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Marietta Daily Journal - North Carolina cruises ahead
North Carolina cruises ahead
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Published: 03/28/2008
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By The Associated Press


Tyler Hansbrough scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half and top-seeded North Carolina, not known for their defense, held Washington State to 32-percent shooting in a 68-47 win in an East Regional semifinal Thursday.

North Carolina is back to the NCAA round of eight for the second straight season.

Danny Green had 15 points to help the Tar Heels (35-2) set a school record for victories in a season while continuing their dominant tournament run. The No. 1 overall seed will play Louisville with a clear home-court advantage, playing in an arena located about two hours from its Chapel Hill campus.

North Carolina improved to 24-1 in NCAA games played in its home state, and for the first time in this tournament, the Tar Heels didn't crack 100 points. It didn't matter.

Washington State's perimeter scorers, Derrick Low, Kyle Weaver and Taylor Rochestie, couldn't get their shots to fall. They combined for 26 points on 10-for-37 shooting for the Cougars (26-9).

Low and center Aron Baynes scored 14 points each.

Louisville 79, Tennessee 60: Earl Clark scored 17 points and had 12 rebounds, and coach Rick Pitino's mix of defenses made life miserable for Tennessee in a 79-60 win Thursday to put the third-seeded Cardinals in the East Regional final.

Pitino, who has won two NCAA titles and has taken three schools to the Final Four, has Louisville playing its best basketball of the season when it counts the most. After two blowout wins last weekend, Pitino's signature zone and pressure limited the high-scoring Volunteers to 34-percent shooting. The veteran coach improved to 8-0 in regional semifinals and secured a date with top-seed North Carolina on Saturday night.

Terrence Williams and Andre McGee each added 13 points and David Padgett had 10 points and eight rebounds for Louisville (27-8), which nearly blew all of a 16-point first half lead, only to take control midway through the second half and keep alive its hopes for a second Final Four berth in four years.

Chris Lofton scored 15 points for Tennessee, but hit only 3 of 15 shots in his final game with the Volunteers (31-5), who have never advanced beyond the round of 16.

West Regional

UCLA 88, Western Kentucky 78: With Kevin Love scoring a career-high 29 points, the Bruins nearly frittered away a 21-point halftime lead and hung on to defeat the Hilltoppers.

Top-seeded UCLA will play third-seeded Xavier on Saturday for a trip to its third consecutive Final Four.

Love also had 14 rebounds. He hit 10-of-14 shots from the floor and helped rescue the Bruins for the second time in as many games.

Love wasn't the only Bruin to notch a double-double. James Keefe had 18 points and 12 rebounds, both career highs, and Russell Westbrook had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Tyrone Brazelton scored 31 points - 25 in the second half - and Courtney Lee added 18 for 12th-seeded Western Kentucky (29-7).

Early on, the Bruins bore little resemblance to the bunch that sweated out a two-point victory over Texas A&M in the second round, blitzing the Hilltoppers with a 23-4 run midway through the first half.

UCLA led 41-20 at halftime, but Western Kentucky wouldn't go away. The Hilltoppers began pressing, and the Bruins started to unravel. They had 12 turnovers in the first 15 minutes of the second half.

Xavier 79, West Virginia 75 (OT): B.J. Raymond made two 3-pointers in the last 1:18 of overtime and the Musketeers advanced to the West Regional final with a victory over coach Bob Huggins' Mountaineers.

Third-seeded Xavier (30-6) will seek its first Final Four appearance when it plays UCLA in the regional final on Saturday.

Raymond, who had made only one field goal all night, hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to put the Musketeers ahead 75-74 with 1:18 to play. He then shook loose on an inbounds play, took a crosscourt pass and made a 3 with the shot clock expiring with 30 seconds to go for a 78-74 lead.

Josh Duncan scored a career-high 26 points, despite foul trouble, to lead Xavier. Joe Alexander scored 18 and had 10 rebounds for the Mountaineers (26-11).


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