» Men: UCLA ends Abilene Christian’s magical run.
INDIANAPOLIS — Johnny Juzang scored 17 points and 11th-seeded UCLA carefully brushed off pesky Abilene Christian 67-47 Monday to become the fifth team to go from First Four to Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
The Bruins (20-9) will play in their first regional semifinal appearance since 2017 — and their first with second-year coach Mick Cronin.
The Bruins were far from spectacular, but their size and athleticism combined with solid execution were more than enough to keep the 14th-seeded Wildcats from springing another upset.
Abilene Christian’s pressure defense and undersized guards caused all kinds of problems for Texas in a first-round upset. The No. 1 defense in the country at causing turnovers forced the Longhorns into 23. UCLA had no such issues, committing just eight turnovers. The Bruins used an 18-0 run in the middle of the first half to build a 14-point lead.
ACU (24-5) beat Texas shooting just 30.1 percent from the field and scoring 53 points, but the cold-shooting continued against UCLA. Without the extra possessions, the Wildcats couldn’t keep up with the Bruins while shooting 29.8 percent.
GONZAGA 87, OKLAHOMA 71
The undefeated and topseeded Bulldogs continued to roll behind a career-high 30 points and 13 rebounds from Drew Timme, beating the eighthseeded Sooners in the second round of the West Regional.
Gonzaga (28-0) won its 32nd straight game dating to last season, passing its first real test of the NCAAS in the Bulldogs’ quest to be the first undefeated champion since Indiana 45 years ago.
Oklahoma became the 25th straight team the Bulldogs beat by double digits — although the Sooners, behind 27 points from Austin Reaves, kept it relatively close.
OREGON 95, IOWA 80
Chris Duarte scored 23 points and the Ducks showed no signs of rust after a long layoff, beating the second-seeded Hawkeyes to reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in the past five NCAA Tournaments.
The seventh-seed Ducks (21-6) were put in an unprecedented spot, advancing to the West Region’s second round without playing a game. VCU’S multiple positive COVID-19 tests took care of that, leaving Oregon with a nine-day break since losing in the Pac-12 tournament final.
The Ducks flowed on the floor and glowed on the scoresheet, shooting 56 percent and hitting 11 3-pointers to easily overcome a 36-point outing in Luka Garza’s collegiate finale.
CREIGHTON 72, OHIO 58
Marcus Zegarowski scored 20 points to help the Bluejays beat the Bobcats, securing the program’s first trip to the round of 16 in 47 years.