Marquette 71, Miami (Fla.) 61: Jamil Wilson collected 16 points and eight rebounds and Vander Blue and Davante Gardner added 14 apiece as the third-seeded Golden Eagles got off to a hot start in Washington, D.C. and cruised into the NCAA Tournament East Regional final.

Chris Otule chipped in 11 points and Trent Lockett grabbed 11 rebounds for Marquette (26-8), which dominated from the outset and shot 54 percent en route to its first trip to the Elite Eight since a Final Four run in 2003. The Golden Eagles will face No. 4 seed Syracuse on Saturday.

Shane Larkin scored 14 points and Kenny Kadji added 11 for the second-seeded Hurricanes (29-7), who have never advanced beyond the Sweet 16. Miami never overcame a slow start after shooting 6-for-28 in the first half, including 1-for-12 from 3-point range.

The Golden Eagles had to rally in the second half of their first two games in the tournament, but didn't trail after the 17:13 mark of the first half in this one. A 10-0 run put Marquette in control early, and the Golden Eagles put on a tremendous defensive display in the first half to claim a 29-16 halftime lead.

Marquette pushed the margin as wide as 21 in the second half before the Hurricanes made a brief surge. Miami used a 7-0 run to pull within 51-37 and had a chance to get even closer, but Rion Brown missed an open 3-pointer and Blue fed Wilson for a dunk at the other end to squelch the rally with 7:27 left. Miami didn't get closer than 15 again until the final minute.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Marquette improved to 21-1 when leading at halftime. … Miami's 16 points in the first half marked its lowest total of the season. … Marquette held a 37-30 edge on the boards, aided by the absence of Miami leading rebounder Reggie Johnson, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Tuesday.