Georgia Tech outlasts Kansas

The Yellow Jackets turned back the Jayhawks in overtime, 79-71.
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Kansas headed into overtime with the experience, momentum and a dome full of roaring fans.
None of that mattered to Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets handled the surging Jayhawks with the same unflappable demeanor that carried them when their leading scorer went down a game before, holding off Kansas 79-71 in overtime to advance to their first Final Four since 1990.
With top scorer B.J. Elder hobbled by a badly sprained ankle, Georgia Tech relied on Jarrett Jack and a cast of versatile talents to win its first regional since sophomore sensation Kenny Anderson was running the point.
"Yes, with B.J. in there, it probably makes life a little easier for us," Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said. "But it's not the type of thing where they're running up and down the court looking for him."
Oklahoma State next
The Yellow Jackets will face second-seeded Oklahoma State on Saturday in San Antonio.
Jack scored a career-high 29 points, including eight in overtime, and had nine rebounds and six assists.
Luke Schenscher added 15 points and Clarence Moore matched his season high with 14 for the Yellow Jackets.
It was the kind of clutch performance typical of a team that had more tight games on its road to the Final Four than any other. Georgia Tech's first three games in the St. Louis Regional were decided by a combined 13 points.
But Georgia Tech (27-9) has been composed all season, beating Connecticut when the Huskies were ranked No. 1 and winning at Duke and Wake Forest.
So facing the favored Jayhawks, even without Elder, was no big deal.
Even when the game went to overtime.
Jack seals it
After Will Bynum hit a 3-pointer to break a 71-all tie, Jack went 4-for-4 at the line in the last 47 seconds.
Wayne Simien, Keith Langford and Aaron Miles -- all key players in the Jayhawks' last two seasons that ended in the Final Four -- shot a combined 12-for-36 from the field and missed almost every big basket down the stretch.
"It's disappointing, but that's how it is," Langford said. "We knew they don't automatically put you in there. We'll go back, take care of our wounds and get ready for next year."
Meanwhile, Elder is trying to get ready for next week.
Elder, who averaged a team-high 15.8 points, severely sprained an ankle in Friday night's regional. He started, but was limping and couldn't run close to full speed.
"I felt in warm-ups that I wouldn't be able to go very long," said Elder, who played only 12 minutes and had one assist. "I did what I could. I just had to leave it up to the other guys."
And they got it done.
First lead
Kept in check all day, Langford and Simien finally got going. Langford scored on a driving layup -- his first field goal of the day -- and Simien ran off five quick points to give Kansas a 43-42 lead, its first, with 13:04 to play. The pro-Kansas crowd went wild, and the Jayhawks' bench sprinted onto the floor when a time-out was called seconds later.
With 39.6 seconds remaining, Jack missed the second of two free throws and Simien rebounded. Kansas got the ball down low to Simien, who missed a short hook, but Jeff Graves chased down the rebound and freshman J.R. Giddens wound up with the ball.
Giddens pulled up from almost 3 feet behind the arc and nailed the shot, tying the score at 66 to force overtime.