SATURDAY’S OTHER MEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT BASKETBALL GAMES

EAST REGIONAL

Michigan St. 70, Minnesota 50

DES MOINES, IOWA

Michigan State is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2015 after rolling past Minnesota. The win in the battle of Big Ten teams sends the second-seeded Spartans to an East Region semifinal against LSU in Washington, D.C. The Spartans made 9 of their first 10 shots on their way to building a 20-point lead in the first 14 minutes. Minnesota managed to pull within single digits briefly in the second half before Big Ten player of the year Cassius Winston took matters into his hands. Xavier Tillman had 14 points, Winston added 13 with nine assists, and the Spartans shot 57.1 percent. Amir Coffey had 25 points to lead the 10th-seeded Gophers, who shot a season-worst 30.5 percent and made only 2 of 22 3-pointers.

No. 3 LSU 69, No. 6 Maryland 67

JACKSONVILLE, FLA.

Tremont Waters drove by three defenders and scooped in a banking layup with 1.6 seconds remaining to give third-seeded LSU a victory over sixth-seeded Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Maryland’s Eric Ayala got off a final shot from midcourt, but it didn’t reach the rim. LSU players mobbed Waters under the basket. They could have done the same to Skylar Mays, who scored 16 points and hit a huge 3-pointer with 40 seconds remaining that put the Tigers (28-6) up 67-64. Jalen Smith answered on the other end, sending the packed crowd into a frenzy and prompting LSU to call timeout. Interim coach Tony Benford called a final play for Waters, the dynamic sophomore who has been terrific all season. Water got a pick from big man Naz Reid, drove into the lane and somehow got off the winner.

SOUTH REGIONAL

No. 3 Purdue 87, No. 6 Villanova 61

HARTFORD, CONN.

Carsen Edwards had a career night, scoring 42 points as Purdue knocked reigning national champion Villanova out of the NCAA Tournament. Matt Haarms added 18 points and nine rebounds for the third-seeded Boilermakers (25-9), who advanced to their third straight Sweet 16. Eric Paschall had 19 for Villanova (26-10), which saw its quest for a third national title in the last four seasons end during the tournament’s first weekend. Fellow senior Phil Booth scored 15 points, putting him over 1,500 for his career. Edwards has battled a sore back and had been in a recent shooting slump, making just 7 of 23 shots from the field in Purdue’s first-round win over Old Dominion. He found the bottom of the net early and often against ‘Nova, making 12 of his 21 shots, including nine of 16 from behind the arc. Purdue shot 54 percent while holding Villanova to just 20 baskets on 58 shots (34 percent). Purdue jumped out early, building a 13-point lead thanks to Edwards’ outside shooting and Haarms’ work down low. The 7-foot-3 Dutchman towered over the shorter Wildcats, who didn’t start anyone over 6-8. He had Purdue’s first 4 points on a dunk and a put-back. Edwards hit five of his nine first-half shots, all of which came from 3-point range. Purdue had nine 3-point baskets in the first half and a dunk by Haarms put the Boilermakers up 43-24 at intermission.

WEST REGIONAL

No. 1 Gonzaga 83, No. 9 Baylor 71

SALT LAKE CITY

Next stop on the Brandon Clarke Dunk ‘n Swat Festival: The Sweet 16. The Gonzaga forward had five monster dunks, five blocks, matched a career-high with 36 points and enjoyed the overall kind of night that earns potential NBAers millions, while leading the top-seeded Bulldogs to a rejection of Baylor on Saturday. This second-round matchup in the West Region wasn’t exactly a blowout, but wasn’t quite a nail-biter, either. That doesn’t mean it lacked entertainment. Most of it centered on Clarke, the junior transfer from San Jose State, who started the fireworks with a windmill jam on a breakaway that gave Gonzaga (32-3) an early 16-7 lead. A few possessions later, Clarke took a bounce pass on the break from Josh Perkins for a two-handed flush that had the Gonzaga kids in the Kennel going ga-ga. Clark’s final dunk of the first half came at the end of a 5-second clinic on how to deal with Baylor’s floor-clogging 1-3-1 zone. Starting at the perimeter, all five Bulldogs touched the ball in the span of those 5 seconds; it ended with Killian Tillie’s hook-flip to Clarke for a jam. It was as gorgeous a display of basketball as you’ll see all year and put the Bulldogs ahead 35-16. Ninth-seeded Baylor (20-14) scored the first 10 points of the second half to draw within six, and keep the game in range. But Gonzaga held on, and when Clarke took a bounce pass from Perkins, who finished with six assists, it led to an easy bucket that put the Bulldogs up 13 with less than 4 minutes left. Clarke also had eight rebounds and two steals. He lifted his season blocks total to 110 — now good for best in the nation. It was the defensive prowess that put him on many NBA draft boards, though there’s been a pretty large spread in opinion about exactly where he might land if he leaves after this season. His offensive showing in this game can only help. He went 15 for 18 from the floor, and most of the shots were of the high-percentage variety. He could’ve had even more. Midway through the first half, Geno Crandall saw Clarke get daylight as he broke toward the rim, so he threw Clarke an alley-oop pass. One problem: It went in for a 3.

No. 2 Michigan 64, No. 10 Florida 49

DES MOINES, IOWA

Michigan is back in the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year after pulling away for a win over Florida in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Jordan Poole scored 19 points and took charge of the game in the final seven minutes to help the Wolverines advance. Michigan (30-6) is the No. 2 seed in the West Region, the 2018 national runner-up and has reached the Sweet 16 five times in the last seven years. The 10th-seeded Gators (20-16) shot just 29 percent in the second half, 34.5 percent for the game and were held to their lowest point total of the season. Michigan outscored the Gators 13-5 to end the game and finished with authority as Isaiah Livers and Poole thrilled their scoring section with thunderous dunks.

No. 4 Florida State 90, No. 12 Murray State 62

HARTFORD, CONN.

Ja Morant dazzled for a half, but the star point guard and 12th-seeded Murray State got run out of the NCAA Tournament by Florida State. Mfiondu Kabengele scored 22 points, Terrance Mann added 18 points and the Seminoles slammed the Racers to advance to the West regional semifinal. Morant was the story of the first-round, posting a triple-double against Marquette that even had NBA stars Steph Curry and Luka Doncic marveling at the sure-fire lottery pick. He again had the Murray State fans on their feet early against Florida State. Morant was 5 for 5 from 3-point range in the first half, flashing his step-back and cross-over jumpers. Florida State was winning everywhere else on the court, forcing turnovers, getting into transition and knocking down 3s. The Seminoles came into the game shooting 33.4 percent from 3 223rd in the nation — and then hit eight of their first 11 from behind the arc. Known for their defense, the Seminoles were playing fast and getting good shots. Florida State had a 16-point lead at the half and it didn’t get much better after the break. Christ Koumadje had two easy slams off lobs, Mann tipped in his own miss and Kabengele slammed home another rebound to make it 68-46 with 13 minutes left. Morant provided a few more highlights, most notably going right at the 7-foot-4 Koumadje and flipping in a layup while getting fouled. Otherwise it was all Florida State. With about 2 minutes left, Morant drove through three defenders down the lane for a layup that gave him 28 points.

Associated Press