JD Notae recorded 21 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals to lead fourth-seeded Arkansas to a 74-68 upset of top-seeded Gonzaga on Thursday night in an NCAA Tournament West Regional Sweet 16 contest at San Francisco.
Jaylin Williams added 15 points and 12 rebounds and Trey Wade had 15 points and seven rebounds as the Razorbacks (28-8) advanced to the Elite Eight for the second straight season.
Arkansas will face second-seeded Duke in Saturday’s regional final.
Drew Timme registered 25 points and seven rebounds and Julian Strawther had 12 points for the Bulldogs (28-4), who played in the Sweet 16 for the seventh straight NCAA Tournament. Chet Holmgren contributed 11 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out with 3:29 left.
WEST REGION (San Francisco)
#2 Duke 78, #3 Texas Tech 73
The Blue Devils made their last eight shots and shot a torrid 70.8 percent in the second half to push past the Red Raiders.
Paolo Banchero sank the go-ahead 3-pointer with just under three minutes left and scored 22 points for Duke (31-6). Mark Williams added 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots while Jeremy Roach scored 15 points.
Bryson Williams scored 21 points and Kevin McCullar added 17 for Texas Tech (27-10). Adonis Arms recorded 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
SOUTH REGION (San Antonio)
#5 Houston 72, #1 Arizona 60
Jamal Shead poured in 21 points and Kyler Edwards added 19, including a huge 3-pointer with 1:26 to play, as the Cougars waylaid the Wildcats in their Sweet 16 game.
Houston (32-5) will play second-seeded Villanova on Saturday in the Elite Eight. The Cougars never trailed, earning a six-point lead at halftime via its defense and holding off the deeper Wildcats in the second half with timely 3-pointers from Shead and Edwards.
The Cougars held Arizona to 33.3 percent shooting. Dalen Terry paced the Wildcats (33-4) with 17 points, while Bennedict Mathurin added 15 and Christian Koloko had 10.
#2 Villanova 63, #11 Michigan 55
The Wildcats got 22 points from Jermaine Samuels, hit timely shots and made key stops in a gritty 63-55 win over the Wolverines.
Justin Moore added 15 points for Villanova (29-7), and Gillespie chipped in 12, all on 3-pointers.
Hunter Dickinson led Michigan (19-15) with 15 points and 15 rebounds, while Eli Brooks scored 14.