Kansas back in Elite Eight
Perry Ellis scored 27 points, Wayne Selden Jr. added 19 and top-seeded Kansas topped fifth-seeded Maryland for a 79-63 NCAA Tournament South Region semifinal victory Thursday night. The victory put the Jayhawks back into the Elite Eight for the first time since 2012.
It took time for the Jayhawks (33-4) to get going, but once they finally seized the lead late in the first half everything else fell into place for their 17th consecutive victory. Kansas hit its first six shots of the second half and steadily pulled away behind Ellis.
KANSAS 79, MARYLAND 63
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Perry Ellis scored 27 points to match a season high, Wayne Selden Jr. added 19 and No. 1 seed Kansas topped No. 5 seed Maryland for a 79-63 NCAA Tournament South Region semifinal victory Thursday night.
The victory put the Jayhawks into the Elite Eight for the first time since 2012.
It took time for the Jayhawks (33-4) to get going, but once they finally seized the lead late in the first half everything else fell into place for their 17th consecutive victory. They emerged from the break to make their first six shots and steadily take control behind senior forward Ellis, who made 10 of 17 from the field.
Selden was right there with 7-of-16 shooting to help Kansas earn a berth in Saturday’s regional final against Villanova.
The Terrapins (27-9) dictated the early tempo and briefly engaged in a back-and-forth game with the Jayhawks before eventually falling behind the tournament favorite. Rasheed Sulaimon led Maryland with 18 points.
Landen Lucas added 14 points and 11 rebounds while Frank Mason III had 11 points for Kansas, which outworked Maryland 43-28 on the glass and outscored the taller Terps 40-28 in the paint.
Better shooting also helped the Jayhawks, who made 14 of 25 in the second half and finished 29 of 62 from the field (47 percent).
Kansas just had to take its time to slow down Maryland, which entered the game with every starter averaging at least 11 points per contest. Its main focus was keeping Maryland guard Melo Trimble (17 points) from getting hot, a strategy that worked as the sophomore made just 5 of 16 from the field with one three-pointer.
The Jayhawks defense kept other Maryland players from becoming factors on both ends as well and ended up holding the Terps to 40 percent shooting, including 35 percent after halftime.
Maryland led early before Kansas regrouped late in the first half to grab a 36-34 lead at the break.
Kansas went 5½ minutes without a field goal but fought back to take its first lead at 2726 on two Devonte’ Graham free throws with 5:33 remaining in the half. The teams traded 6-2 runs, with the Jayhawks making the last one for a slim edge.
Ellis provided the steadying force with 12 points in the first half and added two more baskets during a 14-9 run for a 50-43 lead early in the second half, a stretch in which the Jayhawks made their first six shots to start the second half.
Kansas built a 16-point lead with four minutes left.
VILLANOVA 92, MIAMI 69
Ryan Arcidiacono and Kris Jenkins each scored 21 points, and No. 2 seed Villanova never trailed in routing No. 3 seed Miami in a South Regional semifinal.
The Wildcats (32-5) are back in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2009, when they reached the Final Four. It’s their third trip to the regional final with Coach Jay Wright.
Villanova will play No. 1 seed Kansas on Saturday in the regional final.
Daniel Ochefu added 17 points, and Josh Hart had 14 for Villanova, which shot 62.7 percent (32 of 51).
Sheldon McClellan scored 26 points for Miami, and Angel Rodriguez added 13.
Villanova and Miami (27-8) turned in a dizzying first half, with both teams shooting 64 percent — or better — from the floor and even sharper beyond the arc, where they combined to hit 13 of 19.
Villanova took control from the start by scoring the first eight points. The Wildcats also forced Miami into a bunch of turnovers early and scored some easy points off of those mistakes. Villanova took its biggest lead of the half at 29-14 on a three-pointer by Jenkins with 8:35 left.
When Miami put together a 16-2 run that pulled the Canes within 31-30 on Rodriguez’s layup with 4:33 to go in the first half, Jenkins simply hit another three. Miami never got that close again, and Villanova just padded its lead over the final minutes with each dunk or three-pointer.