NCAA March Madness: Duke knocks off Gonzaga, Final Four set
Gonzaga ousted; higher-seeded Louisville upset
Duke ended Gonzaga's impressive run and it took overtime for Michigan State to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2010, beating out higher-seeded Louisville.
Here is a roundup of today's action with the Final Four now set.
(1) Duke 66, (2) Gonzaga 52
A special group of freshmen is taking Duke and Coach K back to the NCAA Final Four.
The Blue Devils and their trio of freshmen starters are going to their 16th Final Four, a record-matching 12th for coach Mike Krzyzewski, after a 66-52 win Sunday in the South Regional over Gonzaga.
Justise Winslow, the freshman playing home in Houston, had 16 points, including a big 3-pointer in the closing minutes. Matt Jones had also had 16 points while freshman Tyus Jones had 15 points, while Jahlil Okafor nine points and eight rebounds.
Duke is going to Indianapolis to play Michigan State in the Final Four. The other national semifinal game Saturday matches undefeated Kentucky and Wisconsin.
Krzyzewski is going to the Final Four for the 12th time, matching UCLA's John Wooden for the most by a head coach and five more than anyone else.
Gonzaga had taken a 38-34 lead less than 4 minutes into the second half, putting the Blue Devils in their largest deficit of this tournament.
Canadian Kyle Wiltjer led the Zags with 16 points, while Kevin Pangos was limited to four points on 2-for-8 shooting.
(7) Michigan State 76, (4) Louisville 70
Coach Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans capped an improbable run to the Final Four with an overtime win.
Senior guard Travis Trice scored 17 points and the seventh-seeded Spartans clamped down on defence to pull out a 76-70 victory over fourth-seeded Louisville in a thrilling NCAA Tournament East Regional final Sunday.
The Spartans, who were nearly counted out of the tournament conversation in February, won for the 12th time in 15 games. It's a run that included them knocking off second-seeded Virginia last weekend and third-seeded Oklahoma in the regional semifinal on Friday.
Michigan State advances to face the winner of the South Regional final between Duke and Gonzaga.
Wayne Blackshear had 28 points for the Cardinals in a game that featured 11 lead changes.
- Michigan St. will face Duke and Kentucky plays Wisconsin on Saturday, April 4.