BADGERS FALL TO GATORS AT BUZZER INOT
Chris Chiozza went end to end and made a three- pointer at the buzzer to give Florida an 84- 83 victory against Wisconsin on Friday night in New York. It was the first overtime game of this NCAA tournament.
Nigel Hayes had given the Badgers ( 27- 10) a two- point lead with four seconds left on two free throws. With no timeouts left, the Gators inbounded to Chiozza, and the point guard stopped right at the arc and dropped in the winner for Florida ( 27- 8).
Wisconsin’s Zak Showalter forced overtime with a leaning three- pointer off one leg with 2.1 seconds left in regulation as the Badgers wiped out a 12- point deficit in the last 4: 15.
The fourth- seeded Gators ( 27- 8) will play South Carolina on Sunday in an all- Southeastern Conference regional final at Madison Square Garden. Florida is in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2014.
Wisconsin built a five- point lead in overtime, but with star guard Bronson-Koenig hobbled by a leg issue the Badgers couldn’t close out Florida.
After Wisconsin’s Khalil Iverson hit the front of the rim on a breakaway dunk, Chiozza drove by the Badgers defense at the other end for a layup that tied it at 81 with 24 seconds left.
The Badgers put it in Hayes’ hands on their final possession. The senior who scored the winning bucket in Wisconsin’s upset of defending champion Villanova, used a spin move to draw a foul going to the hoop.
Chiozza then earned himself a spot in the “One Shining Moment” montage with a shot that will go down in Gators’ history.
Kentucky 86, UCLA 75
De’Aaron Fox scored a careerhigh 39 points as the Wildcats beat the Bruins in a showdown between two of college basketball’s goliaths for a spot in the South Regional final in Memphis, Tennessee.
The only No. 2 seed to survive and advance, the Wildcats ( 32- 5) won their 14th straight game.
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.
Malik Monk scored 21 points for Kentucky, and Dominique Hawkins added 11.
Fox scored the first eight points for Kentucky and was all over the court forcing turnovers or diving to the floor to force a jump ball.
He outplayed UCLA freshman Lonzo Ball, who finished with 10 points on 4- for- 10 shooting. Ball handed out eight assists but also had four turnovers. After the game, Ball said he will declare for the NBA draft.
South Carolina 70, Baylor 50
Sindarius Thornwell scored 24 points and the seventh- seeded Gamecocks cruised past the thirdseeded Bears in the East Regional semifinals in New York. It was 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 court to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time.
D. J. Dozier and Chris Silva had 12 points each and Duane Notice added 11 for the Gamecocks.
Johnathan Motley had 18 points, 12 in the second half, for Baylor ( 27- 8), which just couldn’t get any offense going. The Bears missed 11 of their first 13 shots from the field, and it didn’t get a whole lot better the entire game.
North Carolina 92, Butler 80
Joel Berry II scored 26 points and Justin Jackson added 24 as the top- seeded Tar Heels moved to the Elite Eight with a victory over the Bulldogs in the South Regional semifinals in Memphis, Tennessee.
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.
Andrew Chrabascz led the fourth- seeded Bulldogs ( 25- 9) with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Kelan Martin finished with 16 points for Butler, which struggled shooting early and did not recover.
This and that
No. 1 prospect Michael Porter Jr. committed to Missouri. His commitment comes one day after his father, Michael Porter Sr., accepted an offer to join Cuonzo Martin’s staff as an assistant coach.
California promoted longtime college assistant Wyking Jones to head coach, officially filling a void left by Cuonzo Martin’s departure.
Oklahoma State assistant Mike Boynton Jr. will replace Brad-Underwood as the Cowboys’ head coach.