BUFFALO, N.Y. – Butler can shed the mid-major label. A.J. Graves and company proved the Bulldogs can play with anyone – including Maryland.

Graves scored 19 points, including a clutch 3-point basket with 2:09 remaining to lift the Bulldogs to a 62-59 win over Maryland in the second round of the NCAA tournament Saturday.

Butler (29-6), the No. 5 seed in the Midwest Regional, advances to the round of 16 for the second time in school history. The Bulldogs did it previously in their last tournament appearance in 2003.

Maryland (25-9), making its first tournament appearance since 2004, has not advanced past the second round since 2003. The Terps were undone by an aggressive and smaller team, which kept their offense out of rhythm.

Brandon Crone scored with three minutes left to put the Bulldogs ahead 58-56. Then, after Maryland’s Ekene Ibekwe missed a 6-footer, Graves hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to all but seal the victory.

In the final half-minute, with his team trailing by two, Maryland coach Gary Williams decided to let Butler run down the clock. Butler missed in the final seconds but got the rebound, forcing the Terrapins to foul.

A free throw made it a three-point deficit, and Maryland ran out of time before it could get off a final shot.

Mike Jones scored 21 for the Terps, but the team couldn’t make up for D.J. Strawberry’s tough night. The senior managed eight points.

The game ended when Jones was unable to control Eric Hayes’ inbounds just before the buzzer sounded.

South regional

Ohio State 78, Xavier 71, OT

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Ohio State thought Greg Oden was its best shot at a national championship. Turns out it was Ron Lewis, and in the nick of time.

Lewis hit a long-range 3-pointer with two seconds left to force overtime, and the top-seeded Buckeyes rallied from a late 11-point deficit to beat Xavier 78-71 Saturday.

Ohio State trailed 55-44 with 7 minutes left, and was still down 59-50 with 3:49 left. When Oden fouled out with a hard shove after the Buckeyes kept missing in the last 10 seconds, they looked lost.

Xavier (25-9) then made of one of two foul shots for a 62-59 lead, giving Ohio State its last chance. Lewis came down and, with two defenders flying at him, swished the tying 3-pointer.

With Oden on the bench, fellow freshman – and high school teammate – Mike Conley Jr. took over. He scored 11 points in overtime and the Buckeyes (32-3) were never threatened again in winning their 19th straight game.

Texas A&M 72, Louisville 69

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A hostile crowd. A big shot. A season on the line. All in a day’s work for Acie Law.

The Texas A&M point guard whose cool demeanor earned him the nickname “Captain Clutch,” did it again. Law took over late and led the Aggies past Louisville.

The third-seeded Aggies (27-6) reached the round of 16 for the first time in 27 years, surviving a raucous Rupp Arena crowd. Rick Pitino’s Cardinals had their chances, too. Especially Edgar Sosa.

Sosa scored 31 points but, after going 15-for-15 from the foul line, missed two free throws with 30 seconds left and Louisville trailing by a point.

The sixth-seeded Cardinals (24-10) caught a break when Texas A&M’s Joseph Jones missed two free throws at the other end. Sosa got another chance, but hit the back of the rim on a long 3-point attempt.

With a large sea of red-clad Louisville fans who made the short trip to Rupp screaming, Law made two free throws with 1.7 seconds to go, giving him 26 points.

East regional

North Carolina 81, Michigan State 67

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Tyler Hansbrough tossed away the mask protecting his broken nose and busted up Michigan State.

Top-seeded North Carolina sure did need it’s big man to fend off the Spartans.

The sophomore finished with 33 points and nine rebounds and Reyshawn Terry knocked down several key baskets down the stretch to help the Tar Heels hold off Michigan State.

North Carolina is in the round of 16 for the second time in three seasons.

Georgetown 62, BC 55

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – In the heart of Atlantic Coast Conference country, Georgetown and Boston College got together for some old-fashioned, bruising Big East basketball.

With 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green clogging the middle, the Hoyas took another step toward their return to the top of college basketball at the expense of a former conference rival.

Hibbert scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half and added 12 rebounds, and leading scorer Green overcame a poor shooting night to convert two three-point plays in the final two minutes as coach John Thompson III and the Hoyas (28-6) advanced to the round of 16 for the second straight year.

Vanderbilt 78, Washington State 74, 2OT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Vanderbilt and Washington State didn’t have much NCAA tournament experience, yet neither club showed it in a double-overtime thriller.

And Derrick Byars made sure the Commodores will get a little more time in the spotlight.

Byars scored 27 points, Shan Foster added 20 and Vanderbilt took control in the second overtime.

Byars hit five 3-pointers, and center Ted Skuchas opened the second OT with his first five points of the game for sixth-seeded Vanderbilt (22-11).

Derrick Low scored 20 points for the third-seeded Cougars (26-8), whose remarkable turnaround season ended in a game filled with outstanding defense and gutsy shots – but rookie coach Tony Bennett’s team couldn’t get one last break.

West regional

Pittsburgh 84, VCU 79, OT

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Eric Maynor and his Virginia Commonwealth teammates spent all of their energy forcing overtime. Levance Fields and Pittsburgh took over from there.

Fields atoned for two missed free throws at the end of the regulation and Pitt recovered after blowing a 19-point lead.

Maynor, who hit the game-winning shot to beat Duke in the first round, led a comeback from a 51-32 deficit. Fields made a clutch 3-pointer in overtime and Ronald Ramon scored five points in the extra session.

Third-seeded Pitt (29-7), which has never won more than two games in an NCAA tournament, will make its fourth appearance in school history in the round of 16 and play the winner of UCLA-Indiana.

Jesse Pellot-Rosa had 20 points, all in the second half, and B.A. Walker also had 20 for the 11th-seeded Rams (28-7). Maynor finished with 14 points, eight assists and three steals.

UCLA 54, Indiana 49

SACRAMENTO, Calif.- Indiana’s game plan hearkened back to the days of Four Corners offenses and set shots, and it nearly worked – until UCLA punched a hole in its peach basket and squeaked into the next round of the NCAA tournament.

Darren Collison scored 15 points, hit two late free throws and made the game-deciding steal as UCLA survived both the Hoosiers’ stifling defense and their frantic tying rally.

Arron Afflalo managed just 10 points for second-seeded UCLA (28-5), which led 20-13 after a first half dominated by defensive hustle – and downright offensive ineptitude by both teams. Indiana tied it at 49 with a minute left after a 16-3 rally, but Afflalo and Collison finished it off with free throws.

D.J. White and Earl Calloway scored 12 points apiece for Indiana (21-11), which finished its encouraging first season under coach Kelvin Sampson with a tournament game.

that should have a place in the schools’ rich history, which includes five championships. UCLA has 11 titles.