Sports

Davidson's Comeback Shocks Georgetown 74-70

Villanova Knocks Out Siena 84-72

Texas Holds On Against Miami

Tennessee Survives Scare From Butler

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ―

Stephen Curry couldn't stop jumping up and down at midcourt at the final buzzer. Little Davidson was on its way to the NCAA tournament's round of 16 after another brilliant performance by its big-time guard.

Curry scored 25 of his 30 points in the second half and Davidson staged a remarkable comeback behind their star sophomore to stun mighty Georgetown 74-70 on Sunday in the second round of the Midwest Regional.

Curry missed 10 of his first 12 shots but stepped up at crunch time for Davidson, which trailed by 16 points with 15 minutes left. He had the go-ahead basket, a key 3-pointer, and then hit five of six free throws in the final 23 seconds in a performance that left the Hoyas, and everyone else, stunned.

No. 2 seed Georgetown was shooting 71 percent from the field early in the second half and led 48-32 before a stunning collapse under the weight of 20 turnovers and Curry's dominance.

Jason Richards added 20 points and kept Davidson (28-6) in it early when Curry was missing everything.

Jessie Sapp scored 14 points and Jonathan Wallace finished with 12 for Georgetown (28-6), which lost despite shooting 63 percent from the field.

Davidson, which hadn't won an NCAA tournament game since 1969 before Friday, advanced to face Wisconsin on Friday in Detroit.

Georgetown, the nation's stingiest defensive team, came in allowing only 57.6 points per game and 37 percent shooting. That defensive prowess was on display early.

With waves of different defenders fighting through screens, Curry looked exhausted, and Davidson appeared spent.

Georgetown built a big lead and then started making mistakes. Ineffective 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert picked up his fourth foul by pushing off in the post. It was one of a series of turnovers that allowed Davidson to get back in it.

North Carolina 108, Arkansas 77
East Regional, Raleigh

North Carolina put on a show for its home-state fans in its first two NCAA tournament games. Now the overall No. 1 seed is off and running to the round of 16, where another comfortable setting awaits.

Wayne Ellington scored 20 points and the Tar Heels raced to a double-digit lead in the first 5 minutes of a 108-77 second-round win over Arkansas on Sunday, sending North Carolina to Charlotte for the East Regional semifinals.

Tennessee 76, Butler 71 Overtime
East Regional, Birmingham

JaJuan Smith and Tennessee lost the lead, but not their poise. Smith hit four straight free throws in the final 13.6 seconds of overtime and the Volunteers held on for a 76-71 win over Butler on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA tournament, barely surviving a game they at times threatened to turn into an East Regional rout.

The first second-round game featuring two 30-win teams definitely lived up to the distinction.

The Vols (31-4) scored six straight points inside after the Bulldogs took their first lead in the final 2 minutes of OT, including benched guard Ramar Smith's basket with 27 seconds left to make it 72-68.

Butler (30-4) still wouldn't go away. Pete Campbell followed a missed shot to make it 72-70 with 16 seconds left. JaJaun Smith then made both free throws, and Julian Betko rebounded a missed 3-pointer by A.J. Graves and was fouled with 4.9 seconds left for Butler. He made 1-of-2 from the line, and Smith grabbed the rebound before icing the game with foul shots at the other end.

He sported the motivating message "No. 1 seed" on his sneakers for a second straight game for a Vols team that felt they were worthy. Tennessee survived the tournament's opening weekend for the second straight year and avoided another 2-seed flop. The Vols had fallen in the second round as a No. 2 seed in 2006, the only other time they were seeded as high.

Louisville 78, Oklahoma 48
East Regional, Birmingham

Rick Pitino and Louisville pressed on. Earl Clark scored 14 points and the Cardinals played to near-perfection on both ends, romping past Oklahoma 78-48 Sunday in the second round of the East Regional.

Louisville harassed freshman star Blake Griffin with double teams down low, trapped the Sooners and ran every chance it got. The Cardinals neatly zipped passes in the paint — that bit of insider trading paid off with easy baskets all game.

Even plays Pitino didn't draw up worked out. The coach walked off with a wry smile after little-used Will Scott hit a 35-footer at the halftime buzzer for a 44-22 lead.

Starting five players born outside Kentucky, the third-seeded Cardinals (26-8) reached the round of 16 for the first time since 2005. They will take on Tennessee, which beat Butler 76-71 in overtime, on Thursday night in Charlotte, N.C.

