At Tulsa, Okla., Derrick Williams’ three-point play with 9.6 seconds remaining lifted Arizona to a 70-69 win over Texas in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night.
The Wildcats (29-7) led by as many as 13 points in the first half and were up for most of the game before J’Covan Brown’s jumper put the Longhorns ahead 69-67. Williams misfired on a game-tying attempt with 14.5 seconds remaining, but Texas (28-8) was called for a five-second violation on the inbound pass to give Arizona one more chance.
Williams took advantage, slipping to the baseline on a pick-and-roll and taking the pass from Kyle Fogg. His shot fell through to tie the game, and his free throw put the Wildcats into the regional semifinals for the first time since last year’s absence snapped a 25-year tournament streak.
Williams finished with 17 points.
Florida State knocks Notre Dame out
At Chicago, Bernard James scored 14 points, Michael Snaer added 13 and Florida State showed there’s more to its game than defense with a 71-57 upset of second-seeded Notre Dame that put the Seminoles in the regional semifinals for the first time since 1993.
It was an impressive effort by the 10th-seeded Seminoles, who had four players in double figures and were 9-of-19 from 3-point range.
Florida State (23-10) now faces upstart Virginia Commonwealth in the Southwest Regional semifinals Friday in San Antonio.
For Notre Dame, meanwhile, it was another disappointing showing in the NCAA Tournament. Ben Hansbrough scored 18 on 5-of-13 shooting before fouling out with 3:19 left.
Kansas pulls away late to defeat Illinois
At Tulsa, Okla., twin brothers Marcus and Markieff Morris combined for 41 points and 24 rebounds, powering top-seeded Kansas past Illinois 73-59.
The Morris twins scored 24 of Kansas’ first 29 points in the second half, punctuated by consecutive two-handed slams by Markieff that made it 62-51 with 3:51 to play. After an Illinois turnover at the other end, the twins each followed Tyshawn Taylor in making leaping spins into teammates to start a timeout.
The Jayhawks (34-2) avoided revisiting their loss to another No. 9 seed, Northern Iowa, exactly a year earlier and also on Oklahoma soil. Instead, they’re moving on in a bracket filled with upsets.
No. 11 seed VCU and 12th-seeded Richmond will join them in the Southwest regional semifinals in San Antonio. Kansas plays Richmond on Friday.
Mike Davis led the Fighting Illini (20-14) with 17 points and seven rebounds.
Marquette knocks off Syracuse
At Cleveland, Darius Johnson-Odom’s 3-pointer with 27 seconds left snapped a tie and gave Marquette a 66-62 win over Syracuse that put the Golden Eagles into the NCAA tournament’s round of 16 for the first time in eight years.
The 11th-seeded Golden Eagles (22-14) had the winning basket set up by one of Syracuse’s 18 turnovers. Dion Waiters’ pass went long and Scoop Jardine’s jump to grab it resulted in an over-and-back.
Johnson-Odom delivered for a 62-59 lead and Marquette is moving on at the expense of its Big East rival. Marquette will play No. 2 seed North Carolina (28-7) in the East regional semifinals Friday in Newark, N.J.
The Golden Eagles are in the round of 16 for the first time since Dwyane Wade led them to the Final Four in 2003.
This was the second straight early exit for third-seeded Syracuse (27-8). The Orange were a No. 1 seed last year and lost in the round of 16 to Butler.
Duke gives Coach K his 900th victory
At Charlotte, N.C., Nolan Smith scored 24 points and top-seeded Duke held off a late rally to beat Michigan 73-71 and give Mike Krzyzewski his 900th career victory.
Kyle Singler added 13 points for the Blue Devils (32-4). They shot 51 percent, never trailed in the second half and advanced to the round of 16 for the 12th time in 14 years.
Darius Morris scored 16 points to lead the eighth-seeded Wolverines (21-14). They trailed by 15 with 10:51 to play but clawed within one point twice in the final 90 seconds.
Then, Smith missed a free throw with 8.7 seconds left to give Michigan one last chance, but Morris’ runner in the lane with 2 seconds left bounced off the back iron.
Tar Heels survive against Washington
At Charlotte, N.C., Tyler Zeller scored 23 points, Harrison Barnes added 22 and North Carolina survived a frantic finish to beat Washington 86-83 and advance to the round of 16 for an NCAA Tournament-record 24th time.
Rallying from deficits of 11 points in the first half and five in the second, the second-seeded Tar Heels (28-7) went ahead for good on Barnes’ 3-pointer with 4:06 left. But they needed two key free throws from Dexter Strickland and a defensive stop in the closing seconds to advance.
Terrence Ross scored 19 points and Matthew Bryan-Amaning added 14 for the seventh-seeded Huskies (24-11), who overcame a hostile crowd to nearly pull the upset in a fast-paced game full of entertaining plays and mental miscues down the stretch.
Washington star guard Isaiah Thomas struggled, however, missing 10 of 15 shots.
Ohio State cruises to Sweet 16
At Cleveland, David Lighty made all seven of his 3-pointers and scored 25 points, freshman Jared Sullinger added 18 after informing one of George Mason’s players “it’s over” and top-seeded Ohio State made 16 3s to advance in the NCAA Tournament with a jaw-dropping 98-66 win Sunday.
With thousands of fans chanting “O-H-I-O” at every opportunity, the Buckeyes (34-2) took apart the Patriots (27-7), who created some March mayhem a few years ago and hoped to follow Butler’s lead by taking out a No. 1 seed in this tourney.
Ohio State wrecked any upset plans and moved closer to its first national title since 1960. The Buckeyes will meet Kentucky (27-8) in the East regional semifinals Friday in Newark, N.J.
After falling behind 11-2, the Big Ten champions used their devastating inside-outside attack to post the most lopsided tournament victory in school history.
Purdue ousted by VCU
At Chicago, Bradford Burgess scored 23 points and 11th-seeded Virginia Commonwealth made it three victories in five days, routing third-seeded Purdue 94-76 to earn a trip to the Southwest Regional semifinals.
VCU’s remarkable run sends the Rams (26-11) to the round of 16 for the first time in school history.
With their fans chanting “VCU, VCU” as the final seconds ticked off the clock, the question is no longer whether the Rams belong. Instead, it’s: Who can stop them? They’ve ousted Southern Cal, Georgetown and now Purdue since Wednesday night.
