UNDATED (AP) — Kansas is now the lone No. 1 seed remaining in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament following Thursday’s losses by Gonzaga and Arizona.
Gonzaga absorbed a 74-66 loss to fourth seed Arkansas in the West Region. JD Notae had 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Razorbacks. Notae was the team scoring leader despite missing 20 shots.
Jaylin Williams chipped in 17 points, grabbed 13 boards and drew several charging fouls as Arkansas reached the regional final for the second straight year.
Drew Timme had a game-high 25 points for the Bulldogs, who drew the first overall seed after reaching the national championship game last year.
Next up for the Razorbacks is No. 2 Duke, which advanced to the Elite 8 in its final season under coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Jeremy Roach hit a pair of buckets while the Blue Devils put together a late 7-0 run in a 78-73 victory over Texas Tech. Paolo Banchero led Duke with 22 points, Mark Williams scored 16 and Roach added 15.
Krzyzewski moved within one win of his record-setting 13th trip to the Final Four.
The South Region final will have fifth seed Houston taking on No. 2 Villanova.
The Cougars knocked out Arizona as Jamal Shead scored a career-high 21 points in their 72-60 decision over the Wildcats. Kyler Edwards added 19 points with five 3-pointers to help Houston win without much help from Taze Moore, who got into early foul trouble.
Houston lost four starters from last season and then Marcus Sasser, the lone returner and leading scorer who broke his left foot before Christmas. The overhaul hasn’t stopped the Cougars from getting within one victory of their second straight trip to the Final Four.
Jermaine Samuels poured in 22 points and had eight rebounds as Villanova got past Michigan, 63-55 in the South Region. Samuels was 8-of-13 from the floor, with much of it coming on tough drives through Michigan defenders and around Wolverines center Hunter Dickinson.
Justin Moore finished with 15 points and Collin Gillespie provided 12 for the Wildcats.
The Wolverines were led by Dickinson’s 15 points and 15 rebounds.
