SAN FRANCISCO — Florida's three standout seniors and its deep bench kept bringing energy until it became too tough for Maryland's “Crab Five” to keep up.

Coach Todd Golden could see his Gators wearing the Terrapins down.

Will Richard scored 15 points, Alijah Martin added 14 points and seven rebounds, and No. 1 seed Florida played a steady second half to run away from fourth-seeded Maryland and into the NCAA Tournament's West Region final with an 87-71 win Thursday night.


ALABAMA 113, BYU 88

NEWARK, N.J. — Alabama broke the 35-year-old March Madness record for 3-pointers with 25 and Mark Sears scored 30 of his 34 points on 3s, a relentless long-range spree that ushered the second-seeded Crimson Tide past BYU 113-88 on Thursday night in an NCAA Tournament East Region semifinal.

Alabama reached the Elite Eight in consecutive years for the first time in program history.

The Crimson Tide made 25 of 51 3-point attempts to break the record of 21 set by Loyola Marymount in a second-round game against Michigan in 1990. Sears, a first-team All-America guard, hit the record-breaking 22nd 3 late in the game to make it 97-66 and received a standing ovation from the Alabama fans when he checked out with 10 3s and more than four minutes left to play.

DUKE 100, ARIZONA 93

NEWARK, N.J. — Duke stud Cooper Flagg put on a skills clinic and overcame an onslaught from Arizona and Caleb Love, finishing with 30 points, six rebounds, seven assists and three blocks Thursday night in a 100-93 NCAA Tournament victory that pulled the Blue Devils within one win of the Final Four.​

Flagg, long over the balky ankle that sidelined him earlier this month, did enough to prevent Love, a thorn in Duke's side for five years, from ruining another Blue Devils season.

Love finished with 35 points, one short of his career high, including a streak of 15 straight for his Wildcats (24-13) during a ferocious second-half run that cut a 19-point deficit to five with 1:56 left.


TEXAS TECH 85, ARKANSAS 83

SAN FRANCISCO — Darrion Williams scored the tiebreaking basket with 7.3 seconds left in overtime after tying the game with a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation to lead Texas Tech to an 85-83 win over Arkansas on Thursday night and a spot in the Elite Eight.

The first overtime game of March Madness came thanks to a furious comeback by the third-seeded Red Raiders (28-8) from 16 points down midway through the second half against coach John Calipari's 10th-seeded Razorbacks (22-14).

Texas Tech advanced to play top-seeded Florida in the West Region final on Saturday with a chance at the school's second Final Four trip after losing the title game to Virginia in 2019.

First Published March 28, 2025, 3:53 a.m.