March 28 (UPI) — Alabama dominated BYU, using a 113-88 triumph to advance to the Elite Eight for the second-consecutive season. Top-seeded Duke held off an Arizona rally, while Texas Tech and Florida also advanced with Sweet 16 wins.
The second-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide started Thursday’s college basketball slate. They trailed several times in the first half before erupting in their blowout victory in Newark, N.J.
“We’ve been working all week to prepare to get our shot right,” All-American guard Mark Sears, who scored a game-high 34 points, told reporters. “The preparation we put in led to the success we had.”
The Tide outshot the No. 6 Cougars 53% to 45%. They also made 49% (25 of 51) of thier 3-point attempts, compared to the Cougars’ 20% (6 of 30) clip. Sears made 10 shots from 3-point range.
“That was a fun game, if you like offense,” Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats told reporters.
Sophomore guard Aden Holloway chipped in 23 points off the bench in the victory. Junior forward Richie Saunders scored 25 points for the Cougars (26-10).
The Tide (28-8) will face the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils (34-3) in the Elite Eight. The Blue Devils beat the No. 4 Arizona Wildcats 100-93 on Thursday in Newark. All-American forward Cooper Flagg scored 30 points for the Blue Devils. Freshman guard Kon Knueppel and senior guards Sion James chipped in 20 and 16 points, respectively.
Senior guard Caleb Love scored a game-high 35 points for the Wildcats (24-13).
The Blue Devils outshot the Wildcats 60% to 45.5%. They led by as many as 19 points, but allowed the Wildcats to trim that deficit to five several times down the stretch. The Blue Devils then held on to secure their spot in the Elite Eight.
Top-seeded Florida used a balanced effort to roll into the Elite Eight. The Gators (33-4) outshot the No. 4 Maryland Terrapins (27-9) 50% to 40.7% for an 87-71 win Thursday in San Francisco.
Will Richard totaled 15 points to lead the Gators. Fellow senior guards Alijah Martin and Walter Clayton Jr., scored 14 and 13 points, respectively. Sophomore forward Thomas Haugh chipped in 13 points off the Gators bench, which outscored the Terrapins bench 29-3.
The Gators, who led by as many as 18 points, exchanged the lead several times with the Terrapins in the first half, but never trailed in the second. Terrapins freshman guard Derik Queen scored a game-high 27 points in the loss.
The Gators will take on the No. 3 Texas Tech Red Raiders (28-8) in the Elite Eight.
The Red Raiders trailed No. 10 Arkansas by as many as 16 points, but rallied for an 85-83 comeback overtime victory in their Sweet 16 matchup Thursday in San Francisco. Freshman guard Christian Anderson led that effort, with 22 points. Red Raiders forwards Darrion Williams and J.T. Toppin chipped in 20 points apiece.
The Red Raiders outscored the Razorbacks (22-14) 50-30 in the paint and totaled 18 points off turnover, compared to just 3 for their foes. They also held a 19-3 advantage in bench points.
The Red Raiders led 5-3 through the first three minutes. The Razorbacks then used a 17-4 run to take control of the Sweet 16 meeting. They carried a 38-31 lead into the second half.
The Red Raiders trailed 69-56 with less than five minutes remaining. They responded with a 10-0 run to trim the deficit to three points. Williams later tied the score with a 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining, setting up overtime.
The lead changed hands four times over the first half of the bonus period. Williams made two free throws for the Red Raiders with 2:23 remaining for a 79-78 lead. The Razorbacks tied the score twice down the stretch. Williams then dribbled into the paint and spun away from defenders before bouncing the ball off the backboard and through the rim for a go-ahead layup with seven seconds remaining.
Razorbacks sophomore guard D.J. Wagner failed to make a jump shot as the buzzer sounded, sealing the victory for the Red Raiders. He scored 13 points in the loss. Senior guard Johnell Davis chipped in a game-high 30 points for the Razorbacks.
The Red Raiders will battle the Gators in the first Elite Eight matchup at 6:09 p.m. EDT Saturday in San Francisco. The Crimson Tide will face the Blue Devils in the second Elite Eight game at 8:49 p.m. Saturday in Newark. Both of those games will air on TBS and truTV. The winners will advance to the Final Four.
The No. 2 Michigan State Spartans (29-6) will take on the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels (24-11) in the first game on Friday’s Sweet 16 slate at 7:09 p.m. in Atlanta. That game will air on CBS.
The No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers (29-7) will face the No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats (24-11) at 7:39 p.m. in Indianapolis. That All-SEC matchup will air on TBS and truTV.
The No. 1 Auburn Tigers (30-5) will meet the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines (27-9) at 9:39 p.m. in Atlanta. That game will air on CBS. The No. 1 Houston Cougars (32-4) will face the No. 4 Purdue Boilermakers (24-11) in Friday’s nightcap. That game be held in Indianapolis and air on TBS and truTV.
Auburn or Michigan will face Michigan State or Ole Miss in the Elite Eight on Sunday in Atlanta. The winners of that matchup will face Florida or Texas Tech in the Final Four.
Houston or Purdue will meet Tennessee or Kentucky in another Elite Eight meeting Sunday in Indianapolis. The winner will battle Duke or Alabama in the Final Four.
