Connecticut (32-4) will play top-seeded and top-ranked North Carolina, which beat fourth-seeded Michigan State 73-58, in Saturday's regional final with a berth in the Final Four at stake.

No. 11 seed Washington (20-10) took its first lead at 74-73 with 33 seconds left on a 3-pointer by Donald Watts.

Second round: WASHINGTON -- Richmond's Sweet 16 dreams weren't as big as 7-foot center Todd MacCulloch.

In a throwback to the days when the big man was the only man, the former high school hockey player from Canada had 31 points, 18 rebounds and thoroughly dominated the game as Washington beat Richmond 81-66 Saturday to advance past the NCAA's second round for the first time since 1984.

MacCulloch gave up hockey in part because he wasn't the physical type, but his imposing presence left the Spiders searching for answers that never came. He fought off double teams to make 14 of 24 shots from the field, and finished with only six fewer rebounds than the entire Richmond team.

First Round: WASHINGTON -- Washington committed 26 turnovers and missed 11 of 21 free throws, yet still managed to win its first NCAA tournament game in 14 years.

The 11th-seeded Huskies did it with defense, forcing 17 turnovers of their own and holding Xavier to one field goal in the final 9:53. The clincher came when 7-footers Patrick Femerling and Todd MacCulloch both got a hand on the ball as T.J. Johnson attempted a buzzer-beating layup, preserving Thursday's 69-68 victory over the sixth-seeded Musketeers.

Did you know: The Huskies had been the only Pac-10 team not to make the NCAA Tournament in the 1990s.