NCAA East: Gamecocks Knock Off Gators, Advance To First-Ever Final Four; Zags Next On Tap In Battle Of FF Debutantes

At New York:

Sindarius Thornwell (named regional Most Valuable Player) scored 26 points as the seventh-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks (26-10) overcame a seven-point halftime deficit and outlasted the fourth-seeded Florida Gators (27-9) 77-70 in the final of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament's East Region, enabling the Gamecocks to reach the Final Four for the first time in their history.

South Carolina will face off against Gonzaga on Saturday (in the first meeting between Final Four first-timers since 1973) at Glendale, Arizona in a national semifinal.