Berry scores 26 points and Carolina defeats Butler 92-80
CLAY BAILEY, Associated Press
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Joel Berry II scored 26 points and Justin Jackson added 24 as top-seeded North Carolina moved to the Elite Eight with a 92-80 victory over Butler in the NCAA South Region on Friday night.
Luke Maye recorded his first career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, helping fuel a quick start for Carolina (30-7). The Tar Heels never let their lead get under double digits in the second half.
Heel yeah!
Justin Jackson, Joel Berry combine for 50 to lead No. 1 North Carolina back to the #Elite8 with a 92-80 win over No. 4 Butler. pic.twitter.com/C3lbUON60i
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2017
Andrew Chrabascz led the fourth-seeded Bulldogs (25-9) with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Kelan Martin finished with 16 points for Butler, which struggled shooting early and did not recover.
Carolina, which reached the Elite Eight for the 27th time, will face the winner of Friday’s second game between UCLA and Kentucky. The Tar Heels connected on 54.4 percent of their shots, while Butler was at 43.5 percent.
South Carolina beats Baylor 70-50 to advance to Elite Eight
JIM O’CONNELL, AP Basketball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Sindarius Thornwell scored 24 points and seventh-seeded South Carolina cruised past third-seeded Baylor 70-50 on Friday night in the East Regional semifinals, the Bears’ worst NCAA Tournament loss.
That ELITE feeling! pic.twitter.com/ylLR199cPA
— Gamecock Men's Basketball (@GamecockMBB) March 25, 2017
The Gamecocks (25-10) were in control from the middle of the first half on, mixing defenses and hustling all over the Madison Square Garden court to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time.
South Carolina will meet the winner of the Wisconsin-Florida game on Sunday with a trip to the Final Four at stake.
DJ Dozier and Chris Silva had 12 points each and Duane Notice added 11 for the Gamecocks.
Johnathan Motley had 18 points, 12 in the second half, for Baylor (27-8), which just couldn’t get any offense going. The Bears missed 11 of their first 13 shots from the field and it didn’t get a whole lot better the entire game. They finished 17 for 56 from the field (30.4 percent), including 3 for 13 from 3-point range.
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Elite 8-bound: Kentucky beats UCLA 86-75 in South semifinal
TERESA M. WALKER, AP Sports Writer
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — De’Aaron Fox scored a career-high 39 points as the Kentucky Wildcats beat UCLA 86-75 Friday night in a showdown between two of college basketball’s goliaths for a spot in the South Regional final.
Dom wants to keep playing. We're cool with that. pic.twitter.com/LijscCEpPK
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) March 25, 2017
The only No. 2 seed to survive and advance, the Wildcats (32-5) won their 14th straight game. Now the NCAA’s winningest program will play another of basketball’s titans Sunday in top-seeded North Carolina with a trip to yet another Final Four on the line.
The third-seeded Bruins (31-5) still have the most national titles. Yet they leave their third Sweet 16 under coach Steve Alford short of the Elite Eight.
Fans lustily booed Kentucky coach John Calipari in his first game in Memphis since leaving in April 2009 for the Wildcats. Calipari’s latest crop of talented freshmen put Kentucky into a regional final for the sixth time in seven years.
Allen busts out to lead Florida past Wisconsin into Elite 8
RALPH D. RUSSO, AP College Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Chris Chiozza went end to end and made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Florida an 84-83 victory against Wisconsin on Friday night in the first overtime game of this NCAA Tournament.
From Sweet to Elite!
Chiozza beats buzzer, Allen drops 35 to lead Florida past Wisconsin, 84-83 in OT, and into #Elite8 vs South Carolina. pic.twitter.com/0UEOh2wOoD
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2017
Nigel Hayes had given the Badgers (27-10) a 2-point lead with 4 seconds left on two free throws. With no timeouts left, the Gators inbounded to Chiozza and the point guard stopped right the arc and dropped in the winner for Florida (27-8).
Wisconsin’s Zak Showalter forced overtime with a leaning 3-pointer off one leg with 2.1 seconds left in regulation as the Badgers wiped out a 12-point deficit in the last 4:15.
The fourth-seeded Gators (27-8) will play South Carolina on Sunday in an all-Southeastern Conference regional final at Madison Square Garden. Florida is in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2014, and for the first time with second-year coach Mike White — the man who replaced Billy Donovan in Gainesville.
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