-balance shot over the corner of the backboard missed everything as the final buzzer sounded and the Explorers leaped off their bench to celebrate the upset.
Henriquez and Shane Southwell scored 17 points each for Kansas State.
Miami makes NCAA return with 78-49 win vs Pacific
AUSTIN, Texas — Durand Scott had 21 points and Miami had a triumphant return to the NCAA tournament with a 78-49 victory over Pacific on Friday.
The Hurricanes (28-6), who may be even better than their No. 2 seed in the East Regional would indicate, put the game out of reach with a 14-0 run midway through the first half of their first NCAA tourney game in five years.
Pacific (22-13), the California team that played its last game for retiring longtime coach Bob Thomason, was no match for the Atlantic Coast Conference's regular season and tournament champions.
After Khalil Kelley's three-point play with 14:35 left in the first half got them within 8-7, the Tigers went more than 7 minutes without scoring. Shane Larkin, the ACC player of the year, started the Miami run with two free throws, an alley-oop pass and a three-point play.
Injured Wyatt leads Temple over N.C. State 76-72
DAYTON, Ohio — No one-and-done for Temple on this day. Their best player pulled it off with six clinching free throws that were oh-so-painful but still perfect.
Khalif Wyatt scored 31 points, finishing the game with an injured left thumb that had him grimacing before his decisive free throws, and Temple broke with its trend of opening game losses in the NCAA tournament today, beating North Carolina State 76-72 in the second round of the East Regional.
The ninth-seeded Owls (24-9) will face winner of the Indiana-LIU Brooklyn game on Sunday, which represents a breakthrough for Temple right there.
Mississippi beats Wisconsin 57-46
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Marshall Henderson shook out of a shooting slump and scored 17 points in the second half, leading 12th-seeded Mississippi past No. 5 Wisconsin 57-46 today, giving the Rebels their first NCAA tournament win since 2002.
For the cold-shooting Badgers (23-12), the upset loss snaps a string of six straight first-game victories. Ole Miss (27-8) trailed 25-22 at halftime and Henderson, who led the Southeastern Conference with 20 points a game, had only two points on one-for-11 shooting.
But the flamboyant and outspoken guard found his touch just in time for Ole Miss, and wound up hitting 6 of 21. His back-to-back 3-pointers tied it 36-36 and his layup and two free throws in the final minute sealed the win.
Reginald Buckner had nine points and 12 rebounds. Sam Dekkar had 14 points for Wisconsin.
In the third round of the West Regional on Sunday, the Rebels will play the winner of the matchup between No. 4 seed Kansas State and No. 13 La Salle.
No. 2 seed Duke beats Albany 73-61
PHILADELPHIA — Seth Curry scored 26 points, Mason Plumlee had 23 and second-seeded Duke beat Albany 73-61 on today in the second round of the Midwest Regional.
The Blue Devils (28-5) will meet the winner of the game between seventh-seeded Creighton and 10th-seeded Cincinnati in the third round Sunday at the Wells Fargo Center.
Duke shot 58.7 percent (27 of 46), just off its season-beat 60.8 percent against Florida State.
The Blue Devils, who lost 75-70 to 15th-seeded Lehigh in the second round last year, never really pulled away from the Great Danes (24-11), who got as close as eight points with 4:40 to play.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski extended his all-time lead with his 80th career victory in the tournament that he has won four times.
Jacob Iati had 15 points for Albany, which was making its third NCAA appearance, all since 2006.
MARCH 21
South: Daniels leads VCU past Akron
West: No. 1 Gonzaga struggles to put away pesky Southern
Midwest: Louisville dismantles NC A&T
East: Marquette rallies to avoid upset
* * *
Midwest Region
Michigan State 65, Valparaiso 54
Memphis 54, Saint Mary's (Cal) 52
Saint Louis 64, New Mexico State 44
Colorado State 84, Missouri 72
West Region
Wichita State 73, Pittsburgh 55
East Region
South Region
Michigan 71, South Dakota State 56
* * *
Harvard upsets New Mexico
SALT LAKE CITY — Wesley Saunders scored 18 points and Laurent Rivard had 17 to help 14th-seeded Harvard pull off Thursday's biggest upset in the NCAA tournament, a 68-62 win over No. 3 New Mexico in the West regional.
The Ivy League advanced for the first time in the tournament since a very good Cornell team made the regional semifinals in 2010. It also was Harvard's first NCAA tourney win.
