Top-seeded teams fall in March Madness
Hield gets 37, Oklahoma beats Oregon 80-68
ANAHEIM, Calif. --Buddy Hield hit eight 3-pointers while scoring 37 points, and Oklahoma advanced to its first Final Four since 2002 with an 80-68 victory over Oregon in the West Region final of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
Jordan Woodard added 13 points for the Sooners (29-7), who streaked to an 18-point lead in the first half and never let the Ducks back in it.
The regional final was a monument to the formidable talent of Hield, the Sooners' senior star. He produced a dynamite performance on his biggest stage, carving the Ducks' defense from all distances with his smooth outside shot and a knack for momentum-swinging buckets.
Elgin Cook scored 24 points for the Ducks (31-7), whose 11-game winning streak ended one game shy of the second Final Four in school history.
Oklahoma is in the Final Four for the fifth time in school history. Hollis Price and Aaron McGhee led coach Kelvin Sampson's Sooners there 14 years ago, only to lose to Indiana in the national semifinal.
The Sooners have never won a national title, but Hield's talent suggests history could be made in Houston. The team's traveling fans serenaded him with chants of "Buddy! Buddy!" after the final whistle.
Hield scored 17 points in the first half, capped by drilling his fifth 3-pointer from three steps behind the line with 4 seconds left to put the Sooners up 48-30 at the break.
He hit two more huge 3-pointers down the stretch, including a graceful, high-arching shot with 4:20 to play that pushed Oklahoma's lead back to 17 points.
The 22-year-old Hield's senior year has been everything he anticipated when he decided to stay at Oklahoma for a fourth season.
The two-time Big 12 Player of the Year scored at least 30 points for the 12th time this season and matched his career high for 3-pointers. His 37 points were his third-best total of the season.
Oregon had beaten six NCAA Tournament-bound teams by double digits during its winning streak, but Oklahoma's outside shooting and rebounding led to a first-half hole that was too deep for the Pac-12 champions.
Hield had the highest-scoring performance against the Ducks all season.
Oklahoma capitalized on its veteran consistency in the one-and-done era. Hield started alongside Ryan Spangler, Woodard and Isaiah Cousins for the 104th consecutive game, and every Oklahoma starter contributed to a poised, resilient performance.
Sooners coach Lon Kruger is headed to the second Final Four of his 30-year head coaching career at five schools. He made it in 1994 with Florida, but hadn't been back until this experience-laden core got it done.
Oklahoma jumped out to an early lead with 11 points in the first 5:08 from Hield, including a trio of 3-pointers. The Sooners also hit the offensive boards from the start, generating several easy buckets off rebounds.
Oregon looked jittery, as evidenced by seven turnovers in the first 12 minutes for a team that's usually cautious with the ball. Oklahoma had nine 3-pointers in the first half -- the same number of total baskets managed by Oregon.
Villanova upsets tops-seeded Kansas 64-59
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Kris Jenkins made two free throws with 13.3 seconds remaining, Jalen Brunson added two more with 3.5 seconds left and second-seeded Villanova upset top-seeded Kansas 64-59 on Saturday night in the NCAA Tournament South Region final to reach the Final Four.
Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart each made big steals in the final minute to help the Wildcats (33-5) pull off the upset and end the Jayhawks' 17-game winning streak. The Wildcats are back in the Final Four for the first time since 2009, and they can credit balanced scoring and ferocious defense.
Jenkins, Hart and Ryan Arcidiacono each scored 13 points for the Wildcats. They used a 10-0 run to take a 50-45 lead and get key baskets and plays down the stretch in beating the Jayhawks (33-5).
Devonte' Graham had 17 points, and Frank Mason III and Wayne Selden Jr. added 16 each for Kansas.
Villanova got 10 points from Daniel Ochefu, including a big jumper with 6:14 left, just one of many big plays the Wildcats made to preserve the lead after finally wresting it from Kansas.
It wasn't easy. Mason scored five points and the Jayhawks cut it to 60-59 with 15 seconds left. But Arcidiacono preceded that with four free throws before Jenkins and Brunson followed with two more as the Wildcats made 18 of 19 at the line and all eight in the final 33 seconds.
Darryl Reynolds had two free throws and Bridges had a key tip-in for the Wildcats as well.
Villanova gets to pursue its second national title in its fifth Final Four berth, though the NCAA vacated its 1971 appearance because star Howard Porter had signed with an agent. The Wildcats will face Oklahoma next Saturday in Houston.
More importantly, the Wildcats did what no team had been able to over two months and really wasn't expected to in knocking out the tournament favorite.
Both teams had been ranked No. 1 this season and have been winning even bigger in the tournament.
Villanova winning by an average margin of 24 points. Kansas has been just as strong, beating opponents by 18 points per game while grabbing 13 more rebounds per game.
This Elite Eight matchup seemed inevitable as a result, with Villanova coach Jay Wright comparing it to a heavyweight bout.
The underdog Wildcats succeeded with defense that kept the ball away from Kansas and especially leading scorer Perry Ellis, who managed just four points.
This strategy worked all night and helped the Wildcats lead 32-25 at halftime.
Villanova trailed 7-4 as Kansas got baskets inside before the Wildcats regrouped to score six straight points and briefly lead 10-7. Kansas then answered with a 9-2 run for a 16-12 edge that marked its last lead of the half.
Villanova's zone defense had a lot to do with that, keeping Kansas from taking control in the paint and holding Ellis scoreless in the first half. Kansas eventually went scoreless for nearly seven minutes and Villanova took advantage with a 13-0 run for a 25-16 lead that had the Jayhawks out of sorts.
Graham's two 3-pointers helped bring Kansas to 29-25, but Jenkins' 3-pointer right before halftime reclaimed the momentum for the Wildcats.
Kansas seemed to have control at 45-40 before Villanova mounted the comeback that has the Wildcats in the Final Four despite shooting 40 percent and being outrebounded 32-28. They just made the plays when they needed them.