March Madness roundup: Houston in Elite Eight for first time since 1984

March 28 (UPI) -- The second-seeded Houston Cougars cruised to a 62-46 win over No. 11 Syracuse on Saturday night in Indianapolis to reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Quentin Grimes scored 14 points for the Cougars, who advanced to a regional final for the first time since 1984. Houston will face No. 12 seed Oregon State on Monday for the Midwest Region title and a spot in the Final Four.

The Cougars also got strong performances from Justin Gorham and DeJon Jarreau. Gorham had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Jarreau finished with nine points, eight rebounds and eight assists while leading Houston's defensive effort.

Houston (27-3) stifled the Orange, holding them to 28% from the floor and 5 for 23 from 3-point range. Syracuse guard Buddy Boeheim, who was averaging 28.3 points through four games in the Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA tournaments, was limited to 12 points on 3-of-13 shooting.

Joseph Girard III added 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting for Syracuse (18-10).

Also Saturday, No. 12 Oregon State rolled into the next round of the NCAA tournament following its 65-58 victory over eighth-seeded Loyola Chicago in the Sweet 16.

The Beavers ended the first half on an 11-0 run to grab an eight-point lead at halftime. Oregon State never trailed for the remainder of the game.

Senior guard Ethan Thompson led the Beavers with 22 points and four assists. Warith Alatishe chipped in 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Meanwhile, No. 1 seed Baylor beat fifth-seeded Villanova 62-51 to reach the Elite Eight. No. 3 Arkansas also advanced with a 72-70 win over No. 15 Oral Roberts.