Last night’s NCAA regional semifinals consisted of three close games and a blowout. Xavier, Gonzaga and Oregon managed to win their NCAA Tournament games by a combined six points, while Kansas enjoyed a 32-point blowout over Purdue.
Xavier pulled off the biggest stunner as the 11th-seeded Musketeers held on to beat No. 2 Arizona, 73-71 in the West Regional at San Jose. Sean O’Mara hit a short basket with 40 seconds left before Allonzo Trier missed a 3-point attempt in the closing seconds, sending the Musketeers into the Elite 8 for the first time since 2008.
Trevon Bluiett scored 25 points for Xavier, which will face Gonzaga on Saturday.
Gonzaga’s game went down to the wire before the top-seeded Bulldogs pulled out a 61-58 thriller against West Virginia. Jordan Mathews hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with under a minute left to help the Zags earn an ugly win that featured 51 fouls and only 34 made baskets.
The Mountaineers led by three late in the game and had three chances to tie the game following Mathews’ final basket. But Tarik Phillip missed a shot from the lane and Jevon Carter missed two 3-pointers after Silas Melson made one foul shot.
Mathews, Przemek Karnowski and Johnathan Williams each scored 13 points for Gonzaga, which is in the Elite 8 for the third time in school history.
Michigan came close to knocking out No. 3 Oregon in the Midwest Regional semifinal. Tyler Dorsey capped his 20-point night by nailing the go-ahead layup with 1:08 left to lead Oregon past the Wolverines, 69-68. Dorsey has delivered six straight games of 20 points or more, a streak that began in the Pac-12 Tournament.
Jordan Bell finished with 16 points and 13 boards for Oregon, which battles Kansas on Saturday in Kansas City.
The top-seeded Jayhawks had no trouble with Purdue in the second half of a 98-66 blowout win. Player of the year front-runner Frank Mason III poured in 26 points for the Jayhawks, who put together an 11-0 run after carrying a seven-point lead into the second half.
Devonte Graham also finished with 26 points, while Josh Jackson added 15 and 12 rebounds for Kansas.
