Midwest -- Top-seeded Piedmont pushed a 5-point halftime lead into double figures just before the midway point of the second half and was never seriously threatened down the stretch in a 65-53 win over Elizabethtown. Mike Caroll had 20 points as the only Piedmont player to reach double figures. They'll pull the 2 seed, Wisconsin, Superior, in the regional final. Superior won the clash of titans with a 76-71 win over Texas Lutheran. Frankly, it was a crime that these two teams met in the Sweet 16. After fighting back from 7 down at the half, Texas Lutheran appeared prepared to pull in front, but a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:19 to play proved to be the team's last points as Superior ended the game on an 8-0 run for the win. Clarence Timms with 20 points for the winners, who shot 53.3 percent from the floor.
East -- Top seed Johnson and Wales trailed by as many as 7 points in the second half, but wiped out Colorado's lead with just over five minutes to play and rolled from there to a 76-70 victory. Bryan Davis was 5-for-11 from behind the arc for J-Dub while Roosevelt Lewis also threw down 15 points in the win. For the regional title, they'll face Southwestern as the 3 seed picked up a 69-63 victory over Susquehanna, meaning my entire Final Four has now been wiped from the books. The early stages of the second half made all the difference. Southwestern vaulted from the locker room and a 23-23 tie to build a 12-point lead early in the second half. Susquehanna never got closer than four points from that time forward. Joseph Rodden with 22 points to pace Southwestern, which also held Susquehanna to 38.5 percent shooting.
South -- Just like everyone drew it up, we've got a 12 seed facing a 14 seed for a spot in the Final Four. Wentworth, the 12 seed, was in control practically the entire way against top-seeded Trinity(TX). After a 33-26 halftime lead, Wentworth threw the hammer down, climbing in front by as many as 21 points in the second half. Only Trinity's scoring the final seven points of the game provided an artificially closer final score.Abraham Griffeth with 17 points and five assists in the win. Frank Stuart ends a brilliant career with 27 points for Trinity in the loss. Now they face Webster, a 72-61 winner over Rivier. Webster led by three at intermission and it stayed close until an 11-2 Webster run in the early middle stages of the second half that staked Webster to a double-digit lead. Rivier never pulled closer than six after that. Chad Zidek with 15 points to lead the way.
West -- It'll be an all-University regional final out west as Millsaps and defending national champ Emory are still kicking. Millsaps scored six straight points with less than 2 minutes to play, then survived a poorly-aimed half-court shot at the buzzer for a 61-58 win over South Vermont. Steven Snider with 15 points off the bench for Millsaps, which was 8-for-19 from behind the arc. That sets up a third and rubber game for the season against Emory. Emory survived a potential game-winning shot from Whittier with 3 seconds remaining in regulation, sending the teams to overtime tied at 53. The drama quickly left the extra period as Emory unleased a 12-0 haymaker run on the way to a 68-58 victory. Timothy Lane's 17 points were tops for the defending champions.