March Madness: Arkansas ends No. 15 Oral Roberts' Cindrealla run in Sweet 16
Golden Eagles within reach of becoming 1st No. 15 seed to reach Elite 8
Davonte Davis hit a short jumper with 2.9 seconds left, and Arkansas advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in 26 years with a 72-70 win over Oral Roberts in the South Region semifinals Saturday night.
The Muss Bus grinded its gears through the first half into the second, bad shots and even worse defence putting Arkansas in a 12-point hole against the 15th-seeded Golden Eagles.
Eric Musselman's Razorbacks (25-6) got their Pig Sooie swagger back, turning defensive stops into early offence opportunities and offensive rebounds into points.
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It came down to one final shot and Davis made it, sending Arkansas to the Elite Eight for the first time since the Nolan Richardson "40 Minutes of Hell" days.
Next up for the Razorbacks is face top-seeded Baylor in what should be a fast-paced South Region final on Monday.
The let-it-fly Golden Eagles (18-11) let history slip through their grasp.
Within reach of becoming the first No. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight, Oral Roberts stumbled with a series of turnovers and missed shots.
Oregon State keeps March Madness dream alive
Ethan Thompson scored 20 points, including a pair of clinching foul shots with 35 seconds left, and No. 12 seed Oregon State kept its dream March going with a 65-58 victory over eighth-seeded Loyola Chicago in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
Warith Alatishe added 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Beavers (20-12), who were picked to finish last in the Pac-12 but ran roughshod through the conference tournament and have kept on winning on college basketball's biggest stage.
Not even the fervent prayers of Sister Jean could help Loyola (26-4) deal with the constantly changing defences that Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle rolled out. The Ramblers, who played with such poise and perfection in toppling top-seeded Illinois, wound up shooting 33% from the field and 5 of 23 from beyond the arc.
All-America forward Cameron Krutwig led Loyola with 14 points. Lucas Williamson and Braden Norris added 10 apiece, though both of them missed 3-pointers in the closing minutes as Loyola tried to mount a comeback.
It was the first meeting between the teams since Dec. 31, 1927, when Loyola won 31-19 in Chicago — and Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the Ramblers' beloved 101-year-old chaplain, was still a schoolgirl.
Top-seeded Baylor grinds to Elite 8
Top-seeded Baylor overcame some frigid outside shooting Saturday to move into the Elite Eight, getting 16 points from Adam Flagler in a 62-51 victory over Villanova and its amoeba-like defence.
The Bears (25-2) came in as the nation's leading 3-point team, shooting 41.5%, but made only 3 of 19 in this one, unable to find room or get into a comfort zone against fifth-seeded Villanova's mix of 2-3 zone and man. Davion Mitchell, a 46% shooter from 3 this season, went 0 for 3 in a 14-point night.
Baylor, which started the season 18-0 and won its first-ever Big 12 regular-season title, is one win from the Final Four for the first time since 2012. The Bears will play Arkansas.
The Bears played some defence, too.
Constantly harassing Villanova shooters who'd carved out space in the first half, Baylor held Villanova to 37.5% shooting in the second and 0 for 9 from 3. Jay Wright's team scored 10 points over the final 11 minutes. During one stretch in the decisive run, Baylor forced five straight turnovers on 'Nova possessions. Baylor had four of its five blocked shots in the second half.
Houston's defence locks in, beats Syracuse
Quentin Grimes scored 14 points while Houston's defence locked down on surging Buddy Boeheim, helping the Cougars beat Syracuse 62-46 on Saturday night in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Justin Gorham had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the second-seeded Cougars, who pushed through to their first trip to a regional final in 37 years, earning a matchup with Oregon State for the Midwest Region title and a spot in the Final Four.
The Cougars also got a strong all-around effort from DeJon Jarreau, who finished with nine points, eight rebounds and eight assists while leading the defensive effort that kept Boeheim in check — and ultimately derailed the 11th-seeded Orange's latest post-season push as a double-digit seed.
Houston (27-3) came in holding opponents to a national-low 37.3% shooting, and then harassed Syracuse (18-10) into just 28% (14 for 50), including a 5-for-23 performance from 3-point range.
The focus was making every look difficult for Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim's son, who had been on an absolute tear through four games in the Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA Tournament games to earn the nickname "Buddy Buckets."
The 6-foot-6 junior had averaged 28.3 points through those games, which included him shooting 60% from the floor and 55.8% from 3-point range.
Things weren't nearly so easy Saturday.
