The Sweet 16 got started Thursday night, with half of the 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket in action to decide who would advance to the Elite Eight, with a chance to play for a spot in the Final Four.
In the evening's opening game, No. 3 Connecticut got 36 points from Kemba Walker -- including 22 in the second half -- and 24 points from freshman Jeremy Lamb to knock off No. 2 San Diego St., 74-67. The win by UConn -- its eighth in 17 days -- earned the Huskies a spot in the Elite Eight, where they will face Arizona.
The Wildcats, the No. 5 seed in the West Region, were trailing No. 1 Duke at halftime Thursday night, 44-38. And then? Well, then the second half happened. Led by Derrick Williams, Arizona outscored Duke 55-33 in a second-half clobbering. If you want a visual representation of exactly what happened after halftime, just watch this video.
My goodness.
In the Southeast Region, the night began with No. 2 Florida outlasting No. 3 BYU in overtime, 83-74, despite Jimmer Fredette's 32 points and ridiculously long-range shooting. The Gators advanced to the Elite Eight, where they will me No. 8 Butler, who held off a late charge to down No. 4 Wisconsin, 61-54. Who would've thought that of last year's two national-title teams, it's Butler that's still playing and Duke that is headed home.
Elite Eight - Saturday, March 25
4:30 p.m., No. 2 Florida Gators vs. No. 8 Butler Bulldogs, CBS (Johnson/Elmore/Miller/Snider)
7:05 p.m., No. 3 Connecticut Huskies vs. No. 5 Arizona Wildcats, CBS (Lundquist/Raftery/Visser)
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