Sports

Texas fans rejoice after long hiatus

Men's NCAA Notebook

Charley Miles

After 56 years, the Final Four seemed like something Longhorn fans could only dream about. But after their 85-76 win over Michigan State on Sunday, Texas is going to the NCAA Tournament semifinals for the first time since 1947.

Star point guard T.J. Ford led all scorers with 19 points in the 85-76 win. He also dished out 10 assists. Brandon Mouton, who was coming off a 27-point performance against Connecticut, had 16. Ford was named MVP of the South Regional after brilliant performances in the four games.

The iHorns will be the only No. 1 seed in New Orleans after Kentucky, Arizona and Oklahoma all were eliminated in the Elite Eight. They face the young and talented Syracuse Orangemen in the semifinals on Saturday.

Syracuse will be in the Big Easy after their big and easy 63-47 win over Oklahoma on Sunday. The Orangemen suffocated the Sooners with a 2-3 zone, forcing OU to settle for jumpers. The Sooners had five turnovers in the first five minutes and ended the game with a season-high 19 giveaways.

Freshman phenom Carmelo Anthony continued his dominance, scoring 20 points in Sundayis game and being named the MVP of the East Regional. Hakim Warrick added 13. DeiAngelo Alexander led the Sooners with 14 points.

The loss was a disappointing end to the college career of senior guard Hollis Price. The New Orleans native was hoping to return to his hometown for one last shot at the National Championship. Price was held to eight points and two assists.

The Orangemen will need the same defensive intensity on Saturday when they try to stop T.J. Ford and the Texas Longhorns in the semis.

The Marquette Golden Eagles are in the Final Four for the first time since 1977 after their 83-69 win over Kentucky. The Wildcats came in on a 26-game winning streak and were steam rolling through the tournament, but the Golden Eagles gave Kentucky its first loss in three months with a masterful performance by Dwayne Wade.

It was clearly not the Wildcatsi day, as Marquette ran away from them during a 35-12 run over the last 12 minutes of the first half. The Golden Eagles led by 19 at the half and werenit seriously challenged after that point.

Dwayne Wade joined Magic Johnson and Andre Miller on the list of the only players ever to have a triple-double in an NCAA Tournament game, as he contributed 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. This came two days after Wade scored 20 points in the second half against Pittsburgh. Robert Jackson had 24 points and 15 rebounds for the Golden Eagles.

Keith Bogans, playing with a high ankle sprain, led Kentucky with 15 points. Gerald Fitch also had 15 for the Wildcats.

Marquette opens the Final Four against Kansas on Saturday.

The Kansas Jayhawks knocked off No. 1 seed Arizona for another trip to the Final Four. The 78-75 win gave Roy Williamsi team its second consecutive Final Four appearance. The Jayhawks let a 16-point first-half lead and a 14-point second-half lead slip away, but they held on by making big shots when they needed them.

After scoring only two points in the win over Duke, senior guard Kirk Hinrich exploded for 28 points Saturday. The Jayhawks also got 13 points and 15 rebounds from Jeff Graves.

Jason Gardner led Arizona with 23 points. Luke Walton had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Kansas will try to cool the hot hand of Dwayne Wade as they battle Marquette in the semifinals Saturday.

Meanwhile in the NIT

Texas Tech didnit get invited to the dance but itill still have a chance to win a championship, albeit the National Invitation Tournament championship. The Red Raiders face St. Johnis in the semifinals at 8:30 tonight. Georgetown takes on Minnesota in the other semifinal match-up at 6 tonight.

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