LOYOLA ONE STEP FROM FINAL FOUR
Ramblers on cusp of Final Four, college- hoops immortality
Chris Beard has done it to Purdue again.
The Texas Tech coach helped to knock the Boilermakers out of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years, this time leading the third- seeded Red Raiders to a 78- 65 victory on Friday night in Boston in the Sweet 16. Keenan Evans scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half, when Texas Tech scored 11 straight to pull away.
The Red Raiders ( 27- 9) will play No. 1 seed Villanova on Sunday in the East Region final for a spot in the Final Four.
Beard is in his second year in Lubbock after leaving ArkansasLittle Rock, where he led the Trojans to a double overtime upset over fifth- seeded Purdue in the first round in 2016.
This time, No. 2 seed Purdue ( 30- 7) was hoping to join Villanova in the Elite Eight, getting 30 points from Carsen Edwards and 12 points and 13 rebounds from Vincent Edwards. But Texas Tech, which had trailed for most of the first half, scored the last 10 points of the half to turn a five- point deficit into a 30- 25 lead. The Red Raiders led 58- 55 with 5: 44 left when Evans hit two free throws and then a threepointer to start an 11- 0 run that put the game away.
Villanova 90, West Virginia 78
The top- seeded Wildcats kept up their three- point feast in the tournament, downing fifth- seeded West Virginia in Boston to earn their second trip to the regional finals in three years. Jalen Brunson led Villanova with 27 points and Omari Spellman had 18 points with eight rebounds as Villanova overcame the West Virginia press by hitting 13 of 24 shots from threepoint range.
Daxter Miles had 16 points to lead West Virginia. Jevon Carter and Sagaba Konate added 12 each.
Villanova ( 33- 4) has now made 47 threes in the tournament. Friday’s outside barrage helped the Wildcats overcome 16 turnovers.
The Mountaineers ( 26- 11) stayed close throughout the game but were hampered by foul trouble in the second half.
Duke 69, Syracuse 65
Freshman Marvin Bagley III turned in a giant second- half effort and Gary Trent Jr., made two clutch free throws with 6.3 seconds left to help second- seeded Duke hold off the 11th- seeded Orange in a chess match of a victory in the Midwest Region semifinals in Omaha, Nebraska. The win by Duke ( 29- 7) set up a 1 vs. 2 showdown against Kansas on Sunday.
Syracuse ( 23- 14), the last at- large team invited to the tournament, saw its unlikely run end, unable to overcome 16 turnovers against a Mike Krzyzewski- designed zone that was every bit as pesky as Jim Boeheim’s vaunted 2- 3.
Bagley scored 13 of his 22 points and had all eight of his rebounds in the second half. Seven of those boards were on the offensive end and led to second- chance baskets.
Tyus Battle led the Orange with 19 points.
Kansas 80, Clemson 76
The top- seeded Jayhawks withstood a ferocious rally by the fifthseeded Tigers for a too- close- forcomfort win in their Midwest Region semifinal in Omaha.
Malik Newman led Kansas ( 30- 7) with 17 points in what at one point was a runaway but which got much closer. Clemson stormed back from a 20- point deficit, closing the gap to six with 2: 27 left. An offensive rebound by Kansas’ Devonte’ Graham ( 16 points) after a miss by Svi Mykhailiuk at the 1: 57 mark allowed the Jayhawks to run almost a minute off the clock.
Kansas didn’t score, and Clemson got the next board for a chance to cut it to a one- possession game. But Shelton Mitchell and Gabe DeVoe each missed from beyond the arc. From there, Kansas overcame a dogged Clemson press just long enough to ensure the Tigers couldn’t pull any closer until the tail end. DeVoe had a career- high 31 points for Clemson ( 25- 10).
Offthe court
LaSalle and coach John Giannini have “mutually agreed to partways,” and a search for a new coach has begun. Giannini was 212- 226 in 14 seasons, including 13- 19 in 2017- 18.
Eastern Kentucky has hired N. C. State assistant A. W. Hamilton as its head coach.