CHICAGO REGIONAL
1. Illinois 71
9. Nevada 59
Lowdown: James Augustine scored a career-high 23 points. And the forward had 10 rebounds, four blocks and two steals.
12.Wis.-Milw. 83
4. Boston Col. 75
Lowdown: Joah Tucker scored 23 points, Ed McCants had 18 and Adrian Tigert 16 as the Panthers sprung their second upset.
No. 1 Illinois (34-1) vs.
No. 12 Wis.-Milwaukee (26-5)
Thursday, Rosemont
Instant reaction: You’ll be hearing plenty this week about Panthers coach Bruce Pearl, Deon Thomas and Illinois, but try to remember that was … 16 years ago. Now, in this century, the Panthers have won 11 straight and 19 of 20 and they showed they won’t back down to big-time trash talk, the kind they saw against Boston College. One note: Illinois coach Bruce Weber was once a Wisconsin-Milwaukee student, although he never played there. What are the odds of that happening?
AT CHICAGO
3. Arizona 85
11. UAB 63
Lowdown: Arizona didn’t buckle under UAB’s relentless defense and Salim Stoudamire had five 3-pointers and 28 points.
2. Oklahoma St. 85
7. S. Illinois 77
Lowdown: Ivan McFarlin powered a 10-2 second-half run and his 31 points are a single-game high for any player this tourney.
No. 2 Oklahoma St. (26-6) vs. No. 3 Arizona (29-6)
Thursday, Rosemont
Instant reaction: A No. 2 vs. a No. 3. As it should be. With the win,Oklahoma State makes the Sweet 16 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1991-92. Watch out for this McFarlin. Anyone nicknamed “The Warrior” should be taken seriously. He’s been a part of 101 career wins, the fourth-highest total among active players. Meanwhile, is it just TV highlights or does Salim Stoudamire never miss? “Salim may miss, but he won’t miss for long,”
Arizona coach Lute Olson said. Consider yourselves warned, Cowboys.
ALBUQUERQUE REGIONAL
1. Washington 97
8. Pacific 79
Lowdown: Nate Robinson scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half and the tiny guard added seven rebounds.
4. Louisville 76
5. Georgia Tech 54
Lowdown: Francisco Garcia scored 21 points, Taquan Dean added 14 and Larry O’Bannon had 16 as the Cardinals slammed Tech.
No. 1 Washington (29-5) vs. No. 4 Louisville (31-4)
Thursday, Albuquerque
Instant reaction: Nobody around here got to see much of Nate Robinson on TV this season, but the Pac-10 tournament should have opened your eyes. “You can’t teach what’s inside of that man,” Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said of Robinson. “I’m not telling you that he is the best player in America, but he has a ticker that allows him to compete and against anyone. And the bigger the game, you almost see him grow before your eyes.” Of course, Louisville has won 20 of their last 21. Are we sure they’re not a No. 1 seed?
AT ALBUQUERQUE
6. Texas Tech 71
3. Gonzaga 69
Lowdown: Ronald Ross sank the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:06 to play, then hit two clinching free throws with 7.5 seconds left.
7. W. Virginia 111
2. Wake F. 105 (2OT)
Lowdown: Mike Gansey scored a career-high 29 points in two overtimes to overcome a 13-point halftime deficit on Saturday.
No. 7 W. Virginia (23-10) vs. No. 6 Tex. Tech (22-10)
Thursday, Albuquerque
Instant reaction: Keep your eye on Ross, a walk-on four years ago who became one of the Big 12’s best guards. These stories were made for the tournament. Bobby Knight’s 854 career victories are just 25 shy of Dean Smith’s NCAA Division I record. “My wife’s a better coach than I am,” Knight explained. That said, expect to see the General on the bench Thursday when he faces a Mountaineers team that has quietly beaten a school-record seven Top 25 teams this season.
SYRACUSE REGIONAL
1. N. Carolina 92
9. Iowa St. 65
Lowdown: Sean May had 24 points and 17 rebounds and the Tar Heels were never threatened in this one. Marvin Williams had 15 boards.
