Published: March 25, 2006 01:32 am      

Villanova advances

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: UConn wins in overtime.

MINNEAPOLIS — With everyone’s eyes on Villanova’s sensational guards, overlooked forward Will Sheridan put the Wildcats on the cusp of the Final Four.

Down 59-58 in the closing seconds of overtime, Sheridan slipped behind Boston College’s defense to get an inbounds pass under the hoop. Eagles forward Sean Williams was late getting over and charged with goaltending when he batted the shot away with 3 seconds left, giving Villanova the lead.

Louis Hinnant’s desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer missed everything, allowing the Wildcats to escape with a 60-59 victory Friday night. They advance to play Florida in the Minneapolis Regional final Sunday.

Randy Foye carried the load for most of the game, scoring 29 points to offset a horrendous night from Allan Ray and the rest of Villanova’s vaunted four-guard lineup.

Foye scored six straight points for top-seeded Villanova (28-4) at the end of regulation, then added a 3-pointer and tough driving layup in overtime for a 58-55 lead.

Jared Dudley and Craig Smith came right back with layups, the last one by Smith with 12 seconds to go to give No. 4 seed BC a 59-58 lead.

On the ensuing possession, Foye was foiled on a drive to the hoop and the ball trickled out of bounds. With the Eagles (28-8) blanketing Foye on the inbounds play, Sheridan sneaked in for the open look.

The Villanova faithful leaped out of their seats after the goaltending call, hoping their Wildcats might be headed back to the Final Four for the first time since Rollie Massimino’s underdogs shocked Georgetown for the national championship in 1985.

Florida 57, Georgetown 53

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Florida’s Corey Brewer made one basket in the second half, and he made it count.

Brewer’s tiebreaking, falling-down shot and subsequent three-point play with 27.5 seconds left lifted the third-seeded Gators. Florida (30-6) will play top-seeded Villanova on Sunday in the final, with the winner advancing to next weekend’s Final Four in Indianapolis.

Brewer and rest of Florida’s super sophomores are erasing memories of the Gators’ recent tournament failures. The Gators hadn’t been past the second round since 2000.

Joakim Noah had 15 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in yet another all-around effort. Taurean Green scored 13 points, and Al Horford added 12 points to give the Gators what they needed to get past the tenacious, seventh-seeded Hoyas (23-10).

Jeff Green led Georgetown with 15 points, and Ashanti Cook added 12 points.

Washington Regional

George Mason 63, Wichita State 55

WASHINGTON (AP) — Feeling right at home, George Mason used a shutdown defense to take nearly all the suspense out of its mid-major matchup with Wichita State.

Now the 11th-seeded Patriots are one victory from taking their magical run all the way to the Final Four.

Folarin Campbell scored 16 points and George Mason stifled seventh-seeded Wichita State (26-9), moving into the NCAA tournament’s round of eight for the first time. There were questions on Selection Sunday about whether the Patriots belonged at the Big Dance as an at-large choice from the Colonial Athletic Association, in part because the team lost two of its last four games.

Senior guards Tony Skinn and Lamar Butler added 14 points apiece for the Patriots (26-7). George Mason advances to meet top-seeded Connecticut or fifth-seeded Washington on Sunday.

The Patriots did a great job of denying the ball to Missouri Valley Conference player of the year Paul Miller (16 points, nine rebounds) and Wichita State’s second-leading scorer, Sean Ogirri (four points on 1-for-8 shooting).

Connecticut 98, Washington 92

WASHINGTON (AP) — Connecticut was as careless as a top seed can be — and got away with it.

Despite a season-high 26 turnovers and 10-point second-half deficit, Connecticut rallied to force overtime on Rashad Anderson’s 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left in regulation. Then the Huskies of the Big East held off the foul-depleted Huskies of the Pac-10 in the extra period for a place in the NCAA’s round of eight.

Marcus Williams, who got an earful from coach Jim Calhoun during a careless stretch in the first half, recovered to score a career-high 26 points as Connecticut advanced to regional finals for the sixth time in 12 years. UConn (30-3) will play for a spot in the Final Four on Sunday against 11th-seeded George Mason.

Senior Jamaal Williams came off the bench to score a career-high 27 points, including the first 3-pointer of his college career, to lead fifth-seeded Washington (26-7). The Huskies from the Pac-10 failed to hold a 10-point lead with 15 minutes to play and began to run out of players down the stretch: Two fouled out in regulation, and two more in overtime.