WALTER Clayton Jr. scored 23 points and sparked top-seeded Florida’s late-game splurge to oust two-time defending champion UConn 77-75 in the West Region’s second round on Sunday afternoon (Monday in Manila) in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The Gators looked disjointed at times on offense before racking up 18 points in the final three minutes. The eighth-seeded Huskies seemed poised to pull off an upset before their 13-game winning streak in NCAA Tournament games came to a close.
Florida (32-4) will meet No. 4 Maryland in the Sweet 16 on Thursday in San Francisco. The Terrapins eked out a 72-71 win over Colorado State later Sunday. The Gators are advancing to the second weekend of the tournament for the first time since 2017.
Liam McNeeley poured in 22 points, Alex Karaban had 14 and Samson Johnson added 10 to pace the Huskies (24-11), who had a late-game escape against Oklahoma two days earlier in the first round. McNeeley’s final shot was a made 3-pointer before the buzzer, but it was too late for UConn to get another possession.
In other games, it was No. 4 Maryland 72, No. 12 Colorado State 71; No. 3 Kentucky 84, No. 6 Illinois 75; No. 2 Michigan State 71, No. 10 New Mexico 63; No. 6 Ole Miss 91, No. 3 Iowa State 78; No. 1 Duke 89, No. 9 Baylor 66; No. 2 Alabama 80, No. 7 Saint Mary’s 66; and No. 4 Arizona 87, No. 5 Oregon 83.
No. 4 Maryland 72, No. 12 Colorado State 71
Derik Queen drove for a short basket as time expired to give the Terrapins a dramatic victory over the Rams at Seattle.
Colorado State’s Jalen Lake swished a 3-pointer with 6.1 seconds left to give the Rams a one-point edge before Queen’s drive put the Terrapins (27-8) in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016. Queen had 17 points and Rodney Rice added 16 for Maryland, which will play top-seeded Florida in San Francisco on Thursday.
Nique Clifford registered 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Rams (26-10), who had an 11-game winning streak halted. Lake scored 13 points while Bowen Born and Kyan Evans scored 10.
No. 3 Kentucky 84, No. 6 Illinois 75
Kobe Brea had 23 points and OtegaOweh added 15 to pace the Wildcats’ victory over the Fighting Illinois in Milwaukee.
Kentucky (24-11) will face second-seeded Tennessee in the Sweet 16 on Friday in Indianapolis. The Wildcats hit their first five shots of the second half for a 10-0 run. Brea scored 10 consecutive points for Kentucky for a 70-54 lead with 9 1/2 minutes remaining.
