Basketball On The Internet.

From BOB CRAVEN in Seattle

THE Sweet Sixteen NCAA Men's Tournament games provided several surprises, some of historic proportions with Gonzaga and UCLA once again producing a nail-biter, Zags star Drew Timme delivering a 36-point, 13-rebound double-double. 

It would be hard to imagine a game more dramatic or exciting than the game between UCLA and Gonzaga a couple of years ago when the Zags won it in OT at the buzzer on a just-inside-the-logo 13-metre bank shot bomb. 

A few years before that, also in the Tourney, UCLA won a nail-biter right at the end.  So it should be no surprise that they played another amazing game. 

The Zags were down by 13 at the half, and still down by eight points with a little over a minute left.  UCLA hit a three-pointer with 12 seconds left to go up by a point, but then Julian Strawther nailed a three from about 11-metres straight out in front to put the Zags up by two with seconds left.

Apart from some shoddy ball handling and foul shooting, that was it, putting the Zags into the Elite Eight by 79-76.  The Zags were led, as usual, by big man Drew Timme who had 36 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists.

Of historic importance were losses suffered by the two remaining No.1 seeds:  San Diego State defeated No.1 Alabama 71-64, and Miami beating No.1 Houston surprisingly easily, 89-75. 

Since seeding began in 1979, this marks the first time that not a single top seed remains among the final eight teams. 

San Diego State was led by a transfer from Seattle University, Darrion Trammell, who scored 21 points and led a dominant defensive effort that rallied the Aztecs back from a nine-point deficit halfway through the second half.

And Kansas State moved on to the Elite Eight with a 98-93 OT win over Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans.  In that game, K-State's little point guard, Markquis Nowell set a new single game assist record for the tournament with 19.  Three of those came in the last minute of OT, the last of which was a spectacular lob pass for the dunk that he tossed up from just inside mid-court.

A surprise in the Elite Eight was Connecticut's thrashing of Gonzaga 82-54.  The Zags were only down by seven at the half, but Drew Timme picked up two quick fouls to start the second half and had to sit, allowing Connecticut to go on a 21-5 run to put the game away. 

Gonzaga seemed to be totally out of gas for the rest of the game. 

San Diego State beat Creighton 57-56 in the last second as a foul was called on a drive to the basket with one second remaining and the score tied at 56.  The first foul shot was no good, but the second was perfect and San Diego State moved on to the Final Four.

Florida Atlantic continues to surprise and impress as the highest remaining seed left in the tournament at No.9 in only its second ever Big Dance.  It defeated Kansas State, despite another monster game by Markquis Nowell who scored 30 points, dished out 12 assists and added five steals. 

He had no help this time and K-State's season is over.  FLA's coach might have had the media line of the tourney so far, when he quipped to reporters that: "I'm sure the prognosticators will have us as the fifth seed in the Final Four." 

Finally, Miami stormed back from a double-digit deficit in the last half of the second half to take down No.2 seed Texas 88-81.  They became the first team since 1979 to down a 1-seed, a 2-seed, and a 4-seed to get to the Final Four. 

It's also the first time since 1979 that no team seeded better than No.4 made the Final Four.  Perhaps it's fitting that Miami coach Jim Larrañaga is involved.  He took George Mason U. to the Final Four as a No.11 seed in 2006.

So the men's Final Four is set for the weekend with three of the four teams being in the Final Four for the first time.  Miami will play Connecticut on Saturday, and in the other semi-final, San Diego State will take on Florida Atlantic.