Times wires
Thursday, March 24, 2011
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Derrick Williams scored a career-high 32 and his Arizona teammates showed they're not just a one-man team, upsetting defending national champion Duke 93-77 Thursday night to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 2005.
The top-seeded Blue Devils (32-5), who led 44-38 at halftime, were sent packing from a region semifinal for the second time in three years. Coach Mike Krzyzewski, with 900 wins, will have to wait until next season to resume his pursuit of Bob Knight (902) as the winningest men's coach in Division I history. Knight coached Krzyzewski at the U.S. Military Academy.
Williams scored 25 in the first half before his teammates came up big in the second. Lamont Jones added 16 points and Solomon Hill 13.
Duke senior guard Nolan Smith, the ACC player of the year, finished his career with one of his worst games of the season. Smith was held to eight points — 13 below his average — and shot 3-for-14.
Duke senior forward Kyle Singler who had been 5-for-39 on 3-pointers in his past 11 games, made two 3-pointers 40 seconds apart in the opening four minutes. He hadn't made two 3s in any game since a Feb. 13 win at Miami.
Duke led 31-20 after a driving basket by freshman guard Kyrie Irving with 6:21 left in the first half.
Irving, who was cautiously worked back into the lineup in Duke's first two NCAA Tournament games after missing 3½ months with a toe injury, appeared to be near full strength. He scored 14 of his 28 in the first half, squeezing through tiny cracks in the defense to finish acrobatic drives at the rim.
In the second half, the fifth-seeded Wildcats (30-7) were able to spread out Duke's defense and drive to the basket almost at will.
UCONN 74, SAN DIEGO ST. 67: Like he had risen above the pressure for much of the previous two hours, Jeremy Lamb rose above a crowd in the most crucial moment.
His steal and dunk with just a little more than 20 seconds left pushed UConn's lead to six. With three seconds left Lamb dunked again for the final points in the region semifinal.
UConn's Kemba Walker scored 36, playing the whole game.
The No. 3 seed Huskies (29-9), who nobody expected much from months ago, are one victory from the Final Four.
The Huskies led by nine after a Walker 3-pointer with 4:49 left that capped a 14-2 run. Second-seeded San Diego State (34-3) trimmed it to one before Lamb made a 3 and helped Walker finish off the game.
"I've never been in an environment like this," said Lamb, who scored 24. "Kemba hit some big shots, I hit some big shots, and we were able to pull it out. I've never played in a game like it."
Walker surpassed 30 points for a UConn-record 10th time this season.
"When your season comes to a screeching halt, like it will for every team with one exception, it hurts," Aztecs coach Steve Fisher said.