NCAA: Villanova, UConn Head To Final Four
Connecticut held off Missouri 82-75 to stay in the hunt for their third college basketball title, while Villanova upset Pittsburgh 78-76 to reach its first Final Four in 23 years on Saturday.
Connecticut won the West Regional by turning back a determined run by the Missouri Tigers 82-75 in Glendale, Ariz.
The Huskies blew an early 11-point lead but survived against frenetic third-seeded Missuori, which was denied its first Final Four berth.
Freshman point guard Kemba Walker led the Huskies with 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. Walker also added five rebounds and five assists. A.J. Price added 18 points for the 31-and-4 Huskies, who clinched the victory by going 10-for-10 from the line in the final 1:02.
The Huskies will play the Louisville-Michigan State winner in the Final Four.
The Huskies won their previous national titles in 1999 and 2004.
The Connecticut Huskies are going to the Final Four for the third time in their history. And if history is any guide, Jim Calhoun's team will be tough to beat next weekend in Detroit. In UConn's other two trips to the Final Four, in 1999 and 2004, the Huskies won it all. Both times the Huskies were representing the West Regional.
Villanova Dashes Pittsburgh 78-76
Add one more chapter to Villanova's NCAA basketball lore. The Wildcats are going to the Final Four after winning arguably the most exciting game of the NCAA men's tournament so far.
Villanova's Scottie Reynolds drove more than half the court and hit a driving layup with a half-second left to give the third-seeded Wildcats a tense 78-76 win over top-seed Pitt in the East Regional final. Reynolds called it "an instinct play."
Dwayne Anderson scored 17 for the third-seeded Wildcats, who responded to Pittsburgh's physical play by sinking 22 of 23 free throws in the East Regional final.
Sam Young scored 28 and DeJuan Blair had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Pittsburgh, the first No. 1 seed to lose.
The Wildcats are the lowest-remaining seed in the tournament, though not quite as big an underdog as the eighth-seeded '85 team - those 'Cats upset Georgetown and became the lowest seed ever to win it all.
Villanova will play the winner of today's North Carolina-Oklahoma South Regional final in next weekend's Final Four in Detroit.
This is Villanova's first trip to the Final Four since its miracle run that climaxed with its shocking upset of Georgetown to win the national championship in 1985.
Ahead Today:
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Midwest Regional Championship: Louisville vs. Michigan State at Indianapolis, 2:20 p.m. ET.
A broken nose won't keep Michigan State's Raymar Morgan out of today's Midwest final against Louisville. The starting forward says he will be fitted for a protective mask and plans to wear it when the Spartans try to reach the Final Four.
Morgan was injured during Friday night's 67-62 victory over defending national champion Kansas.
South Regional Championship: Oklahoma vs. North Carolina at Memphis, Tenn., 5:05 p.m. ET.
Tyler Hansbrough was last year's national player of the year. Blake Griffin appears poised to take his place.
Now, the two will go head-to-head with a lot more at stake than any individual honor.
Hansbrough has led top-seeded North Carolina to within a victory of a second straight Final Four. But to get there the Tar Heels will have to go through Griffin and Oklahoma tomorrow in a clash of low post stars.
OU coach Jeff Capel says both players represent what's right about college basketball. Hansbrough stayed in school for four years and broke every North Carolina and ACC record. Griffin turned down money last year and returned to OU.
Capel says they're great ambassadors for the sport.
Hansbrough - at 6-9 - and Griffin - 6-10 - are playing down their personal matchup.
Their supporting casts include Tony Crocker and Willie Warren for OU and Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington for the Tar Heels.
NCAA Women's Tournament
Top-seed Maryland had to stage a huge rally to reach the regional finals of the NCAA women's basketball tournament.
The Terrapins trailed by as many as 18 before posting a 78-74 comeback win over Vanderbilt in the Raleigh Regional. Marissa Coleman poured in a career-high 42 points, including the go-ahead basket with 27.9 seconds remaining. Coleman also had 15 rebounds for the Terps.
Next up for Maryland is Louisville, which has reached the Regional finals for the first time by beating Baylor 56-39. Angel McCoughtry poured in 22 points and had 12 rebounds. Candyce Bingham also had a double-double with 15 points and 15 boards.
Iowa State closed out Michigan State with a 8-0 run in the final minute and advanced to the Berkeley Regional final by beating Michigan State 69-68. Allison Lacey led the Cyclones with 29, including the game-winning 3-pointer with 23 seconds left.
In the other game in the Berkeley regional, Jayne Appel had 25 points as Stanford eliminated Ohio State 84-66. Stanford is the last team to defeat Connecticut, the top seed in the Trenton region which plays California today. That victory came in last year's NCAA semifinals.