Butler adds another upset to script

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- A team of blue-collar kids with crew cuts from a tiny Indiana school beat a powerhouse in the big tournament.

Sound vaguely familiar?

Darnell Archey's brilliant shooting and Brandon Miller's deft ball-handling Sunday swept 12th-seeded Butler into the round of 16 for the first time with a 79-71 stunner over Rick Pitino and Louisville in the East Regional.

The Horizon League team that plays in the gym where the ultimate underdog movie, "Hoosiers", was filmed is writing a poignant script of its own with upsets of No. 5 Mississippi State and the fourth-seeded Cardinals (26-6).

Next, the Bulldogs (27-5) meet top-seeded Oklahoma on Friday in Albany, N.Y.

Archey shot 8-of-9 on 3-pointers -- hitting all six in the second half -- and tied his career high with 26 points to end Pitino's return to the NCAA tournament.

"I was in the zone. I felt like Michael Jordan in '92 against the Blazers," Archey said. "My teammates just kept getting the ball to me with wide-open looks."

Butler, with an enrollment of about 4,000 -- less than a fifth of Louisville's -- made 14 of 22 3-pointers, including 9-of-13 in the second half, to erase an early 15-point deficit.

Reece Gaines scored 22 of his 26 points in the second half for Louisville.

"Obviously, if you don't win a championship, you're going to end on a low note," said Pitino, who had won 12 of his last 13 NCAA tournament games. "To me, this is not a low note because of what our team has accomplished this year. And I'm not too disappointed, because Butler is a great team."

Auburn 68, Wake Forest 62

TAMPA, Fla. -- Feeding off their underdog status one more time, the team that many felt shouldn't have been invited to the tourney stunned second-seeded Wake Forest.

Marquis Daniels scored seven of his 18 points in the final four minutes to lead 10th-seeded Auburn (22-11).

Freshman Justin Gray led Wake Forest (25-6) with a career-high 26 points but Josh Howard, the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year, had just 14 points.

Auburn coach Cliff Ellis praised Derrick Bird, who shut down Howard.

"Derrick Bird is an All-American defensive player. We don't care who's out there, he's going to guard him," Ellis said.

Syracuse 68, Oklahoma State 56

BOSTON -- The Big East Conference remained unbeaten in the NCAA tournament when Syracuse overcame an awful start to advance to the regional semifinals.

Third-seeded Syracuse (26-5) will be joined in the round of 16 by three other teams from the Big East, 8-0 in the tournament. The conference received only four bids to the NCAA, which excluded one of its division winners, Boston College.

"Our players are playing with a chip on their shoulders," conference commissioner Mike Tranghese said. "No one had to say anything to them. They felt the league was slighted and it still doesn't make up for the fact that we only got four teams in."

No. 6 Oklahoma State (22-10) rushed to early leads of 14-2 and 27-10, running after nearly every miss by the Orangemen. But Carmelo Anthony, Gerry McNamara and Billy Edelin, all freshmen, brought Syracuse back.

Edelin scored 20 points, McNamara had 14 and Anthony, perhaps the nation's top freshman, added 13.

"The first 14 minutes of the game, our game plan was executed as well on the defense as you hoped it could be," Cowboys coach Eddie Sutton said. "The last half may have been one of the worst we've had all season."

MIDWEST

Kentucky 74, Utah 54

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Keith Bogans and Marquis Estill scored 18 points apiece and top-seeded Kentucky cruised into the round of 16 for the ninth time in 11 years.

Kentucky (31-3) stretched its winning streak to 25 games.

No. 9 Utah (25-8) was led by Marc Jackson with 19 points.

Pittsburgh 74, Indiana 52

BOSTON -- Pittsburgh's defense put the Panthers in the round of 16 for the second consecutive year and ended Indiana's hopes of back-to-back trips to the NCAA title game.

Jaron Brown scored 20 points, and Brandin Knight added 17 points, seven assists and five steals for second-seeded Pittsburgh (28-4), which has won 11 straight.

George Leach scored 15 points for the seventh-seeded Hoosiers (21-13), who lost to Maryland in the championship game last year.

SOUTH

Texas 77, Purdue 67

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Triple-threat T.J. Ford, considered by some to be the best guard in college basketball, scored 21 points and added nine rebounds and eight assists to lead top-seeded Texas (24-6).

James Thomas contributed 11 points and 12 rebounds and Royal Ivey had 14 points for the Longhorns.

Willie Deane scored 13 points for ninth-seeded Purdue (19-11).

Maryland 77, Xavier 64

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The defending national champion Terrapins, who got a game-winning 3-pointer from Drew Nicholas in the most exciting finish of the first round, shut down David West early and beat the Musketeers to reach the round of 16 for the third straight year.

Nicholas and Ryan Randle scored 17 points apiece for sixth-seeded Maryland (21-9).

West, the three-time Atlantic 10 player of the year, finished with 22 points and nine rebounds for No. 3 seed Xavier (26-6), but most of it came way too late.

Michigan State 68, Florida 46

TAMPA, Fla. -- Feshman guard Maurice Ager scored 16 points as seventh-seeded Michigan State (22-11) recorded a stunningly easy win over second-seeded Florida (25-8).

David Lee led the Gators with 16 points.

--From wire reports