NCAA Tournament results and bracket update: Florida and Wisconsin punch their tickets to Dallas
The Gators finally broke through their Elite Eight hurdle by beating Dayton, while the Badgers knocked off No. 1 seed Arizona in overtime.
No. 1 Florida defeats No. 11 Dayton, 62-52
The Dayton Flyers fought for 40 minutes, but the No. 1 overall seed was ultimately too much. Scottie Wilbekin scored 23 points to lead Florida, giving the Gators their fifth ever Final Four berth and the first for Wilbekin's class following three consecutive losses in the Elite Eight.
The win was the 30th in a row for the Gators, who will face either Michigan State or Connecticut -- the last team to defeat them -- in the national semifinals.
March Madness
With the score tied at 23 and four minutes to go in the first half, Florida took control, finishing the half on a 15-1 run, capped by a three from Wilbekin at the buzzer. He scored nine points during that stretch.
Despite the Gators holding a double-digit lead for much of the second half, Dayton actually stayed within striking distance down the stretch. But, the Flyers managed just one field goal in the final 3:56 and gave up several key offensive rebounds to Florida, which was able to work the clock down further and limit Dayton’s chances.
Dyshawn Pierre scored 18 points on 7-11 shooting to to lead the Flyers in the loss.
No. 2 Wisconsin defeats No. 1 Arizona, 64-63 (OT)
The Badgers punched their ticket to Dallas in thrilling fashion on Saturday, topping Arizona by a point in overtime. Frank Kaminsky was the hero for the Badgers, dominating inside and out. He finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds and shot 3-of-5 from three. Kaminsky scored six of those points in overtime, including a tip-in with 1:13 to play to put the Badgers up three.
Nick Johnson had two chances to win it in the final possessions for Arizona, but first he committed an offensive foul by extending his left arm into his defender on a drive.
Then, after officials spent five minutes reviewing a botched inbounds play and gave the ball back to the Wildcats, Johnson missed another attempt at the buzzer, though he failed to get the shot off in time anyway.
The Wisconsin win gave Bo Ryan his first Final Four after leading the Badgers to the NCAA Tournament in each of his 13 seasons as head coach. The Badgers will face either Kentucky or Michigan next Saturday in the National Semifinals.
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