Michigan, Louisville, Arizona among those who punch tickets to Sweet 16,
Oregon is riding its much-debated No. 12 seed all the way to the round of 16.
Damyean Dotson scored 23 points and Carlos Emory added 14 points as the hot-shooting Ducks sprinted past fourth-seeded Saint Louis 7457 in the NCAA tournament Saturday night.
Dotson made his first five 3-pointers to carry Oregon (28-8) into the second weekend for the first time since 2007, when it lost to eventual repeat champion Florida in the regional final. The Ducks made 8 of 11 shots from beyond the arc, while the Billikens finished 3 for 21 from long range.
Oregon will play No. 1 overall seed Louisville in the Midwest Regional in Indianapolis next. The Cardinals routed Colorado State 82-56 in Lexington, Ky. Kwamain Mitchell scored 18 points and Dwayne had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Billikens (28-7), who set a school record in wins this season following the death of coach Rick Majerus in December. Instead of a storybook finish, Saint Louis lost in the round of 32 for the second straight year.
Oregon’s size and speed just overwhelmed Saint Louis.
MICHIGAN STATE 70, MEMPHIS 48: Here we go again for Michigan State.
Make it to the NCAA tournament, prepare for any possibility in the first two games, and then focus on the next stop.
It’s a March tradition for Tom Izzo and the Spartans.
Gary Harris scored 16 of his career-high 23 points in the first half and third-seeded Michigan State pulled away for a 70-48 victory over sixth-seeded Memphis on Saturday, putting the Izzo-led program in the regional semifinals for the fifth time in six years and the11th time in his career.
“We can enjoy it on the bus ride home,” Michigan State’s Adreian Payne said before the team’s 145kilometre ride back to campus. “Once we get back to East Lansing, it’s going to be time to work.”
The Spartans (27-8) will play the winner of Sunday’s Duke-Creighton game on Friday in the Midwest Regional semifinals at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Michigan State and the winner of the Kansas-North Carolina game on Sunday are the only schools to make it to the round of 16 five times in the last six years, according to STATS LLC. Date it back a little more, and the Spartans and Blue Devils are the only teams to make it to the regional semifinals in at least 10 of the last 15 seasons. “The way it’s changed since 2000 is a high seed used to get you out of the first weekend,” Izzo said. “Now it barely gets you out of the first game, as we’re all seeing.”
SYRACUSE 66, CALIFORNIA 60: C.J. Fair scored 18 points, James Southerland added 14 and fourth-seeded Syracuse survived a second-half drought of more than 12 minutes without a field goal to beat No. 12 seed California on Saturday night and advance to the round of 16. The Orange (28-9) frustrated California with their zone defence to overcome a dismal shooting night where they made just 39 per cent of their shots and missed 15 of 41 free throws.