Mar 20, 2008 5:17 pm US/Eastern
Xavier Rallies From 11-Point Deficit To Top 'Dawgs
Top Seed Kansas Steamrolls Portland State, 85-61
Michigan State Downs Temple By 11
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) ―
Xavier took full advantage of a Georgia team that was, well, 'Dawg tired.
Led by Derrick Brown's 19 points and 11 rebounds, and super-sub Josh Duncan's 20 points, No. 3-seeded Xavier erased a double-digit deficit against fading Georgia to win 73-61 Thursday in a first-round West Regional game.
Georgia's players, who made a remarkable run to the Southeastern Conference tournament title by winning three games in about 30 hours, insisted they weren't exhausted. Indeed, they put more of the blame on a significant discrepancy in free throws: Xavier went 27-for-33 from the line, while Georgia was 3-for-5.
But, as Xavier point guard Drew Lavender put it: "Fatigue finally caught them."
The Musketeers (28-6) trailed by 11 in the second half but conjured up a 22-6 run to come back and tie the school record for victories in a season.
"You can't help but think it was to our advantage, what they just went through," Xavier coach Sean Miller said. "The longer the game went on, the more we were able to wear them down. And I think we all know part of that reason was the energy they had to use this past weekend.
In the end, Georgia (17-17) simply could not sustain the energy and effort it summoned during last week's remarkable run to the SEC tournament title. The Bulldogs were 13-16 before the conference tourney, yet somehow won four games in as many days - including two in a single day! - to save coach Dennis Felton's job and extend their season.
As Xavier turned up its defensive intensity down the stretch, Georgia's do-everything guard Sundiata Gaines acknowledged, "I kind of felt our offense got stagnant. We weren't moving and executing as well as we normally do."
And so Xavier was able to take command and advance to a second-round game against No. 6-seeded Purdue.
Led by Terrance Woodbury's 16 points and Gaines' 13 points, six assists, and constant hustle, Georgia began the afternoon displaying far more energy than could rightly have been expected.
With Xavier looking a bit uncertain for stretches, Georgia pulled out to a 35-26 halftime advantage. The lead grew to 43-32 with 16 minutes left after a baseline jumper by Woodbury, who let out a "Woooo!" yell that was answered by loud barks from his team's fans.
And that, pretty much, was that for Georgia.
Xavier began making its move from - where else? - the foul line, with six straight points off free throws. The Musketeers' tough D, meanwhile, held the Bulldogs scoreless for nearly 5 minutes.
Needless to say, the two teams had vastly differing views of the way the officiating went.
"To come down, and every other play you get a foul called on your team, it's ridiculous from our standpoint," Woodbury said. "I feel like we played as hard as we did, but they just got the calls. We didn't get any calls, so the momentum can change like that, very much in their favor."
Felton was a tad more diplomatic.
"The difference in the second half certainly ended up being the difference at the free-throw line," the coach said. "Clearly that was the difference in the game."
Miller's take?
"Style of play has a lot to do with it," he said.
Billy Humphrey's two 3-pointers were Georgia's only baskets during the game-swinging spurt by Xavier, which went ahead 52-49 on Dante Jackson's 3-pointer, then 54-49 on Duncan's bucket with about 6 minutes remaining.
Brown made it an eight-point edge for the favorites, at 59-51, a minute later with a three-point play. And while Georgia did keep things interesting, getting within 64-61 on Dave Bliss' dunk with 11/2 minutes on the clock, Xavier closed the game on a 9-0 run.
The final outcome did not dampen Bliss' excitement for the way his college career ended.
"What we were able to do ... ," the senior said, "something that I'll be proud of forever."
Purdue 90, Baylor 79
West Regional, Washington D.C.
Playing with the precision it habitually displays in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, Purdue quickly ended any hope Baylor had of sticking around for more than just a single game.
The Boilermakers built a 19-point halftime lead and cruised to a 90-79 victory, their 10th straight in the first round since 1993.
Keaton Grant scored 17 points and E'Twaun Moore had 16 for Purdue (25-8). The sixth-seeded Boilermakers, who have won 15 of 18, will face No. 3 seed Xavier on Saturday in the second round of the West Regional.
Happy to abandon its deliberate style to run with the uptempo Bears, Purdue reached its season high in points, eclipsing the previous mark of 84 set against Loyola-Chicago in November. The 33 field goals were also a season high.
Baylor, meanwhile, will have to wait another year before seeking to end a 58-year winless drought in the NCAA tournament. The Bears (21-11) were making their first trip to the tournament since 1988 and second since 1950.
Kansas 85, Portland State 61
Midwest Region, Omaha
Darrell Arthur got free in the lane and rocked the basket with a thunderous dunk. Darnell Jackson went flying down the court and slammed one through. Then it was Arthur's turn again - yes, he soared above the rim for another jam.
Just over 3 minutes into the game, it was quite clear Kansas wasn't in the mood for another first-round stunner.
