Missouri, 'Nova Make Elite 8

Wildcats crush Blue Devils; Missouri comes out top in Tigers showdown

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 27, 2009 3:28 AM CDT

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Missouri, 'Nova Make Elite 8 — Villanova guard Scottie Reynolds (1) puts up a shot as Duke forward Kyle Singler (12) defends in the first half of a men's NCAA tournament regional semifinal college basketball game last night. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Villanova and Missouri have powered through to the Elite Eight, reports the Los Angeles Times. Villanova rolled over Duke 77-54 to set up a Big East showdown with Pittsburgh. Wildcats guard Scottie Reynolds scored a game-high 16 points, while the No. 2 seeded Blue Devils were held to their worst shooting performance of the season, a shocking 16 for 60.

Things were tighter in the battle of two Tigers. Missouri brought Memphis' 27-game winning streak to an end with a 102-91 win and will play top-seeded Connecticut for a place in the Final Four. Missouri guard J.T Tiller scored a career-high 27 points as Memphis knocked Missouri's 24-point lead down to 6 with 2 minutes left before Missouri's free throws iced the victory.
(Read more Villanova Wildcats stories.)