(1) Louisville 73, (8) Providence 55
No. 1 Louisville might have popped No. 8 Providence’s bubble in a 73-55 romp in the quarterfinals. The Friars likely needed at least one more marquis win to add to the résumé to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Junior swingman Earl Clark and freshman forward Samardo Samuels denied that opportunity. Clark finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, and Samuels added 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
(4) Villanova 76, (5) Marquette 75
No. 4 Villanova captured its second win in three tries this season against No. 5 Marquette in dramatic fashion. Senior forward Dwayne Anderson made his only basket of the game on a layup that hit every part of the rim with nearly no time remaining to give the Wildcats a 76-75 win after Villanova blew a 17-point first-half lead. Junior forward Lazar Hayward hit a three-pointer with less than two minutes remaining to give Marquette a one-point lead.
(7) West Virginia 74, (2) Pittsburgh 60
No. 7 West Virginia proved it can go toe to toe with anyone in the country by beating No. 2 Pittsburgh 74-60. The Mountaineers attacked sophomore forward DeJuan Blair all game, getting the big man to foul out in only 18 minutes of action. With Blair on the bench most of the game, the Mountaineers fought to a near draw on the glass. Pittsburgh failed to make a single three-pointer in the game. Freshman forward Devin Ebanks led West Virginia with 20 points and was 10-of-11 from the foul line. West Virginia had a significant advantage at the line, making 24-of-27 free throw attempts.
