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Elite 8
Saturday game capsules By The Associated
Press
Marquette 83, Kentucky 69
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Dwyane Wade sailed high above a defense
that had carried Kentucky all season, slamming the ball through the hoop
repeatedly in a stunning upset few people expected.
Led by Wade's dazzling performance, Marquette emphatically
ended the Wildcats' 26-game winning streak with a 83-69 victory Saturday to
earn a trip to the Final Four in New Orleans.
Cheered by a sea of yellow-clad followers, Marquette's
surprising rout in the Midwest Regional final gave the school its third trip
to the Final Four and first since 1977, when the late Al McGuire coached the
team to the national championship.
If Wade keeps it up, the Golden Eagles might get another. He
showed again why he's one of the nation's top players with a triple-double
29 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Marquette (27-5) will play Kansas (29-7) in the national
semifinals next Saturday at the Superdome in New Orleans.
Wade got plenty of help against Kentucky. Burly 6-foot-10
Robert Jackson had 24 points and 15 rebounds, and freshman Steve Novak hit
five 3-pointers and scored 16.
Marquette used a 35-12 run over the final 12 minutes of the
first half to take a 45-26 lead.
Kentucky (32-4) pulled within 12 with 10:50 left and had a
chance to cut it to 10. But after a great spinning move to the basket,
Antwain Barbour was called for an offensive foul.
From there, Wade was too much for the Wildcats to handle.
After Scott Merritt hit a jumper, Wade scored Marquette's next 11 points to
put the victory away.
Kentucky gave up its most points since a 115-87 victory over
Tennessee State on Dec. 30 that started the long winning streak. The
Wildcats hadn't lost since Dec. 28, against Louisville.
Kentucky's star guard, Keith Bogans, wore a protective brace
on the left ankle he sprained in Thursday's semifinal win over Wisconsin. He
scored 15 points on 4-of-11 shooting in 24 minutes, but he was obviously
slowed down by the injury.
Kansas 78, Arizona 75
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Kirk Hinrich went from his worst day
to his best, taking the Jayhawks back to the Final Four.
Hinrich scored 28 points and blocked a 3-point attempt by
Jason Gardner in the final seconds to help Kansas hold off the Wildcats.
Hinrich, a miserable 1-of-9 for two points in Kansas' 69-65
victory over Duke in the regional semifinals, came out sharp in this game
and wound up one point shy of his career high. He shot 10-of-23, including
6-of-17 from 3-point range, and added five rebounds, five assists, two
steals and two blocks.
The second block won't soon be forgotten in Kansas.
After the Jayhawks committed a shot-clock violation, the
Wildcats took possession with 7.1 seconds remaining. Gardner let fly from
about 25 feet to tie the game, but Hinrich slapped the ball away.
Arizona's Luke Walton grabbed it and fed the ball back to
Gardner in the corner, but his second attempt missed as time expired.
Gardner scored 23 points to lead the Wildcats (28-4). Luke
Walton had 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
The loss was a tough one for Arizona and 68-year-old Hall of
Fame coach Lute Olson, who remained stuck at 499 wins in his 20 seasons as
leader of the Wildcats.
Kansas, meanwhile, got the 1,800th victory in team history
third-most in NCAA history. The Jayhawks will play in their 12th Final Four,
the fourth in Roy Williams' 15 years as coach.
Williams has a 417-100 career record and his .807 winning
percentage is the best among active coaches, but he's looking for his first
national title.
Copyright 2003
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
02/23/2007 10:46:59 AM
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