Friday’s results
W. KENTUCKY 101 DRAKE 99
Ty Rogers hit a three-pointer with three defenders in his face and no time on the clock, and 12th-seeded Western Kentucky (28-6) stunned Drake in OT for its first NCAA victory since 1995. The fifth-seeded Bulldogs (28-5) overcame a 16-point deficit in the final 8 minutes and led 99-98 after Jonathan Cox of Barrington hit two free throws with 5.7 seconds to play.
SAN DIEGO 70 CONNECTICUT 69
De’Jon Jackson’s jumper from just inside the three-point line with 1.2 seconds remaining gave 13th-seeded San Diego the upset over fourth-seeded Connecticut. Gyno Pomare scored 22 points before fouling out and Brandon Johnson added 18 as the Toreros (22-13) pulled off the second overtime upset of the day. It was the Toreros’ first tournament victory in four tries.
SATURDAY’S MATCHUPS
Broadcast on WBBM-Ch. 2
West Virginia (25-10)
Duke (28-5)
1:10 p.m.
LINE: Duke by 3
Was Duke’s 71-70 scare against Belmont a sign these Devils are overrated? Or was it just the inevitable scare most Final Four teams must survive somewhere along the way? Gerald Henderson’s heroics aside, Duke won’t beat West Virginia without a better performance from stars DeMarcus Nelson, limited to two points Thursday, or Greg Paulus, who was 3-for-12 from the field. The Mountaineers, who beat Arizona 75-65, are a better version of Belmont. They don’t have a strong inside game but move the ball well and can knock down shots.
Purdue (25-8)
Xavier (28-6)
3:30 p.m.
LINE: Xavier by 3
Xavier rallied from a double-digit deficit Thursday to run past SEC Cinderella Georgia 73-61. The Musketeers did it at the foul line, making 27 of 33 free throws to the Bulldogs’ 3 of 5. Purdue has proven it can win playing any style. The Boilermakers like to slow it down but ran past Baylor 90-79. Purdue has won 15 of its last 18 games and has advanced in 10 consecutive tourney appearances since 1993. But it hasn’t reached the Sweet 16 since 2000.
Texas A&M (25-10)
UCLA (32-3)
8:05 p.m.
LINE: UCLA by 10 1/2
The Bruins barely broke a sweat in dispatching No. 16-seed Mississippi Valley State, holding the Delta Devils to the lowest point total since 1946 in an NCAA tournament game, 70-29. A&M held off BYU 67-62 and should be a tougher challenge. But the Aggies need another hot shooting day from streaky Josh Carter, who went off for a career-high 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting Thursday.
