TOURNAMENT: Oregon slips by Michigan; Kansas runs past Purdue
Gonzaga 61, West Virginia 58 SAN JOSE – Jordan Mathews hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with under a minute to play and topseeded Gonzaga survived a rough shooting night for both teams to beat No. 4 seed West Virginia to advance to the West Regional final.
On a night that featured 51 fouls and only 34 made baskets, Mathews delivered the big shot that sent the Bulldogs (35-1) to their third Elite Eight in school history.
It didn’t come easily. West Virginia (29-8) had three shots to tie the game but Tarik Phillip missed a shot from the lane and Jevon Carter missed two 3-pointers after Silas Melson made one foul shot. The Mountaineers rebound both misses but couldn’t get another shot off before the buzzer.
MIDWEST REGION Oregon 69, Michigan 68 KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tyler Dorsey scored 20 points and made the go-ahead layup with 1:08 left, and third-seeded Oregon ended No. 7 Michigan’s dramatic postseason run with a victory in a Midwest Regional semifinal.
Dorsey, the man the Ducks call “Mr. March,” had his sixth straight game scoring 20 or more points.
The Wolverines (27-11) had one more chance to extend their run after Dylan Ennis missed a free throw with 15 seconds left. But Derrick Walton, who had carried the Wolverines the last three weeks, was off with his long jumper just before the buzzer.
Jordan Bell had a double-double for the Ducks (32-5), with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Pac-12 player of the year Dillon Brooks added 12 points and Dylan Ennis had 10.
Walton led the Wolverines with 20 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Zak Irvin had 14 of his 19 points in the second half and DJ Wilson had 12 points.
Oregon plays Kansas on Saturday in the regional final.
Kansas 98, Purdue 66 KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Player of the year front-runner Frank Mason III poured in 26 points, Kansas turned on the jets in the second half and the top-seeded Jayhawks soared to a blowout of No. 4 seed Purdue in the Midwest Regional semifinals.
Devonte Graham also had 26 points and Josh Jackson had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Jayhawks (31-4), who led by 7 at halftime before their up-anddown pace finally wore down the Boilermakers.
Kansas used two big runs, including an 11-0 charge highlighted by Lagerald Vicks’ 360degree drunk, to coast into a matchup with No. 3 seed Oregon for a spot in the Final Four.
Caleb Swanigan had 18 points and seven boards for the Boilermakers (27-8), but the 6-foot-9, 250-pound All-America candidate had to work for all of it.
The Jayhawks were 15 of 28 from beyond the arc, setting a school record for makes in an NCAA Tournament game.
Their beat-down of the Big Ten champs followed easy wins over UC Davis and Michigan State.
Kansas is also the first team since UConn in 1995 to score at least 90 points each of its first three games. The Jayhawks had lost their last three games against teams seeded fourth or better.