NEW YORK (AP) — Alijah Martin, Vladislav Goldin and ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic became the first and lowest-seeded team to reach this year’s Final Four. The Owls withstood another huge game by Kansas State’s Markquis Nowell to beat the Wildcats 79-76. FAU, making just its second appearance in the NCAA Tournament, won the East Region at Madison Square Garden and will head to Houston to play the winner of Sunday’s South Region final between Creighton and San Diego State. The winningest team in Division I this season had never won an NCAA Tournament game before ripping off four straight, all by single digits.
Elsewhere in the NCAA:
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jordan Hawkins scored 20 points and UConn overwhelmed its fourth straight NCAA Tournament opponent, earning its first trip to the Final Four in nine years with an 82-54 blowout of Gonzaga. The Huskies have felt right at home in their first extended March Madness run since winning the 2014 national championship, playing their best basketball of what had been an up-and-down season. UConn controlled the usually efficient Bulldogs at both ends in the West Region final. These elite Huskies did what the UConn women couldn’t for once and are headed to Houston. Drew Timme had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Gonzaga in his final collegiate game.
SEATTLE (AP) — UConn’s record streak of reaching 14 straight Final Fours ended when third-seeded Ohio State beat the No. 2 seed Huskies 73-61 in the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament. Cotie McMahon scored 23 points and the Buckeyes forced UConn into 25 turnovers, ending the Huskies’ season before the national semifinals for the first time in 14 seasons. UConn hadn’t been eliminated this early since 2006. The Buckeyes stopped their own Elite Eight drought. Ohio State hadn’t made a regional final since 1993. The Buckeyes went on to lose in the title game that year. They’ll play Virginia Tech on Monday night in the Seattle 3 Region final.
SEATTLE (AP) — Georgia Amoore scored a career-high 29 points and top-seeded Virginia Tech advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history with a 73-64 win over No. 4 seed Tennessee. The Hokies won their 14th straight game overall and advanced to a matchup with No. 3 seed Ohio State in the Seattle 3 Regional final on Monday night. Ohio State topped UConn in the first semifinal, ending the Huskies’ streak of 14 straight Final Four appearances. Kayana Traylor added 14 points and Elizabeth Kitley scored 12 points. The ACC Tournament champions had reached the Sweet 16 only once previously in school history. Jordan Horston led Tennessee with 17 points.
