Sweet 16
South Region
(1) FIU 83 – (4) Duke 76
FIU beats Duke to advance to the Elite 8 for the first time in school history. SG Jaykwon Owens was unstoppable, constantly torching the Duke defenders on his way to a 39 point game. Duke SG Terrance Cunningham had a team high 18 points in the loss.
(2) Florida State 80 – (3) Arizona 67
FSU beats Arizona to set up another match-up with FIU, the two schools have had quite the rivalry since Jaykwon Owens transferred from FSU to FIU. SG Avery Qualls had a game high 21 points in the win.
West Region
(4) Fresno State – (1) Gonzaga
Fresno State knocks out the 1st #1 seeded team which concludes another disappointing year for Gonzaga. Gonzaga had a tough time trying to stop Fresno State center Ace Washington, who had a big night—finishing with 24 points and 14 rebounds in the win.
(3) UNC 78 – (10) Oregon 70
UNC’s quest for a repeat is one step closer after beating Oregon. PG Luke Hudson finished with 13 points and 8 assists; and PF Rashawn Franklin had a game high 22 points. For Oregon, SG Walker Hood had a team high 20 points in the loss.
East Region
(5) Kentucky 75 – (1) UCLA 68
Kentucky PG Bryant Mitchell returns from injury and lock’s down UCLA SG Derion Ramsey. Ramsey scored just 5 points on 2-8 shooting. Mitchell finished the night with 15 points, 6 assists and 2 steals.
(3) Miami 71 – (10) Wisconsin 61
Miami’s Taurean Rhodes is too much for Wisconsin’s frontcourt to handle. Rhodes ended the game with 23 points and 15 rebounds; he also had 4 blocked shots and contested several others.
Mid-West Region
(1) Texas 75 – (5) Florida 71
Texas moves onto Elite 8 after close call versus Florida. SF Brandon Royal struggled scoring but dished out 8 assists. SG Mike Paghotti Jr led the team in scoring with 17 points, including some huge three point shots in the 2nd half. For Florida, J.J. Townsend finished with 15 points and 5 blocks in the loss.
(2) Villanova 82 – (3) Kansas 72
Villanova closes out game on 14-4 run to put away Kansas. PF Jalen Porter had a game high 22 points, and SG Emmanuel Kittles added 19 points for Villanova. Kansas PF Xavier Thompson led the Jayhawks in scoring with 20 points, and PG Karim Inglish finished with 13 points and 7 assists.
Elite 8
(2) Florida State 84 – (1) FIU 77
Last year FIU knocked our FSU in the 2nd round, however this year it’s FSU knocking out FIU to advance to the Final Four. FIU SG Jaykwon Owens had a huge night (36 points) but it wasn’t enough. FSU SG Avery Qualls had a team high 24 points, and center Jameer Ward added 22 points and 3 blocks in the win. Late in the first half Owens and Qualls had to be separated by teammates after Qualls delivered a hard foul as Owens drove to the hoop for a lay-up.
(3) UNC 87 – (5) Fresno State 69
UNC is back in the Final Four after taking care of Fresno State.
(3) Miami 74 – (5) Kentucky 70
Miami holds off late Kentucky run to advance to Final Four. Miami center Taurean Rhodes finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds. Kentucky PG Bryant Mitchell had 14 points, 6 assists and 3 steals in the loss.
(2) Villanova – (1) Texas
Villanova has defeated Texas for the 2nd straight year in the Elite 8 round. PF Jalen Porter finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and SG Emmanuel Kittles had a team high 21 points. For Texas, SF Brandon Royal had 13 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds in the loss.
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