Kansas St. outlasts Xavier in double overtime thriller

Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY

For those who don’t already, it’s time to Fear the Beard. After an amazing, double-overtime victory, Jacob Pullen and Kansas State are one win from the Final Four.

Scruffy beard and all, Pullen hit a pair of 3-pointers in the second overtime and finished with 28 points to help the second-seeded Wildcats outlast No. 6 Xavier 101-96 on Thursday night in the West Regional semifinals.

The Wildcats (29-7) will play Butler on Saturday to try to make their first Final Four since 1964.

This is the first time Kansas State has made it this far in the NCAA tournament since 1988.

Hard to call Xavier (26-7) a loser on this night, though.

With the Musketeers trailing by three at the end of regulation, Terrell Holloway got fouled while heaving up a 30-footer with five seconds left and calmly made all three free throws. Xavier was down by three again at the end of the first overtime, but Jordan Crawford jacked up a 35-footer that hit nothing but net.

With Pullen slowed down and in foul trouble, Denis Clemente kept Kansas State in it, scoring 21 of his 25 points in the second half.

It looked as though Kansas State had it wrapped up when Pullen made a 3-pointer and two clutch free throws late in regulation to help the Wildcats take, then keep, a three-point lead.

Xavier had 9.7 seconds left and needed to go the length of the court and make a 3-pointer. Wildcats coach Frank Martin called on the familiar strategy of trying to foul before an Xavier player could take the shot.

Chris Merrieweather was hacking away at Holloway (26 points), but no whistle came — until Holloway, feeling the slaps, heaved up a shot from 30 feet and got the whistle with five seconds left. Bang, bang, bang — and the first overtime was on.

Crawford finished with a career-high 32 points.