Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Dog Days of March
Favorites Michigan State, Xavier, UNC, Cincinnati all sent home
NASHVILLE, TENN. » PJ Savoy made a 3-pointer with 1:08 left to give Florida State its first lead of the second half, and the Seminoles rallied from a 12-point deficit to beat top-seeded Xavier 75-70 on Sunday night in the second round of the West Region.
The Seminoles, on their way to the NCAA Tournament’s round of 16 for the first time since 2011, made Xavier the second No. 1 seed ousted in the first weekend, sending the Musketeers out along with Virginia. Now Florida State (22-11) will play fourth-seeded Gonzaga on Thursday night in Los Angeles.
Savoy also hit a pair of free throws with 21.6 seconds left putting Florida State up 73-70. Kerem Kanter shot an air ball from beyond the arc at the top of the key with 7 seconds to go for Xavier, and CJ Walker added a pair of free throws with 6.4 seconds remaining. Terance Mann picked off a long pass by Paul Scruggs off Xavier’s inbound pass before running in front of Seminoles’ fans to start the party.
TEXAS A&M 86, NORTH CAROLINA 65 » Reigning national champion North Carolina sputtered to the worst NCAA Tournament loss of Roy Williams’ career, overpowered in its home state by Texas A&M.
It’s the second straight year the titleholder has been bounced from March Madness before the Sweet 16.
T.J. Starks scored 21 points and the No. 7 seed Aggies (22-12) manhandled the second-seeded Tar Heels. They dominated the glass. They used their size to control the paint and block shots. And they pounced when UNC’s smallball lineup couldn’t make an outside shot.
Robert Williams finished with 13 rebounds, helping the Aggies take a 5036 edge while shooting 52 percent — including 10 of 24 from 3-point range.
Joel Berry II scored 21 points in his final game for the second-seeded Tar Heels (2611), who were trying to reach their third straight Final Four. But they ended up falling to 34-2 in NCAA games in their home state, the only other loss coming in 1979.
The Tar Heels shot just 33 percent, including 6 of 31 (.194) on 3-pointers after entering the game shooting nearly 37 percent from behind the arc.
Midwest Region
SYRACUSE 55, MICHIGAN STATE 53 » Syracuse barely got into the NCAA Tournament, getting the 68th and final spot.
The Orange have earned the right to keep playing in college basketball’s showcase. And, no one will be excited about facing that zone defense.
Tyus Battle had 17 points, Oshae Brissett scored 15, and 11th-seeded Syracuse zoned Michigan State out of the tournament, 55-53 Florida State guard PJ Savoy (5), celebrates after defeating Xavier Sunday in Nashville, Tenn. Florida State defeated Xavier 75-70. on Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16.
“No one plays zone like we do,” Brissett said. “We’re always moving — and we challenge every shot — so teams never get easy looks against us. That’s why nothing surprises me with our defense.”
Syracuse (23-13) will face second-seeded Duke (28-7) on Friday in the Midwest Region semifinals.
Playing in his hometown with a chance to add another highlight-reel shot to this year’s NCAA Tournament, Cassius Winston missed an opportunity to win the game for the third-seeded Spartans with a shot from about 45 feet just before the buzzer. CLEMSON 84, AUBURN 53 » Gabe DeVoe scored 22 points and Elijah Thomas had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Clemson, which closed the first half with a 25-4 run that helped it beat cold-shooting Auburn and advance to the Midwest Region semifinal.
In a matchup between Southern schools better known for football, the No. 5 seed Clemson Tigers proved far more adept on the hardwood than the No. 4 seed Auburn Tigers.
The blowout win put Clemson (25-9) into the Sweet 16 for the fourth time overall and the first since 1997, earning it a spot against Kansas in the regional semifinal.
Auburn, which played this season under the cloud of a federal investigation into corruption in college basketball, finished 26-8.
The final 10½ minutes of the first half were a nightmare for Auburn, which made only 6 of 33 shots (18.2 percent) in the first half and 17 of 66 overall (25.8 percent).
East Region
WEST VIRGINIA 94, MARSHALL 71 » Jevon Carter scored 28 points, Lamont West added 18 off the bench and West Virginia overwhelmed its in-state rival to set up a date with Villanova in the East Regional.
The Mountain State showdown more than 2,000 miles from home was a one-sided celebration for the fifth-seeded Mountaineers. Bigger, more physical
Without Isaac Haas, Purdue played fine for the most part.
Until the last few minutes, when the Boilermakers’ season nearly slipped away.
Dakota Mathias sank a 3-pointer with 14.2 seconds left, and second-seeded Purdue held off 10th-seeded Butler to reach the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year. Haas, the 7-foot-2 center who broke his elbow in Friday’s win over Cal State Fullerton, did not play, but the Boilermakers prevailed anyway despite a late push by their in-state rivals.
Purdue (30-6) led by as many as 10 points in the second half of this all-Indiana matchup, but Butler (21-14) cut the deficit to two and had the ball in the final minute. Kelan Martin missed a 3-pointer, and the Boilermakers were able to settle down.