Cardinals, Spartans to Meet in Elite Eight

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - No. 4 seed Louisville and No. 7 seed Michigan State will meet in the NCAA Tournament East Regional final at the Carrier Dome on Sunday at 2:20 p.m. ET after winning their Sweet Sixteen match-ups on Friday night.

The Cardinals advanced by way of a 75-65 victory over No. 8 seed NC State in the first semifinal and the Spartans made it to the Elite Eight with a 62-58 win vs. No. 3 seed Oklahoma in the nightcap.

Louisville 75, NC State 65
Montrezl Harrell scored a game-high 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists to lead No. 4 seed Louisville to a 75-65 win over No. 8 seed NC State in an all-ACC Sweet Sixteen match-up.

Louisville advances to its 14^th Elite Eight, the sixth-most of any Division I program, and its fifth in the last eight years.

The game featured seven lead changes with the teams never being separated by more than single digits until the final minute. The Cardinals shot 50 percent for the game and dominated in the paint, 40-24. NC State overcame 38 percent shooting by going 9-of-20 from 3-point range and holding a 15-5 advantage in second-chance points.

Terry Rozier recorded a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds. His 3-point play with 1:00 left iced the game for the Cardinals, giving them a 70-59 lead, and capped off a 12-2 run.

Trevor Lacey led the Wolfpack with 18 points, while Ralston Turner added 12 before fouling out in the final minute. Kyle Washington's 11 points gave NC State three players in double figures.

Michigan State 62, Oklahoma 58
Travis Trice scored a game-high 24 points, including 4-of-9 shooting from 3-point range and a 6-of-6 effort at the free throw line to lead No. 7 seed Michigan State to a 62-58 win over No. 3 seed Oklahoma at the Carrier Dome on Friday night.

After trailing by as many as 10 in the first half, the Spartans came back to make it a tight game throughout the second half which featured five lead changes and four ties.

An 8-2 Spartans run between the 7:00 and 5:00 marks of the second half gave them their largest lead of the game, 54-49, and proved to be the difference in the game. Valentine and Trice both hit 3-pointers during the run.

Stout defense held the Sooners at bay the rest of the way while Michigan State went 6-of-6 at the free throw line over the final 1:19, including 4-of-4 by Trice, to seal the game.

Denzel Valentine finished with 18 points and seven rebounds for the Spartans, while Branden Dawson hauled in a game-high 11 rebounds to go with his six points.

Buddy Hield led Oklahoma with 21 points, while TaShawn Thomas added 16 points and seven rebounds.

The Sooners led by as many as 10 in the first half, 18-8, following a 7-0 run, but the Spartans used an 8-2 run late in the half and then finished with back-to-back 3-pointers by Valentine and Forbes to pull within four at the break, 31-27.

Syracuse University Athletics

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