Friday night may have lacked the heart palpitating finishes that have highlighted the 2018 NCAA tournament but four hard-fought, action-packed games were delivered nonetheless.
The two remaining number one seeds both advanced, as did the lone remaining number two seed. And the fourth team -- completing the field for the Elite Eight -- isn't too shabby themselves with a number three seed.
In today's game and the reliance on the three-point shot, overcoming a cold-shooting night is a mark of a talented team. The Duke Blue Devils were forced to do exactly that against the Syracuse Orange
Duke was 5-26 (19.2 percent) from 3-point range, including 3-14 from their sharpshooter Grayson Allen, but used a strong interior presence to hold off Syracuse 69-65.
In the battle of the zone defenses, Duke held out on one end by forcing 16 turnovers and exploited open areas on the other end by finding Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter, Jr. for multiple lobs thrown down for dunks.
Lobs on lobs on lobs ⬆️🔨— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 24, 2018
Duke leads Syracuse 54-50 with under 7 to go in Omaha! #MarchMadness #Sweet16 pic.twitter.com/AEEJankKLB
Bagley, the freshman phenom, finished with 22 points and 8 rebounds, keeping right along with his tournament averages. Carter finished with 14 points and 12 boards, while Allen had 15 points to go with 8 assists.
Syracuse, playing its fourth game in the tournament thanks to a play in game, was led by Tyus Battle's 19 points. Battle hit all of Syracuse's three-pointers, knocking down four of them. Oshae Brissett added 15 points and 7 rebounds.
Villanova Wildcats
In a physical game between the Villanova Wildcats and West Virginia Mountaineers, the number one seed Wildcats prevailed with a 90-78 victory.
The game was much closer than the 12-point final deficit. West Virginia only trailed 44-42 at the half, thanks to a harassing defense. Normally a team that protects the ball, Villanova had nine first-half turnovers (17 overall).
West Virginia went up 60-54 before the Wildcats reeled off an 11-0 run, taking a five-point lead that they would never relinquish.
Jalen Brunson ended with 27 points for Villanova as the Wildcats knocked down 13-24 from beyond the arc. Freshman Omari Spellman added 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots.
The Mountaineers were plagued by foul trouble to its stars most of the night. Daxter Miles, Jr had 16 points, but spent much of the second-half on the bench with four fouls, ultimately fouling out with over two minutes left in the game. Jevon Carter had 12 points and 8 assists as West Virginia only shot 38.6 percent from the field. They made only four of their last 22 shot attempts.
Miles and Carter -- both seniors who have been with the program for four years -- ended their careers with losses in the sweet 16 for consecutive years.
Villanova will take on Texas Tech on Sunday.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
The lowest seed that will be playing on Sunday will be Texas Tech, 78-65 winners over the Purdue Boilermakers. It is the first time in program history the Red Raiders have made the Elite Eight.
Purdue was up 15-8 early but Texas Tech went on a mini-run to tie things at 15.
Then both teams went ice cold.
Neither team was able to find a bucket or a single point over the next five minutes, with Purdue ending the drought with a three-pointer. It would be another minute before Texas Tech once again moved their points on the scoreboard.
The Boilermakers went cold again, failing to score a point over the last 3:44 of the half. Texas Tech went on a 10-0 run to end the half and led 30-25.
The Red Raiders would never trail the rest of the game.
Four players reached double figures for Texas Tech, led by Keenan Evans. Evans had 16 while Zach Smith notched 14 off the bench.
Carsen Edwards dropped 30 points for Purdue. Vincent Edwards scored 12 and pulled down 13 boards as Purdue committed 17 turnovers.
Down the stretch, the closest Purdue came was within three points at 58-55 with 5:46 left. From there, Texas Tech stepped up and outscored Purdue 20-10 the rest of the way.
Kansas Jayhawks
Number one seed Kansas had perhaps the easiest night, though the Clemson Tigers didn't go down without a fight.
Kansas led from start to finish, leading by 20 halfway through the second half. Clemson was able to claw back before ultimately falling 80-76.
The Jayhawks showed their experience with a balanced mix of interior and perimeter presence on both ends of the floor.
Four starters scored in double figures for Kansas, led by Malik Newman's 17. Devonte Graham added 16 while Udoka Azubuke added 14 and 11 rebounds.
Gabe DeVoe did all he could for Clemson, bringing the team within four multiple times in the final minute. DeVoe finished with 31 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals.
Kansas will lock horns with Duke on Sunday in a battle of age-old power programs.
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