C-USA Basketball - NCAA Sweet 16 Recap - Memphis 80 - Bradley 64

Bradley said they wanted to run with the Tigers and they did, right off the court they went! Rodney Carney had 23 points and led a tough Memphis defensive effort as they advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1992.

Darius Washington Jr. added 18 points and Shawne Williams contributed 12 as the Tigers won by 16 points for the third consecutive game.

Carney, an Indianapolis native, dunked multiple times through the Bradley defense and looked to be a step ahead of the Braves on both ends of the court. "That's what my dunks do," said Carney, who added three steals. "I spark the team with run-through dunks. It gives the team intensity. I want to dunk on 7-foot guys."

Bradley committed 14 first-half turnovers, then took better care of the ball after halftime but couldn't make shots. Coach Jim Les was whistled for a technical with 8:29 remaining for arguing, a sign of his team's frustration down the stretch.

After the Braves cut the lead to seven with 12:25 left, Williams hit a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down to start a 7-0 Memphis run that also featured Carney's dazzling dunk.

The 7-foot O'Bryant faced two or three defenders almost every time he caught the ball in the paint. Marcellus Sommerville led Bradley with 18 points - making nine of 10 free throws - and eight rebounds and Lawrence Wright added 14 points.

Memphis will face UCLA at 7EST on Saturday with a trip to the Final Four on the line. They previously met in the semifinals of the NIT Tipoff with Memphis winning 88-80.

Updated Conference USA basketball postseason results

by John Griffin, CUSA-fans.com Basketball Staff Writer