Top-Seeded N.C., Conn. Make Sweet 16
Two top seeds, North Carolina in the South and Connecticut in the West, have reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Six other teams played their way in and eight more teams will fill the Sweet 16 on Sunday.
Ty Lawson scored 23 points in his return from injury to help North Carolina beat LSU 84-70. Wayne Ellington also scored 23 points for the Tar Heels, who advanced to next week's South Regional semifinals to face Gonzaga next Friday in Memphis in the Round of 16.
Lawson had missed the past three games with a jammed right big toe, but came back to the lineup just in time for the Tar Heels. North Carolina trailed by five midway through the second half before Lawson sparked an 11-0 run.
After missing his team's opening win Thursday while hospitalized for dehydration, Jim Calhoun returned to his regular seat on the bench and led Connecticut to a familiar spot in the round of 16. A.J. Price scored 27 points, Jeff Adrien had 23 and Connecticut dominated Texas A&M 92-66 to put the Huskies in the round of 16 for the 12th time under their Hall-of-Fame coach.
Purdue, the fifth seed in the West region, downed fourth-seeded Washington 76-74 to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2000. JaJuan Johnson scored 22 points and had two huge blocks in the final minute. E'Twaun Moore scored 14 points and made the clinching free throws with 5.5 seconds left for the Boilermakers.
Villanova advanced in the East Regional semifinals by clobbering UCLA 89-69, ending the Bruins' quest for a fourth consecutive Final-Four appearance. Dante Cunningham had 18 points for Villanova, which used a 19-2 run to go ahead 28-11 by the middle of the first half. Corey Fisher and Reggie Redding each added 13 points to help the Wildcats reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in five years.
Memphis shot 70 percent while building a 53-33 halftime lead in an 89-70 pounding of Maryland. Tyreke Evans dropped in 19 points for the Tigers, who led by as many as 29 in their 27th consecutive win.
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Blake Griffin finished with 33 points and 14 rebounds to power Oklahoma to a 73-63 victory over Michigan in the second round of the South Regional. The Sooners will meet Sunday's Syracuse-Arizona State winner in next week's regional semifinals in Memphis, Tenn.
Gonzaga, the fourth seed in the South, needed a coast-to-coast driving layup from freshman Demetri Goodson with nine-tenths of a second left to beat Western Kentucky 83-81. Matt Gouldin had 20 for the 'Zags, who play East top-seed North Carolina next.
Duke, the second seed in the East, held off Texas 74-69. Gerald Henderson scored 24 in leading Duke to the Sweet 16 for the first time in three years. Duke plays Villanova in a matchup of two and three seeds next Thursday.
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(Left: North Carolina guard Cetera DeGraffenreid drives against Central Florida's Aisha Patrick, right, and Chelsie Wiley, left, in Chattanooga, Tenn., March 21, 2009.)
Mississippi State advanced with a 71-63 surprise against No. 6 Texas. Rutgers topped Virginia Commonwealth 57-51. Vanderbilt ended Western Carolina's 10-game win streak, 73-41. Pitt walloped Montana 64-35.
Second-seed Auburn blew out Lehigh 85-49 and Arizona State knocked out Georgia 58-47. In a game with two players named Ashley Walker, Cal's Walker scored 21 and the Bears overwhelmed Fresno State 70-47.
Florida State downed North Carolina A&T 83-71, Purdue beat Charlotte 65-52 and Ohio State knocked off Sacred Heart 77-63. Jene Morris tied her career high with 35 in San Diego State's 76-70 win over DePaul.
Gonzaga, Stanford, Virginia and Kansas State also won their openers.
The top seeds aren't in action until Sunday.