Marquette tops Colorado, makes Sweet 16
INDIANAPOLIS — Tyler Kolek had 21 points and 11 assists, and David Joplin made two free throws with 7.4 seconds left to help Marquette finally put away Colorado 81-77 on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
In their third season under former Texas coach Shaka Smart, the second-seeded Golden Eagles (27-9) reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013 by outlasting the 10th-seeded Buffaloes (26-11) and their dynamic offense.
The Buffs trailed 79-77 and had to foul three times before putting Joplin on the line for a 1and-1. He knocked down both and set up a South Region semifinal meeting with No. 11 seed North Carolina State in Dallas on Friday.
NORTH CAROLINA ST. 79 OAKLAND 73 (OT)
DJ Burns Jr. scored 24 points, including a go-ahead putback that ignited a 9-0 run in overtime, and the 11th-seeded Wolfpack beat the 14th-seeded Golden Grizzlies in the second round Saturday night at Pittsburgh.
North Carolina State (24-14) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2015 by finally pulling away from 3-point specialist Jack Gohlke and Oakland (24-12) in the extra period.
Midwest Regional PURDUE 106, UTAH ST. 67
Zach Edey had 23 points and 14 rebounds, and the No. 1 seed Boilermakers (31-7) cruised into the Sweet 16 by pounding the eighth-seeded Aggies (28-7) with an impressive offensive performance Sunday in Indianapolis.
Next up for Purdue is fifthseeded Gonzaga in the Midwest Region semifinals in Detroit.
GONZAGA 89, KANSAS 68
The Bulldogs (27-7) played a nearly perfect second half, busting open a back-and-forth game with a 15-0 run Saturday in Salt Lake City to pull away from the Jayhawks (23-11) and extend their nation-best streak of trips to the Sweet 16 to nine.
CREIGHTON 86 OREGON 73 (2OT)
Steven Ashworth and Ryan Kalkbrenner made 3-pointers in the second overtime, and the Bluejays edged past their former coach, Oregon's Dana Altman, to move into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament with a win Saturday in Pittsburgh.
The 3s by the 6-foot-1 Ashworth and a rare one by the 7-1 Kalkbrenner helped third-seeded Creighton (25-9) score the first 15 points of the second OT to finally put away 11th-seeded Oregon (24-12).
TENNESSEE 62, TEXAS 58
Dalton Knecht scored 18 points and made four free throws in the final 8.8 seconds as the Volunteers (26-8) topped the Longhorns (21-13) on Saturday in Charlotte, N.C., to advance to the Sweet 16 for the second straight year. Second-seeded Tennessee will next face No. 3 seed Creighton.
East Regional IOWA ST. 67 WASHINGTON ST. 56
Tamin Lipsey scored 15 points, the No. 2 seed Cyclones cranked up the second-half pressure against the Cougars, and Iowa State (29-7) marched into its seventh Sweet 16 with a victory over seventh-seeded Washington State (25-10) on Saturday night in Omaha, Neb.
The Cylones will play thirdseeded Illinois in the East Region semifinals Thursday night at TD Garden in Boston.
ILLINOIS 89 DUQUESNE 63
Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 30 points, Marcus Domask added 22, and the No. 3 seed Fighting Illini (28-8) made fast work of the 11th-seeded Dukes (25-12) in a victory Saturday night in Omaha, Neb., to reach the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005.
West Regional NORTH CAROLINA 85 MICHIGAN ST. 69
RJ Davis had 20 points to help the Tar Heels win Saturday in Charlotte, N.C., pushing North Carolina to the Sweet 16 while keeping it unbeaten in March Madness against Michigan State Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo.
No. 1 seed UNC (29-7) ran off 17 straight points during a 23-3 run over the last eight minutes of the first half to erase a 12-point deficit, then continued answering every push by the ninth-seeded Spartans (20-15) after halftime.
The Tar Heels improved to 5-0 in the tournament against Izzo, including victories in the 2005 Final Four and 2009 title game. And they move on to the regional semifinals in Los Angeles, where they will face either Grand Canyon or Alabama on Thursday night.
ARIZONA 78, DAYTON 68
Caleb Love scored 19 points, and the second-seeded Wildcats (27-8) reached the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons, beating the seventh-seeded Flyers (25-8) on Saturday in Salt Lake City.
Arizona will face either the West Region's No. 6 seed, Clemson, or third-seeded Baylor on Thursday night in Los Angeles.