Kansas Gets Past Duke 85-81 In OT For Final Four Bid
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Malik Newman and top-seeded Kansas got past their Elite Eight road block on Sunday, knocking off second-seeded Duke 85-81 in overtime in a thrilling Midwest Region finale that clinched the Jayhawks' first trip to the Final Four since 2012.
Newman scored all 13 of the Jayhawks' points in overtime and finished with a career-high 32 to lead Kansas (31-7). The Jayhawks will face fellow top seed Villanova in San Antonio on Saturday after snapping a two-game losing skid in the regional finals.
This was college basketball at its best — two blue bloods trading blows for 45 minutes in what was arguably the best game of the tournament so far, one that featured 18 lead changes and 11 ties.
But Newman drilled his fifth and final 3 from the corner to make it 81-78 with 1:49 left. Newman followed with four straight free throws, and the Jayhawks defense stiffened enough to knock the favored Blue Devils out of the tournament.
Trevon Duval scored 20 points for Duke. Freshman star and future lottery pick Marvin Bagley added 16 points and 10 rebounds in what could have been his final game for Duke (29-8), which fell shy its first Final Four trip since winning the national title in 2015.
Grayson Allen had 12 points for the Blue Devils, but the senior's 10-foot bank shot at the regulation buzzer went in and then out of the rim before spinning away to force overtime.
(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)