WASHINGTON (AP) -Joe Alexander had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 7-seeded West Virginia reached the NCAA tournament’s round of 16 in Bob Huggins’ first season at his alma mater by beating second-seeded Duke 73-67 in the West Regional on Saturday.
West Virginia (26-10) limited Duke to 38 percent shooting and held a 47-27 edge on the boards. The Mountaineers also got 17 points from Alex Ruoff, and 13 points and 11 rebounds from reserve guard Joe Mazzulla, and advanced to face No. 3-seed Xavier in Phoenix on Thursday.
After eking out a one-point victory over No. 15-seed Belmont in the first round, three-time national champion Duke (28-6) looked much better en route to a 34-29 halftime lead. But West Virginia went on an 18-3 run to take the lead while the Blue Devils misfired.
Gerald Henderson finished with 18 points for Duke. Jon Scheyer added 15 off the bench, and Greg Paulus finished with 13.
Xavier 85, Purdue 78
WASHINGTON (AP) – C.J. Anderson and Drew Lavender each scored 18 points and Josh Duncan had 16, and No. 3 seed Xavier was surprisingly efficient on offense in a victory over Purdue.
The Musketeers (29-6) shot 54 percent in breaking the school record for wins, going 26-for-33 at the free throw line and 27-for-50 from the floor against a team that led the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense. Their 85 points were the most allowed by Purdue this season.
Keaton Grant scored 19 for the Boilermakers (25-9), who have won 10 straight first-round games but have exited without another win in half those tournaments – including two in a row.
Lavender, a 5-foot-7 guard, had nine assists and provided Xavier with a pivotal basket after the Musketeers frittered away an almost insurmountable lead in this defensive struggle.
Midwest Regional
Wisconsin 72, Kansas State 55
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Trevon Hughes matched his career high with 25 points, and the third-seeded Badgers shut down Kansas State freshman star Michael Beasley in the second half.
Beasley had 23 points for the 11th-seeded Wildcats, but just six after halftime.
Michael Flowers had 15 points and Greg Stiemsma 14 for the Badgers (31-4), who set a school record for wins in a season and head to the round of 16 in Detroit with 12 straight wins and 25 victories in the last 27 games.
Beasley, just 2-for-6 in the second half, hugged teammates and coaches when he left the game with 53.9 seconds left. Many expect him to declare for the NBA draft.
Bill Walker added 18 for the Wildcats (21-12), who were 0-for-13 from 3-point range.
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