BUFFALO, N.Y. — Dayton coach Archie Miller almost didn’t want to look.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Dayton coach Archie Miller almost didn’t want to look.
Syracuse star freshman point guard Tyler Ennis was open at the top of the key with 2 seconds left and the Flyers holding a two-point lead. When Ennis’ attempt to win the game clanged harmlessly off the rim, Dayton had a victory it had been chasing for three decades.
“We have a good program with great tradition,” Miller said Saturday night after Dayton defeated Syracuse 55-53 in a South Region game in the NCAA tournament to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in 30 years. “Now, we have the ability to build, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Ennis had beaten Pittsburgh last month with a 40-foot shot at the buzzer, so he had the confidence to try again, even though Syracuse had missed all nine attempts from behind the arc against the pesky Flyers.
“The last shot was a great shot. It was the right play,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “A chance to win the game. You don’t have enough time to get to the basket. I have no problem with that shot.”
Neither did the 35-year-old Miller, though he probably aged just a little bit while the ball was in the air.
“That thing was on line and he went for the win,” Miller said. “The thing that went through my head was the game at Pitt, when I saw that highlight 7,000 times when he banged the 3. I thought he was going to go to the basket. When I saw him raise up, I didn’t feel good about it. But Buffalo’s been good to us these last couple of days on the buzzer shots.”
It sure has.
Vee Sanford’s basket with 3.8 seconds left was the margin of victory in Dayton’s one-point win over in-state rival Ohio State on Thursday. After that game, the Dayton Daily News mocked Buckeyes fans who refer to “The Ohio State University” with a headline that read: “THE University of Dayton.”
Dayton (25-10), the 11th seed in the South, now advances to the regional semifinals next week against No. 2 seed Kansas or 10th-seeded Stanford.
Syracuse was in position to pull this one out, but Ennis also missed a foul-line jumper with 8 seconds left. He was down in the subdued locker room, with red faces all around, but confident he had made the right decision as he had so many times in a standout season.
The third-seeded Orange (28-6), who finished second in their first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, struggled all game against the swarming Dayton defense. They missed all 10 attempts from beyond the arc, while the Flyers hit seven times from long range.
It was the first time in 665 games that Syracuse failed to make a 3.
“It’s hard to digest any loss,” said Ennis, who finished with 19 points on 7-of-21 shooting. “They did a good job defensively, and the looks we did get we didn’t capitalize.”
Dyshawn Pierre scored 14 points and Jordan Sibert, held scoreless in the first half, hit a key 3-pointer with 47.7 seconds for Dayton.
Sibert finished with 10 points and Sanford had eight, but Sibert nearly gave it away when he stepped out of bounds while the Orange pressured him in the corner with 14 seconds left.
After Ennis settled for a jumper from the foul line that missed, instead of driving the lane as he had all night, Syracuse fouled Pierre and he made one free throw, giving the Orange one more golden opportunity.
Florida 61, Pittsburgh 45
ORLANDO, Fla. — Scottie Wilbekin scored 21 points and top-seeded Florida advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive year.
Patric Young added seven points and eight rebounds for the Gators, who extended their school record for consecutive wins to 28 with the victory in the South Regional.
Coming off a lackluster performance in its NCAA opener, Florida (34-2) played with considerably more energy and intensity against the Panthers (26-10).
Wilbekin and Young spearheaded the effort. The Gators were 5 of 20 from behind the arc, with at least five of those rimming in and out.
Florida advanced to the round of 16, where it will play fourth-seeded UCLA or 12th-seeded Stephen F. Austin on Thursday in Memphis, Tenn. The Bruins and Lumberjacks play Sunday in San Diego.
Talib Zanna led the Panthers with 10 points, their only player in double figures.
EAST REGION
Michigan State 80, Harvard 73
SPOKANE, Wash. — Branden Dawson scored a career-high 26 points to help fourth-seeded Michigan State fend off a wild Harvard rally.
The 12th-seeded Crimson (27-5) trailed by 16 early in the second half but took a 62-60 lead when Laurent Rivard hit a 3-pointer with 7:12 remaining. Travis Trice answered with a 3 of his own on the next possession, and the Spartans (28-8) never trailed again.