Jerry Smith added 12 points for Louisville, a team that relies on balanced scoring. Most everyone took part, and the Cardinals shot 59 percent for the game.

David Godbold hit four 3s and finished with 15 points for sixth-seeded Oklahoma (23-12). Griffin looked like a mere freshman, held without a shot for the opening 12 minutes and limited to eight points.

Western Kentucky 72, San Diego 63
West Regional, Tampa

Western Kentucky didn't need a buzzer-beater this time. Behind Courtney Lee's dazzling first-half performance and some clutch shooting down the stretch, the 12th-seeded Hilltoppers advanced to the round of 16 for the first time in 15 years with a 72-63 victory over No. 13 San Diego on Sunday.

Now comes the toughest test.

Western Kentucky (29-6) will face top-seeded UCLA in the West Region semifinals in Phoenix. The Hilltoppers can only hope their three senior guards — Lee, Tyrone Brazelton and Ty Rogers — will carry them through another round.

Lee finished with 29 points, including a huge 3-pointer that gave his team the lead for good with 6:17 remaining. Six straight free throws in the final 34 seconds that sealed the victory.

Brazelton added 15 points for the Hilltoppers. Rogers, who hit the 26-footer at the buzzer in overtime to beat Drake in the first round, had a much quieter afternoon. He had five points, three rebounds and two assists.

Villanova 84, Siena 72
Midwest Regional, Tampa

Scottie Reynolds and Villanova gave Upset City its first sense of normalcy.

Reynolds scored 25 points and Corey Stokes added 20 as the 12th-seeded Wildcats beat tiny Siena 84-72 Sunday to reach the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament for the third time in four years.

Villanova (22-12), one of the last teams picked for the tournament field, advanced to the Midwest Region semifinals in Detroit, where it'll revert to an underdog role against top-seed Kansas (33-3).

And the way the Jayhawks have been playing, the Wildcats can only hope to take some of Tampa's upset mystique with them to Motown.

The tournament pod here had four lower seeds win opening-round games for the first time in NCAA history. Villanova ended the streak, eliminating the 13th-seeded Saints (23-11) with a fast start and superior play at just about every position.

Memphis 77, Mississippi State 74
South Regional, Little Rock

Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts put up the fancy stats and grab most of the attention. When Memphis needs to get down and dirty, though, it's Joey Dorsey who gets it done.

The Tigers' burly forward made his presence known on both ends of the court Sunday, finishing with 13 points, 12 rebounds, a season-high six blocks and an untold number of bumps and bruises as top-seeded Memphis outscrapped Mississippi State 77-74 in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Three other Tigers finished in double figures, including 17 each from Rose and Douglas-Roberts.

It was the ninth straight win for Memphis (35-1), which advanced to the round of 16 for a third straight year. The Tigers will play fifth-seeded Michigan State (27-8) in the semifinals of the South Region on Friday in Houston.

Jamont Gordon had 21 points and Ben Hansbrough 19 for eighth-seeded Mississippi State, which hasn't made it out of the first weekend since the 1996 team that went to the Final Four.

But the Bulldogs came close.

Gordon made a 3-pointer with about 19 seconds left to cut Memphis' lead to 75-70. Antonio Anderson missed a pair of free throws, and Charles Rhodes slammed home a rebound. Rose was quickly fouled, but he could only make one of two. Gordon then made a layup to cut it to 76-74 with 4.2 seconds left.

But Douglas-Roberts made a free throw, and Gordon's long jumper at the buzzer wasn't close.

Texas 75, Miami 72
South Regional, Little Rock

With a 17-point lead unbelievably cut to three, Texas needed somebody — anybody — to make a couple free throws. A.J. Abrams was ready — as he had been all day.

Abrams calmly sank two with 9.5 seconds remaining, giving the second-seeded Longhorns just enough margin to hold off seventh-seeded Miami 75-72 in the second round of the South Regional on Sunday.

Abrams gave Texas a 74-69 lead, but the Longhorns weren't quite safe yet. Miami's Raymond Hicks made a 3-pointer, and D.J. Augustin then shot an air ball on his first of two free throws with 1.8 seconds to play. Augustin made the second, however, and Texas was able to break up a long pass to preserve the win.

Abrams scored 26 points on six 3-pointers for the second consecutive game. Texas advances to the regional semifinals to play third-seeded Stanford on Friday.

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