Villanova, Louisville move on to Sweet 16; Davidson, Curry shock Georgetown

They were one of the final teams to make the field of 65. They’ve lived life on the selection bubble for the final month of the regular season, and now they’ve got a date with top-seeded Kansas in the Sweet 16. Scottie Reynolds scored 25 points and Corey Fisher had 20 to help No.12 Villanova defeat No.13 Siena on Sunday afternoon, 84-72. Kenny Hasbrouck has 17 points and five rebounds and Alex Franklin led Siena with 18 points, but the Saints had their shooting struggles all afternoon against the Wildcats. Siena shot 35 percent from the field and only 28 percent from beyond the arc, while missing 13 free throws. Villanova has won seven of 10 tournament games under head coach Jay Wright, and the Wildcats will be one of three teams representing the Big East in the Sweet 16.

Louisville took Oklahoma to the woodshed and beyond, as the third-seeded Cardinals pasted the sixth-seeded Sooners 78-48 in the second round of the East Regional. Louisville shot 59 percent for the game, led by Earl Clark, who had 14 points, and Jerry Smith’s 12. Louisville’s defense held Oklahoma’s best player, Blake Griffin, to just eight points. Griffin was unable to get a shot off for the first 12 minutes of the game. Oklahoma was held to 31 percent shooting, and never had a chance to dig out of a gigantic 22-point hole at halftime. Louisville advances to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005, and the Cardinals will face second-seeded Tennessee in the Sweet 16 in the East Region.

> Find Georgetown merchandise & apparel, Louisville Cardinals jerseys & hats and more online along with Big East basketball merchandise from Big East Fans partner sites.

This day, however, belonged to 10 th-seeded Davidson at the expense of the second-seeded Georgetown Hoyas. Davidson guard Stephen Curry scored 25 of his 30 points in the second half, as Davidson erased a 17-point deficit to shock Georgetown 74-70 in the second round. Along with Curry’s phenomenal performance, the Hoyas were done in by their 20 turnovers and ghostly play of center Roy Hibbert. Hibbert had just six points and one rebound before fouling out, and Georgetown head coach John Thompson never found the right defense to stop the furious Davidson rally, sparked by Curry. Ironically, Georgetown’s season comes to an abrupt end largely because one of the best defenses in the country couldn’t get stops when they needed stops the most. They couldn’t deny Curry the basketball, and Curry was just in another world, dropping in shots from all over the floor. Curry began the game missing six of his first nine shots, and the Hoyas looked poised to move onto the Sweet 16. But this was Davidson’s day, and despite their 63 percent shooting and 14 points from Jessie Sapp and 12 from senior Jonathan Wallace, the glass slipper still fits for Davidson. The Wildcats advance to the Sweet 16 where they will face three-seeded Wisconsin.

by Frank Minniti
BigEast-fans.com Director of Content

> More Big East basketball news & headlines

> Follow the 2008 NCAA Basketball Tournament online and find NIT scores and CBI scores at College Sports Fans!