Monday, March 21, 2011
Associated Press
CHICAGO
Bernard James scored 14 points, Michael Snaer added 13 and Florida State showed there’s more to its game than defense with a 71-57 upset of second-seeded Notre Dame on Sunday night that put the Seminoles in the regional semifinals for the first time since 1993.
It was an impressive effort by the 10th-seeded Seminoles, who had four players in double figures and were 9 of 19 from 3-point range.
Florida State (23-10) now faces upstart Virginia Commonwealth in the Southwest regional semifinals Friday in San Antonio. The 11th-seeded Rams, maligned as not worthy of being in the 68-team field, stunned third-seeded Purdue earlier Sunday for their third win in five nights.
For Notre Dame, meanwhile, it was another disappointing showing in the NCAA tournament. Ben Hansbrough scored 18 on 5-of-13 shooting before fouling out with 3:19 left.
The loss by the Fighting Irish capped a lost weekend for the Big East, which set a record with 11 teams selected for the NCAA tournament field.
Just two teams remain — Connecticut and Marquette — and the league is 9-9 through the second and third rounds of the tournament.
Notre Dame was one of the highest seeds, based on the Fighting Irish’s 9-1 record in February and March over the final few weeks of the regular season.