NCAA TOURNAMENT : Sweet 16 down to a dozen
Posted on Friday, March 28, 2008
THURSDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS Xavier 79, West Virginia 75, OT PHOENIX — B. J. Raymond made two three-pointers in the final 1: 18 of overtime to help boost Xavier past West Virginia and into the West Regional final. Raymond, who had one field goal in regulation, gave the Musketeers a 75-74 lead with his first three-pointer. Then, with 30 seconds left and the shot clock running down, he took a crosscourt pass after sneaking away on an inbound play and sank another three-pointer to make it 78-74. Josh Duncan scored a career-high 26 points to lead Xavier. 8 C North Carolina 68, Washington St. 47 CHARLOTTE, N. C. — The top-seeded Tar Heels, not typically known for their defense, held the defense-minded Cougars to 32 percent shooting and advanced to their second consecutive Elite Eight with a school-record 35 th victory in the East Regional semifinals. Tyler Hansbrough scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half. The Tar Heels improved to 24-1 in NCAA Tournament games played in North Carolina, including 7-0 in Charlotte Bobcats Arena, site of Thursday’s game. 8 C Louisville 79, Tennessee 60 The Cardinals stifled the Volunteers with a suffocating defense and put Coach Rick Pitino a victory away from his sixth Final Four trip. The Volunteers, who have never been past the round of 16, shot 33. 9 percent from the field and made only 5 of 20 threepoint attempts. Chris Lofton scored 15 points for Tennessee, but he was 3 for 15 in his final game with the Volunteers. Pitino, who has won two NCAA titles and has taken three schools to the Final Four, is now 8-0 in regional semifinal games. 8 C UCLA 88, Western Kentucky 78 Kevin Love scored a career-high 29 points to go with 14 rebounds, but the top-seeded Bruins nearly squandered a 21-point halftime lead to the 12 thseeded Hilltoppers. UCLA led 41-20 at the half, but turnovers and sloppy play allowed Western Kentucky to go on a 19-6 run and trim the lead to 61-57 with 6: 50 to play behind the play of Tyrone Brazelton, who scored 25 of his 31 points in the second half. But then Love scored from close range and Josh Shipp, an erratic long-range shooter, hit a three-pointer to push UCLA’s lead to 68-59 with 4: 30 to play. The Bruins will face Xavier on Saturday for a shot a third consecutive Final Four. 8 C TODAY’S GAMES SOUTH Regional semifinals At Reliant Stadium Houston Texas (30-6 ) vs. Stanford (28-7 ), 6: 27 p.m. Memphis (35-1 ) vs. Michigan State (27-8 ), 30 minutes following MIDWEST Regional semifinals At Ford Field Detroit Davidson (28-6 ) vs. Wisconsin (31-4 ), 6: 10 p.m. Kansas (33-3 ) vs. Villanova (22-12 ), 30 minutes following
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