BYU beat: (14) Wofford, 74-66; (11) Gonzaga, 89-67
Florida beat: (15) California-Santa Barbara, 79-51; UCLA, 73-65
Winner plays: winner of (8) Butler vs. (4) Wisconsin
Many observers thought BYU’s chances of making a tournament run were significantly dashed when sophomore forward Brandon Davies was kicked off the team for a violation of team rules. Senior guard Jimmer Fredette might be one of the two most terrifying players to face in the tournament field, though. He scored 66 points in the tournament and accrued 13 assists as the Cougars plowed through the first two rounds.
Florida had no trouble in their first round game against UCSB, but their second-round matchup with UCLA was much, much closer than it looked, and it took everything the Gators had to pull it out. Erving Walker delivered the dagger against the Bruins when he hit a 3-pointer to put his team ahead 69-65 with a little over a minute left and hit four free throws down the stretch. He scored 10 of Florida’s final 12 points.
