March 28 (Bloomberg) — Duke University claimed the
last spot in the Final Four of college basketball’s
national men’s tournament with a 78-71 win over Baylor
University.

Michigan State beat Tennessee 70-69 earlier today for
its sixth trip to the Final Four in the past 12 years.

Nolan Smith scored 29 points for Duke, which advances
to play West Virginia University in the national semifinals
on April 3 in Indianapolis. The championship game of the
National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament is
April 5.

Duke (33-5) will be making its 15th appearance in the
Final Four, third most in college basketball history behind
North Carolina with 18 and UCLA with 17.

Duke won the South Regional final in Houston as the
No. 1 seed and is the only top seed to make the Final Four.

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March 28 (Bloomberg) — Duke University, the surviving
No. 1 seed in the national men’s basketball tournament,
takes on Baylor University today for a spot in the Final
Four for the first time since 2004.

Duke (32-5) and Baylor (28-7) meet in the South
Regional final in Houston to determine who will go on to
the national semifinals on April 3 against West Virginia
University, which yesterday beat top-seeded Kentucky 73-66.

Baylor, of Waco, Texas, has reached the Final Four
twice — back in 1948 and 1950, when the field was limited
to eight teams. The Durham, North Carolina-based Blue
Devils are seeking a spot in their 15th national semifinal
and eventually a fourth National Collegiate Athletic
Association championship.

“It feels good, but we really can’t relax at all,”
said Jon Scheyer, Duke’s leading scorer in the Blue Devils’
70-57 win two days ago against Purdue. “It’s really
important to refocus. We can’t enjoy wins right now. After
the season, we can look back and enjoy them. But, for us,
we want to keep moving forward.”

In the Midwest Regional in St. Louis, Tennessee (28-8)
makes its first appearance in the round of eight and faces
Michigan State (27-8), of East Lansing, Michigan. The
winner will advance to the national semifinals to play
Butler University, which knocked out Kansas State
University 63-56 yesterday.

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