March Madness roundup: Virginia beats Oregon in Sweet 16, advance to Elite Eight
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Virginia's Ty Jerome (11) is fouled by Oregon's Payton Pritchard (3) during the second half of a men's NCAA Tournament college basketball South Regional semifinal game. (Associated Press)
No. 1 seed Virginia, reaching its second regional final in four years, beat No. 12 Oregon 53-49 on Thursday night in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
Oregon was on a roll and leading, but the Cavaliers kept them from reaching the regional final. Virginia’s Ty Jerome gave his team a three-point lead with 3:34 remaining, and then they used their trademark defense to solidify their lead against the Ducks.
The Cavaliers (32-3) shot 36 percent and matched a season-low in scoring, but managed to outlast the Ducks (25-13). Jerome's 3 was the biggest as he took Kihei Clark's pass and converted from deep to make it 48-45.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Also advancing Thursday were Texas Tech, Purdue and Gonzaga.
Texas Tech forward Tariq Owens (11) shoots over Michigan defenders during the second half an NCAA men's college basketball tournament West Region semifinal. (Associated Press)
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TEXAS TECH 63, MICHIGAN 44
No. 3 seed Texas Tech easily clinched a 63-44 win against No. 2 Michigan in the West Region, positioning them for a showdown against Gonzaga.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Texas Tech (29-6) is back to this point for the second straight year. The Red Raiders held an efficient-if-not-spectacular Michigan (30-7) offense to 16 field goals, 32 percent shooting and only a single 3-point basket on 19 attempts.
Purdue's Carsen Edwards shoots a free throw in the final seconds of the second half of a men's NCAA Tournament college basketball South Regional semifinal game against Tennessee. (Associated Press)
PURDUE 99, TENNESSEE 94
Carsen Edwards finished with 29 points as Purdue advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000, beating Tennessee 99-94 on Thursday night after blowing an 18-point lead.
Gonzaga forward Rui Hachimura, right, and forward Brandon Clarke celebrate the team's win against Florida State during an NCAA men's college basketball tournament West Region semifinal. (Associated Press)
GONZAGA 72, FLORIDA STATE 58
The top-seeded Bulldogs beat Florida State 72-58 in a Sweet 16 rematch Thursday night that moved Gonzaga to a regional final for the fourth time.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Gonzaga (33-3) is back in the Elite Eight for the second time in three years after Florida State ended the Bulldogs' season last year. That defeat, as well as games this season against North Carolina, Duke and Tennessee, is what Zach Norvell Jr. said prepared Gonzaga to face fourth-seeded Florida State (29-8) again.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.