LOYOLA CHICAGO 69, NEVADA 68:
The 11thseeded Ramblers continue their remarkable run.
Kentucky’s latest group of fabulous freshmen is all done.
Gritty Kansas State made sure of that Thursday night.
Demeaned by many pundits as the worst team still alive in the NCAA tournament, ninth-seeded Kansas State got 22 points from Xavier Sneed and gave the South Regional one more upset with a 61-58 semifinal victory over fifth-seeded Kentucky at Atlanta.
Next up in the bracketbusting South: the regional final against No. 11 seed Loyola, which continued its stunning run in the tournament with a 69-68 victory over Nevada.
Yep, its 9 vs. 11 in the Elite Eight for the first time in tournament history, with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
Just the way it should be in a regional that became the first in NCAA history to have the top four seeds knocked out on the very first weekend, including No. 1ranked Virginia.
Sneed wasn’t around at the end — he was among three players from Kansas State (25-11) who fouled out — but Barry Brown Jr. came through with the shot of the game to seat it for the Big 12 school.
Brown darted into the lane with the shot clock running down, seemingly blowing by every Kentucky player to get to the basket, and banked one in with 18 seconds remaining to put Kansas State up 60-58.
“He’s the guy you’ve got to go through. He can make plays,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “He missed a couple of them there down the stretch, but he made a big one at the end.”
Loyola Chicago 69, Nevada 68: With Loyola Chicago clinging to a one-point lead and only 6.3 seconds remaining, Marques Townes sank a three-pointer from in front of the Ramblers’ bench to continue their improbable NCAA tournament run.
Townes scored 18 points, including the key threepointer, to lead Loyola to a 69-68 win over Nevada in Thursday night’s NCAA South Regional semifinal at Atlanta.
“I think Marcus Townes is the best player on the court tonight,” said Loyola guard Clayton Custer. “I don’t even think it was close, either. I am so happy for him. He is such a good basketball player and such a good person, I am just so happy he dominated the game tonight and he led us.
“This is unbelievable. Feels like a dream.”
The win leaves the No. 11th-seeded Ramblers one victory from a Final Four appearance.
Not bad for a program that hadn’t been in the Sweet 16 in 33 years.
Martin led Nevada (29-8) with 21 points. Twin brother Cody Martin had 16. Jordan Carolina had 19.