Vols are vanquished

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Wichita State stuck it to the critics of the Missouri Valley Conference with an easy win to open the NCAA Tournament.

Now the Shockers are savoring an even bigger victory.

Karon Bradley hit a go-ahead stepback jumper with about two minutes left and P.J. Couisnard followed with a big 3-pointer to help Wichita State eliminate second-seeded Tennessee, 80-73, yesterday in the second round of the Washington Regional.

Seventh-seeded Wichita State is making its first trip to the Round of 16 since reaching a regional final 25 years ago. And the Shockers (26-8) have done it in convincing fashion, routing Seton Hall by 20 Thursday and rallying from a 5-point deficit against the Volunteers (22-8) with 5:42 left. They will meet the winner of today's George Mason-North Carolina matchup.

Couisnard finished with 20 points on 6-for-7 shooting and Kyle Wilson added 17 points to help make up for an off day by first-round leaders Paul Miller and Sean Ogirri. Miller, the MVC's player of the year, managed 10 points on 1-for-9 shooting. Ogirri scored 12 points after finishing with 23 in the first round.

The Shockers found a way to survive Tennessee's uptempo attack and pressure defense with a strong late-game effort. Once Ryan Martin threw down a slam with 5.2 seconds left to seal it, the celebration began in the rowdy section of fans seated across from the Shockers bench.

When the horn finally sounded, coach Mark Turgeon pumped his right fist in the air while fans began chanting ''MVC!" and ''Sweet 16!"

''I kept saying we weren't any good when practice started, and now we're part of the Sweet 16," Turgeon said. ''We just keep getting a little bit better."

Chris Lofton -- who hit the winning shot in the first round -- and C.J. Watson each had 20 points to lead the Vols.

Duke 74, Geo. Washington 61 -- J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams had plenty of help this time. From the acrobatic dunks of Josh McRoberts to the heady play of point guard Greg Paulus, Duke did just about everything right.

And now the top-seeded Blue Devils of the Atlanta Regional are headed to the Round of 16 for the ninth straight season.

Redick had 20 points, Williams added 17 points and 14 rebounds, and the No. 1 overall seed easily disposed of George Washington in a foul-filled game. Unlike its first-round victory over Southern, when Duke's two stars scored all but 12 of their team's 70 points, everyone who played contributed.

McRoberts got his second double-double of the season with 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, while fellow freshman Paulus never got frazzled against the trapping defense used by the Colonials. He had six assists to go with 10 points.

Every other player who got on the court scored for the Blue Devils (32-3), who shot 52 percent in the first half to take control and never were threatened after that.

Omar Williams had 14 points for the eighth-seeded Colonials (27-3), and Mike Hall added 13. Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who sat out four games down the stretch following knee surgery, never was a factor and had 4 points and two rebounds in 13 minutes.