Villanova forward Will Sheridan slipped behind Boston College's defense to get an inbounds pass under the hoop in the final seconds on Friday as the Wildcats beat Boston College 60-59 and move within reach of the Final Four.
Louis Hinnant's desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer missed everything and Villanova advance to play Florida in the Minneapolis Regional final today.
Randy Foye carried the load for most of the game, scoring 29 points to offset a horrendous night from Allan Ray and the rest of Villanova's vaunted four-guard lineup.
Foye scored six straight points for top-seeded Villanova (28-4) at the end of regulation, then added a 3-pointer and tough driving layup in overtime for a 58-55 lead.
Jared Dudley and Craig Smith came right back with layups, the last one by Smith with 12 seconds to go to give No. 4 seed BC a 59-58 lead.
On the ensuing possession, Foye was foiled on a drive to the hoop and the ball trickled out of bounds. With the Eagles (28-8) blanketing Foye on the inbounds play, Sheridan sneaked in for the open look.
Florida 57, Georgetown 53
At Minneapolis, Corey Brewer's tiebreaking, falling-down shot and subsequent three-point play with 27.5 seconds left lifted the third-seeded Florida over Georgetown.
Florida (30-6) will play top-seeded Villanova on Sunday in the final, with the winner advancing to next weekend's Final Four in Indianapolis.
Brewer and rest of Florida's super sophomores are erasing memories of the Gators' recent tournament failures. The Gators hadn't been past the second round since 2000.
Joakim Noah had 15 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in yet another all-around effort. Taurean Green scored 13 points, and Al Horford added 12 points to give the Gators what they needed to get past the tenacious, seventh-seeded Hoyas (23-10).
Jeff Green led Georgetown with 15 points, and Ashanti Cook added 12 points.
George Mason 63, Wichita St. 55
At Washington, George Mason used a shutdown defense to take nearly all the suspense out of its mid-major matchup with Wichita State.
Now the 11th-seeded Patriots are one victory from taking their magical run all the way to the Final Four.
Folarin Campbell scored 16 points and George Mason stifled seventh-seeded Wichita State (26-9), moving into the NCAA tournament's round of eight for the first time.
There were questions on Selection Sunday about whether the Patriots belonged at the Big Dance as an at-large choice from the Colonial Athletic Association, in part because the team lost two of its last four games.
Senior guards Tony Skinn and Lamar Butler added 14 points apiece for the Patriots (26-7). George Mason advances to meet top-seeded Connecticut or fifth-seeded Washington on Sunday.
Connecticut 98, Washington 92
At Washington, Connecticut overcame a season-high 26 turnovers and 10-point second-half deficit to force overtime on Rashad Anderson's 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left in regulation.
The Huskies of the Big East held off the foul-depleted Huskies of the Pac-10 in the extra period for a place in the NCAA's round of eight.
Marcus Williams, who got an earful from coach Jim Calhoun during a careless stretch in the first half, recovered to score a career-high 26 points as Connecticut advanced to regional finals for the sixth time in 12 years. UConn (30-3) will play for a spot in the Final Four on Sunday against 11th-seeded George Mason.
Senior Jamaal Williams came off the bench to score a career-high 27 points, including the first 3-pointer of his college career, to lead fifth-seeded Washington (26-7).
The Huskies from the Pac-10 failed to hold a 10-point lead with 15 minutes to play and began to run out of players down the stretch: Two fouled out in regulation, and two more in overtime.
LeBron James scored 36 points to lead Cleveland to a 94-82 win over the Boston Celtics on Friday night, moving the Cavaliers closer to their first playoff berth in eight years.
James added eight assists and seven rebounds and put the finishing touches on the win with three sparkling plays in the final minute.
James scored on an off-balance drive to the basket that left him sprawled along the baseline, but quickly got up and raced down court to steal the ball from Paul Pierce. He then dribbled back the other way and hit a 3-pointer to bring the sellout crowd to its feet with 18 seconds to play.
The Cavaliers won their fourth in a row overall and sixth straight at home, where they are 26-10.
Pierce scored 24 points to lead Boston, which has lost five of seven.
Heat 114, Bobcats 93
At Miami, Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal combined for 46 points before sitting out the fourth quarter, and the Heat beat Charlotte to snap a two-game losing streak.
