DALLAS (REUTERS) — The eyes of Texas could barely watch at the end, but Deginald Erskin and Royal Ivey made it a happy ending for the home crowd.

The sixth-seeded Longhorns nearly squandered a 23-point lead but managed to hold on and defeat No. 3 Mississippi State, 68-64, in the second round of the Midwest Region.

Texas (21-11) raced to a 26-7 advantage in the first 10 minutes and built the lead to 34-11 with 6:49 left in the half.

But Mississippi State (27-7) went on an 18-5 run as Timmy Bowers hit a pair of 3-pointers and converted a three-point play before Longhorns freshman T.J. Ford closed the half with a pair of free throws, giving Texas a 41-29 halftime lead.

Texas had a comfortable 60-46 lead with 7 1/2 minutes left, but the Bulldogs fought back with a 13-1 run, pulling within 61-59 on a baseline jumper by Mario Austin with 2:09 left.

But Erskin calmed the nervous home crowd with a clutch three-point play, hitting a twisting bank shot inside as he was fouled with 1:51 left.

After freshman Ontario Harper connected on a 3-pointer to again pull Mississippi State within two with 45 seconds left, Royal Ivy converted four free throws in the final 26 seconds to seal the win for Texas, which advanced to the “Sweet 16” for the first time since 1997.

The Longhorns will meet second-seeded Oregon in the regional semifinals Friday.

ILLINOIS 72, CREIGHTON 60

CHICAGO (REUTERS) — In Chicago, Frank Williams showed up in time to send the party crashers home.

After being a non-factor in the opening 20 minutes, the junior guard scored all 20 of his points in the second half as fourth-seeded Illinois advanced to the “Sweet 16” with a 72-60 victory over No. 12 Creighton in a Midwest Region second-round contest at the United Center.

Illinois (26-8) will take on top-seeded Kansas in the regional semifinals Friday in Madison, Wisconsin in a rematch of a “Sweet 16” game last season.

Coming off a last-second 83-82 double overtime victory against Florida, Creighton was trying to join Missouri as the second No. 12 seed to reach the final 16. But the Blue Jays (23-9) had all kinds of trouble attacking the taller, more physical Fighting Illini and got worn down in the second half.

A six-minute drought proved to be Creighton’s undoing after it closed to 52-49 on Brody Deren’s jumper hook with 10:09 remaining. Illinois outscored the Blue Jays 12-0 over the next six minutes, opening a 64-49 lead on Williams’ jumper with 4:13 remaining.

After going just 0-for-2 from the field in the first half, Williams made four 3-pointers in the second half.

Kyle Korver scored 14 points and Terrell Taylor added 10 for the Blue Jays, who fell behind, 12-3, in the first five minutes and never recovered.

KANSAS 86, STANFORD 63

ST. LOUIS (REUTERS) — This is what Kansas is used to.

Jeff Boschee scored 19 points and Nick Collison added 17 and 13 rebounds as the top-seeded Jayhawks scored the game’s first 15 points and never looked back in administering an 86-63 thrashing of No. 8 Stanford in the second round of the Midwest Region.

Kansas (31-3) advanced to the regional finals, where it will face Illinois in Madison, Wisconsin Friday. The Jayhawks struggled with Holy Cross in the first round and were thought to be vulnerable with star guard Kirk Hinrich hampered by a sprained ankle.

But Collison scored for a 6-0 lead just 97 seconds into the contest. Freshman Aaron Miles added a pair of free throws and Collison made consecutive baskets to extend the margin to 12.

Boschee drilled a 3-pointer for a 15-0 advantage with 15:46 left. Stanford (20-10) missed its first five shots and the Jayhawks blocked four in the opening stretch.

Hinrich entered with 13:05 remaining and had a basket and a pair of 3-pointers to extend the margin to 31-15. He finished with 15 points and eight assists.

OREGON 92, WAKE FOREST 87

SACRAMENTO (REUTERS) — Oregon won a run-and-gun game with a surprising weapon — defense.

Luke Jackson scored seven of his 29 points in the final 3:32 and the second-seeded Ducks stifled No. 7 Wake Forest down the stretch for a 92-87 victory in a fast-paced second-round game in the Midwest Region.

Oregon (25-8) is in the regional semifinals for the first time since 1960. It will face Texas in Madison, Wisconsin Friday.

Wake Forest (21-13) was in front for most of the second half and took an 83-82 lead on freshman Jamaal Levy’s basket with 3:48 left. Jackson responded with a long 3-pointer that put the Ducks ahead for good.

The Demon Deacons were unable to muster any offense and were held without a basket until the final seconds. Darius Songaila missed a short bank shot with 37 seconds left that would have tied it.

Jackson added four free throws as Oregon went 7-of-8 from the line to seal the victory.

Wake Forest shot 56 percent (19-of-34) in the first half for a slim 48-46 edge. It went on an 8-2 spurt early in the second half for a 56-48 advantage on two free throws by Songaila with 13:31 remaining.

The Demon Deacons were still ahead 78-73 when Jackson lined up a 3-pointer and nailed it. On the play, Wake Forest guard Craig Dawson was hit in the face and walked off the court.

Dawson suffered a separated shoulder and the senior guard did not return. He led Wake Forest with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

Jackson’s 3-pointer started a run of nine straight points for Oregon. Frederick Jones had a huge follow slam and capped the spurt with a basket for an 82-78 lead with 5:13 to go.

Ridnour scored 28 points, drilling seven 3-pointers in the process. Jones finished with 24 points, six rebounds and five assists for Oregon, the second-highest scoring team in the country behind Kansas.

The Ducks were tentative in their first-round game with Montana on Thursday but came out with a vengeance against Wake Forest. They topped the 90-point mark for the 16th time this season.

Without Dawson, Wake Forest had trouble keeping up with Oregon’s offense. Josh Howard, the team’s second leading scorer, was hampered by a left ankle sprain and scored only three points in six minutes.

The Demon Deacons used their strong 3-point shooting, making 11-of-19, to stay ahead for most of the way. But Dawson had five of those and was not available in the end.

Songaila scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in his final game while fellow senior Antwan Scott added 13 points. The Demon Deacons will graduate five seniors who are part of their nine-man rotation.