NCAA Tournament roundup: Tennessee avoids big meltdown, beats Iowa

Two-time SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams scored six points in overtime, and Tennessee held off Iowa, 83-77, on Sunday to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in three years.

Williams had a pair of free throws, two jumpers and a strip in overtime that helped the Vols (31-5) pull it out and match their school record for wins in a season. He finished with 19 points and seven rebounds. Admiral Schofield scored 17 of his 19 in the Vols’ blistering first half.

Tenth-seeded Iowa (23-12) fell behind by 25 points and nearly pulled off a monumental upset, sending it to overtime tied 71-71, the first overtime game in this year’s tournament.

Jordan Bohannon scored 18 for Iowa, which never led but managed to tie it twice after falling so far behind.

Virginia 63, Oklahoma 51 — Surprise starter Mamadi Diakite scored 14 points and had nine rebounds as No. 1 seed Virginia beat Oklahoma, leading nearly the entire game.

The Cavaliers (31-3) led for all but three minutes of the second-round contest and cranked up its trademark, stifling defense. The Sooners (20-14) hit just four of their last 18 shots in the first half and trailed 31-22 at the break.

North Carolina 81, Washington 59 — Luke Maye and Nassir Little each scored 20 points, and top-seeded North Carolina breezed past Washington.

The Tar Heels (29-6) never trailed and moved on to face fifth-seeded Auburn on Friday in a Midwest Regional semifinal.

Maye added 14 rebounds for North Carolina, a No. 1 seed for a record 17th time.

The Tar Heels committed 10 turnovers in the first half and led by eight points at the break. But they bolted out in the second half, put together a 13-0 run over 5 minutes and pulled away.

Pac-12 Player of the Year Jaylen Nowell paced Washington (28-8) with 12 points.

Texas Tech 78, Buffalo 58 — Jarrett Culver had 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in third-seeded Texas Tech’s rout of the Buffalo Bulls in the West Region.

Norense Odiase contributed a season-high 14 points and 15 rebounds for Texas Tech (28-6), which has won 11 of its last 12 contests and reached the Sweet 16 for the second straight year.

Nick Perkins had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Buffalo (32-4), which had won 13 consecutive games.

Virginia Tech 67, Liberty 58 — Virginia Tech advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in 52 years by beating 12th-seeded Liberty in the second round.

Kerry Blackshear had 19 points and nine rebounds for fourth-seeded Virginia Tech (25-8). The Hokies’ only other trip this far in the tournament was in 1967 when they lost to the Dayton in the regional final.

Darius McGhee scored 15 points to lead Liberty (29-7), which won its first tournament game ever Friday against Mississippi State.

Houston 74, Ohio State 59 — Corey Davis scored 21 points to help Houston win a second-round Midwest Region game. It marked the Cougars’ 33rd win of the season — breaking the record set by the 1983-84 team for the most wins in a season. That squad was the last to reach the Sweet 16 and advanced to the national final.