NCAA Tournament roundup

WEST REGION

SAINT LOUIS' DEFENSE SWARMS MEMPHIS

RECAP: At Columbus, Ohio, Kwamain Mitchell scored 22 points, including three big 3-pointers, and ninth-seeded Saint Louis rode its gritty defense to a 61-54 victory over eighth-seeded Memphis.

Mitchell closed the first half by banking in a 3 and then nailed two others to help the Billikens (26-7) overcome an eight-point deficit in the second half. Brian Conklin added 16 points, including five free throws in the final minute.

Will Barton had 16 points for the Tigers (26-9), who had won 20 of their past 23 games.

The Billikens, making their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance but first since 2000, have a team built around defense under coach Rick Majerus. They came in having held 10 opponents to 50 or fewer points and three under 40.

It was that defense that carried them in this one. They limited Memphis, a team averaging more than 75 points per game, to 39 percent shooting from the field.

QUOTE OF THE GAME: "(Coach Rick Majerus) holds everyone accountable, from the starting five all the way through the walk-ons. That's huge for everyone. And that gets us over the line in those close games." -- Saint Louis forward Cody Ellis

NEXT FOR SAINT LOUIS: Top-seeded Michigan State (28-7), approximately 11:45 a.m. Sunday, CBS (8)

GREEN TRIPLE-DOUBLE LIFTS MICHIGAN STATE

RECAP: At Columbus, Ohio, Draymond Green scored 24 points in his second career NCAA Tournament triple-double, Derrick Nix added 18 points, and top-seeded Michigan State handled 16th-seeded Long Island Brooklyn, 89-67.

The Spartans (28-7) finally put away the Blackbirds (25-9) with a 14-4 run midway through the second half.

Green added 12 rebounds and 10 assists, becoming the first player to have two triple-doubles in the tournament since Michigan State legend Magic Johnson. The Big Ten's player of the year didn't have a turnover in 35 minutes and also provided encouraging -- and a few choice -- words for his teammates in the second half when LIU was giving the Spartans all they could handle.

Jamal Olasewere had 17 points, and Julian Boyd and C.J. Garner scored 15 apiece for LIU.

QUOTE OF THE GAME: "I thought (Draymond Green) was a great player going in on tape. He's a great player live. He's going to have a very long career in front of him. He's just a fantastic basketball player." -- Long Island coach Jim Ferry

NEXT FOR MICHIGAN STATE: Ninth-seeded Saint Louis (26-7), approximately 11:45 a.m. Sunday, CBS (8)

FLORIDA MISFIRES, STILL HAMMERS VIRGINIA

RECAP: At Omaha, Neb., even on a day when seventh-seeded Florida couldn't find the basket with its 3-pointers, the Gators had no trouble beating 10th-seeded Virginia, 71-45.

Bradley Beal had 14 points and 11 rebounds, reserve Casey Prather scored a career-high 14 points, and Florida (24-10) pulled away in the second half.

The Gators finished the first half on a 17-4 run to shake off a slow start and get out to a 30-22 lead. They shot 70 percent in the second half and pushed their advantage to more than 20 points with eight minutes left.

Florida came into the game averaging a nation-leading 9.9 3-pointers a game but missed its first 13 shots from behind the arc and made only 4 of 23. The Gators were 24 of 30 from inside the arc, though.

Mike Scott had 15 points to lead Virginia (22-10).

QUOTE OF THE GAME: "We were struggling to score in the beginning. The press had a huge effect on the game. It got us in our offensive rhythm." -- Florida guard Erving Walker

NEXT FOR FLORIDA: Fifteenth-seeded Norfolk State (26-9),
3:10 p.m. Sunday, TNT (18)

EAST REGION

CINCINNATI SURGES EARLY, HOLDS OFF TEXAS

RECAP: At Nashville, Tenn., with Texas shooting poorly, sixth-seeded Cincinnati grabbed a comfortable lead early -- maybe too comfortable. The Bearcats faded but withstood a late rally by the 11th-seeded Longhorns to win, 65-59.

