No. 1 seeds North Carolina (Midwest Region) and Kentucky (South Region) both advanced to the Elite Eight after collecting victories March 23 in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
The top-seeded Tar Heels barely escaped with a 73-65 overtime win over No. 13 Ohio at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Miss.
North Carolina sophomore Harrison Barnes, considered one of the best players left in the tournament, scored only 12 points. But he did manage to score five of those 12 points in overtime to help the Tar Heels seal the win. N.C. leaned on senior center Tyler Zeller, who recorded an impressive 20 points with 22 rebounds. Ohio junior guard Walter Offut scored a game-high 26 points in the loss.
North Carolina will take on No. 2 Kansas March 25 at 5:05 pm. Kansas advanced after edging out No. 11 North Carolina State, 60-57.
Meanwhile, fellow No. 1 seed Kentucky held off No. 4 Indiana in a tough 102-90 win at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga.
Freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrest led Kentucky with a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds. Kentucky had four other players score double-digits, including sophomore Doron Lamb with 21 points.
Indiana junior Christian Watford scored a game-high 27 points and helped keep the score tight throughout most of the contest, but Kentucky scored just enough late in the game to avert the upset.
“It was a war and Indiana played great,” Kentucky coach John Calipari told reporters after the game. “We just happened to play a little bit better.”
Kentucky will face No. 3 Baylor March 25 at 2:20 pm. Baylor advanced after beating No. 10 Xavier, 75-70.
