East Region – Second Round: No. 1 North Carolina demolished No. 9 Arkansas 108-77 to sweep through Raleigh into the Sweet 16 in Charlotte. The Tar Heels lit up a team known for its defense by shooting 67.7 percent from the field. Sophomore guards Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson led North Carolina with 20 points and 19 points, respectively. Arkansas’ offense did not play poorly, but the Razorbacks could not match the Tar Heels’ level of efficiency. Senior swingman Sonny Weems led the Razorbacks with 19 points. North Carolina will play Washington State next.
No. 2 Tennessee worked overtime to beat No. 7 Butler 76-71 and move into the Sweet 16. Senior guard JaJuan Smith hit all four of his free throw attempts in the final seconds of overtime to help the Volunteers hold on to the win. He finished with 11 points, and sophomore forward Wayne Chism led the team with 16 points and five rebounds. Butler guard Willie Veasley tied the game in regulation with 37 seconds remaining, and neither team got off a shot to win the game in the final seconds of regulation. Senior guard A.J. Graves led all scorers with 21 points.
No. 3 Louisville squashed No. 6 Oklahoma 78-48 with strong defense and a balanced offensive attack. The Cardinals shot 59.3 percent from the field and hit nine three-pionters. Sophomore forward Earl Clark led Louisville with 14 points and five rebounds. The Sooners never got on track, shooting just 31.9 percent. Freshman forward Blake Griffin had only eight points in the loss.
[3/23/08]
