The Latest: Auburn's Okeke has torn ACL, will have surgery
The Latest on the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament (all times Eastern):
11:10 p.m.
Virginia is heading to the Final Four for the first time since 1984.
Kyle Guy had 25 points and 10 rebounds as the top-seeded Cavaliers withstood a brilliant performance from Purdue’s Carsen Edwards and beat the third-seeded Boilermakers 80-75 in overtime.
Virginia had forced overtime on a buzzer beater from Mamadi Diakite.
Edwards matched a career-high with 42 points and shot 10 of 19 from 3-point range. He was one shy of the NCAA Tournament record of 11 3-pointers in a game, set by Loyola Marymount’s Jeff Fryer against Michigan in 1990.
De’Andre Hunter drove to the basket and hit a layup with 28 seconds left to put Virginia ahead for good at 76-75.
Edwards missed a 3-pointer with nine seconds left, and Kyle Guy hit two free throws with 5.7 seconds remaining. Purdue’s hopes for a game-tying 3-pointer ended when Edwards’ long pass to Ryan Cline went out of bounds with 2.1 seconds left.
Ty Jerome had 24 points and seven assists for Virginia.
Purdue was seeking its first Final Four appearance since 1980.
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10:50 p.m.
Purdue and Virginia are going to overtime.
Virginia’s Mamadi Diakite made a shot at the buzzer to tie the game at 70-all and force the extra session.
Purdue led 70-67 when the Boilers fouled Ty Jerome with 5.9 seconds left before he could attempt a potential game-tying 3-pointer. Jerome made the first free throw before missing the second – perhaps intentionally.
Virginia got the offensive rebound off that second miss. Kihei Clark then passed to Diakite, who hit the game-tying shot.
Carsen Edwards has scored 40 points for Purdue.
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10:35 p.m.
Purdue and Virginia are going down to the wire in the South Region final.
The third-seeded Boilermakers have scored seven straight points to take a 64-63 lead over the top-seeded Cavaliers with 3:36 remaining.
Carsen Edwards has scored 35 points for Purdue and is shooting 9 of 16 for 3-pointers. The NCAA Tournament individual record for 3-pointers in a game is held by Jeff Fryer, who made 11 for Loyola Marymount in a 1990 second-round victory over Michigan.
Kyle Guy has 21 points for Virginia. The Cavaliers have gone 7 of 11 from 3-point range in the second half.
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10:15 p.m.
Purdue’s Carsen Edwards has matched Stephen Curry by scoring at least 25 points in a fifth straight NCAA Tournament game.
Edwards already has scored 27 points with 10:17 left in the South Region final, though Purdue trails Virginia 53-50.
Curry scored at least 25 points in five straight NCAA Tournament games for Davidson in 2007 and 2008. Edwards’ streak began last year and carried over to Purdue’s four NCAA Tournament games this year.
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10:10 p.m.
Kyle Guy is heating up at a perfect time for the top-seeded Virginia Cavaliers.
Guy has made all three of his 3-point attempts in the second half to help Virginia rally for a 43-37 lead over No. 3 seed Purdue with 14:23 left in their South Region final.
Guy had shot just 3 of 26 from 3-point range during Virginia’s first three NCAA Tournament games. He missed all three of his 3-point attempts in the first half against Purdue before breaking out in a big way over the last few minutes.
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10 p.m.
Virginia’s Kyle Guy is back on the court as the Cavaliers begin the second half of the South Region final against Purdue.
Guy had missed the last few minutes of the first half after hurting his right leg. He returned to the game for the start of the second half and quickly sank a 3-pointer give the top-seeded Cavaliers their first lead of the game at 32-30.
Guy added another 3-pointer a couple of minutes later to make it 35-30.
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9:45 p.m.
Purdue leads Virginia 30-29 at halftime of the South Region final.
The top-seeded Cavaliers have rallied from a cold stretch to make baskets and draw closer to the Boilermakers.
The Cavs trailed 22-12 with 9:46 remaining before outscoring Purdue 17-8 the rest of the way. The Boilermakers went scoreless the final 3:44 and missed their last five attempts.
Virginia is outshooting Purdue 41 percent to 40 percent and played the final couple of minutes without junior guard Kyle Guy, who went down with a right leg injury. Guy walked to the bench and had his ankle re-taped, but the Cavaliers hung in without him.
Purdue’s Carsen Edwards has 16 points with four 3-pointers. Mamadi Diakite leads Virginia with 10 points, while Guy and De’Andre Hunter have four rebounds apiece. Virginia is outrebounding Purdue 18-15.
-Gary B. Graves reporting from Louisville, Kentucky
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9:15 p.m.
Purdue has started off hot from 3-point range against Virginia, making 7 of 11 to grab a 25-19 lead over Virginia with 6:30 left in the first half of their South Region final
Not surprisingly, Carsen Edwards has led the way by making 3 of 5 for 11 points. The guard entered the game averaging 32.3 points in three NCAA Tournament contests. Ryan Cline is 2 of 2 from behind the arc while Wheeler and Eric Hunter Jr. have one each.
-Gary B. Graves reporting from Louisville, Kentucky
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8:50 p.m.
The South Region final is almost like a home game for the No. 3 seed Purdue Boilermakers, whose fans have filled the KFC Yum! Center with black and gold.
Purdue’s West Lafayette, Indiana, campus is a three-hour drive, close enough for fans to make the trip for the late-evening game. Many were in the arena an hour before the 8:49 p.m. tipoff and easily drowned out fans of the top-seeded Virginia Cavaliers during player introductions.
Virginia entered the contest with a six-game winning streak on the home floor of the Louisville Cardinals.
Purdue leads 11-10 about five minutes into the game.
—Gary B. Graves reporting from Louisville, Kentucky.
