Four teams booked trips to the 2011 NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight on Thursday night. Arizona, Butler, UConn and Florida all will play on Saturday in hopes of advancing to the Final Four.
The Connecticut Huskies were the first team to book their trip, defeating the San Diego St. Aztecs, 74-67. The Aztecs kept it close a few times late in the game, but Kemba Walker was just too much. He dropped 36 points on the Aztecs on 12-of-25 shooting (4-of-8 from beyond the arc) and 8-of-10 free throws. Jeremy Lamb added an additional 24 points for the Huskies. San Diego State had four scorers with 10-plus points, but Kawhi Leonard finished with only 12 points and nine rebounds. He had four fouls and played only 29 minutes.
Connecticut will contest the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona played a thrilling game against Duke and ended the Blue Devils' hope for back-to-back national championships with 93-77 win. Derrick Williams dominated this game for the Wildcats. He finished with 32 points and 13 rebounds. He made 11-of-17 shots, including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Despite a 28-point game from Kyrie Irving, the Blue Devils were outscored 55-33 in the second half. Williams' teammates, Lamont Jones and Solomon Hill, combined for 29 points.
The Florida Gators booked their trip to the Elite Eight with an overtime victory over Jimmer Fredette and BYU, 83-74. Fredette, injured and cut on the chin, scored 32 points, but none of his teammates scored more than nine points. Fredette put up 15 threes but made only three. The Gators' potent offense had four scorers with at least 16 points. Alex Tyus had a huge game for the Gators with 19 points and 17 rebounds.
The Butler Bulldogs will play Florida following their 61-54 victory over Wisconsin. Matt Howard led Butler with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Jordan Taylor came on strong for the Badgers in the second half, but his 21 points were not enough. His team shot 30.4 percent from the field.
SB Nation has you covered with an updated NCAA bracket.