The Cincinnati Bearcats advanced to the Sweet 16 late Sunday night with a 62-56 upset win over No. 3 seed Florida State. Amazingly, it was the first time Cincinnati has ever beaten a higher seeded team in the NCAA Tournament. They had lost their previous four "round of 32" games. It was incredible second-half effort by the Bearcats, which improved Ohio teams to a perfect 8-0 in the tournament and placed four teams from one state in the Sweet 16 for the first time ever.
Mick Cronin's club was led by the guard duo of Dion Dixon and Sean Kilpatrick, who hit all of Cincinnati's three-pointers on the evening. Kilpatrick was four of six from behind the arc and lead all scorers with 18 points. Dixon added 15 points. The Bearcats took a four-point lead in the two minutes, forcing two straight FSU turnovers and capitalizing on the other end with buckets. A huge steal by Dixon led to an emphatic dunk that gave the Bearcats a lead they would not relinquish. Video of the steal and go-ahead dunk below:
One of the four Ohio teams will have to go out in the next round, as the Bearcats now face Ohio State on Thursday in Boston.
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