Gonzaga, Kansas, Xavier, Oregon Advance In NCAA

By ESPN

Jevon Carter fired up two potential tying 3-pointers only to see them go off-target and Gonzaga didn't allow West Virginia to get off a third.

A defensive stop was a fitting way for this offensively challenged Sweet 16 matchup to end.

Jordan Mathews hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with under a minute to play and top-seeded Gonzaga survived a rough shooting night all around to beat No. 4 seed West Virginia 61-58 Thursday night to advance to the West Regional final.

"All year we've been banking on our defense, our defense, our defense," coach Mark Few said. "Our defense stepped up and got it done there at the end. So we are absolutely elated to continue to be playing. We're 40 minutes away from a Final Four."

The Bulldogs (35-1) needed that defense to make their third Elite Eight in school history on a night that featured 51 fouls and only 34 made baskets. They also needed someone to make a key shot and Mathews delivered with the 3-pointer that made it 60-58.

"We had never come across that throughout the season. It wasn't frustration. It was more like, I don't know, confusion, trying to figure it out," Mathews said of the shooting woes. "But just staying the course and just rallying around our guys and just thinking about the defensive end, helped my offense in the end."

West Virginia (29-8) had three shots to tie the game but Tarik Phillip missed a shot from the lane and Jevon Carter missed two 3-pointers after Silas Melson made one foul shot. The Mountaineers rebounded both misses but couldn't get another shot off in the final 13 seconds.

Kansas 98, Purdue 66

It took about 10 minutes for Kansas guards Frank Mason III and Devonte Graham to slow down, gain their composure and get everything under control in their Midwest Regional semifinal.

When that happened, everything promptly sped up for Purdue.

The pace of the game turning in their favor, the high-flying Jayhawks proceeded to wear down the bigger, stronger Boilermakers on Thursday night. And by the time Mason and Graham finished pouring in 26 points apiece, No. 1 seed Kansas had coasted to a 98-66 victory and a spot in the Elite Eight.

"When we started to slow down and play our style of basketball, that's when we started rolling," said Mason, the player of the year front-runner, who also had seven rebounds and seven assists.

The Jayhawks will play No. 3 seed Oregon, which survived a nail-biter earlier in the night, on Saturday night for a spot in their first Final Four since 2012.

Josh Jackson added 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Landen Lucas did a good job of keeping Purdue forwards Caleb Swanigan and Isaac Haas in check, as the Jayhawks (31-4) turned a seven-point halftime lead into their third consecutive blowout in the NCAA Tournament.

Their beat-down of the Big Ten champs followed easy wins over UC Davis and Michigan State.

"You just cannot let them get in transition like that," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "If they keep getting those types of opportunities and shoot like that, they can't be stopped."

Swanigan still had 18 points and seven boards for the No. 4 seed Boilermakers (27-8), but the 6-foot-9, 250-pound All-America candidate had to work for all of it. The Jayhawks kept collapsing on him in the post, forcing Swanigan to begin taking 3-pointers early in the second half.

It wasn't much longer before the game was out of reach.

Xavier 73, Arizona 71

Not long after losing to Arizona's Sean Miller at the 2015 NCAA Tournament, Xavier coach Chris Mack jokingly said his friend should let him win the next one.

This was no gift between former colleagues.

The Musketeers earned this one and now they're headed to the Elite Eight for the first time in a decade.

Trevon Bluiett kept Xavier close with a big first half and the Musketeers made the clutch plays down the stretch against the West Region's No. 2 seed, upsetting Arizona 73-71 on Thursday night.

"I personally have so much respect for Sean and his staff," Mack said. "I know it's heartbreaking for them because they had a special year, a special season and I know it's tough. But today is a Xavier day."

Xavier (30-13) fought through a string of injuries and a late losing streak to reach the NCAA Tournament, then opened with a pair of upsets. The Musketeers passed their biggest test to date with confident performance against one of college basketball's storied programs.

Bluiett scored 18 of his 25 points in the first half to help Xavier keep up with the athletic Wildcats. The Musketeers tracked Arizona after it tried to pull away in the second half, getting a late basket inside by Sean O'Mara while shutting down one of the nation's best offensive teams down the stretch.

Next up is their first Elite Eight since 2008 and third overall, a showdown with No. 1 seed Gonzaga on Saturday.

"We're all tough guys. We stuck together," said Xavier's J.P Macura, who had 14 points. "We're not really backing down from anyone."

Oregon 69, Michigan 68

Tyler Dorsey's teammates call him "Mr. March."

Yeah, that fits.

Dorsey scored 20 points and made the go-ahead layup with 1:08 left, and third-seeded Oregon held on to end No. 7 Michigan's dramatic postseason run with a 69-68 victory in a Midwest Regional semifinal on Thursday night.

"We lean on him right now," the Ducks' Dylan Ennis said. "He's playing his best basketball, and it's coming at the right time."

Dorsey's recent surge has been timely, for sure. He's scored 20 or more points in six straight games, a stretch that has seen Pac-12 player of the year Dillon Brooks struggle with his shot.

Oregon didn't have the win secured until Derrick Walton Jr., who had carried the Wolverines the last three weeks, was off with his long jumper just before the buzzer.

For the Ducks (32-5), it's on to the Elite Eight for the second straight year.

For the Wolverines (26-12), it was the end of a wild ride.

"The kids fought their hearts out this whole season," Michigan coach John Beilein said, "but particularly this last six weeks to be more than a story. It was a great team. They were becoming a great team before the story. We weren't sharp as we would have liked to have been today, but you have to credit Oregon with that."

Jordan Bell had a double-double for the Ducks, with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Brooks added 12 points and Ennis had 10.

Walton led the Wolverines with 20 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Zak Irvin had 14 of his 19 points in the second half and DJ Wilson had 12 points.

The Ducks' run to the regional final has come without big man Chris Boucher, who went out in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals with a season-ending knee injury. Oregon had plenty of inside game without Boucher, outscoring the Wolverines 34-16 in the paint and outrebounding them 36-31.

Its biggest play in the post came after Walton had made a jumper to give Michigan a 68-65 lead. Ennis got fouled and went to the line for a one-and-one. He missed, and Bell swooped in for the offensive rebound and put it in to make it a one-point game.

"We have a play that we practice on, if one of us misses a free throw. We executed it perfectly," Bell said.

After Walton missed a layup on the other end, Dorsey gave the Ducks the lead.

Friday, March 24 Schedule (All Times Central)

Butler vs. North Carolina, 6:09 p.m.

South Carolina vs. Baylor, 6:29 p.m.

UCLA vs. Kentucky, 8:39 p.m.

Wisconsin vs. Florida, 8:59 p.m.

Saturday, March 25 Schedule (All Times Central)

Xavier at Gonzaga, 5:09 p.m.

Oregon vs. Kansas, 7:49 p.m.