Sports Blog

After a handful of Sweet 16 games a day earlier that largely put the basketball-watching population to sleep late in the week, the NCAA men’s tournament returned to delivering excitement Saturday with a pair of memorable games that saw Villanova and Connecticut advance to the Final Four.

In the West regional final, the top-seeded Huskies got past Missouri, 82-75, in Saturday’s first match up, and moved to the Final Four for the third time in the past decade. No. 3 seed Missouri kept it close with a high-pressure, ball-hawking style of play that pestered the UConn backcourt all afternoon. But Kemba Walker (23 points) and the Huskies had too much size, too much strength and too much speed for the Tigers. UConn reached the Elite Eight when it toppled Purdue, 72-60 in its Sweet 16 match up, and Missouri outscored Memphis 102-91.

In the East region, Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds delivered the tournament’s most memorable moment thus far when he scored with 0.5 seconds left to snap a 76-76 tie and give the Wildcats a thrilling 78-76 win over top-ranked Pittsburgh. The No. 3-seeded Wildcats will head to Detroit for the Final Four for the first time since winning the championship in 1985. Villanova made 22 of 23 free throws in the game, Dwayne Anderson led the offense with 17 points and Reynolds finished with 15. Villanova advanced to the Elite Eight with a 77-54 hammering of Duke, and Pittsburgh edged Xavier, 60-55.