North Carolina, Syracuse, Villanova, Oklahoma in Final Four

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Published on March 28 2016 6:54 am
Last Updated on March 28 2016 6:54 am

Roy Williams will take his postgame injuries as long as he and the North Carolina Tar Heels are headed to the Final Four.

The Hall of Fame coach bit his tongue and cut a finger during the net-cutting ceremonies after the Tar Heels beat Notre Dame 88-74 on Sunday night, leaving them as the only No. 1 seed in the Final Four.

"I was screaming. I started to take a step back and I felt like the ladder moved and I grabbed. When I grabbed I grabbed the end of the scissors and it started bleeding," he said.

That's OK since his team will head to Houston.

"Never in my life have I wanted something for someone else as I wanted to get these guys to Houston," he said.

Brice Johnson had 25 points and 12 rebounds as the Tar Heels reached the Final Four for a record 19th time and the first since 2009, when they won the last of their five national championships.

North Carolina (32-6) will face Syracuse, the 10th seed from the Midwest Regional, in another all-Atlantic Coast Conference matchup in the Final Four on Saturday. The Orange beat top-seeded Virginia 68-62.


Syracuse 68, Virginia 62

Malachi Richardson smiled as he ran up the court while making circles around his eyes with his hands. Houston was right there in front of him.

From the bubble all the way to the Final Four.

Richardson scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half, and Syracuse extended its improbable run with a 68-62 victory over top-seeded Virginia on Sunday.

The Orange were among the last teams to get into the NCAA tournament after a rough closing stretch, but slipped in as a 10 seed before storming to its first Final Four since 2013 and No. 6 overall. It comes at the end of a challenging season for coach Jim Boeheim, who was suspended for nine games as the result of an NCAA investigation.

"It was a whole team effort and these guys really deserve it," Boeheim said. "We beat a great basketball team. I've never been prouder in all my 40 years as coach of a basketball team as I am of this team tonight."

Syracuse (23-13), which trailed by 16 at the start of the second half, becomes the first 10 seed to make it to the Final Four and just the fourth double-digit seed to accomplish the feat. It's the lowest-seeded team to reach the national semifinals since No. 11 VCU in 2011, according to STATS.


Villanova 64, Kansas 59

Villanova players danced and celebrated after pulling off what many thought would be the NCAA tournament's most difficult task.

Beating Kansas, the No. 1 overall seed, required taking the Jayhawks out of their comfort zone while seizing the opportunities that resulted. The Wildcats did both effectively even though it wasn't always pretty, and their reward is a berth in the Final Four.

Kris Jenkins made two free throws with 13.3 seconds remaining, Jalen Brunson added two more with 3.5 seconds left and second-seeded Villanova upset the top-seeded Jayhawks 64-59 on Saturday night in the South Region final. The Wildcats will play Oklahoma next weekend in Houston.

Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart each made big steals in the final minute to help the Wildcats (33-5) pull off the upset and end the Jayhawks' 17-game winning streak. The Wildcats are back in the Final Four for the first time since 2009, and they can credit balanced scoring and ferocious defense.

Jenkins, Hart and Ryan Arcidiacono each scored 13 points for the Wildcats. They used a 10-0 run to take a 50-45 lead and get key baskets and plays down the stretch in beating the Jayhawks (33-5).


Oklahoma 80, Oregon 68

Buddy Hield was brilliant from start to finish for Oklahoma, scoring 37 points with a fluid jumper and an answer for everything Oregon tried against him defensively.

In fact, there was only one remaining question after Hield climbed a stepladder to cut down the net that he had just set on fire in the West Region final of the NCAA tournament .

Can Buddyball take the Sooners all the way to their first national title?

Hield hit eight 3-pointers in another dominant performance, and Oklahoma advanced to its first Final Four since 2002 with an 80-68 victory over Oregon on Saturday.

"It's special," Hield said afterward, a piece of the net tied to his Final Four hat. "As a kid, you dream of having games like this. ... I'm just happy that we all made it, and we've just got to finish it out."


Saturday, April 2 Schedule (All Times Central)

#2 Villanova vs. #2 Oklahoma, 4:09 p.m., TBS, NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL FOUR

#10 Syracuse vs. #1 North Carolina, 6:49 p.m., TBS, NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL FOUR