Duke fans had a glimmer of hope that No. 1 Pittsburgh would lose to No. 8 Oklahoma State Sunday, but the Panthers recovered in the last minute to advance to the Sweet 16 in Boston Thursday. Top-seeded Pittsburgh will play Xavier, which beat No. 12 Wisconsin to join Duke and Villanova in Beantown.
The Panthers led by nine midway through the second half before the Cowboys tied the game at 71 with 3:47 left. A balanced effort allowed Pittsburgh to end the game on a 13-5 run to secure an 84-76 victory. Sam Young played all 40 minutes, dropping a game-high 32 points and grabbing eight rebounds, while DeJuan Blair chipped in with 10 points and 12 rebounds, and Levance Fields scored 13.
On the next line in the bracket, Xavier outscored Wisconsin 35-22 after halftime to set up a meeting with Pittsburgh with a 60-49 victory over the Badgers. The Musketeers, who lost to Duke in December, were led by B.J. Raymond's 15 points.
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