Butler, UConn in Final Four

Published 11:44 pm Saturday, March 26, 2011

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Shelvin Mack scored 27 points, including five in overtime, and Butler returned to the Final Four with a 74-71 victory over Florida on Saturday.

Matt Howard scored 14 and Khyle Marshall added 10 for the Bulldogs (27-9), who showed again they simply won’t give in, erasing an 11-point hole in the second half.

Mack’s 3-pointer with 1:21 left in overtime gave Butler the lead for good at 72-70.

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Kenny Boynton missed a long 3 that could have given Florida (29-8) the lead with a little under 20 seconds left. Alex Tyus appeared to have the offensive rebound, but Howard tied him up and the possession arrow favored Butler.

Florida had to foul Mack with 10.6 seconds to go, and he hit both shots for the final margin.

Vernon Macklin had a career-high 25 points for fourth-seeded Florida, the third-straight higher seed from a major conference to be vanquished by the Bulldogs.

Boynton finished with 17 points and Tyus had his second-straight double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Connecticut 65, Arizona 63

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — With nine pressure-packed victories in 19 days, Connecticut has been on an exhausting sprint through the postseason for nearly three weeks now.

Turns out Kemba Walker and his Huskies aren’t slowing down until they get to Houston.

Walker scored 20 points, freshman Jeremy Lamb added 19 and Connecticut earned its second Final Four berth in three years, beating Arizona 65-63 Saturday to win the West regional.

Derrick Williams and Jamelle Horne missed 3-pointers in the final seconds for Arizona, allowing the third-seeded Huskies (30-9) to hang on after Lamb scored six key points down the stretch.

After missing the NCAA tournament entirely last year, coach Jim Calhoun’s tireless team is headed to UConn’s fourth Final Four.

Williams had 20 points while battling foul trouble for the fifth-seeded Wildcats (30-8), who led with 6 minutes to play. After Lamb pushed the Huskies ahead and Walker hit a jumper with 1:13 left, Lamont Jones and Horne then hit late 3-pointers for Arizona, but the Wildcats couldn’t convert two good looks in the final seconds.