Duke guard Jeremy Roach, center, is defended between Texas Tech’s Adonis Arms, left, and Kevin McCullar Jr. during a West Region semifinal Thursday night in San Francisco. Duke won, 78-73. Tony Avelar/Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO — Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski moved within one win of his record-setting 13th trip to the Final Four in his farewell season thanks to two late baskets by Jeremy Roach that helped seal the Blue Devils’ 78-73 win over Texas Tech on Thursday night.
Roach’s two shots were part of a 7-0 run as the steady sophomore came through in the clutch for a second straight game to send second-seeded Duke (31-6) into an Elite Eight matchup against fourth-seeded Arkansas.
Paolo Banchero led Duke with 22 points, Mark Williams scored 16 and Roach added 15 as the Blue Devils held off third-seeded Texas Tech (27-10) and gave Coach K his record 100th NCAA Tournament victory.
As compelling as the action on the court was in this taut West Region semifinal, the story of this Blue Devils run has surrounded the farewell tour of their Hall of Fame coach.
Krzyzewski announced last June he would retire after this season. After missing the tournament last year, Duke was back with a roster filled with NBA prospects and capable of delivering Krzyzewski his sixth career title.
Duke played from behind for much of the first half but was much sharper offensively in the second half. Williams got free for three easy baskets early in the half to get the Blue Devils rolling.
Then the vocal Duke contingent on hand for the first NCAA Tournament games in San Francisco since 1939 made its presence known midway through the half when A.J. Griffin tied the game at 47 with his third 3-pointer of the game and Banchero followed with a jumper that gave Duke the lead.
But a Texas Tech team featuring four super seniors and five players with more than 120 career games didn’t go away and the game stayed tight.
Kevin McCullar and Banchero traded 3s, with Banchero’s long-range shot putting Duke up 69-68 with less than three minutes to play.
The Blue Devils then pulled away thanks to pair of clutch jumpers by Roach.
Jaylin Williams, center, celebrates with Arkansas teammates Trey Wade, left, and Kamani Johnson during the Razorbacks’ 74-68 win over top-ranked Gonzaga in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament Thursday in San Francisco. Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press
ARKANSAS 74, GONZAGA 68: For 40 frenzied minutes, JD Notae, Jaylin Williams and Arkansas played a maddening, muscular style on both ends that took Gonzaga out of its game – and right out of the NCAA Tournament.
Notae scored 21 points despite missing 20 shots, and the determined, fourth-seeded Razorbacks dashed the No. 1 overall seed Bulldogs’ title hopes with a 74-68 win in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night.
“We’ve been disrespected the whole year, so it’s just another thing for us,” Williams said. “We saw everything they were saying, we felt like they were dancing before the game. That was disrespect for us. We just came into the game playing hard and we had a chip on our shoulder. Every game we do.”
When the buzzer sounded, Notae tossed the game ball into the air in triumph, while Williams flexed and roared near midcourt. Coach Eric Musselman made his way into the stands to find his mother, Kris, for a celebratory embrace as she watched her well-traveled son coaching the Razorbacks in person for the first time.
After a throwback performance from the program that once promised “40 Minutes of Hell,” it was pure bliss for these Hogs.
Notae finished with six rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocked shots for the Razorbacks (28-8), who reached the Elite Eight for a second straight year.
Drew Timme scored 25 points but couldn’t rally the normally high-scoring Bulldogs (28-4), who for the second straight season were favored to win that elusive national title but couldn’t match up with an athletic, scrappy foe. Gonzaga was undefeated last year before losing to Baylor in the national title game.
“We just wanted to be physical, plain and simple,” Musselman said. “We wanted them to feel bodies. Obviously they played a really tough schedule early in the season, but it’s been a long time in conference play since they faced a team like us.”
An emotional Timme addressed his teammates afterward, then fought tears during a postgame news conference.
“It was a hell of a ride,” Timme said. “It didn’t end up the way we wanted but we came to play hard. It was their night.”
Arkansas continually challenged 7-foot freshman Chet Holmgren in the paint, and the skinny NBA prospect fouled out with 3:29 remaining. Holmgren scored all 11 of his points after halftime and had 14 rebounds in what might have been his final college game.