Dunking on the inside and swishing 3s from beyond the arc, the top-seeded Jayhawks romped to an 85-61 victory over a Portland State team that got quite a hazing in its first NCAA tournament appearance Thursday. Brandon Rush scored 18 points and everyone wearing blue had a blast.
Kansas' five seniors and Rush, a junior star who might be headed to the NBA, are determined to go out in style after some bitter disappointments in the tournament.
UNLV 71, Kent State 58
Midwest Region, Omaha
It wasn't that UNLV was necessarily good.
Kent State just made the Runnin' Rebels look that way.
Joe Darger made four 3-pointers and had 18 points, Wink Adams added 17 and UNLV tied an NCAA tournament record by holding Kent State to just 10 points in the first half of a 71-58 victory in the first round Thursday.
The Mid-American Conference champions averaged a turnover a minute the better part of the first half, went almost eight minutes without a point and trailed 31-10 at halftime. And that was with UNLV shooting under 40 percent and committing nine turnovers of its own.
The 10 points in the first half were the fewest since Wake Forest scored that many against Butler in 2001.
Kent State played evenly with the Rebels in the second half, committing only three of its 20 turnovers, but by then it was too late. After winning 11 of its previous 12 games, its tournament was over in a flash.
Michigan State 72, Temple 61
South Region, Denver
No longer a one-man show, Michigan State hopes its deeper bench will lead to a long run in this year's NCAA tournament.
Raymar Morgan led a balanced scoring attack with 15 points and the Spartans beat Temple 72-61 Thursday in the first round of the South Regional.
Last year, Drew Neitzel was the Spartans' only option on offense. Now, he's got scorers swarming all around. Chris Allen scored 12 points and Drew Naymick finished with 10 for fifth-seeded Michigan State, which goes nine deep and will face the Pittsburgh Panthers Saturday at the Pepsi Center.
Mark Tyndale scored 16 points for Temple (21-13), which was making its first trip to the NCAA tournament since losing to Michigan State in a 2001 regional final. Dionte Christmas, the Owls' leading scorer, was limited to three points, 17 below his average, on 1-of-12 shooting.
Pittsburgh 82, Oral Roberts 63
South Region, Denver
Injuries have forced Pitt to shape and reshape its roster more this season than most teams do in two or three. This latest version is looking like one that could still be playing when most of the other tournament teams are done.
Led by 23 points from Levance Fields, the fourth-seeded Panthers won their sixth straight game Thursday, blitzing 13th-seeded Oral Roberts 82-63 in the first round of the South Regional.
Pitt (27-9) is making its seventh straight NCAA tournament appearance, though none of those previous teams have made it past the third round.
This team looks different, though — coming off the Big East tournament championship and playing its best basketball of the season in March, for once, instead of January or February.
Next up, an intriguing matchup Saturday against fifth-seeded Michigan State, a team with a big-and-brawny reputation much like Pitt's. The Spartans defeated Temple 72-61 in an earlier game.
Stanford 77, Cornell 53
South Region, Anaheim
It doesn't take an Ivy League degree to figure out 30 percent field-goal shooting won't win in the NCAA tournament.
Kenny Brown scored 18 points and third-seeded Stanford earned its first NCAA tournament win since 2004, routing Cornell 77-53 Thursday in a matchup of players as good with the books as they are with a basketball.
The Cardinal came into the tournament eager to shed a reputation for early round failures. They lost opening games the last two years, including a 20-point blowout to Louisville a year ago, and went out in the second round from 2002-04.
Now Stanford (27-7) moves on to a second-round South Region game against No. 6 seed Marquette, a 74-66 winner over Kentucky.
Lewis Dale, the Ivy League player of the year, scored 12 points, Adam Gore 11 and Alex Tyler 10 for 14th-seeded Cornell.
Marquette 74, Kentucky 66
South Region, Anaheim
After first-round flameouts in their last two NCAA tournaments, the Marquette Golden Eagles vowed to stick around this time.
They're headed to the second round after defeating Kentucky 74-66 in the South Regional opening round on Thursday.
Jerel McNeal scored 20 points and Wesley Matthews hit eight free throws in the final 31 seconds to help the Golden Eagles survive a 35-point performance by Kentucky's Joe Crawford, who matched a career high before fouling out.
Sixth-seeded Marquette (25-9) earned its first NCAA tournament victory since 2003, when it beat Kentucky in the regional final.
That Marquette team had Dwyane Wade. This one has a group of tested veterans who have learned to play under pressure.
"We've grown so much just since my first year here," said McNeal, a junior from Chicago who has started all 94 games of his college career. "We had spurts through those 40 minutes that weren't always the best Marquette team that we could put out there, but the most important thing, we just stayed with it. Nobody dropped their heads."
Crawford may have felt like dropping his head when he fouled out in the final seconds. But Marquette's Dominic James walked over and offered consolation.
"I mean, you saw the performance out there, and he put his heart out there on the floor," James said. "So out of respect for him and his teammates, I just told him to keep his head up and keep playing the game that he loves."
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