Michigan State made it to the Sweet 16 for the 12th time in 17 years. Gary Harris had 18 points and five assists for the Spartans, who will play top-seeded Virginia or No. 8 seed Memphis on Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Wesley Saunders led Harvard with 22 points, two days after the Crimson won an NCAA tournament game for the second time in school history.
Connecticut 77, Villanova 65
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Shabazz Napier scored 25 points in leading Connecticut over second-seeded Villanova, which became the highest seed to get knocked out of the tournament so far.
No. 7 seed Connecticut (28-8) advanced to the regional semifinals in New York City next week, when they’ll play the winner of Sunday’s game between third-seeded Iowa State and sixth-seeded North Carolina.
Ryan Arcidiacono scored 18 points for Villanova (29-5) in a matchup of two former Big East rivals.
UConn coach Kevin Ollie improved to 2-0 in his tournament debut, two years since taking over after Jim Calhoun stepped down because of health issues, and a year after the Huskies were barred from postseason play because of academic sanctions.
MIDWEST REGION
Louisville 66, Saint Louis 51
Luke Hancock scored 21 points and defending national champion Louisville shrugged off a cold shooting performance to advance to the Sweet 16 for the third straight year.
The fourth-seeded Cardinals (31-5) shot under 45 percent, had 19 turnovers and only got 11 points from star Russ Smith. It didn’t matter, with the fifth-seeded Billikens (27-7) going 0 for 15 from 3-point range and struggling to take care of the ball.
Louisville moved on to face No. 1 seed Wichita State or No. 8 seed Kentucky. The unbeaten Shockers and Wildcats meet Sunday in St. Louis.
Saint Louis, which has never been to the Sweet 16, lost in the third round of the tournament for the third consecutive year. Dwayne Evans led the Billikens with 16 points and Atlantic 10 player of the year Jordair Jett finished with 15.
Michigan 79, Texas 65
MILWAUKEE — Nik Stauskas had 17 points and eight assists to lead Michigan to the Sweet 16 for the second straight year.
Jordan Morgan added 15 points and 10 rebounds as No. 2 seed Michigan (27-8) advanced to the regional semifinals in Indianapolis. The Wolverines will face the winner of Sunday’s Mercer-Tennessee game in Raleigh, N.C.
Michigan lost to Louisville in the national championship game a year ago.
Isiah Taylor scored 22 points for Texas on 8-for-22 shooting. The seventh-seeded Longhorns (24-11) outrebounded the Wolverines 41-30, but got off to a slow start and never recovered.
WEST REGION
Wisconsin 85, Oregon 77
MILWAUKEE — Ben Brust hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:07 left and second-seeded Wisconsin overcame seventh-seeded Oregon to reach the Sweet 16.
Brust’s clutch 3 from the corner gave the Badgers (28-7) the lead for good in a heavyweight fight of an NCAA tournament game. They will play third-seeded Creighton or No. 6 seed Baylor in the regional semifinals.
Traevon Jackson followed with three free throws, but missed one with 21 seconds left to give the Ducks (24-10) one more chance to tie trailing by three.
Oregon gave it to Joseph Young, who had made big shots all night and scored 29 points. But he missed a rushed 3 from the wing and the Badgers sealed it at the foul line as an arena filled with Wisconsin fans broke into a deafening roar.
San Diego State 63, North Dakota State 44
SPOKANE, Wash. — Xavier Thames scored 30 points and San Diego State reached the round of 16 for the second time in school history.
The fourth-seeded Aztecs (31-4) now get to make the short drive up the highway to Anaheim, Calif., where they will face No. 1 seed Arizona or eighth-seeded Gonzaga in the West Regional semifinals.
Thames, who was 9 of 19 from the field, had five assists and ended the comeback hopes of the Bison with a six-point spurt late in the second half.
Dwayne Polee II was the only other San Diego State player in double figures with 15 points.
Kory Brown led the 12th-seeded Bison (26-7) with 13 points, but the best shooting team in the country shot only 31.9 percent.