NCAA Tournament: Oregon advances to Final Four for first time since 1939
The 2017 Elite Eight began competing Saturday after Friday's regional semifinal action in the NCAA Tournament.
GONZAGA 83, XAVIER 59
Nigel Williams-Goss scored 23 points and Johnathan Williams added 19 to send top-seeded Gonzaga to its first Final Four with an 83-59 victory over No. 11 seed Xavier in the West Regional final.
After 19 straight tournament trips, eight Sweet 16 appearances and a third Elite Eight, the Bulldogs (36-1) took the final step with a convincing victory against the overmatched Musketeers.
Gonzaga will play the winner of the game Sunday between South Carolina and Florida next week in the national semifinals.
OREGON 74, KANSAS 60
Tyler Dorsey scored 27 points and Jordan Bell was two blocks away from a triple-double as Oregon upset No. 1 seed Kansas 74-60 in the Midwest Regional final.
Joining Oregon in the Final Four is Gonzaga, which trounced Xavier 83-59 in the West Regional championship.
Two more Final Four invitations go out Sunday. North Carolina takes on Kentucky in the South Region, and South Carolina meets Florida in an all-Southeastern Conference East Region final.
#2 Kentucky vs. #1 UNC. Game tips off Sunday at 5:05 p.m. from Memphis.
#4 Florida vs #7 South Carolina. Game tips off Sunday at 2:20 p.m. from New York.
Here is a rundown of how Friday's Sweet 16 games played out.
SOUTH CAROLINA 70, BAYLOR 50
Sindarius Thornwell scored 24 points and seventh-seeded South Carolina cruised past third-seeded Baylor 70-50 on Friday night in the East Regional semifinals, the Bears' worst NCAA Tournament loss.
The Gamecocks (25-10) were in control from the middle of the first half on, mixing defenses and hustling all over the Madison Square Garden court to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time.
South Carolina will meet the winner of the Wisconsin-Florida game on Sunday with a trip to the Final Four at stake.
KENTUCKY 86, UCLA 75
De'Aaron Fox scored a career-high 39 points as the Kentucky Wildcats beat UCLA 86-75 Friday night in a showdown between two of college basketball's goliaths for a spot in the South Regional final.
The only No. 2 seed to survive and advance, the Wildcats (32-5) won their 14th straight game. Now the NCAA's winningest program will play another of basketball's titans Sunday in top-seeded North Carolina with a trip to yet another Final Four on the line.
The third-seeded Bruins (31-5) still have the most national titles. Yet they leave their third Sweet 16 under coach Steve Alford short of the Elite Eight.
NORTH CAROLINA 92, BUTLER 80
Joel Berry II scored 26 points and Justin Jackson added 24 as top-seeded North Carolina moved to the Elite Eight with a 92-80 victory over Butler in the NCAA South Region on Friday night.
Luke Maye recorded his first career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, helping fuel a quick start for Carolina (30-7). The Tar Heels never let their lead get under double digits in the second half.
Carolina, which reached the Elite Eight for the 27th time, will face Kentucky on Sunday. The Tar Heels connected on 54.4 percent of their shots, while Butler was at 43.5 percent.
FLORIDA 84, WISCONSIN, 83 (OT)
After Zak Showalter's incredible shot for Wisconsin, Florida's Chris Chiozza came up with an even wilder one to send the Gators into the Elite Eight.
Chiozza took an inbounds pass, sprinted nearly the length of the court and hit a running 3-pointer at the buzzer to help Florida beat Wisconsin 84-83 in overtime.
The game went to overtime — the first of the tournament — when Showalter hit an off-balance 3-pointer off his right foot with 2.5 seconds left in regulation to cap a late comeback for Wisconsin.