NCAA TOURNAMENT: No. 1 Florida advances to Sweet 16

ORLANDO, Fla. — Scottie Wilbekin is still looking for some respect nationally and if he continues to carry the top-seeded Florida Gators through the NCAA Tournament, he’s going to get it.

Wilbekin scored 13 of his 21 points in the last eight minutes to help the Gators put away a 61-45 victory over No. 9-seeded Pittsburgh in the third round of the NCAA Tournament at Amway Arena.

The Gators move on to the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight season.

“We knew it was going to be a challenging, physical game and it was,” Florida Coach Billy Donovan said. “Scottie made some great things happen for us at the end of the game.”

Added Wilbekin’s teammate Dorian Finney-Smith: “It’s great to see the rest of the country get exposed to the kind of talent and player Scottie is.

“That run he had in the second half was the kind of leader he’s been for us all season. Scottie just kept making big plays that kept the momentum on our side.”

That included a running 3-pointer that beat the buzzer at the end of the first half and gave the Gators more than the 27-22 advantage the scoreboard showed.

“You could see their heads drop after Scottie hit that one,” Gators center Patric Young said. “I’ve been on the other end of that and know there is a little letdown when you’ve battled the whole way and some guy hits one at the buzzer. I know it really gave us a lift.”

Young and forward Will Yeguete were also big factors in the second half when Florida put some distance between themselves and Pitt.

Young was shut out in the first half, but finished with seven points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. Yegete had eight points and four rebounds, but was a constant presence anytime Pitt tried to get the ball in the paint.

“Will is the epitome of a guy that it’s hard to have an appreciation for what he does when all you do is look at the stat sheet,” Donovan said.

“What he does won’t make headlines, but he really impacts the game for us in a positive way.”

Pitt couldn’t get much offense inside or out.

Forward Talib Zanna led Pittsburgh with 10 points, but was the only Panther (25-6) to reach double figures against a dominating defensive effort by the Gators, who limited Pitt to 37.3 percent shooting for the game.

The Panthers’ starting guards, Cameron Wright and James Robinson, were a combined 3-for-15 from the field and totaled eight points.

Pitt also gave up 14 offensive rebounds, allowing Florida to extend a lot of possessions, particularly in the second half.

“Simply put, I was extremely disappointed in how we played,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “Florida is the most physical team we played all season and we didn’t execute offensively.

“Our defense wasn’t good enough. We were getting beat on the glass from the first play of the game and to me that was the biggest issue. The game just got away from us.”

Wilbekin started his game-ending run with a 3-pointer, the only shot the Gators made shot from outside the paint in the second half, to give Florida a 45-31 lead.

The Gators’ senior point guard then concentrated on drives to the basket, including four straight layups, most with the shot clock about to expire, to keep Pitt from gaining any momentum.

“The numbers don’t lie, they outplayed us,” Zanna said. “They got to the loose balls and we just didn’t get it done.”

NO. 2 MICHIGAN 79, NO. 7 TEXAS 65: Nik Stauskas had 17 points and eight assists as the Wolverines held off the Longhorns’ rally in the third round of the NCAA tournament in Midwest regional play in Milwaukee.

Jordan Morgan added 15 points, 10 rebounds and two steals for second-seeded Michigan (27-8), which will play No. 11 seed Tennessee or No. 14 Mercer in the Sweet 16 in Indianapolis on Friday. Glenn Robinson III and Caris LeVert each added 14 points for the Wolverines, who hit a team tournament record 14 3-pointers.

NO. 4 LOUISVILLE 66, NO. 5 SAINT LOUIS 51: Luke Hancock scored 21 points to propel the Cardinals in the third round of the NCAA tournament in Orlando, Fla.

Chris Jones pitched in with 11 points while Montrezl Harrell contributed 10 points and 11 boards for the fourth-ranked Cardinals (31-5), who will face No. 1 Wichita State or No. 8 Kentucky in the Midwest Regional on Friday. All-American candidate Russ Smith fought his way to 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting and also committed seven of Louisville’s 19 turnovers.

NO. 4 SAN DIEGO STATE 63, NO. 12 NORTH DAKOTA STATE 44: Xavier Thames had 30 points and six assists as the Aztecs knocked off the upstart Bison in NCAA tournament West regional play in Spokane, Wash.

Dwayne Polee II added 15 points and six rebounds off the bench as fourth-seeded San Diego State (31-4) advances to play either Arizona or Gonzaga in Thursday’s Sweet 16 contest in Anaheim. Josh Davis grabbed 13 rebounds and the Aztecs held North Dakota State to one point over the final six-plus minutes.

NO. 11 DAYTON 55, NO. 3 SYRACUSE 53: Dyshawn Pierre scored 14 points and Jordan Sibert hit a critical late 3-pointer as the Flyers secured their second upset in three days with a hard-fought NCAA tournament victory over the Orange in second-round action in Buffalo, N.Y.

Sibert tallied 10 points for No. 11 seed Dayton (25-10), which advances to meet Kansas or Stanford in Thursday’s South regional semifinals in Memphis, Tenn. Devin Oliver added seven points, 10 rebounds and four assists as the Flyers followed up Thursday’s 60-59 win over sixth-seeded Ohio State with another thrilling victory to make the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1984.

NO. 2 WISCONSIN 85, NO. 7 OREGON 77: Frank Kaminsky scored 19 points to lead five players in double figures and the Badgers rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to edge the Ducks in the NCAA tournament West regional in Milwaukee.

Traevon Jackson collected 16 points and eight rebounds and Josh Gasser added 13 points for No. 2 seed Wisconsin (28-7), which closed the game on a 15-5 run and will face third-seeded Creighton or No. 6 seed Baylor on Thursday in Anaheim, Calif. Ben Brust scored 12 points on four 3-pointers to help the Badgers advance to the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 for the third time in the last four years.

NO. 4 MICHIGAN STATE 80, NO. 12 HARVARD 73: Branden Dawson scored a career-high 26 points and recorded nine rebounds as the Spartans blew a 16-point lead in the second half before turning back the Crimson in the third round of the NCAA tournament Midwest regional in Spokane, Wash.

Gary Harris recorded 18 points, five assists and four steals for fourth-seed Michigan State (28-8), which meets No. 1 seed Virginia or No. 8 Memphis on Friday in the Sweet 16. Adreian Payne followed up his career-high 41-point effort against Delaware with 12 while Denzel Valentine added six points, seven rebounds and six assists.

NO. 7 CONNECTICUT 7, NO. 2 VILLANOVA 65: Shabazz Napier scored 21 of his game-high 25 points in the second half as the Huskies upset the Wildcats in the third round of the NCAA tournament in East regional play in Milwaukee.

Lasan Kromah scored 12 points off the bench and Terrence Samuel, Ryan Boatright and DeAndre Daniels added 11 apiece for No. 7 seed Connecticut (28-8), which will play No. 6 seed North Carolina or third-seeded Iowa State on Friday in the Sweet 16 in New York. Niels Giffey collected a game-high 11 rebounds as the Huskies improved to 12-2 in the NCAA tournament since the start of 2009.