The Latest: Virginia leads Syracuse 35-21 at halftime

 

The Latest on the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, with games Sunday in Chicago and Philadelphia (all times Eastern):
7:05 p.m. ET
Virginia could be just 20 minutes away from its third Final Four.
London Perrantes nailed five 3-pointers and scored 15 points to carry the top-seeded Cavaliers to a 35-21 halftime lead.
The Cavaliers missed their first six shots. Perrantes nailed a 3 to end the drought and start a barrage that saw him hit 5 of 7 from long range in the half.
He had the Virginia fans roaring in the final minute when he buried one from well beyond the top of the key to make it 35-21. And they were chanting ”UVA! UVA!” as Syracuse committed a shot-clock violation in the closing seconds.
That ended a rather sloppy half that saw both teams commit seven turnovers and Syracuse struggle the whole way on offense. The Orangemen shot just 8 of 26 and missed 8 of 9 3-pointers, whether it was because of Virginia’s defense, a lack of calls from the officials or just being off target.
– Andrew Seligman reporting from Chicago.
6:50 p.m.
London Perrantes is doing all he can to lead Virginia to its third Final Four.
The junior has 12 points 4-of-6 3-point shooting, and the Cavaliers lead Syracuse 28-16 with 3:38 left in the first half on Sunday night.
– Andrew Seligman reporting from Chicago.
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6:35 p.m.
With six turnovers apiece, Virginia and Syracuse are having trouble hanging on to the ball and it’s not because of great defense.
It’s sloppiness.
Even so, the Cavaliers lead 17-10 with 7:33 left. London Perrantes has nine points for Virginia, which is just 5 of 14 from the field.
Syracuse is 5 of 19 and 0 of 6 on 3-pointers.
– Andrew Seligman reporting from Chicago.
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6:30 p.m.
London Perrantes hit two 3-pointers and top-seeded Virginia leads Syracuse 11-8 with less than 12 minutes left in the first half Sunday night.
The Cavaliers missed their first six shots and trailed 8-2 before Perrantes nailed a 3. He hit another one seven minutes into the game, and ACC Player of the Year Malcolm Brogdon added a three-point play to give Virginia an 11-8 lead.
– Andrew Seligman reporting from Chicago.
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6:20 p.m.
Not much offense so far between Virginia and Syracuse.
Syracuse leads Virginia 4-2 just over four minutes into the Midwest Regional final and neither team is shooting well.
The Orangemen are 2 of 6, with a layup from Michael Gbinije and a dunk by Tyler Roberson. The Cavaliers are 0 for 5, with Anthony Gill making two free throws.
– Andrew Seligman reporting from Chicago.
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6:10 p.m.
Syracuse and Virginia have tipped in their Elite Eight game.
The winner will face the Notre Dame-North Carolina winner on Saturday in the Final Four.
Syracuse is wearing its bold orange uniforms while Virginia – which also uses orange in its color scheme – is wearing white.
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5:40 p.m.
Virginia beat Syracuse at home in late January. Of course, the stakes are much higher this time.
This is the third NCAA Tournament meeting between the schools and second with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
Virginia knocked off Syracuse in the 1984 East Regional final, and with Derrick Coleman leading the way, the Orangemen beat the Cavaliers in the second round in 1990.
Top-seeded Virginia is eyeing its third Final Four and third straight 30-win season. Tenth-seeded Syracuse, which rallied to beat Gonzaga 63-60 Friday and set up an ACC rematch, is trying to reach its first Final Four since 2013 and sixth overall. It also made it in 1975, 1987, 1996 and 2003.
– Andrew Seligman reporting from Chicago.
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5:30 p.m.
After 62 games in the NCAA Tournament, it’s time to determine the last two spots in the Final Four.
Two regional final games are set for Sunday night, with No. 10 seed Syracuse playing No. 1 seed Virginia in Chicago then No. 6 Notre Dame taking on No. 1 North Carolina in Philadelphia.
Virginia and North Carolina are trying to avoid what happened to the other No. 1 seeds: Kansas and Oregon were eliminated in the first Elite Eight games on Saturday night.
The winners Sunday will join Oklahoma and Villanova in the Final Four in Houston.