March Madness: 9-seeds Kansas State, Florida State advance to Elite Eight

Kansas State's dream of its first Final Four since 1964 is alive.

Barry Brown's tie-breaking layup with 19 seconds remaining was the difference as Kansas State beat Kentucky 61-58 on Thursday night in the South Region semifinal.

Kansas State, a No. 9 seed, will play No. 11 seed Loyola-Chicago on Saturday in a regional final pairing no one could have predicted.

Kentucky's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, of Mississauga, Ont., missed a potential tying 3-pointer at the final buzzer for Kentucky (26-11).

Kansas State (25-11) overcame the loss of top scorer Xavier Sneed, who had 22 points before fouling out with 1:14 remaining.

Sneed, who had nine points in the first half, was unstoppable in the second half. He scored 13 points in the first 11:30 of the second half before he was called for his fourth foul with 8:24 remaining.

When Sneed took a seat on the bench, Kansas State lost its momentum. It led 52-44 when Sneed collected his fourth foul and led only 56-55 when he returned with 2:13 remaining, with Kentucky fans chanting "Go Big Blue" to encourage the comeback.

Florida State rolls

Florida State's upset run in the NCAA Tournament has stretched all the way to the brink of the Final Four.

Terance Mann scored 18 points and the ninth-seeded Seminoles advanced to the Elite Eight for just the third time in school history with a 75-60 victory over fourth-seeded Gonzaga on Thursday night in the West Region semifinal.

C.J. Walker and Braian Angola added 9 points for the Seminoles (23-11), who knocked their third straight higher-seeded opponent in a stunning run out West for a team that went 9-9 in ACC play and lost its conference tournament opener.

Coolly maintaining a lead down the stretch at Staples Center, Florida State ended Gonzaga's 16-game winning streak and halted the pursuit of a second straight Final Four berth for last year's tournament finalists.

Coach Leonard Hamilton's best post-season run in his 16 years at Florida State is extended to Saturday, when the Seminoles will face third-seeded Michigan for a trip to the Final Four in San Antonio.

Loyola-Chicago earns 1-point win

With Loyola-Chicago clinging to a one-point lead and only 6.3 seconds remaining, Marques Townes sank a 3-pointer from in front of the Ramblers' bench to continue their improbable NCAA Tournament run.

Townes scored 18 points, including the key 3-pointer, to lead Loyola to a 69-68 win over the Wolf Pack in Thursday night's NCAA South Regional semifinal.

"I think Marques Townes WAs the best player on the court tonight," said Loyola guard Clayton Custer. "I don't even think it was close, either. I am so happy for him. He is such a good basketball player and such a good person, I am just so happy he dominated the game tonight and he led us.

"This is unbelievable. Feels like a dream."

The win leaves the No. 11th-seeded Ramblers one victory from a Final Four appearance.

Not bad for a program that hadn't been in the Sweet 16 in 33 years.

Townes charged down the court, pumping his fist, as Nevada called a timeout following the crucial 3-pointer. Caleb Martin answered with a 3 for Nevada, but this time the Wolf Pack couldn't extend their string of second-half comebacks in the tournament.

Loyola trailed by 12 points, at 20-8, midway through the first half but stormed back to lead 28-24 at halftime. Loyola closed the half with a 20-4 run as Nevada didn't score in the final 7:55 before the break.

Michigan cruises

This one was easy.

After reaching the round of 16 with an improbable buzzer-beater, Michigan shot 62 per cent from the floor and routed Texas A&M 99-72 in the West Region semifinals to reach the Elite Eight for the third time in six years.

The Wolverines (31-7) dominated from start to finish, hitting 14 3-pointers — 10 in the first half — and extending their winning streak to 12 games.

Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman scored 24 points, Moe Wagner added 21 points and Charles Matthews had 18 points as third-seeded Michigan had five players in double figures.

"My shot went in early and it gives you the confidence to take the next one," Abdur-Rahkman said. "I think everyone had that confidence today."

Abdur-Rahkman made four 3-pointers and both of his free throws, and had five rebounds and seven assists.