Hoops: Arizona Survives Double-OT
The last seven NCAA men's basketball championship teams are still alive, so far. But, there were some close calls Saturday.
Here is a recap of Saturday's games:
SALT LAKE CITY
Arizona survived by a whisker Saturday and earned a Sweet 16 spot — keeping their dream of a championship alive. They will play against Notre Dame in Anaheim.
Their Western region opponent, No. 9 seed Gonzaga, had two shots that could have helped upset the No. 1 Wildcats in Salt Lake City. But they failed to connect and lost 98-96.
Salim Stoudamire scored five points in the second overtime as the Wildcats held off the Bulldogs in a game that may rank with the best in NCAA Tournament history.
The two teams played in the first double-overtime of the 2003 NCAA men's basketball tournament.
The No. 3 Duke had an easier time defeating No. 11 Central Michigan 86-60. This isn't supposed to be one of the great Duke teams, but Central Michigan found that the Blue Devils are still pretty good. Dahntay Jones scored a career-high 28 points and J.J. Redick added 26. They will face Kansas in the next round.
SPOKANE, Wash.
The fifth-seeded Connecticut beat No. 4 Stanford 85-74 to continue their run in the Southern region of the tournament.
UConn's Ben Gordon scored 29 points, and Emeka Okafor added 18 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Huskies to the victory.
The No. 5 seed Wisconsin advances in the Midwest bracket to the next round after beating No. 13 seed Tulsa with a three-pointer by Freddie Owens in the closing second to win 60-61.
Owens sprained his right ankle in Wisconsin's opening-round win over Weber State and his status was unclear until tip-off.
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.
The East bracket's No. 1 seed Oklahoma may not want to leave Oklahoma City, but they'll have no choice as they travel to Albany as a Sweet 16 team. They storm by No. 8 seed California 74-65 to earn the trip.
A couple of freshman helped make sure Oklahoma senior Hollis Price gets to keep playing in the NCAA tournament. Kevin Bookout scored a career-high 22 points and De'Angelo Alexander had 15 for Oklahoma.
Price, the Big 12 player of the year, is bothered by a left groin injury that limits his quickness. After playing 11 minutes in the first round against South Carolina State, he logged 30 minutes against Cal but scored just three points.
Also in Oklahoma City, No. 2 seed Kansas demolished No. 10 seed Arizona State 108-76 in the West bracket, and will be one of 16 teams still looking for the championship crown. They face Duke in the next round.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.
The No. 3 seed Marquette defeated No. 6 seed Missouri in overtime with a score of 101-92 in the Midwest bracket.
Steve Novak and Marquette were perfect in the overtime period. The freshman made three 3-pointers and the Golden Eagles hit all their shots in the extra period to pull away from Missouri.
It is Marquette's first trip to the round of 16 since 1994 and only its second since coach Al McGuire and the 1977 team won the national championship.
No. 5 seed Notre Dame was the first team to advance to the Sweet 16 with a 68-60 win over No. 4 Illinois in the South bracket.
Notre Dame's Dan Miller matched a career high with 23 points, helping the Fighting Irish head to the regional semifinals for the first time in 16 years. They will face Arizona.
Big Ten Conference player of the year Brian Cook had 19 points and 16 rebounds for Illinois, which ends the year at 25-7.
Those who advance to the Sweet 16 will get a bit of a breather before moving on to the regional semifinals Thursday and Friday.
The ultimate goal is a trip to the Final Four in New Orleans, April 5 & 7.