The Mountain West Conference, judged one of the top two leagues in college basketball all season, fell to 1-3 so far this week.
Harvard (20-9) tries to keep it going Saturday against sixth-seeded Arizona.
New Mexico closes the season at 29-6. Alex Kirk had 22 points for the Lobos, a popular pick to make the Final Four who, instead, still haven't made it out of the first weekend since 1974.
Syracuse 81, Montana 34
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Brandon Triche scored 20 points, C.J. Fair added 13 and fourth-seeded Syracuse shut down No. 13 seed Montana with its zone defense in a 81-34 victory in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday night.
Michael Carter-Williams chipped in four points, eight rebounds and nine assists as the Orange (27-9) raced out to an early lead that grew as big as 50 points and coasted past the Grizzlies (25-7) to their most lopsided tournament win since beating Brown 101-52 in the first round in 1986.
Syracuse advanced to play 12th-seeded and local favorite California (21-11) on Saturday for a spot in the East regional in Washington, D.C. next week. The Golden Bears beat UNLV 64-61.
Colorado State runs away from Missouri
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Dorian Green scored 17 of his 26 points in the first half and eighth-seeded Colorado State used good shooting to run away from No. 9 Missouri 84-72 Thursday night in the NCAA tournament.
Green, who went scoreless with five turnovers in last year's second-round upset to Murray State, did much better this time as the Rams shot nearly 58 percent in the first half.
Minnesota transfer and Rams big man Colton Iverson outrebounded Missouri by himself through 27 minutes and finished with 13 boards.
First-year Rams coach Larry Eustachy earned the victory with his fourth tournament team, but the road gets tougher as they advance to face top-seeded Louisville in Saturday's third-round Midwest Regional game at Rupp Arena.
Phil Pressey's 20 points led the Tigers (23-11).
Daniels, VCU race past Akron
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Troy Daniels had 23 points, Juvonte Reddic scored 21 and VCU routed Akron 88-42 on Thursday night in the most lopsided victory by a fifth-seeded team over a No. 12 in NCAA tournament history.
The previous mark was set by Wyoming in a 35-point win over Howard in 1981 and matched by Tennessee against Long Beach State in 2007, according to STATS.
The Rams (27-8) will play fourth-seeded Michigan on Saturday for a spot in the round of 16.
Akron (26-7) was seriously short-handed, and it showed.
In addition to playing without suspended point guard Alex Abreu, the Zips had other problems as well. Starting guard Brian Walsh and reserve center Pat Forsythe were limited by the flu, and reserve guard Deji Ibitayo wasn't even in uniform because of back spasms.
California 64, UNLV 61
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Allen Crabbe had 19 points and nine rebounds, reserve Robert Thurman scored all 12 of his points on dunks and 12th-seeded California held off fifth-seeded UNLV 64-61 in the second round of the NCAA tournament Thursday.
Buoyed by the crowd support of a strong contingent so close to Berkeley, the Golden Bears (21-11) held the Runnin' Rebels (25-10) without a basket for more than 11 minutes in the second half. Cal turned a tie game into a nine-point lead during that stretch and withstood a late UNLV push for its first tournament win since 2010.
The Rebels rallied to within a point in the final seconds before missed free throws and a costly inbounds pass sealed the loss.
Bryce Dejean-Jones scored 15 points and Anthony Bennett shook off a poor start to finish with 15 points and 11 rebounds for UNLV, which beat Cal 76-75 in Berkeley on Dec. 9.
Lyons leads 6th-seed Arizona over Belmont
SALT LAKE CITY — Mark Lyons scored 23 points and the sixth-seeded Arizona Wildcats rolled past No. 11 seed Belmont 81-64 Thursday night in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
The Wildcats (26-7) used their huge size advantage to shut down the Bruins (26-7), who are 0-6 in tourney games.
Arizona held a 44-18 edge on the boards, outscored Belmont 36-18 in the paint, blocked five shots and outshot the Bruins from 3-point range.
The Wildcats made 9 of 17 3-pointers, including a critical one from Solomon Hill with 4:40 remaining to stop an 11-2 Belmont run, and shot 57 percent overall.
Bruins guard Ian Clark entered shooting better than 46 percent from 3-point range but was 3 of 8 from beyond the arc.
Kerron Johnson led Belmont with 22 points and Clark finished with 21.