5. Villanova 76
4. Florida 65
Lowdown: With star Curtis Sumpter out hurt, backup center Jason Fraser had 21 points and 15 rebounds to pull off the minor upset.
No. 1 North Carolina (29-4) vs. No. 5 Villanova (24-7)
Friday, Syracuse, N.Y.
Instant reaction: Monsters. The Tar Heels are playing like Monsters, and yes, we know they destroyed Oakland in the first round. After a five-year absence–wow, has it really been that long?–North Carolina is back in the Sweet 16. Get this: Williams has 20 points in two straight tourney games. And, he’s a freshman. And, he’s the team’s sixth man. As for Villanova, well, hear this: Twenty years ago, Villanova pulled off one of the biggest upsets in tournament history when the Wildcats beat Georgetown for the NCAA title.
AT SYRACUSE
6. Wisconsin 71
14.Bucknell 62
Lowdown: Alando Tucker scored 15 of his 17 points from fouls including 5 in the final 36.7 seconds to knock out plucky Bucknell.
10.N.C. St. 65
2. Connecticut 62
Lowdown: Julius Hodge scored with 4.3 seconds left to break a 62-all tie, got fouled, made it, and sunk the defending champs.
No. 10 N.C. State (21-13)
No. 6 vs. Wisconsin (24-8)
Friday, Syracuse, N.Y.
Instant reaction: After beating Connecticut on Sunday, Hodge shouted, “I told you so! I told you so!” to his fans at the buzzer. What was he yelling earlier this season when N.C. State started 10-1 then hit a 3-9 tailspin that had fans calling coach Herb Sendek to get launched? No matter. That was a long time ago. Meanwhile, Wisconsin fills out this all-red game quite nicely with two 6-foot-8 forwards in Mike Wilkinson and Zach Morley, and both have played some very strong spurts in the first two games.
AUSTIN REGIONAL
1. Duke 63
9. Miss. St. 55
Lowdown: The win was a record 66th tournament victory for Mike Krzyzewski, moving him ahead of Dean Smith at the top of the list.
5. Michigan St. 72
13.Vermont 61
Lowdown: Maurice Ager scored 19 points and Paul Davis had 11 and 14 boards to end the upstart Catamounts’ Sweet 16 dreams.
No. 1 Duke (27-5) vs.
No. 5 Michigan St. (24-6)
Friday, Austin, Texas
Instant reaction: In case you wrote off the Spartans, Tom Izzo improved to 21-6 in the tournament–a winning percentage second among active coaches to Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski. Hello. Don’t forget, but the Spartans went 13-2 in the Big Ten, just one loss off Illinois’ pace. Duke makes the regional semifinals for the eighth consecutive year, the longest current streak in the nation. And it’s not just J.J. Redick’s show as Daniel Ewing (22 points) and Shelden Williams (13 points, 15 rebounds) proved Sunday. Two teams enter, one leaves.
AT AUSTIN
6. Utah 67
3. Oklahoma 58
Lowdown: Andrew Bogut distributed the ball and Justin Hawkins poured in 20 as Utah went on a 16-4 run and never looked back.
2. Kentucky 69
7. Cincinnati 60
Lowdown: Two bitter rivals, one bitterly fought game. The Wildcats outscored Cincy 34-12 in the paint, wearing down the Bearcats.
No. 2 Kentucky (27-5) vs. No. 6 Utah (29-5)
Friday, Austin, Texas
Instant reaction: So much for Kentucky being vulnerable against physical teams this season. Freshman Randolph showed as much against Cincinnati. He will have to step it up a notch against Utah’s
7-foot Aussie Andrew Bogut, though he could use some help from teammate Chuck Hayes and a step ladder. Another interesting matchup pits Utes senior point guard Mark Jackson against Rajon Rondo, the sprightly freshman. Kentucky has sent Utah packing from the tournament five times since 1993.
