Sloppy in building and then losing a 12-point lead, the top seed in the NCAA South regional looked like a national title contender Friday night in pulling away to an 80-67 victory over Syracuse.

Elton Brand, who had 20 points and 14 rebounds, led a 19-3 run the Blue Devils put together after missing 11 of their first 13 shots in the second half to give the heavy underdog Orangemen hope for an upset.

Second Round: Etan Thomas scored six points during a 15-6 run in the second half that carried Syracuse to a 56-46 victory over cold-shooting New Mexico in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Syracuse (26-8), the fifth seed, will play top-seeded Duke in the South Regional's third round at St. Petersburg, Fla., on Friday. Duke defeated Oklahoma State 79-73 in Sunday's other second-round game in Rupp Arena

First Round: Syracuse knew if it had the final shot it had a good chance at beating Iona.

Marius Janulis hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1.2 seconds left, lifting the Orangemen to a 63-61 victory in the first round of the NCAA South Regional on Friday.