Bradley Takes Pittsburgh Out

Bradley fans had plenty to cheer about Sunday in the Palace of Auburn Hills, and don’t think their basketball team didn’t hear them.

After the final horn sounded in 13th-seeded Bradley’s 72-66 upset of fifth-seeded Pittsburgh in an Oakland Regional game at Auburn Hills, Mich., the Braves acknowledged the faithful who made the trip.

Before you knew it, the team was climbing into the stands to celebrate with its fans.

“It was a great feeling because the fans have been with us all year,” said sophomore center Patrick O’Bryant, who led all scorers with a career-high 28 points.

In a matchup of 7-footers, O’Bryant got Pittsburgh’s Aaron Gray in early foul trouble. Gray finished with 12 points.

Bradley, which made 26 of 32 free throws, earned its second consecutive victory over a top-25 team. The Braves took care of No. 12-ranked Kansas on Friday.

“I thought they were really a tough team and got after it,” Pittsburgh Coach Jamie Dixon said. “We knew that coming into the game, and we know it now. It was two teams getting after it, playing aggressive.”

The victory put Bradley (22-10) in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1955, and it is the first time the Missouri Valley Conference has two teams in the round of 16, with the Braves joining Wichita State. Bradley will play Memphis on Thursday in Oakland.

“This is great for the Missouri Valley Conference,” said 7-foot senior Lawrence “Boogie” Wright, who had 14 points off the bench. “They can’t say that we’re overrated or we got too many bids or whatever.”

Memphis 72, Bucknell 56 -- Take whatever message you want from the Tigers’ two games in the NCAA tournament, because they care only that you understand this: They’re still playing, and they like the way they’re doing it.

“The best part of this so far? We won,” Darius Washington said. “Today we wanted to put on the pressure and make them play our game, and we did that.”

The Tigers (32-3) reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1995 with a blend of offensive balance and heightened sense of defensive intensity.

Antonio Anderson led them with 13 points, but six other Tigers scored at least eight points.

Memphis’ full-court presses -- man to man early, zone later -- wreaked the most havoc for the Patriot League champion.

The Tigers fell behind, 10-4, on Kevin Bettencourt’s three-point basket 4 minutes 18 seconds into the game, but that arguably was the final highlight for Bucknell (27-5).