Wade had 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting, along with eight assists and five rebounds. O'Neal had 22 points and nine rebounds in only 26 minutes for the Heat, who shot 58 percent from the field and finished off a four-game season sweep of the Bobcats.
The win gave Miami (46-23) a six-game lead over New Jersey (39-28) in the race for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Raymond Felton had 11 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and Brevin Knight had 17 points and six assists for Charlotte, which lost for the 19th time in its last 21 road games.
Magic 102, 76ers 86
At Philadelphia, Dwight Howard had 15 points, 19 rebounds and four blocks to help Orlando snap a 16-game road losing streak.
Orlando hadn't won away from home since its last trip to Philadelphia -- a 119-115 overtime victory over the Sixers on Jan. 26.
Jameer Nelson scored 19 points and led seven Orlando players in double figures.
Chris Webber led the Sixers with 23 points and 15 rebounds, but missed eight straight shots in one stretch during the first half.
Pistons 75, Pacers 72
At Indianapolis, Ben Wallace blocked Danny Granger's 3-pointer at the buzzer and Detroit held off the Pacers.
Richard Hamilton scored 15 points and Antonio McDyess and Tayshaun Prince each added 11 for Detroit, which extended its winning streak to four games.
David Harrison led the Pacers with 14 points and Stephen Jackson added 13.
Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal struggled in his second game back after sitting out for two months with a torn left groin.
He finished with eight points on 3-for-9 shooting and had seven rebounds.
Grizzlies 91, Knicks 75
At New York, Pau Gasol scored 36 points, and Memphis used a dominant defensive effort to beat the Knicks for their sixth straight victory.
Top reserve Mike Miller added 15 points for the Grizzlies, who equaled their longest winning streak of the season and moved into a tie with the Los Angeles Clippers for fifth place in the Western Conference. Lorenzen Wright contributed 12 points and nine rebounds.
Eddy Curry had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who fell behind by double digits midway through the second quarter and never threatened again as their latest losing streak reached four games.
Raptors 97, Timberwolves 77
At Toronto, Morris Peterson scored 21 points and Chris Bosh added 17 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Raptors over Minnesota.
Kevin Garnett had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who have lost nine of 11 to drop to 28-41.
Before the game, Toronto coach Sam Mitchell said he felt for Garnett -- his ex-teammate and good friend.
Minnesota scored a franchise-low eight points in the first quarter. The Timberwolves missed 15 of their first 17 shots as Toronto began the game on a 19-4 run.
Louis Orr coached Seton Hall to a winning record in the Big East Conference this season and made the NCAA tournament, but that was not enough to keep him from being fired Friday.
Seton Hall's New Jersey rival, Rutgers, also made a coaching move, confirming that Fred Hill, the associate head coach, would be promoted to head coach. Hill, who will replace Gary Waters, will be introduced Monday.
In announcing Orr's firing Friday, Seton Hall Athletic Director Joseph A. Quinlan Jr. said his decision was about more than this season.
"To identify one area would be unfair to Louis," Quinlan said when asked why Orr was fired. "It is not just a matter of having wins and losses.
"There are programmatic things that I believe are important for our long-term success that needed to be addressed."
It seemed clear that recruiting was among the issues that concerned Quinlan.
Seton Hall has not signed a recruit for next season, and Orr had been largely unsuccessful in his efforts to bring in quality players from New York and northern New Jersey. The Pirates lost out on a potential key player earlier this week when Malcolm Grant of Brooklyn announced he would attend Villanova. Last summer, Grant gave Seton Hall a commitment.
Quinlan said: "Recruiting is a constant process that you have to be involved in, no matter where you are or who you are. I firmly believe that it is important to have a strong and visible presence in the New York area in regard to recruiting."
After serving as the coach at Siena for one year, Orr was hired at Seton Hall before the 2001-2002 season. He compiled an overall record of 80-69 with the Pirates and guided his team to two NCAA tournament appearances.
This season, Seton Hall was 18-12 overall and 9-7 in the Big East. The Pirates had early defeats to Richmond and Northwestern and lost to Duke by 53 points. But they rebounded in midseason and put together a six-game winning streak that paved the way for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
Seton Hall lost 61-48 to Rutgers in the opening round of the Big East tournament and fell 86-66 to Wichita State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Quinlan denied reports that Orr had been offered a chance to stay if he agreed to overhaul his staff and bring in an assistant with strong local recruiting ties.
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