Kevin Parrom, Kaleb Tarczewski and Nick Johnson added 12 points each for Arizona.
Louisville manhandles North Carolina A&T
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Pay attention, No. 1s. This is how it's done.
Russ Smith scored 23 points and set a Louisville NCAA tournament record with a career-high eight steals, and Peyton Siva had eight assists as the Cardinals demolished North Carolina A&T 79-48 on Thursday night.
Louisville finished with a season-high 20 steals as it forced the Aggies (20-17) into 27 turnovers. It was the 11th straight win for the Cardinals (30-5), who will play Colorado State or Missouri on Saturday.
Rick Pitino and the Big East champions quickly ended a postseason run for the Aggies, who finally earned their first NCAA tournament win on Tuesday. Bruce Beckford led North Carolina A&T with 12 points.
Robinson, Michigan beat South Dakota State
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Glenn Robinson III scored 21 points and Mitch McGary added 13 points and nine rebounds, helping fourth-seeded Michigan overcome a rough night for Trey Burke in a 71-56 NCAA tournament victory over 13th-seeded South Dakota State on Thursday night.
Burke made only two field goals and left the game briefly in the second half after a hard fall under the basket. The star point guard came back after that, but he finished with only six points.
Michigan (27-7) advanced anyway behind Robinson, McGary and Tim Hardaway Jr., who scored 21 points.
South Dakota State (25-10) trailed by only four at halftime but couldn't keep up. High-scoring guard Nate Wolters was held to only 10 points.
Burke was held in single digits for the first time all season.
No. 12 seed Oregon knocks off Oklahoma State
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Damyean Dotson scored 17 points and Arsalan Kazemi added 11 points and 17 rebounds to help 12th-seeded Oregon extend a run that began in the Pac-12 tournament by beating fifth-seeded Oklahoma 68-55 in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday.
Dominic Artis scored 13 points and helped frustrate Oklahoma State star freshman Marcus Smart on the defensive end to give the Ducks (27-8) their first tournament win in six years.
Oregon advanced to play fourth-seeded St Louis (27-6) on Saturday for a spot in the Midwest regional in Indianapolis next week. The Billikens beat New Mexico State 64-44.
Smart came into the game with the hype of a top NBA prospect but was held to 14 points on 5 for 13 shooting for the Cowboys (24-9).
Gonzaga pulls out win over Southern
SALT LAKE CITY — A March Madness warm-up turned into a great escape for Gonzaga.
The Zags got pushed to the limit by Southern on Thursday, pulling out a 64-58 victory in the closing minutes to avoid becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a 16 in the NCAA tournament.
Kelly Olynyk led the Zags (32-2) with 21 points. They play No. 9 Wichita State on Saturday.
But it was a pair of 3-pointers - one by Gary Bell Jr., the next by Kevin Pagnos - that staked the Bulldogs to a 62-58 lead only moments after the game was tied at 56 with 3:45 left.
Derick Beltran had 21 points to lead Southern (23-10) and his 14-foot baseline jumper tied it at 56. But the Jaguars from the Southwestern Athletic Conference didn't make another field goal.
No. 1 seeds are now 113-0 against 16s.
Marquette survives Davidson
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Vander Blue’s layup with one second left capped Marquette’s rally from a nine-point deficit and gave the third-seeded Golden Eagles a 59-58 victory over Davidson Thursday in the NCAA tournament.
Blue and Jamil Wilson made consecutive 3-pointers to bring Marquette within 58-57 with 11 seconds left. The Golden Eagles then caught a huge break when De’Mon Brooks’ long inbounds pass went out of bounds at midcourt with 5.5 seconds left, providing another opportunity.
Blue took full advantage after getting Wilson’s inbounds pass, driving left and finding room for the winning basket. He then sealed Marquette’s improbable win by stealing Davidson’s last-ditch inbounds pass at midcourt to set off a celebration among players and Golden Eagles fans at Rupp Arena.
Blue scored seven of Marquette’s final 11 points to finish with 16. Wilson added 14 points as the Golden Eagles (24-8) won for the fifth time in six games and advanced to face Butler in Saturday’s third-round game.
The Bulldogs beat Bucknell, 68-56.
Jake Cohen’s 20 points led Davidson (26-8), who seemed in control leading 49-40 with 6½ minutes left before Marquette rallied.
