|
Story lines and side notes from the NCAA Tournament By
The Associated Press
ROLLING ALONG
No. 1 seeds Oklahoma and Texas, both out of the Big 12,
moved into the round of eight Friday night. Oklahoma got 25 points from Ebi
Ere to move within one victory of its second consecutive Final Four with a
65-54 win over the NCAA tournament darling, 12th-seeded Butler. The
Longhorns, behind a career-high 27 points by Brandon Mouton, advanced to a
regional final for the first time since 1990 with an 82-78 win over No. 5
Connecticut in the South Regional semifinals. All four No. 1 seeds,
including Arizona and Kentucky, have advanced to the regional finals.
CHAMPS OUSTED
Defending champion Maryland was eliminated by Michigan State
60-58 in a South Regional semifinal. The Terrapins overcame a 13-point
deficit in the second half but senior point guard Steve Blake missed a
3-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer, after Michigan State
freshman Paul Davis hit a leaning bank shot with 4.7 seconds left to put the
Spartans ahead.
LAST TEAM STANDING
Syracuse is the last Big East team still playing in the NCAA
tournament. The four teams from the Big East in the field of 65 went 8-0 in
the first two rounds, but Syracuse was the only one to win on the second
weekend of the tournament. Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Connecticut all lost
in the round of 16.
PRODUCTIVE AGAIN
Ebi Ere's offensive outburst for Oklahoma was a long time
coming. Ere scored just 12 points in the Sooners' victories in the first two
rounds and asked to be benched during the regular season when his offensive
production fell off. ``I just knew that if I could get back on track that
we'd be better than we were then,'' Ere said.
STRONG IN DEFEAT
Joel Cornette had 21 points and eight rebounds in Butler's
65-54 loss to Oklahoma. ... Emeka Okafor led Connecticut with 21 points, 17
rebounds and six blocks in a loss to Texas. ... Marquis Daniels had 27
points for Auburn in the Tigers' loss to Syracuse.
LOOKING AHEAD
GAME TO WATCH: Top-seeded Arizona against No. 2 Kansas in
the West Regional finals Saturday at Anaheim, Calif. The Wildcats beat the
Jayhawks 91-74 at Kansas on Jan. 25 in a game where Arizona trailed by as
many as 20 points in the first half.
UPSET SPECIAL: Marquette over top-seeded Kentucky in the
South Regional final. Dwyane Wade and the third-seeded Golden Eagles (26-5)
are back in a regional final for the first time since the 1977 team won the
national championship. Marquette could get back to the Final Four if the
deep Wildcats are forced to play without injured star Keith Bogans.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Kansas big man Nick Collison, who led the
Jayhawks with 33 points and 19 rebounds in a win over Duke in the West
Regional semifinals. Kansas coach called the performance the most dominant
he's seen in his 15 seasons as coach of the Jayhawks.
QUOTABLE
``The special thing wasn't making it here to the Sweet 16.
It was being together. Being with these 13 guys was the best experience of
my life. Every guy in that locker room knows how I feel about him. These
were 14 brothers, a big family that laughed, cried, enjoyed every minute of
it.'' — Butler center Joel Cornette on the Bulldogs' surprising run in the
NCAA tournament.
Copyright 2003
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
02/23/2007 10:46:58 AM
|
