Top-seeded Houston survives in OT epic
Cougars outlast Texas A&M
Emanuel Sharp started overtime with a 3-pointer that put top-seeded Houston ahead to stay, as the Cougars advanced to the Sweet 16 by topping ninthseeded Texas A&M 100-94 Sunday night in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Aggies forced overtime with a furious rally, outscoring Houston 17-5 in the final two minutes of regulation. Andersson Garcia beat the buzzer with his ninth 3-pointer of the season and was mobbed by his teammates.
Sharp fouled out after his 3, finishing with 30 points. His teammates outscored Texas A&M 7-1 to start the extra session.
The Cougars will play Duke, a 93-55 winner over James Madison, on Friday in Dallas in the South Region semifinals. This will be Houston’s fifth straight Sweet 16 and 16th all-time.
WEST REGION
Clemson 72, Baylor 64: Chase Hunter had 20 points and six assists, and No. 6 seed Clemson held off third-seeded Baylor in Memphis.
The Tigers advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second time in coach Brad Brownell’s 14 seasons. They also made it in 2018, when they lost to Kansas in the third round.
Joseph Girard III scored 13 points for the Tigers (23-11), and Ian Schieffelin and PJ Hall each had 11. They next play No. 2 seed Arizona.
RayJ Dennis led Baylor (24-11) with 27 points, including 21 in the second half.
Alabama 72, Grand Canyon 61: Mark Sears had 26 points and 12 rebounds, freshman Mouhamed Dioubate scored all nine of his points in the final 5 ½ minutes, and fourth-seeded Alabama (23-11) used a late surge to beat No. 12 seed Grand Canyon. The Crimson Tide, which will face top-seeded North Carolina Thursday in Los Angeles, is in the final 16 for the third time in the last four seasons.
Antelopes star Tyon Grant-Foster netted 29 points, one off his career high, but didn’t score in the final 4:40. The Lopes shot 32%.
EAST REGION
Connecticut 75, Northwestern 58: Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton and top overall seed UConn overwhelmed an undermanned Northwestern team.
Newton had 20 points and 10 assists, and Clingan finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks as the Huskies (33-3) led wire-to-wire in New York and became the first defending national champions to reach the regional semifinals since Duke in 2016. They will play in Boston, about an 85-minute drive from their campus.
Undersized and overmatched, the ninth-seeded Wildcats (22-12) were buried under a dizzying display of dunks, blocks, alley-oops and layups.
San Diego State 85, Yale 57: Jaedon LeDee had 26 points and nine rebounds, Darrion Trammell added 18 points and fifth-seeded San Diego State used a fast start to overwhelm 13th-seeded Yale in Spokane, Washington.
The Aztecs (26-10) scored the first 10 points of the game and led by 24 at halftime. They earned a rematch with UConn, which beat the Aztecs 76-59 last April for the championship in Houston, denying San Diego State a chance at its first title.
NIT
VCU 70, South Florida 65: Zeb Jackson hit four 3-pointers and scored 14 points as VCU disappointed a raucous crowd in Tampa in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament on Sunday night. Sean Bairstow added 13 points, sinking two clutch free throws with 17 seconds remaining.
The Rams (24-13) will travel to play Utah in a Wednesday quarterfinal in Salt Lake City. Chris Youngblood had 28 points and six rebounds to pace the Bulls (25-8).
Georgia 72, Wake Forest 66: Justin Hill scored 21 points off the bench to lead the Bulldogs (19-16) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They will go to Ohio State for a quarterfinal tonight.
Andrew Carr led the Demon Deacons (21-14) with a careerhigh 31 points and 11 rebounds.