Notae shot 9 of 29 overall and 2 for 12 from 3-point range but still did a little bit of everything for Arkansas. The senior guard’s 3 with 6:38 left made it 59-50, and the Razorbacks held on from there.
Au’Diese Toney’s one-handed slam with 1 second left punctuated the victory.
Toney converted a three-point play with 8:36 left by going right at Holmgren to draw his fourth foul and send him to the bench. The big man returned at the 6:46 mark, but Notae drove at him three minutes later and drew the freshman’s fifth foul. Holmgren raised his arms in protest.
During one key sequence, Notae scored, then sneaked in from behind Timme for a steal as Williams held his ground on the block. Notae swatted an early shot and made a steal to get his team going. He hit the floor repeatedly to corral loose balls.
“He kept the momentum our way,” Trey Wade said.
Gonzaga trailed at the break for just the fifth time this season and never found the shooting touch that made the Bulldogs the top scoring team in the nation at 87.8 points per game. They shot 37.5% and went 5 of 21 from 3-point range. Andrew Nembhard, who scored 23 points in a second-round win over Memphis, finished with seven points on 2-of-11 shooting.
“It’s always so tough when it finally ends, especially short of the goal we all had,” Gonzaga Coach Mark Few said. “First time we lost in this round in quite a while. All the credit goes to Arkansas. Their defense was tough to get any rhythm against. To me that was the difference in the game.”
Williams took a charge late in the first half – his 45th of the season – and drove through the lane for an emphatic dunk during a 9-0 run in which Gonzaga was 0 for 5 with three turnovers.
Williams and Trey Wade scored 15 points apiece.
SOUTH
HOUSTON 72, ARIZONA 60: Jamal Shead scored a career-high 21 points and fourth-seeded Houston led throughout in a victory over top-seeded Arizona at San Antonio, moving the Cougars within one win of a second straight Final Four.
With Taze Moore getting into early foul trouble after his 3-pointer for a 5-0 lead in the first two minutes, Shead and Kyler Edwards were both on the court nearly the entire game for the Cougars (32-5). Edwards, a Texas Tech transfer who played in the 2019 national championship game for the Red Raiders, had 19 points with five 3-pointers.
After quick consecutive layups by Dalen Terry got Arizona within 64-58 with just over two minutes left, Edwards settled things for Houston with a 3 from the right wing.
Houston plays second-seeded Villanova in the South Region final on Saturday.
Terry had 17 points for Arizona (33-4).
VILLANOVA 63, MICHIGAN 55: Jermaine Samuels scored 22 points and second-seeded Villanova (28-7) controlled 11th-seeded Michigan (19-15) and center Hunter Dickinson to earn a victory over the Wolverines in the South Region semifinals in San Antonio.
Samuels’ 8-of-13 shooting performance, much of it coming on tough drives through Michigan defenders and around Dickinson, carried a Wildcats offense that had long stretches of misfiring on 3-pointers.
Villanova twice led by nine in the second half, only to see the Wolverines match their 3-point shooting in spurts and make it a contest. Guard Eli Brooks kept rescuing Michigan with 3-pointers, making 3 of 5. One of Brooks’ treys, plus two free throws from Terrance Williams II, had the Wolverines within 54-50 with just over 3 minutes left.
But after Dickinson, who led the Wolverines with 15 points and 15 rebounds, missed near the basket, Samuels blew by him on the other end for a layup. Collin Gillespie followed with a 3-pointer – his fourth of the game – from the left wing to make it 59-50 with 1:52 to play.
Michigan closed within six before Samuels made four three throws over the final 13 seconds to put it away.
Defensively, Villanova refused to yield space under the basket to the 7-foot-1 Dickinson, who came in averaging 24 points in Michigan’s two NCAA Tournament wins.
Justin Moore scored 15 points and Gillespie finished with 12 for Villanova.
Michigan guard DeVante’ Jones returned to the lineup after sitting out the second half of a second-round win over Tennessee because of concussion symptoms.
He scored seven points and had five rebounds, but also left the game briefly in the second half when he fell hard to the floor chasing a loose ball.
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