Wolfpack’s resilient run continues
North Carolina State overcomes Oakland, advances to Sweet 16
DJ Burns Jr. scored 24 points, including a go-ahead putback that ignited a 9-0 run in overtime, and 11th-seeded North Carolina State beat 14th-seeded Oakland 79-73 Saturday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Powered by their versatile 6-foot-9, 275-pound forward, the Wolfpack (24-14) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2015 by finally pulling away from 3-point specialist Jack Gohlke and the Golden Grizzlies (24-12) in the extra period.
N.C. State will face secondseeded Marquette in Dallas on Friday in the South Region semifinals.
Michael O’Connell had 12 points for the Wolfpack. DJ Horne and Casey Morsell added 11 apiece. Jayden Taylor came off the bench in overtime to hit a 3-pointer that put N.C. State ahead by five.
Oakland, which ousted thirdseeded Kentucky on Thursday, just missed becoming the first 14 seed to reach the Sweet 16 since Chattanooga in 1997.
West Region North
Carolina 85, Michigan State
69: RJ Davis scored 20 points in Charlotte to help push the Tar Heels to the Sweet 16 while keeping them unbeaten in March Madness against Spartans Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo.
Harrison Ingram made five 3-pointers and scored 17 points for the West Region’s top seed, which continued its NCAA success in its home state. UNC (29-7) ran off 17 straight points during a 23-3 run over the last eight minutes of the first half to erase a 12-point deficit, then continued answering every push by the Spartans after halftime.
The Tar Heels improved to 5-0 in the tournament against Izzo, including victories in a 2005 semifinal and 2009 title game. They move to the regional semifinals in Los Angeles, where they will face Grand Canyon or Alabama on Thursday night.
East Region
Iowa State 67, Washington State
56: Tamin Lipsey scored 15 points, Iowa State cranked up the secondhalf pressure in Omaha, Nebraska, and the No. 2 seed Cyclones marched into their seventh Sweet 16 with a victory over the seventhseeded Cougars.
Curtis Jones added 14 points for the Cyclones (29-7), who made it to the second weekend of the tourney for the second time in three years.
Jaylen Wells scored 20 points for the Cougars (25-10).
Illinois 89, Duquesne 63: Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 30 points, Marcus Domask added 22 and No. 3 seed Illinois made fast work of 11th-seeded Duquesne to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005.
Illinois (28-8) hadn’t made it through the first weekend of the tournament in eight previous appearances.
Atlantic 10 Tournament champion Duquesne (25-12), which came in on a nine-game win streak, had its first tournament appearance since 1977 end with a game that sent 65-year-old coach Keith Dambrot into retirement.
Former VCU player Jimmy Clark III scored 14 points for the Dukes.
Midwest Region
Tennessee 62, Texas 58: Dalton Knecht scored 18 points and made four free throws in the final 8.8 seconds in Charlotte as Tennessee made the Sweet 16 for the second straight year. The Volunteers next will play No. 3 seed Creighton in Detroit.
Jonas Aidoo had 11 points and Tober Awaka added 10 for the Vols (26-8), helping coach Rick Barnes beat the team he coached for 17 seasons.
Tyrese Hunter and Chendall Weaver each had 13 points for seventh-seeded Texas (21-13).
Creighton 86, Oregon 72, 2 OTs:
Steven Ashworth and Ryan Kalkbrenner made 3-pointers in the second overtime in Pittsburgh and Creighton edged past its former coach, Oregon’s Dana Altman.
The 3s by the 6-foot-1 Ashworth and a rare one by the 7-1 Kalkbrenner helped the third-seeded Bluejays (25-9) score the first 15 points of the second OT to finally put away the 11th-seeded Ducks (24-12).
Ashworth scored 21 points, Trey Alexander 20 and Kalkbrenner 19 for Creighton.
Oregon’s Jermaine Couisnard had 32 points, and N’Faly Dante added 28 points and 20 rebounds.