WASHINGTON D.C. REGION

(11) G. Mason 65, (3) N. Carolina 60

Upstart George Mason turned defending champion North Carolina a whole different shade of blue. Forwards Will Thomas and Jai Lewis dominated up front, and the 11thseeded Patriots dug out of an early 16-2 hole to upset the Tar Heels in the second round of the NCAA tournament, 65-60 yesterday.

George Mason (25-7) became the first Colonial Athletic Association team to reach the round of 16 since 1988, when Richmond went. The Patriots will play Wichita State on Friday in the Washington Regional semifinals.

Carolina (23-8) faded down the stretch, missing four straight shots and repeatedly fouling. George Mason went 9-of-12 from the line in the final 3 minutes to pull away.

Tyler Hansbrough, who set a Carolina freshman record with 14 20-point games this season, was only 4-of-11 from the field when he went to the bench with his third foul and 13:08 remaining. He finished with 10 points.

Lamar Butler led George Mason with 18 points and hit two free throws that put the Patriots ahead to stay 56-54 with 2:52 to go.

(1) Connecticut 87, (8) Kentucky 83

The eagerly anticipated first meeting between Connecticut and Kentucky proved well worth the wait. Connecticut took control early, then survived a strong comeback bid by the Wildcats in a victory that put the no. 1 seeded Huskies into the Sweet 16.

Marcus Williams scored 20 points, including four clutch free throws in the final 30 seconds, and Rudy Gay had 19 for Connecticut (29-3), which next faces the University of Washington.

Patrick Sparks scored a career-high tying 28 points on 10-for-16 shooting for no. 8 seed Kentucky (22-13), which failed to reach the round of 16 for the third time in the last 12 seasons. The Wildcats are 3-8 against no. 1 seeds since the selection committee began using seeds in 1979.

ATLANTA REGION

(6) W. Virginia 67, (14) N’thwestern St. 54

Kevin Pittsnogle scored 14 points to lead the sixth-seeded Mountaineers. West Virginia has won two games in back-to-back NCAAs for the first time since the famed West led it to the title game in 1959 and a regional semifinal the next year.

The Mountaineers (22-10) led by as many as 25 in the second half, but had to hold off a late rally as the Demons pulled to 57-49 with four-plus minutes left. They next play Texas on Thursday.

Clifton Lee and Keenan Jones each scored 11 for the Demons (26-8), the lowest-seeded team to win in the first round.

(2) Texas 75, (10) N.C. State 54

Freshman guard A.J. Abrams scored 16 points after the starting backcourt of Daniel Gibson and Kenton Paulino got the Longhorns off to a fast start.

Texas (29-6) advanced to the NCAA round of 16 for the fourth time in five seasons, after their first-round exit a year ago. The second-seeded Longhorns play West Virginia on Thursday.

North Carolina State (22-10) was within 42-37 when Gavin Grant shuffled the ball to Cedric Simmons for a one-handed slam dunk with 15:45 left. After a timeout, Abrams hit a 3-pointer.

The Wolfpack then had four turnovers and missed two shots on their next five possessions. Cameron Bennerman had 16 points to lead North Carolina State, which was trying to advance to the round of 16 as no. 10 seed for the second year in a row.

OAKLAND REGION

(13) Bradley 72, (5) Pittsburgh 66

They’re partying in Peoria! Bradley is in the third round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in 51 years.

Patrick O’Bryant dominated Aaron Gray in a matchup of 7-footers, getting 28 points and seven rebounds to lead 13th-seeded Bradley. Marcellus Sommerville added 18 points and six rebounds for the Braves (22-10), who will play Memphis on Thursday.

Playing in their first NCAA tournament in 10 years, the Braves notched surprising wins over fourth-seeded Kansas and now the Panthers (25-8), becoming the first no. 13 seed in the regional semifinals since Oklahoma in 1999.

O’Bryant led the way after rendering Gray a non-factor. Gray finished with 12 points and four rebounds. Pittsburgh senior Carl Krauser had 17 points and six turnovers for Pitt.

(1) Memphis 72, (9) Bucknell 56

Once their best player went out early with foul trouble, the Bucknell Bison didn’t have a chance against the mighty Memphis Tigers. The top-seeded Tigers took full advantage of the absence of Charles Lee, outscoring the Bison 15-2 for a cushion they rode to victory.

Antonio Anderson scored 13 points and Joey Dorsey added 12, helping Memphis (32-3) win for the 21st time in 22 games. This one set the school record for victories in a season, topping the mark set by its 1985 Final Four team, and it sends the Tigers into the regional semifinals for the first time since 1995.

The Conference USA champs next take on 13th-seeded Bradley on Thursday in Oakland, Calif.

Chris McNaughton led Bucknell (27-5) with 15 points.

MINNEAPOLIS REGION

(7) Georgetown 70, (2) Ohio St. 52

Roy Hibbert scored 20 points, Jeff Green 19, Ashanti Cook 17, and Darrel Owens 14 to beat second-seeded Ohio State.

Hibbert also had 14 rebounds and three blocked shots for coach John Thompson III, son of former Hoyas coach John Thompson.

Georgetown advances to meet Florida on Friday. This marks the first time since 1996 that a Big Ten team hasn’t made it through the tournament’s first weekend. It was a bitter loss for Ohio State (26-6). Terence Dials finished with 19 points.

(1) Villanova 82, (8) Arizona 78

Top-seeded Villanova had everything going its way, building a 12-point lead while the hometown crowd cheered and former coach Rollie Massimino looked on proudly.

Then, Arizona almost spoiled the party.

Allan Ray scored 25 points, Randy Foye had 24 and Villanova withstood a late run to hold off eighth-seeded Arizona. The Wildcats (27-4) advanced to play fourth-seeded Boston College.