NCAA tournament, Midwest Regional: North Carolina dominates Washington

Luke Maye and Nassir Little each scored 20 points and top-seeded North Carolina breezed into the Sweet 16, beating Washington 81-59 Sunday.

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

Last year, one season removed from its national championship, North Carolina was eliminated in the second round in a rout by Texas A&M. The Tar Heels were not going to let it happen again.

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.

North Carolina forward Garrison Brooks took an elbow to the mouth in the first half that knocked out one tooth, chipped another and required stitches to close his cut lip. He returned to start the second half.

North Carolina guard Kenny Williams exited early in the second half grasping his left hamstring, but he also returned later in the half and seemed to be OK.

No. 3 Houston 74, No. 11 Ohio State 59

Corey Davis scored 21 points to help the Cougars win a second-round Midwest Region game in Tulsa, Okla., and a trip to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 35 years.

It marked Houston’s 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.

Galen Robinson added 13 points for Houston (33-3), which will face Kentucky.

C.J. Jackson scored 18 points and Kaleb Wesson added 15 for Ohio State (20-15).

Ohio State started off hot from three-point range, hitting seven of its first 12. But Houston burned the Buckeyes in transition to go on a 14-6 run to close the half with a 39-31 lead.

There was a brief skirmish right after the end of the first half. Ohio State’s Keyshawn Woods and Houston’s DeJon Jarreau were issued technical fouls after the teams jawed at midcourt. Houston’s Fabian White was held back by teammates and coaches.

A dunk by Chris Harris put the Cougars up 52-44 with just over 10 minutes remaining. A floater in the lane by Armoni Brooks pushed Houston’s lead to nine and led to a timeout by Ohio State. A transition layup by Davis pushed the advantage to 11 and the Cougars maintained control for good.