By JOHN WAWROW Associated Press
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Shabazz Napier scored 25 points in leading Connecticut to a 77-65 victory over second-seeded Villanova in the NCAA tournament Saturday night.
Villanova became the highest seed to be knocked out of the tournament so far, and the Wildcats' loss came on the heels of another upset in Buffalo. The game was played immediately after Dayton, the South Region's 11th seed, beat third-seeded Syracuse 55-53.
Seventh-seeded Connecticut (28-8) advanced to New York City next week, when it'll play the winner of Sunday's game between third-seeded Iowa State and sixth-seeded North Carolina.
Ryan Arcidiacono scored 18 points for Villanova (29-5) in a matchup of two former Big East rivals.
UConn coach Kevin Ollie improved to 2-0 in his tournament debut, two years after taking over for Jim Calhoun, who stepped down because of health issues, and a year after the Huskies were barred from postseason play because of academic sanctions.
