(8) Providence 83, (16) DePaul 74
No. 8 Providence’s defense stepped up late to help the Friars rally for an 83-74 win against No. 16 DePaul. The Friars trailed by four with 11 minutes remaining when their defense shut down DePaul’s offense, allowing no field goals for more than nine minutes. Senior guard Jeff Xavier capped the comeback with a three-pointer in the final minute that gave the Friars a 10-point lead. Junior guard Sharaud Curry led the Friars with 25 points, hitting five three-pointers. Providence will play No. 1 Louisville in the quarterfinals.
(5) Marquette 74, (13) St. John’s 45
No. 5 Marquette crushed No. 13 St. John’s 74-45 by out-working the Red Storm for loose rebounds and out-shooting St. John’s from the field. Senior guard Wesley Matthews led the Golden Eagles with 20 points and nine rebounds, junior forward Lazar Hayward added 17 points and nine rebounds. Marquette collected 35 rebounds to the Red Storm’s 20, and the Golden Eagles shot 48 percent from the field compared to 39 percent for St. John’s. Marquette will play No. 4 Villanova in the quarterfinals. The teams split two regular-season games.
(7) West Virginia 74, (10) Notre Dame 62
No. 7 West Virginia jumped out to a 20-5 lead after the first 10 minutes and led by as much as 20 in the second half en route to a 74-62 win against No. 10 Notre Dame. West Virginia countered hot shooting by senior guard Kyle McAlarney and junior forward Luke Harangody’s 27 points by hitting 11 three-pointers. Senior guard Alex Ruoff made four three-pointers, finishing with 25 points. The Mountaineers will face No. 2 Pittsburgh Thursday. West Virginia lost to Pittsburgh by 12 in January.
(6) Syracuse 89, (11) Seton Hall 74
No. 6 Syracuse took over a close game after the Orange and No. 11 Seton Hall mixed it up, drawing double technical fouls. Junior guard Eric Devendorf scored 19 points in the second half to help lead Syracuse to a 89-74 victory. Sophomore guard Jonny Flynn added 19 points and 11 assists. The Orange will play No. 3 Connecticut in the quarterfinals. The Huskies beat Syracuse by 14 in February.
