Midwest Regional Semifinals: No.1 Florida got one step closer to defending its title, advancing to the Elite Eight after overcoming a nine-point deficit in the first half of their 67-55 victory vs. No. 5 Butler. Butler’s hot shooting put the Gators down early in the game until Florida coach Billy Donovan made the proper adjustments to defend Butler’s perimeter game. The Gators ended the first half on a 13-0 run to regain the lead but could not put the game away until late in the second half. Butler junior A.J. Graves was held scoreless by Florida in the first stanza, was able to put up 11 in the second half and was 1-of-6 from the perimeter. Florida was led by junior Taurean Green, who knocked down five three-pointers and ended the day with 17. Florida’s Al Horford sealed the deal when he cleared a layup off the glass by senior Julian Betko. Florida will play Oregon Sunday.
Freshman Tajuan Porter tied an NCAA regional record with eight 3-pointers and scored 33 points to lead No. 3 Oregon to a 76-72 win over pesky underdog No. 7 UNLV in the Midwest Regional final. After Porter’s display gave the Ducks a 66-49 lead with 5:23 left in the game, UNLV commenced a frenetic comeback. Senior guards Kevin Kruger and Michael Umeh combined for 13 points during the Runnin’ Rebels’ 17-4 run that made the score 70-66 with 50.2 seconds left. Porter, however, sank four free-throws in the final seconds to keep UNLV at bay, and his Ducks will face No. 1 Florida Sunday. Sophomore Joe Darger and Umeh each hit a three-pointer in the final 12 seconds to get it as close as two points for the Rebels, but they could not overtake the lead. Kruger led UNLV with 15 points. [3/23/07]
