Buckeyes cruise past Tigers to advance to Final Four

Lewis, who drained the game-tying three-pointer with two seconds left in regulation in the Buckeyes’ 78-71 overtime win against Xavier a week ago, shot 5-of-12 from the field and a perfect 10-of-10 from the line.

Mike Conley Jr. posted 19 points and Greg Oden added 17 with nine boards for the Big Ten champion Buckeyes (34-3), who have won 21 straight games and will play either North Carolina or Georgetown next Saturday in Atlanta.

Jamar Butler contributed 12 points for Ohio State, which is making its first appearance in the Final Four since 1999, when it lost to eventual national champion Connecticut.

Jeremy Hunt scored 26 points for the second-seeded Tigers (33-4), who had their 25-game winning streak — the nation’s longest — snapped. Chris Douglas-Roberts chipped in 14, Willie Kemp 12 and Antonio Anderson 10 in defeat.

Robert Dozier netted nine points pulled down 11 rebounds for Conference USA champion Memphis, which was coming off a 65-64 decision over Texas A&M in the Sweet 16.

Ohio State scored the first eight points of the contest, but Memphis powered back and took a 20-17 lead after Hunt drained a three-pointer with 8:43 left.

Then, after Hunt buried another trey for a two-point edge, the Buckeyes went on a 15-4 burst — capped by two free throws by Butler — and went up 39-30 with just over two minutes remaining.

The Tigers, though, ended the frame with an 8-2 spurt as Kemp’s triple cut their deficit to 41-38 at the break.

Things remained close in the early stages of the second half and Memphis used a 12-2 run to take its biggest lead of the game, 56-51, with 12:38 to play.

Ohio State, however, fired back and tied the game at 64, and then ripped off a 12-2 burst — ended with Daequan Cook’s two free throws — to take a 76-66 advantage with 3:47 left.

Kemp’s three-pointer brought the Tigers within six moments later, but the Buckeyes proved to be too much and scored 14 of the game’s final 18 points.

Game Notes

Ohio State finished 51 percent from the floor, while Memphis shot 40 percent...Cook had nine points...The Tigers fell to 25-20 all-time in the NCAA Tournament...This is only the second time the two teams met. The first came in 1959 when the Buckeyes crushed Memphis, 94-55.