The field is set for the Elite Eight, as tonight’s NCAA Tournament action whittled eight teams down to the four who will join Connecticut, Florida, Arizona and Butler as the next round of play continues this weekend.
First, No. 2 North Carolina blew out No. 11 Marquette, 81-63, with Tyler Zeller collecting 27 points and 12 rebounds, Harrison Barnes scoring 20 points, and John Henson recording 14 points and 12 boards for the Tar Heels.
No. 1 Kansas unsurprisingly defeated No. 12 Richmond, 77-57, with Brady Morningstar scoring 18 points for the Jayhawks. Kansas jumped out to a 31-9 lead in the first half and never looked back.
No. 4 Kentucky pulled off an upset of No. 1 Ohio State, 62-60, as Brandon Knight hit a jumper with two points remaining to seal the deal for the Wildcats. Josh Harrellson led Kentucky with 17 points. The Buckeyes were ranked No. 1 in the country for much of the year, so their departure leaves a void, and Kansas is the only No. 1 seed remaining after the exits of Pitt, Duke and now OSU.
No. 10 Florida State and No. 11 VCU are still in progress and are headed to overtime, 65-65. Derwin Kitchen has 21 points for the Seminoles, and Bradford Burgess has 21 for the Rams.