SAN FRANCISCO — JD Notae scored 21 points despite missing 20 shots and fourth-seeded Arkansas made Gonzaga miserable on both ends of the floor, bouncing the top overall seed from the NCAA Tournament with a 74-68 win on Thursday night.
Notae finished with six rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocked shots for coach Eric Musselman’s scrappy, hustling Razorbacks (28-8), who reached the Elite Eight for the second straight year and will face Duke in the West Region final on Saturday.
Drew Timme scored 25 points but couldn’t rally the Bulldogs (28-4), who for the second straight season were favored to win that elusive national title but were eliminated by a more physical foe. Coach Mark Few’s squad was undefeated last year before falling to Baylor in the national title game.
Arkansas continually challenged 7-foot Gonzaga freshman Chet Holmgren in the paint, and the skinny NBA prospect fouled out with 3:29 remaining after some questionable calls went against him. Holmgren finished with 11 points, all in the second half, and 14 rebounds in what may be his final college game.
Notae shot 9 of 29 overall and 2 of 12 from 3-point range but was still the catalyst for the Razorbacks. The senior guard’s 3 with 6:38 left made it 59-50, and Arkansas held on from there.
DUKE 78, TEXAS TECH 73
SAN FRANCISCO — Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski moved within one win of his record-setting 13th trip to the Final Four in his farewell season thanks to two late baskets by Jeremy Roach that helped seal the Blue Devils’ win over Texas Tech.
Roach’s two shots were part of a 7-0 run as the steady sophomore came through in the clutch for a second straight game to send second-seeded Duke (31-6) into an Elite Eight matchup against Arkansas.
Paolo Banchero led Duke with 22 points, Mark Williams scored 16 and Roach added 15 as the Blue Devils held off third-seeded Texas Tech (27-10) and gave Coach K his record 100th NCAA Tournament victory. Krzyzewski announced last June he would retire after this season.
Griffin’s two free throws with 12.9 seconds to play gave Duke a 77-73 lead. Adonis Arms then missed a 3-pointer and Krzyzewski gave an emphatic fist pump.
Bryson Williams scored 21 points to lead Texas Tech and Kevin McCullar added 17. Kevin Obanor had 10 points and 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double in six career tournament games.
SOUTH REGION
HOUSTON 72, ARIZONA 60
SAN ANTONIO — Jamal Shead scored a career-high 21 points and Houston beat top-seeded Arizona to move within one win of a second straight Final Four.
With Taze Moore getting into early foul trouble after his 3-pointer for a 5-0 lead in the first two minutes, Shead and Kyler Edwards were both on the court nearly the entire game for the fifth-seeded Cougars (32-5). Edwards, the Texas Tech transfer who played in the 2019 national championship game for the Red Raiders, had 19 points with five 3-pointers.
Houston plays second-seeded Villanova in the South Region final on Saturday in San Antonio, which is about 200 miles from the UH campus.
Terry had 17 points for the Wildcats (33-4), while Pac-12 player of the year Bennedict Mathurin had 15 and Christian Koloko 10.
VILLANOVA 63, MICHIGAN 55
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Jermaine Samuels scored 22 points and carried Villanova’s offense as the Wildcats finished off Michigan.
Samuels shot 8 of 13 from the field with much of his scoring coming on tough drives through Michigan defenders and around big man Hunter Dickinson. The Wildcats had long stretches of misfiring on 3-pointers but did enough to move on to the Elite Eight, where they will face Houston.
It’s the deepest run in the tournament for second-seeded Villanova (28-7) since coach Jay Wright won the second of his two national titles in 2018. The loss ends a turbulent season for Michigan (19-15), which squeaked into the tournament field only to shine in the first two rounds.
Dickinson led the Wolverines with 15 points and 15 rebounds, and Eli Brooks scored 14 points. Justin Moore scored 15 points and Collin Gillespie scored 12 for Villanova.
