U.S. college basketball's surprising Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers have won a spot among the so-called "sweet 16" teams in the national championship tournament by upsetting powerful Boston College, 83-75.
The 12th-seeded Panthers forced the Boston College Eagles, a number-four seed, to turn over the ball 22 times Saturday, and they scored the final nine points of the game to pull off their second big upset in three days. Milwaukee ousted Alabama, a number-five seed, on Thursday, and the Panthers now face Illinois, the top-ranked team in the NCAA tournament, on Thursday.
The seventh-seeded Mountaineers of the University of West Virginia also scored an upset Saturday, coming back from a 13-point half-time deficit to edge second-seed Wake Forest in double overtime, 111-105. Mike Gansey scored 19 of his 29 points in the overtimes for West Virginia.
Half of Saturday's eight games were upsets, with two of the sixth seeds, Texas Tech and Utah, downing their opponents, both number-three seeds: the Texas Tech Red Raiders edged Gonzaga, 71-69, and the Utes of Utah got by Oklahoma, 67-58.
Top seeds Illinois and the University of Washington followed form Saturday, along with second-seeded Kentucky and third-seed Arizona.
Illinois beat Nevada, 71-59. The Washington Huskies crushed Pacific, 97-79. The Kentucky Wildcats held Cincinnati scoreless in the closing minutes and advanced with a 69-60 victory. The Arizona Wildcats used Salim Stoudamire's 28 points, including five three-point baskets, to cruise by Alabama-Birmingham, 85-63.
The eight games coming up Sunday will complete the "sweet 16" lineup. Fourteenth-seed Bucknell and 13th-seed Vermont, winners in the biggest upset matches of the first round on Friday, will be on the court, along with the remaining two regional top seeds, Duke and North Carolina.
