NEW YORK, 20 March 2006 — Top-ranked Duke eased past George Washington 74-61 in Greensboro on Saturday to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the ninth consecutive year.
But second seed Tennessee Volunteers were upset 80-73 by seventh-seeded Wichita State, sending the Shockers through to the final 16 for the first time since 1981.
In San Diego, Bobby Jones nailed a pair of tie-breaking free throws with less than a minute to play as fifth seed Washington Huskies rallied past fourth seed Illinois 67-64.
It was another routine win for Duke, who are bidding to reach the Final Four for the second time in three years.
J.J. Redick scored 20 points and Shelden Williams added 17, freshman Josh McRoberts chipped in with 14 and a career-high 13 rebounds.
In Jacksonville, Darrel Mitchell’s three-pointer with 3.9 seconds to play allowed the Tigers to escape with a 58-57 win over 12th ranked Texas A&M in the Atlanta region clash.
Glen Davis paced LSU with 21 points and eight rebounds while Mitchell finished with 18 points.
In Oakland bracket play, second seed UCLA and third seed Gonzaga advanced in contrasting fashions. While Gonzaga, led by a 20 point, nine rebound effort from J.P. Batista, eased past sixth seed Indiana 90-80, the Bruins squeaked out a narrow 62-59 win over 10th seeded Alabama.
Jordan Farmar had 18 points, including five three-pointers for the Bruins, who return to the regional semifinals for the first time since 2002.
In the Minneapolis bracket, Corey Brewer scored 23 points to help power the third seeded Florida Gators past 11th ranked Wisconsin-Milwaukee 82-60. Craig Smith’s 22 points and 16 rebounds sparked the fourth seeded Boston College Eagles to a 69-56 victory over the 12th ranked Montana Grizzlies.