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8:30 p.m.
Texas Tech is going to the Final Four for the first time in school history.
Jarrett Culver scored 19 points and the third-seeded Red Raiders produced a suffocating defense in the second half to beat No. 1 seed Gonzaga 75-69 in the West Region final.
Neither team led by more than seven points in a game that featured 11 ties and 15 lead changes.
The Red Raiders led 71-69 with 11 seconds left when Gonzaga’s Josh Perkins committed a technical foul by making contact with the ball as Texas Tech’s Matt Mooney was out of bounds preparing to throw an inbounds pass. Texas Tech went 4 of 4 on free-throw attempts the rest of the way to seal the victory.
Gonzaga entered the day leading all Division I teams in scoring and field-goal percentage, while Texas Tech ranked second in field-goal percentage defense.
Texas Tech’s defense won that matchup, as Gonzaga shot just 36.4 percent overall and 3 of 15 from 3-point range in the second half.
Rui Hachimura scored 22 points for Gonzaga. Brandon Clarke added 18 points and 12 rebounds. The Zags were bidding for their second Final Four berth in three years.
Texas Tech is the first team from the Lone Star State to make a Final Four since Texas got there in 2003.
-Beth Harris reporting from Anaheim, California
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7:45 p.m.
Texas Tech’s stingy defense has helped the Red Raiders pull ahead in the West Region final as they chase their first Final Four berth.
The Red Raiders have scored six straight points to grab a 53-50 lead over top-seeded Gonzaga with 10:30 left.
After shooting 50 percent in the first half, Gonzaga has gone 5 of 15 to start the second half.
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7:40 p.m.
Gonzaga and Texas Tech continue to go back and forth early in the second half of the West Region final.
Rui Hachimura has 19 points to help Gonzaga own a 50-49 advantage with 11:35 left. Brandon Clarke has 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Gonzaga has a commanding 28-15 rebounding edge but is only outscoring Texas Tech 6-4 in second-chance points.
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7:05 p.m.
Gonzaga leads Texas Tech 37-35 in the West Region final after a first half that featured nine ties and nine lead changes.
Rui Hachimura has scored 13 points for Gonzaga, the No. 1 seed in the region. Brandon Clarke has 10 points and put Gonzaga ahead on a tiebreaking dunk with 14 seconds left.
Clarke also has five of Gonzaga’s nine turnovers.
Gonzaga is shooting 50 percent from the floor. Gonzaga leads all Division I teams in field-goal percentage, while Texas Tech ranks second in field-goal percentage defense.
Matt Mooney has 11 points for third-seeded Texas Tech, which is seeking to reach the Final Four for the first time ever.
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6:40 p.m.
The West Region final shaped up as a matchup between Gonzaga’s efficient offense and Texas Tech’s suffocating defenses.
But so far, Texas Tech has shown it’s capable of matching Gonzaga shot for shot.
Texas Tech leads 31-2 with less than six minutes left in the first half. Texas Tech is shooting 50 percent overall and 5 of 10 from 3-point range.
Gonzaga leads all Division I teams in scoring (88.2) and field-goal percentage (.528).
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6:20 p.m.
Texas Tech is facing some early adversity in its West Region final with Gonzaga.
Norense Odiase picked up two fouls in the first three minutes of the game, which means the Red Raiders likely will play much of the first half without their starting center.
Gonzaga leads Texas Tech 9-8 with 15:23 left in the first half
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5 p.m.
Auburn forward Chuma Okeke will miss the remainder of the NCAA Tournament after tearing the ACL in his left knee late in the fifth-seeded Tigers’ regional semifinal victory over North Carolina.
The 6-foot-8 sophomore had already scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds when his knee buckled on the way to the basket Friday night. Okeke immediately grabbed it and rolled around on the floor, and his team and several Tar Heels players gathered around him.
Tigers coach Bruce Pearl said Okeke will have surgery Tuesday.
Auburn torched the Tar Heels with 17 3-pointers in its 97-80 semifinal victory. Now, the Tigers face second-seeded Kentucky on Sunday for a spot in their first Final Four.
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4:30 p.m.
Freshman forward Cam Reddish will be a game-time decision for Duke’s Elite Eight NCAA Tournament game Sunday against Michigan State because of a knee injury.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski updated Reddish’s status Saturday before the Blue Devils’ practice, saying there was no structural damage. Reddish was a late scratch for the Sweet 16 victory against Virginia Tech.
Reddish said his left knee has been bothering him for some time and that he tweaked it before the game. Reddish said he considers himself hour to hour as he gets treatment for the injury.
Top-seeded Duke beat Virginia Tech without Reddish thanks in large part to Alex O’Connell filling his spot. Reddish is Duke’s third-leading scorer behind stars RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson, averaging 13.6 points this season.
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Strength on strength will determine the first two spots in the Final Four on Saturday night.
Gonzaga and the best offense in Division I will face Texas Tech and the nation’s best defense in the West regional final.
The South Region will have a similar vibe with high-scoring guard Carsen Edwards and Purdue playing Virginia and its stingy defense.
No. 1 seed Gonzaga (33-3) whips the ball around, five players often touching the ball in a matter of seconds to set up the best shot possible. They have the most efficient offense, according to KenPom.com.
Texas Tech (29-6) turned its Sweet 16 game against Michigan into a stomping. Texas Tech closed up the middle, contested jumpers and turned away nearly everything the Wolverines attempted at the rim.
In the South, top-seeded Virginia has made its calling card defense under coach Tony Bennett.
Virginia has yet to allow more 54 points in this NCAA Tournament.
Now Virginia has the challenge of guarding Edwards. The junior guard averages 23.8 points per game despite constant attention from opposing defenses. He and can be nearly unstoppable when he gets hot.
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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/MarchMadness and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.
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