Cards, Gators, Wolverines and the Elite Eight

Two more spots remain in Atlanta. Four teams do battle.

South Region final

No. 4 seed Michigan (29-7) vs. No. 3 seed Florida (29-7)

Arlington, Texas | Arena: Cowboys Stadium (42,614)

Behind double-double performances by Mitch McGary (25 points and 14 rebounds) and Trey Burke (23 points and 10 assists), Michigan defeated top-seeded Kansas, 87-85, in overtime inside Cowboys Stadium. The fourth-seeded Wolverines trailed by 14 points before outscoring the Jayhawks 23-8 over the final seven minutes of the second half. Burke scored all of his 23 points in the second half and overtime, including eight points in the final 1:15 of regulation, capped by a long triple with four seconds on the clock to send the game into overtime and advance to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight for the first time since the 1993-1994 season. Glenn Robinson III, Nik Stauskas and Tim Hardaway Jr. also contributed in double-digit scoring. Robinson finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Stauskas and Hardaway added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Michigan advanced to its first Elite Eight for the first time since 1994. The Wolverines advanced with an 87-85 victory over No. 1 seed Kansas in the Regional Semifinal. Last weekend, the Wolverines defeated No. 13 South Dakota State (71-56) and No. 5 VCU (78-53) in Auburn Hills, Mich., to advance to this weekend’s regional.

Michigan is 1-1 (1-0*) all-time against Florida. U-M lost its last meeting, 79-63, at the Orange Bowl Classic (Dec. 27, 1998). U-M is 1-0 against Florida in the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines defeated the Gators, 108-85, in the 1988 West Regional Second Round in Salt Lake City, Utah. John Beilein is 1-1 all-time against Florida. Beilein met Florida in each of his first two seasons at West Virginia, defeating the Gators, 68-66, on Dec. 2, 2002 in Charleston, W. Va., and falling to Florida, 70-57, on Dec. 20, 2003, in Miami, Fla. John Beilein is 1-2 all-time against Billy Donovan. In addition to the pair of meetings between West Virginia and Florida, Donovan’s Marshall defeated Beilein’s Canisius, 102-92, on Dec. 10, 1994.

The Florida Gators earned a trip to the NCAA Elite Eight for the third straight season, the only team in the nation to do so. Florida posted a 62-50 victory over FGCU in the Sweet 16, led by 15 points from Mike Rosario while limiting the Eagles to tied for their lowest scoring total of the season. UF’s defense forced 20 turnovers in the game.

UF is in its 13th NCAA Tournament under head coach Billy Donovan, who holds a 31-10 record (.756) in the event. His 31 tournament victories are the most by any SEC coach, surpassing Adolph Rupp’s 30. UF is making its sixth Elite Eight appearance since 2000, the most in the SEC in that time. UK has five over that stretch, and the rest of the teams in the conference (including Missouri while in the Big 12) have five combined.

Florida notes

Michigan Notes

Michigan-Florida Preview

Midwest Region final

No. 2 seed Duke (30-5) vs. No. 1 seed Louisville (32-5)

Indianapolis, Ind. • Lucas Oil Stadium (36,000)

Duke defeated No. 3 seed Michigan State 71-61 in the NCAA Sweet 16 to advance to the Elite Eight for the 13th time under head coach Mike Krzyzewski. Duke is 11-1 in the Elite Eight under Coach K and 16-2 all-time. Duke has won each of the last four NCAA Tournament Regional Final contests (1999, 2001, 2004 & 2010). Duke is playing in its 18th consecutive NCAA Tournament, the longest active streak of any program. Duke is 26-8 when playing as a No. 2 seed in the tournament. The Blue Devils are 13-3 when playing in the Midwest Region. Duke is 8-4 against No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.

Louisville will be looking to advance to its 10th NCAA Final Four and second straight on Sunday. Louisville is seventh in NCAA Final Four appearances, last reaching that plateau a year ago in 2012. Louisville has been to at least the Sweet 16 in four of the last six years and reached the Elite Eight in three of the last six years. Only four coaches have coached more Final Four teams than Pitino’s six, a feat matched by three others. Pitino is the first coach to lead three different teams to the Final Four. Louisville’s NCAA Final Four teams: 1959,1972, 1975, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986, 2005, 2012.This is the third time the Cardinals have entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed. Uof L reached the Final Four in 1983 as a

No. 1 seed before falling to Houston in the national semifinals, and reached the Elite Eight in 2009 before losing to Michigan State. Louisville was a No.4 seed last year and advanced to the Final Four. The Cards have a 9-2 record as a No. 1 seed since the NCAA began seeding teams in 1979.

Louisville trails 3-5 in the series with Duke, but the Cardinals have won three of the last four matchups.  Earlier this season, Duke claimed the championship of the 2012 Battle 4 Atlantis in beating Louisville 76-71 (11/24/12). All five Duke starters scored in double figures, with Mason Plumlee leading the way with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting. U of L, which was without injured center Gorgui Dieng, was led by Peyton Siva’s 19 points and six steals while Russ Smith added 17 points. Even without Dieng, Louisville outrebounded Duke 38-33 and had 14 offensive boards. The Cardinals earned their second national title as they prevailed 72-69 over Duke in the 1986 NCAA Championship game behind Final Four Most Outstanding Player Pervis Ellison’s 25 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots (3/31/86).

Duke notes

Louisville notes

For Duke, Elite Eight game vs. Louisville has title feel

It’s full circle for Pitino, Krzyzewski

Louisville, Duke have evolved since early-season matchup

Trey Burke, Seth Curry, Russ Smith and Friday night with the guards