WORCESTER, Massachusetts, 22 March 2005 — Julius Hodge scored on a slashing drive through the lane with 4.3 seconds left to give North Carolina State a 65-62 victory over defending champions Connecticut on Sunday, and send the Wolfpack to the round-of-16 of the US College Basketball Championship tournament.
North Carolina State, the 10th seed in the Syracuse Regional, advances to the regional semifinals for the first time since 1989 and will play Wisconsin.
The Huskies’ loss also was a setback for the Big East conference, which has lost four teams so far, including a No. 2 seed and two No. 4 seeds.
Hodge was fouled by Ed Nelson on his drive and completed the three-point play. Marcus Williams’ desperation 3 at the buzzer fell short.
Hodge finished with 17 points and six assists. Williams led the Huskies with a career-high 22 points, and Charlie Villanueva had 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Villanova 76 Florida 65: In Nashville, Tennessee, reserve center Jason Fraser scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to help fifth-seeded Villanova make the round-of-16 for the first time since 1988, where it will play North Carolina. The fourth-seeded Gators were held to 38.5 percent shooting and got little offensive support for David Lee, who had 20 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and three steals before fouling out.
North Carolina 92 Iowa State 65: In Charlotte, North Carolina, Sean May had 24 points and 17 rebounds, and sixth man Marvin Williams finished with a career-high 15 rebounds and the top-seeded Tar Heels advanced past the first weekend for the first time in five seasons. Williams scored 20 points — tying his season high for the second consecutive game — and Rashad McCants added 17 for North Carolina, which went to the Final Four in 2000 before the tournament drought. Jared Homan, playing in his final game, finished with 19 points and 20 rebounds for Iowa State.
Wisconsin 71 Bucknell 62: In Oklahoma City, Wisconsin’s Mike Wilkinson and Zach Morley carried the Badgers past the Bison. Morley, who was shut out in 28 minutes of a first-round win over Northern Iowa, was 6-of-7 from the field with three 3-pointers and 15 points. His tap-in with 8:41 left put the Badgers ahead for good, and then he protected the lead with rebounds on the next two defensive stands.
Oklahoma St. 85 Southern Illinois 77: In Oklahoma City, Ivan McFarlin scored a career-high 31 points to move Oklahoma State into the round-of-16 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1991-92.
The second-seeded Cowboys will play third-seeded Arizona next weekend in a meeting of the two oldest coaches in the tournament. Arizona’s Lute Olson is 70, and Oklahoma State’s Eddie Sutton is 69.
Jamaal Tatum led the Salukis with 22 points. Seventh-seeded Southern Illinois got within 72-68 on Tatum’s 3-pointer, but Jameson Curry answered with a 3-pointer of his own. Oklahoma State hit all eight of its free throws down the stretch and McFarlin added a two-handed jam with 44.3 seconds left to keep his team ahead.
Michigan State 72 Vermont 61: In Worcester, Massachusetts, Maurice Ager scored 19 points and Paul Davis had 11 points and 14 rebounds to send Michigan State to the regional semifinals.
Vermont’s T.J. Sorrentine led all players with 26 points, but made just 6 of 15 shots from 3-point range.
Duke 63 Mississippi State 55: In Charlotte, North Carolina, Daniel Ewing handled the offense and Shelden Williams took care of defense to lead the top-seeded Blue Devils to the win in the second round of the Austin Regional. Duke moved into the regional semifinals for the eighth consecutive year, the longest current streak in the nation. The Blue Devils will play fifth-seeded Michigan State.
Louisville 76 Georgia Tech 54: In Nashville, Tennessee, Francisco Garcia scored 18 of his 21 points in the first half and Taquan Dean stopped any hope Georgia Tech had for a rally with back-to-back 3-pointers, sealing a victory that sent Louisville to the regional semifinals for the first time since 1997. Dean finished with 14 points, all but two on 3-pointers, and also had six rebounds and two assists. Larry O’Bannon added 16 for the fourth-seeded Cardinals (31-4), who have won 20 of their last 21.
