Syracuse headed to Final Four, beats Virginia

How far will Tony Bennett's Cavaliers advance? (AP Photo) (Copyright by WSLS - All rights reserved)

CHICAGO (AP) - Malachi Richardson scored 23 points and Syracuse went on a huge run in the second half to beat top-seeded Virginia 68-62 in the Midwest Regional final of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night.

The Orange advanced to their first Final Four since 2013 and sixth overall thanks to a big surge down the stretch. They scored 15 straight to turn a nine-point deficit into a 64-58 lead with 3:27 remaining and hung on in the closing minutes.

Recommended Videos



Malcolm Brogdon hit two free throws for Virginia to make it 64-62 with 27 seconds left, but the Cavaliers simply couldn't wipe out the deficit.

Syracuse's Michael Gbinje made one of two free throws and Tyler Lydon hit two more to make it 67-62 with nine seconds left.

.