KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Tyrese Hunter scored 19 points and second-seeded Texas rolled to an 83-71 victory over third-seeded Xavier to reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 15 years. The highest seed left in the tourney will play No. 5 seed Miami on Sunday night for a spot in the Final Four in Houston. Marcus Carr and Christian Bishop scored 18 points each, Sir’Jabari Rice had 16 and Timmy Allen had 11 for the Longhorns, who played most of the way without Dylan Disu, their star big man who has a foot injury. Adam Kunkel had 21 points to lead the Musketeers.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — March has gone from madness to unprecedented. With Miami’s win over Houston and San Diego State’s takedown of Alabama, the men's NCAA Tournament will not have a No. 1 seed in the Elite Eight for the first time since seeding began in 1979. Purdue, Kansas, Houston and Alabama are all gone, ensuring the Final Four will not have a No. 1 team for the first time since 2011 and the third overall. The four teams deemed by the NCAA to be the best in the country combined to win five tournament games this year. That's the fewest by three among No. 1 seeds since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
SEATTLE (AP) — Caitlin Clark scored 31 points and No. 2 seed Iowa shook disappointments the past two seasons and reached the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA Tournament with an 87-77 win over Colorado in the Seattle 4 Regional semifinals. After two straight tournaments where Clark’s season ended in the round of 16 and the round of 32, the Hawkeyes will play with a chance at just the second Final Four berth in school history on Sunday. Frida Formann led Colorado with 21 points, but 19 of those came in the first half when her shooting carried the Buffaloes.
NEW YORK (AP) — To get a sense of where Kansas State and Florida Atlantic sit in college basketball’s hierarchy before they play in the Elite Eight, look at their transfers. The Wildcats have nine players who previously played at other Division I schools, several of whom were productive multi-year starters in mid-major conferences. Most notable among them is Markquis Nowell, the 5-foot-8 point guard who put on the performance of the NCAA Tournament in an overtime victory against Michigan State. FAU’s transfers arrived at the Boca Raton, Florida, school after compiling thinner resumes at programs in the so-called power conferences.
NEW YORK (AP) — Keyontae Johnson has led Kansas State to the Elite Eight two years after his career appeared to be over. Johnson collapsed on the court while playing for Florida in December 2020 and was placed in a medically induced coma. He did not play again until he transferred to Kansas State ahead of this season. Johnson leads the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding and had the go-ahead basket on an alley-oop reverse dunk in Thursday night's Sweet 16 win over Michigan State. Johnson says he trusted the doctors who told him he could play again and tries to stay positive.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — New York has a notable rival for the title the city that never sleeps in 24/7 Las Vegas. Two of the biggest moments in this year's NCAA Tournament came in those two cities Thursday night, both thanks to players taking center stage in their hometowns. New York native Markquis Nowell had an NCAA-record 19 assists for Kansas State in its win over Michigan State. Las Vegas native Julian Strawther made a shot from the logo with 7.2 seconds left that put Gonzaga ahead for good against UCLA. Both are hoping to follow up those performances in their hometowns in the Elite Eight.
DENVER (AP) — High-top basketball shoes aren't as common a sight on the college basketball floor these days. The footwear most players are lacing up in the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments are some version of a low-top sneaker, with a few mid-cut styles thrown in. This era of players prefer shoes designed to be light and sleek especially since there’s little definitive proof that high tops prevent rolled or sprained ankles at an increased rate.
UNDATED (AP) — Cinderella is no stranger at the NCAA Tournament. From George Mason to VCU to Loyola of Chicago, there are some scintillating Final Four runs that keep hope alive for the little guys. Winning a national title is a far taller mountain to climb. So daunting, in fact, that not one of our beloved underdogs has done it. Not even Loyola, which seemingly had a higher power on its side. Which brings us to Florida Atlantic, a school that finds itself in the midst of one of those magical runs. Will they be the team that finally breaks through?
FRIDAY SCORES
NCAA Sweet 16
SOUTH
Final San Diego St. 71 Alabama 64
Final Creighton 86 Princeton 75
MIDWEST
Final Miami 89 Houston 75
Final Texas 83 Xavier 71