DAYTON, OHIO — No drama in Dayton? The Midwest Regional's top team didn't mind at all.
Illinois made sure that there would be no three-point barrage and no shocking defeats in the arena where, remarkably, the NCAA Tournament played true to form all week.
Illinois guard Cory Bradford (13) makes a layup in front of Charlotte defender Jobey Thomas. The Illini won in the Midwest Regional on Sunday at Dayton, Ohio.
The Fighting Illini used pesky perimeter defense to beat Charlotte 79-61 on Sunday, winning a second-round game for the first time in 12 years.
While top-seeded teams fell around the rest of the country, the six weekend games in Dayton were decided by an average of 21.6 points. The favored teams could grind it out instead of sweating it out.
"We were relaxed for the most part," said center Marcus Griffin, who helped shut down Charlotte's Rodney White. "We tried to enjoy these two games as much as possible."
Illinois (26-7) will play Kansas, the regional's fourth seed, in a semifinal Friday in San Antonio. Like the Fighting Illini, the Jayhawks ended a run of second-round disappointments Sunday by drubbing Syracuse 87-58.
Illinois hadn't been to the round of 16 since 1989, the only other time it's had a No. 1 seed. The Fighting Illini reached the Final Four that year, but had failed to make it past the second round in their last seven appearances.
"We didn't want to go out of here saying, 'Should have, would have, could have,"' said Sergio McClain, one of four Illini in double figures. "A lot of people out there were doubting us. We went out and showed them all."
Charlotte (22-11), seeded ninth, upended eighth-seeded Tennessee 70-63 in the first round. The 49ers had a shot at knocking off another higher-seeded team Sunday, but couldn't make its three-point shots. Charlotte, second only to Duke in three-pointers made this season, missed 13 of its first 14 tries. Against Illinois' extended defense, the 49ers hit only 6 of 30.
"If we had hit a couple of shots, it might have been a little different, but they didn't let that happen," said Jobey Thomas, who scored 14 points.
Illinois also trained its defense on White, who led all Division I freshmen in scoring with a 19-point average. White managed only nine points on 4-of-13 shooting, missing all six of his three-point tries.
Mississippi 59, Notre Dame 56
Kansas City, Mo. Mississippi's 5-foot-5 Jason Harrison pulled up and hit a three-pointer with the shot clock winding down and just 46 seconds left to end Notre Dame's first NCAA appearance in 11 years. Rahim Lockhart led Ole Miss (27-7) with 24 points. Troy Murphy, a two-time All-American forward, had 17 points but was just 1-of-7 in the second half for Notre Dame (20-10).
Arizona 73, Butler 52
Kansas City, Mo. The Wildcats (25-7) won for the 17th time in 19 games and advanced to the regional semifinals for the fourth time in six years. Butler (24-8) went scoreless for nearly seven minutes during the second half.
No comments
Commenting is turned off for this story.