MIDWEST REGIONAL
No. 3 seed Oregon (32-5) vs. No. 1 Kansas (31-4) 5:49 p.m., TBS. Bottom line: The top-seeded Jayhawks have rolled into the Elite Eight, winning their first three games by an average of 30 points. That includes a 98-66 rout of No. 5 seed Purdue in the Sweet 16, when they set a school record for a tournament game with 15 3-pointers. Player of the year front-runner Frank Mason III poured in four of them and finished with 26 points. Meanwhile, the No. 3 seed Ducks are chasing their first Final Four appearance since winning the 1939 title with the “Tall Firs.” They’re led by Dillon Brooks and Tyler Dorsey, and have precisely the kind of quick, guard-oriented lineup that should match up well with the Jayhawks’ four-guard starting array. Final Four the goal: Kansas is trying to reach its third national semifinal under Bill Self and first since 2012, when the Jayhawks lost to Kentucky in the title game. Not only has Oregon failed to reach a Final Four in nearly eight decades, coach Dana Altman has never made it despite nearly 600 wins and 13 trips to the NCAA Tournament. Matchup to watch: Brooks will likely match up with Kansas freshman Josh Jackson, creating one of the best one-on-one matchups in the tournament. Brooks had 12 points in a regional semifinal win over Michigan, while Jackson had 15 points and 12 boards against the Boilermakers. Missing big men: Two big contributors will be sitting Saturday night out: Oregon forward Chris Boucher tore his ACL in a Pac-12 Tournament game against California, while Kansas center Udoka Azubuike had season-ending wrist surgery in January. Did you know?: The Jayhawks and Ducks have met once in the NCAA Tournament, when Kansas won 104-86 in the Midwest Regional finals on Dec. 7, 2002. The Jayhawks lost to eventual national champion Maryland in the Final Four in Atlanta.
OKLAHOMA CITY - Teaira McCowan scored 20 of her career-high 26 points in the fourth quarter, and Mississippi State defeated Washington 75-64 on Friday night to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time.
McCowan, a 6-foot-7 sophomore center who entered the game averaging just over eight points per game, made 9 of 10 field goals in the final 10 minutes. She scored 11 points in the first 2:33 of the fourth quarter to turn a two-point deficit into a seven-point lead for the second-seeded Bulldogs (32-4).
Plum scored 29 points and Chantel Osahor added 17 points and 11 rebounds in their final games for third-seeded Washington, (29-6) which reached the Final Four last season.
Mississippi State led 38-29 at halftime. Plum exploded for 10 points in the third quarter, and the defense picked up to help Washington take a 50-48 lead into the fourth quarter before McCowan took over.
Nina Davis scored 21 points to help top-seeded Baylor defeat Louisville to advance to the Elite Eight.
The Lady Bears were a No. 1 seed in 2013 when they lost to Louisville in the Sweet 16 in Oklahoma City. They played much better defense this time, holding fourth-seeded Louisville to 30 percent shooting.
Beatrice Mompremier and Alexis Prince each scored 14 points for Baylor (33-3), which advanced to play Mississippi State on Sunday for a spot in the Final Four. The Bulldogs defeated Washington 75-64 in the early game Friday night.
Asia Durr scored 21 points for Louisville (29-8).
Baylor never trailed, and the game was tied for just 13 seconds. The Lady Bears led by 18 at one point in the first half and were up 43-31 at the break. Ogunbowale had a career-high 32 points, Lindsay Allen added 16 and Notre Dame easily beat Ohio State in the Sweet 16.
Playing five days after losing star forward Brianna Turner to a season-ending left knee injury, the top-seeded Irish posted their third-highest output this season while also scoring the most points against the Buckeyes. Ogunbowale seemed almost unstoppable in making 11 of 22 from the field to top her previous high by two points.
Besides Allen, the Irish got 14 points and a career-high nine rebounds from freshman forward Erin Boley, a Kentucky native who started in Turner’s place. The Irish tied one season best with 12 3-pointers on a season-high 24 attempts.
Notre Dame (33-3) also used a 30point third quarter to build an 80-65 lead that wasn’t seriously threatened as it reached Sunday’s Lexington Region final against the winner between No. 2 seed Stanford and No. 3 seed Texas.
Kelsey Mitchell had 18 points for No. 5 seed Ohio State (28-7), which was outrebounded 42-30 and outscored 38-34 inside.
No. 2 Stanford 77, No. 3 Texas 66 at Lexington, Ky.: Erica McCall had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Karlie Samuelson scored 15 points and Stanford outlasted Texas to reach the Lexington Region final of the NCAA Tournament.
The second game this season between the schools ended with another Cardinal win despite the team shooting 42 percent and committing 14 turnovers. But second-seeded Stanford (31-5) made 8 of 14 in the third quarter and held Texas to 33 percent to grab a 54-49 lead entering the fourth and eventually extending it to double digits by making 7 of 8 free throws during one late stretch.
The Cardinal also out-rebounded the third-seeded Longhorns 41-35 to earn its second straight Elite Eight appearance, and will face top-seeded Notre Dame in Sunday’s regional final.
Brittany McPhee added 12 points in Stanford’s seventh straight win.
Ariel Atkins scored 18 points, Joyner Holmes had 15 and Kelsey Lang had 12 rebounds for the Longhorns (25-9), who had won five of six. — Wire services