March Madness: No. 1 seeds Kansas, Villanova back in Final Four
Jayhawks edge Duke to advance, Wildcats dispatch Texas Tech
Malik Newman and top-seeded Kansas got past their Elite Eight road block on Sunday, knocking off second-seeded Duke 85-81 in overtime in a thrilling Midwest Region finale that clinched the Jayhawks' first trip to the Final Four since 2012.
Newman scored all 13 of the Jayhawks' points in overtime and finished with a career-high 32 to lead Kansas (31-7). The Jayhawks will face fellow top seed Villanova in San Antonio on Saturday after snapping a two-game losing skid in the regional finals.
This was college basketball at its best — two blue bloods trading blows for 45 minutes in what was arguably the best game of the tournament so far, one that featured 18 lead changes and 11 ties.
Malik Newman with a BIG TIME THREE! 💦<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchMadness?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarchMadness</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Elite8?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Elite8</a> <a href="https://t.co/rly4YOZM0R">pic.twitter.com/rly4YOZM0R</a>
—@marchmadnessBut Newman drilled his fifth and final 3 from the corner to make it 81-78 with 1:49 left. Newman followed with four straight free throws, and the Jayhawks defence stiffened enough to knock the favoured Blue Devils out of the tournament.
Trevon Duval scored 20 points for Duke. Freshman star and future lottery pick Marvin Bagley added 16 points and 10 rebounds in what could have been his final game for Duke (29-8), which fell shy its first Final Four trip since winning the national title in 2015.
Grayson Allen had 12 points for the Blue Devils, but the senior's 10-foot bank shot at the regulation buzzer went in and then out of the rim before spinning away to force overtime.
Grayson Allen ALMOST had Duke in the Final Four <a href="https://t.co/xPuekim8BH">pic.twitter.com/xPuekim8BH</a>
—@abdulamemonWildcats get another shot at title
Villanova is going back to the Final Four, and those underdogs should get ready for the top-seeded Wildcats.
Eric Paschall had 12 points and 14 rebounds, and the 2016 national champions beat Texas Tech 71-59 in a cold-shooting East regional championship on Sunday to reach the Final Four for the second time in three years.
Sunday's winners will join 11th-seeded Loyola-Chicago and their telegenic nun, along with No. 3 Michigan in the national semifinals on Saturday in San Antonio.
Sister Jean, prepare to meet Father Rob, the priest on the Villanova bench who provides spiritual support for the Wildcats.
Jalen Brunson had 15 points, and Donte DeVincenzo scored 12 with eight of the Wildcats' 51 rebounds. After starting four guards, Texas Tech (27-10) grabbed just 33 boards and shot just 18 free throws compared to 35 for Villanova and lost its chance to play for a championship in its home state.
The teams matched each other with 33 per cent shooting from the floor and Villanova, one of the most prolific 3-point shooting teams in NCAA history, made just 4 of 24 from beyond the arc. The Wildcats need seven to set a Division I single-season record.
They'll get that chance in the Final Four.
"Wasn't really a pretty offensive game. But we played pretty good defensively too," said Villanova coach Jay Wright, whose team spent eight weeks in two different stints as the No. 1 team in The Associated Press Top 25 this season.