Midwest Regional – Sweet 16: No. 1 Kansas used a 13-1 run to end the first half, build a 19-point lead and eventually cruise to a 72-57 win against No. 12 Villanova. The Jayhawks got an early double-digit lead and never let Villanova pull closer than seven points. Junior swingman Brandon Rush led Kansas with 16 points, senior guard Russell Robinson had 15 points, and junior guard Mario Chalmers added 14 to pace Kansas’ balanced attack. On defense, Kansas limited Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds to 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting. The Wildcats shot only 35.6 percent from the field. Kansas will look to reach the Final Four by beating upstart Davidson in the Elite Eight.
No. 10 Davidson has answered the question about who is this year’s George Mason. The Wildcats pulled off their second consecutive major upset by beating No. 3 Wisconsin 73-56 to move a game away from the Final Four. After battling to a 36-36 tie at halftime, Davidson’s defense shut down the Badgers, and sophomore guard Stephen Curry took over. Curry outscored the Badgers 22-20 in the second half on his own. He finished with 33 points, including six three-pointers, giving him more than 30 points in all four of his career NCAA Tournament games. Senior guard Jason Richards added 11 points and 13 assists for Davidson, which committed only five turnovers in the ruthlessly efficient dismantling of Wisconsin. [3/28/08]
