NCAA Tournament: Jayhawks bounce Pirates, advance to Sweet 16
The Jayhawks avoided a late surge from the Pirates.
Lagerald Vick speaks with a referee during the game against Seton Hall in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
WICHITA— Seton Hall senior Angel Delgado stuffed the stat sheet with 24 points, 23 rebounds, and five assists. Delgado had a double-double in the first half with 12 points and 12 assists.
But the senior center’s sensational performance wasn’t enough to push the No. 8 Pirates to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks advanced to the regional semifinals of the Midwest region — their third consecutive Sweet 16 appearance.
KU secured the win despite back-to-back three-pointers and a quick two-point hook-shot by the Pirates in the final 30 seconds of the game. The Jayhawks won 81-76 in front of a KU-filled crowd chanting “Rock Chalk Jayhawk” in INTRUST Bank Arena.
Delgado spent a majority of the game being guarded by Kansas freshman Mitch Lightfoot, a traditional reserve to KU’s standout center Udoka Azubuike. Azubuike scored 10 points and had six rebounds in 17 minutes.
Kansas Coach Bill Self said Azubuike would likely play 15-20 minutes against Seton Hall, per the requests of the team’s physical trainers. Azubuike is rehabbing a left-knee strain.
“If (Azubuike) didn’t play, Delgado would have had 34 (points) and 30 (rebounds),” Self said after the game.
