Purdue stuns Vols in overtime
Carsen Edwards scored 29 points as Purdue advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000, needing overtime to beat Tennessee 99-94 on Thursday night after blowing an 18-point lead.
The third-seeded Boilermakers (26-9) will play either top-seeded Virginia or No. 12 Oregon on Saturday in the South Regional final for their first trip to the Final Four since 1980.
Purdue is in a regional final for the fifth time, but the first with coach Matt Painter, who had taken the team to the round of 16 four times previously.
The co-Big Ten champs needed a pair of free throws by Edwards with 1.7 seconds left to send the game to overtime after the star guard was fouled shooting a 3.
Grant Williams’ dunk with 8.8 seconds left had Tennessee (31-6) on the verge of their second Elite Eight berth. But Edwards then was fouled by Lamonte’ Turner on a corner jumper. Purdue’s all-time leading scorer in the NCAA Tournament missed his first attempt, but tied it at 82.
It was Tennessee’s second straight overtime game in the tournament. The Vols blew a 25-point lead to Iowa in the second round, but recovered to win it in OT. The last team to play consecutive overtime games in the NCAA Tournament was Florida in 2011. The Gators beat BYU and lost to Butler.
Purdue scored nine of the first 11 points in OT.
Ryan Cline finished with a career-high 27 points before fouling out in OT for Purdue. Matt Haarms and Nojel Eastern each had 11.
Williams and Admiral Schofield scored 21 apiece for Tennessee. Jordan Bowden had 16, Turner 15 and Jordan Bone 15.
GonZAGA 72, FLoRiDA StAte 58
In Anaheim, Calif., the Bulldogs rolled into the Elite Eight for the fourth time in history following a victory over the Seminoles in a West regional semifinal on Thursday night.
Rui Hachimura scored 17 to lead the top-seeded Bulldogs, while Vancouver’s Brandon Clarke had 15 points and 12 rebounds as Gonzaga returned to the regional final for the second time in three seasons.
Josh Perkins and Zach Norvell Jr. each scored 14 points for Gonzaga, who led most of the game. Florida State pulled within four with less five minutes to play, but the Bulldogs closed with a 12-2 run and avenged last year’s loss to the Seminoles in the regional semis. Trent Forrest led Florida State (29-8) with 20 points. The Seminoles advanced to the Sweet 16 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1993, but fell short of another trip to the Elite Eight.