Memphis avoids late collapse, tops Gaels 54-52
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Matthew Dellavedova's 3-pointer from the right wing sailed long as time expired, allowing sixth-seeded Memphis to hold on for a 54-52 win over 11th-seeded Saint Mary's on today.
The Tigers (31-4) led by 15 in the first half but nearly gave the game away in the final seconds. With Saint Mary's (28-7) down five, Eividas Petrulis banked in a 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds to play. Memphis then lost the ball when Jordan Giusti deflected the inbound pass off Joe Jackson of the Tigers and out of bounds.
Dellavedova, the career leader in scoring for the Gaels, was able to get a shot off from in front of his team's bench, but it was well long, missing everything.
Armstead leads Wichita State past Pitt 73-55
SALT LAKE CITY — Malcolm Armstead scored 22 points, Cleanthony Early added 21 and ninth-seeded Wichita State defeated eighth-seeded Pittsburgh 73-55 today in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Freshman Steven Adams led Pitt (24-9) with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Call Hall added 11 points for the Shockers (27-8), who face the winner of the No. 1-ranked Gonzaga-Southern game.
The Shockers forced Pitt into 15 turnovers and held the Panthers to 35 percent shooting, including 1 of 17 from 3-point range.
Pitt's leading scorer, Tray Woodall, missed his first four shots and finished with two points. He shot 1 of 12, including 0 of 5 from beyond the arc, with five turnovers.
Evans leads Saint Louis past New Mexico St. 64-44
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Dwayne Evans scored 24 points, Cody Ellis added 12 points and fourth-seeded Saint Louis overwhelmed New Mexico State 64-44 in the second round of the NCAA tournament today.
Playing through the death of Rick Majerus in December, Saint Louis reached another mark for its late coach. The Billikens (28-6) eclipsed the 1988-89 team's school record of 27 victories.
Evans shot 11 of 16 and finished a point shy of his career best to propel Saint Louis past 7-foot-5 New Mexico State freshman Sim Bhullar. The Billikens held Bhullar to four points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.
Bandja Sy had 17 points and nine rebounds for the 13th-seeded Aggies (24-11), who shot just 28 percent.
Smith's double-double leads Butler to 68-56 win
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Andrew Smith had a double-double including a career-high 16 rebounds, Roosevelt Jones added 14 points and Butler made its free throws down the stretch to hold off upset-minded Bucknell 68-56 in the second round of the NCAA tournament today.
After trailing for most of the game, 11th-seeded Bucknell got back into it with a 19-2 second-half run. But after Joe Willman's jumper cut Butler's lead to 43-42 with 6:56 left, the Bison (28-6) went almost five minutes without scoring. Butler went 18-of-20 at the line in the last 4:43.
Willman scored a career-high 20 points for Bucknell, but the Bison couldn't overcome an off day by two-time Patriot League Player of the Year Mike Muscala. Bucknell's all-time leading scorer had nine points, only the second time this season he'd failed to reach double figures.
Butler will face the winner of Davidson-Marquette on Saturday.
3rd-seeded Michigan State beats No. 14 Valpo 65-54
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Derrick Nix had 23 points and a career-high 15 rebounds to help power third-seeded Michigan State past 14th-seeded Valparaiso 65-54 today.
The Spartans went on a 26-5 run in the first half to take control.
Michigan State (26-8) will play the winner of the Memphis-St. Mary's game on Saturday when Spartans coach Tom Izzo will be shooting for a spot in the round of 16 for the fifth time in six years.
The Crusaders (26-8) were no match for Michigan State in their first NCAA tournament in nine years, just as they weren't as a first-round loser in 2000 to the eventual champion Spartans.
Valpo had enough size to match up, but didn't have enough strength.
1. 41-vehicle wreck ties up traffic Sunday on I-81 in Rockbridge County
2. Virginia Tech football roster has holes on picture day
3. Medicare penalties hit hospitals in Roanoke, New River Valleys
4. Arrest made in case of missing Nelson County teen
5. McFarling: 2 little numbers are a big hurdle for Virginia Tech football
6. Microfestivus beer event gets downtown Roanoke hopping
7. DAN CASEY: Copter cost still stirring up dust
8. WOYM: Fewer stinkbugs? You may have wasps to thank
9. Virginia attorney general's office grows under Ken Cuccinelli
10. Roanoke farmers markets making local foods more accessible
THE ROANOKE TIMES
