Crawford leads Xavier over Minnesota

Jordan Crawford scored 17 of his 28 points in the second half and Xavier continued its run of tournament success with a 65-54 victory over Minnesota in an NCAA Tournament West Regional first-round game Friday in Milwaukee. Xavier (25-8) will be in the second round for the fourth straight year. Lawrence Westbrook scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half for Minnesota (21-14) before the 11th-seeded Gophers went cold from three-point range late. Xavier will face Pittsburgh in the second round.

Pittsburgh 89, Oakland 66

Also in Milwaukee, Jermaine Dixon and Gilbert Brown scored 17 points each and Pittsburgh avoided becoming the latest Big East powerhouse to get knocked off in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Brown's strong performance off the bench was a boost for the third-seeded Panthers (25-8), who are making their ninth straight NCAA appearance. Center Keith Benson scored 28 points for the 14th-seeded Golden Grizzlies (26-9).- AP