ST. LOUIS — Andrew Harrison scored 20 points, twin brother Aaron had 19 and Kentucky ended Wichita State's pursuit of perfection Sunday when Fred VanVleet's potential game-winning 3-pointer missed in a 78-76 victory in the NCAA tournament. Julius Randle had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and James Young also had 13 points for the No. 8 seed Wildcats (26-10), who made a series of clutch free throws in the final minutes to hold off the top-seeded Shockers in arguably the most captivating game of a thrilling first weekend. Kentucky will play in-state rival Louisville in the Sweet 16 Friday in Indianapolis. Cleanthony Early scored 31 points and Ron Baker had 20 for the Shockers (35-1), who hadn't lost since last year's Final Four. Tennessee 83, Mercer 63: Jarnell Stokes had 17 points and a career-high-tying 18 rebounds, and Tennessee denied Mercer a second straight upset in the NCAA tournament. Josh Richardson had a career-high 26 points and Antonio Barton added 18 for the 11th-seeded Vols (24-12), who outrebounded Mercer 41-19 and kept the Southeastern Conference perfect in the tournament. They joined Florida and Kentucky in the round of 16 — the first time three SEC teams made it that far since 2007. Tennessee will face second-seeded Michigan (27-8) in a Midwest Regional semifinal Friday night in Indianapolis. Langston Hall had 15 points to lead the 14th-seeded Bears (27-9), who beat Duke in the signature upset of the tournament but couldn't answer Tennessee's size. East Region Iowa St. 85, North Carolina 83: DeAndre Kane drove for the game-winning layup with 1.6 seconds left and No. 3 seed Iowa State advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2000. The Cyclones (28-7) head to Madison Square Garden next week to face No. 7 seed Connecticut in the East Regional semifinals. The Tar Heels (24-10) are gone in the NCAA tournament's opening weekend for the first time in consecutive seasons under coach Roy Williams. North Carolina's Nate Britt raced the ball up court after Kane's basket, but time expired before he could reach halfcourt and call a timeout. Officials huddled for several minutes reviewing clock replays before ruling the game was over. Marcus Paige led the Tar Heels with 19 points. Virginia 78, Memphis 60: Joe Harris scored 16 points and top-seeded Virginia shot 56 percent, earning its first trip to the NCAA tournament round of 16 in nearly two decades. Anthony Gill added 13 points for the Cavaliers (30-6), who turned in a dominating performance while controlling the tempo and shutting down the eighth-seeded Tigers (24-10) at nearly every turn. Virginia led by 15 at halftime and pushed that to 27 points late, picking right up where it left off in its strong finish to Friday's tournament-opening win against Coastal Carolina. In what has already been the program's most successful season in decades, Virginia added another milestone: its first regional semifinal appearance since making it to a regional final in 1995. And the Cavaliers, carrying a No. 1 seed for the first time since the days of Ralph Sampson, look ready to go even farther. South Region Stanford 60, Kansas 57: Dwight Powell had 15 points and seven rebounds and No. 10 seed Stanford wrapped up its second straight upset at the free-throw line. Chasson Randle added 13 points, six steals and four assists for the Cardinal (23-12), who advanced to the round of 16 for the first time since 2008 — also their last NCAA appearance. They beat No. 7 seed New Mexico Friday. UCLA 77, Stephen F. Austin 60: Jordan Adams scored 19 points and UCLA reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2008. The fourth-seeded Bruins (28-8) will play Florida, the tournament's overall top seed, in the South Regional semifinals Thursday in Memphis. West Region Baylor 85, Creighton 55: Isaiah Austin and Brady Heslip each scored 17 points and Baylor shut down Creighton's Doug McDermott with suffocating defense, ending the career of the one of the most prolific scorers in college history. Arizona 84, Gonzaga 61: Aaron Gordon and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored 18 points each, and Arizona looked every bit the No. 1 seed in the West. The Wildcats harassed the eighth-seeded Bulldogs (29-7) into 21 turnovers — 15 on steals — that led to 31 points. Up next for the Wildcats is a trip up the coast to Anaheim, where they'll meet San Diego State, a team they beat in this same arena early in the season. — AP
