NCAA men's roundup: Texas Tech reaches first Elite Eight

[March 24, 2018]  Keenan Evans led a balanced attack with 16 points as third-seeded Texas Tech topped second-seeded Purdue 78-65 Friday night at Boston in the NCAA Tournament's East Region semifinals.

Texas Tech (27-9) will now face top-seeded Villanova (33-4) on Sunday in the regional final.

The Red Raiders shot 51.6 percent in the second half to reach the Elite Eight for the first time in school history. Texas Tech's bench held a 33-6 scoring edge over the Boilermakers' reserves. Zach Smith had 14 points, Zhaire Smith 13 points and Justin Gray 12 points for the Red Raiders.

Sophomore guard Carsen Edwards led the Boilermakers (30-7) with 30 points. Vincent Edwards added 12 points for Purdue, and P.J. Thompson had 10. Purdue's Dakota Mathias, who was averaging more than 12 points a game, scored just three points on 1-of-7 shooting.

In the other East Region semifinal:

No. 1 Villanova 90, No. 5 West Virginia 78

Jalen Brunson scored 27 points to carry the Wildcats past the Mountaineers in Boston.

Omari Spellman added 18 points, Mikal Bridges scored 16 and Eric Paschall had 14 for Villanova, which will attempt to advance to the Final Four for the second time in three seasons. The Wildcats won the national championship in 2016.

Daxter Miles Jr. led fifth-seeded West Virginia (26-11) with 16 points before fouling out while Sagaba Konate and Jevon Carter added 12 apiece. Esa Ahmad contributed 11 and Teddy Allen had 10.

In Midwest Region semifinal action:

No. 1 Kansas 80, No. 5 Clemson 76

Malik Newman scored a team-high 17 points as the Jayhawks edged the Tigers at Omaha, Neb.

Kansas' Udoka Azubuike added a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out with 2:30 remaining. The Jayhawks (30-7) will face second-seeded Duke on Sunday.

Clemson (25-10) roared back down the stretch to get as close as four, but the Jayhawks made enough free throws to seal their third straight 30-win season. Gabe DeVoe netted a game-high 31 points for the Tigers.

No. 2 Duke 69, No. 11 Syracuse 65

Marvin Bagley III scored 22 points as the Blue Devils warded off a series of challenges from the Orange to win at Omaha, Neb.

Grayson Allen added 15 points and Wendell Carter Jr. and Gary Trent Jr. each scored 14 points for Duke (29-7). The Blue Devils are part of the Elite Eight for the first time since winning the 2015 national championship.

Tyus Battle posted 19 points, Oshae Brissett provided 13 of his 15 points in the second half, and Marek Dolezaj had 13 points for Syracuse (23-14). The Orange won three close games to reach this stage of the tournament.

--Field Level Media

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