Road to Final Four

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Mar 27, 2012

Road to Final Four

Kentucky 81, W. Kentucky 66

Kentucky began its quest for an eighth national title with a commanding win over No. 16 seeded Western Kentucky. Wildcats' freshman Anthony Davis (23) had 16 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks en route to the 81-66 win.

Kentucky 87, Iowa State 71

Despite a valiant effort from Iowa State star Royce White, the Cyclones weren't able to get around Marquis Teague and Kentucky. The freshman (pictured) scored a career-high 24 points in helping the team advance to the Sweet 16.

Kentucky 102, Indiana 90

Looking to avenge its December buzzer-beater loss to Indiana, Kentucky came out swinging in the Sweet 16. The Wildcats handed Indiana a 102-90 loss. "It was a war and Indiana played great," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. "We just happened to play a little bit better."

Kentucky 82, Baylor 70

Kentucky claimed the South Regional title in Atlanta with an 82-70 victory over No. 3 seeded Baylor. Anthony Davis (23) and company are the favorites to take the national title.

Ohio State 78, Loyola (MD) 59

Size mattered when No. 2 Ohio State took on No. 15 Loyola (Md.) in Pittsburgh for the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Greyhounds were visibly outmatched and struggled to make an offensive impact, with OSU outscoring Loyola 38-24 inside.

Ohio State 73, Gonzaga 66

Ohio State locked in its third-straight trip to the Sweet 16 with its 73-66 win over the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Jared Sullinger sank two big basketball within the final three minutes to send Gonzaga packing.

Ohio State 81, Cincinnati 66

Cincinnati's late charge to top the Buckeyes fell a few baskets short as point guard Aaron Craft helped turn a four-point deficit into a double-digit lead for the Buckeyes. Ohio State beat the Bearcats 81-66 in the East Regional semifinal.

Ohio State 77, Syracuse 70

No. 2 Ohio State and No. 1 Syracuse battled back and forth, but ultimately the Buckeyes snagged their first Final Four berth since 2007 with a 77-70 win over the Orange in Boston.

Louisville 69, Davidson 62

After two years of early tournament exits, Rick Pitino-led Louisville moved on in the NCAAs for the first time since 2009 with a 69-62 victory over Davidson.

Louisville 59, New Mexico 56

Sweeping the Big East tournament was just the beginning for the Cardinals. Peyton Siva and company continued to chug along in the tournament with a 59-56 victory over New Mexico. The Cardinals were able to stave off a late rally by the Lobos and move on to the Sweet 16.

Louisville 57, Michigan State 44

No. 1 seed Michigan State saw its title hopes slip away when it was upset by No. 4 Louisville at the West Regional semifinals. The Spartans struggled throughout, shooting just 28 percent, while the Cardinals dominated inside.

Louisville 72, Florida 68

Outscoring Florida by 15 points over the game's concluding 10 minutes, Louisville locked up a spot in the Final Four with a 72-68 victory over the Gators in the West Regional final.

Kansas 65, Detroit 50

Kansas did not join fellow number No. 2 seeds Missouri and Duke in their early tournament exits. The Jayhawks took a commanding 65-50 victory over Detroit to advance to the Round of 32.

Kansas 63, Purdue 60

Kansas held off Robbie Hummel and the Boilermakers in a heated third-round matchup. Jayhawks big man Thomas Robinson scored 11 points and grabbed 13 rebounds en route to the 63-60 win.

Kansas 60, North Carolina State 57

N.C. State wasn't going down without a fight. But ultimately the Wolfpack couldn't outmatch the Jayhawks, who took a 60-57 win to advance to the Elite 8.

Kansas 80, North Carolina 67

A Kendall Marshall-less North Carolina squad saw its title hopes go up in flames as the Jayhawks surged in the second half to boot the No. 1 seed out of the tournament. The Jayhawks will now face Ohio State in a national semifinal.