The Cardinal fall off their No. 1 perch

Associated Press

SEATTLE -- Josh Childress watched from the end of the bench as Stanford's latest comeback attempt came up just short, bouncing off the rim.

This time, there was no fantastic finish for the Cardinal.

Dan Grunfeld missed a 3-pointer from the right wing at the horn and Stanford became the first No. 1 seed to exit the NCAA tournament on Saturday, upset by Alabama 70-67.

"We're extremely disappointed," coach Mike Montgomery said, looking stunned in the interview room. "It's hard to figure out what to say. We just never could seem to get on track."

Kennedy Winston scored 21 points and eighth-seeded Alabama (19-13) shot 10-of-14 from the free throw line in the final minute.

"People think by our record that we're not a very good team," said Tide point guard Antoine Pettway, who scored 12 points. "But we just beat Stanford."

The Crimson Tide shot 34-of-44 from the foul line, riding the free throws to the round of 16 for the first time since 1991. Alabama heads to Phoenix next week to face Syracuse.

"We always felt we could beat anybody. Now we really know it," said Alabama's Chuck Davis, who scored 12. "They were the No. 1 team in the country, and it gives us a lot of confidence going to Phoenix."

Childress, the Pac-10 player of the year, scored 12 points but he fouled out with 3:16 to play and had to watch the final minutes.

"I never felt like it slipped away," Childress said. "They hit their free throws, which was unfortunate for us, but I don't ever feel like it slipped away."

Sorry, but this time it did.

Matt Lottich hit a 3-pointer with 7.2 seconds remaining to pull the Cardinal to 70-67 and Alabama's Earnest Shelton missed two free throws at the other end to give Stanford (30-2) a final chance.

Twice earlier this season, Stanford stayed unbeaten with wild shots at the buzzer, including one over Arizona that brought alum Tiger Woods running onto the court at Maples Pavillion.

It looked like the Cardinal wouldn't need a last-second shot to beat Alabama after taking a 53-40 with 7:40 left. But the Crimson Tide rallied with a 16-0 run.

Syracuse 72, Maryland 70

DENVER (AP) -- Warrick had 26 points and nine rebounds, and Syracuse nearly blew a 16-point lead before hanging on to beat Maryland in a matchup between the last two NCAA champions.

The game was the third between the two previous champions in NCAA tournament history, and the first since 1994 champ Arkansas beat 1993 winner North Carolina in the 1995 semifinals.

Gerry McNamara added 13 points for Syracuse (23-7). Travis Garrison and Jamar Smith led Maryland (20-12) with 16 points apiece.

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St. Louis Regional

Nevada 91, Gonzaga 72

SEATTLE (AP) -- Kevinn Pinkney scored 20 points, and Todd Okeson had 19 to help Nevada upset second-seeded Gonzaga.

The Wolf Pack (25-8) advanced to a Friday game against the Boston College-Georgia Tech winner Sunday.

Cory Violette led Gonzaga (28-3) with 16 points and 11 rebounds. The loss snapped a school-record 21-game winning streak for Gonzaga, which had lost only to No. 1 seeds Stanford and Saint Joseph's this season.

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Atlanta Regional

Duke 90, Seton Hall 62

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- J.J. Redick snapped out of a shooting slump, scoring 21 points to lead top-seeded Duke (29-5).

Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils, seeking their fourth national title, will face the winner of a game Sunday between Illinois and Cincinnati on Friday at the Georgia Dome.

Kelly Whitney and John Allen led Seton Hall (21-10) with 14 points each.

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East Rutherford Regional

Saint Joseph's 70, Texas Tech 65

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Delonte West scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half, and Jameer Nelson had 14 of his 24 in the second for top-seeded Saint Joseph's.

The Hawks (29-1) will meet fourth-seeded Wake Forest on Thursday at Continental Airlines Arena.

Andre Emmett led Texas Tech (23-11) with 18 points.

Wake Forest 84, Manhattan 80

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Chris Paul had 29 points, eight rebounds and six assists to help Wake Forest advance to the second weekend for the first time in eight years.

Paul was 10-for-14 from the floor and 8-for-9 from the line for the Demon Deacons (21-9). Luis Flores had 20 points for the 12th-seeded Jaspers (25-6).