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BUFFALO, N.Y. >> Shabazz Napier scored 25 points in leading Connecticut to a 77-65 win over second-seeded Villanova in the third round of the NCAA tournament Saturday night.
Villanova became the highest seed to be knocked out of the tournament so far, and the Wildcats’ loss came on the heels of another upset in Buffalo. The game was played immediately after Dayton, the South Region’s 11th seed, beat third-seeded Syracuse 55-53.
Seventh-seeded Connecticut (28-8) advanced to New York City next week, when they’ll play the winner of Sunday’s third-round game between third-seeded Iowa State and sixth-seeded North Carolina.
Ryan Arcidiacono scored 18 points for Villanova (29-5) in a matchup of two former Big East rivals.
UConn coach Kevin Ollie improved to 2-0 in his tournament debut, two years since taking over after Jim Calhoun stepped down because of health issues, and a year after the Huskies were barred from postseason play because of academic sanctions.