Cincinnati (25-10) jumped out to a 16-2 lead while Texas opened the game 1 of 14 and shot 16 percent for the entire first half. After trailing 31-17 at halftime, the Longhorns (20-14) attacked, hitting five of their first seven from 3-point range and shooting 50 percent for the second half.

With 3:44 to play, Texas' Jonathan Holmes hit a layup to tie the game at 52, but the Longhorns didn't take the lead. Cincinnati's Yancy Gates hit a shot over Clint Chapman's head with 1:11 to put Cincinnati ahead 58-52, and the Bearcats hit five free throws in the final 36 seconds.

Gates had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Cincinnati. JaQuon Parker added 13 points, Dion Dixon 12 and Cashmere Wright 11. J'Covan Brown led Texas with 19 points.

QUOTE OF THE GAME: "They're a young team, and considering it was an early game, they were probably not up for it in the first half. But they made a nice little run in the second half. We showed our experience by finishing the game off." -- Cincinnati guard Dion Dixon

NEXT FOR CINCINNATI: Third-seeded Florida State (25-9), approximately 6:40 p.m. Sunday, TBS (7)

FLORIDA STATE SLIPS PAST ST. BONAVENTURE

RECAP: At Nashville, Tenn., Bernard James scored 19 points as third-seeded Florida State barely avoided a big upset, rallying to beat 14th-seeded St. Bonaventure, 66-63.

The Seminoles (25-9) shook off a slow start and won their sixth straight game.

Andrew Nicholson scored 20 points and Demetrius Conger 14 for the Bonnies (20-12), who were trying to win an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 1970.

Florida State used a 16-2 run to take its first lead with 5:15 left on a 3-pointer by Ian Miller. The Seminoles led by as much as 60-52 on a dunk by Okaro White with 2:47 left.

St. Bonaventure hit three 3-pointers in the final 1:43 to stay close. It had the ball down by three in the closing seconds but didn't get a decent look from beyond the arc. Da'Quan Cook had his short jumper blocked by White, and the Seminoles ran out the clock. Luke Loucks had 13 points for Florida State.

QUOTE OF THE GAME: "That was one of the toughest games we've played all season, and that's all the credit to their team. They came out first swinging, and we really didn't hit back until about 10 minutes to go in the second half." -- Florida State guard Luke Loucks

NEXT FOR FLORIDA STATE: Sixth-seeded Cincinnati (25-10), approximately 6:40 p.m. Sunday

SOUTH REGION

HOLLOWAY, XAVIER GET TOUGH LATE, TOP IRISH

RECAP: At Greensboro, N.C., Tu Holloway banked in the go-ahead shot over Jack Cooley with 21.3 seconds left, helping Xavier rally to beat seventh-seeded Notre Dame, 67-63.

Holloway finished with 25 points on 10-for-15 shooting, including a flurry that helped the 10th-seeded Musketeers (22-12) rally from a 10-point, second-half deficit against the Fighting Irish (22-12). His final points came when he rounded a screen from Kenny Frease and sent a high-arcing shot over Cooley's outstretched arm for a 64-63 Xavier lead.

After a free throw from Dezmine Wells pushed the lead to two, Notre Dame's Eric Atkins drew a blocking foul to get to the line with 2.8 seconds left. He swished the first free throw, but an official ruled that Notre Dame's Jerian Grant left his position behind the 3-point arc too early as he ran in for a rebound, giving the ball back to Xavier.

Wells finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Cooley had 18 points on 8-for-8 shooting.

QUOTE OF THE GAME: "You always hear that 'You can't call that at the end of a game' or it's just 'Let the kids play the game out.' And it hurts to lose on a call that -- I mean, we didn't lose on that call, but it hurts to end the game like that." -- Notre Dame coach Mike Brey

NEXT FOR XAVIER: Fifteenth-seeded Lehigh (27-7), 4:40 p.m. Sunday, truTV (54)