updated 12:44 p.m. ET March 24, 2006

OAKLAND, Calif. - Rodney Carney counts on his first dunk of a game igniting his teammates’ intensity.

He dunked all right, he jumped in the passing lanes on defense, and Carney kept top-seeded Memphis from becoming another victim of Bradley’s surprising NCAA run.

Carney contributed on both ends of the floor Thursday, scoring 23 points and leading a stingy defense that gave Memphis an 80-64 victory and put the Tigers in the regional final for the first time since 1992 — back when Anfernee Hardaway was their star.

“That’s what my dunks do,” said Carney, who added three steals. “I spark the team with run-through dunks. It gives the team intensity. I want to dunk on 7-foot guys.”

Darius Washington Jr. added 18 points and Shawne Williams had 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocks as Memphis won the third round of the Oakland Regional for its seventh straight victory.

Carney raised his arms in the air in celebration after a two-handed jam midway through the second half, one of several emphatic dunks by the 6-foot-7 forward who was virtually unknown when he first arrived at Memphis. Now, he is one win from finishing his stellar collegiate career in his hometown of Indianapolis for the Final Four.

Coach John Calipari’s young Tigers (33-3), an NIT team last season, advanced to Saturday’s regional final against second-seeded UCLA, a 73-71 comeback winner over third-seeded Gonzaga. The Tigers beat the Bruins earlier this season.

“We really guarded. We rebounded in the second half, and my stars were stars — all three of them,” Calipari said. “We’re pretty good when that happens. ... Your senior better do his thing, and he’s doing it.”

Slide show   Super Sweet 16 The best images from Thursday and Friday’s thrilling NCAA Tournament games.

Patrick O’Bryant had 11 of his 14 rebounds in the first half and only scored eight points for Bradley (22-11), which at No. 13 was the lowest seed still alive in the tournament. The Braves will return home to another hero’s welcome after they turned the program into a household name and brought national attention to the town of Peoria, Ill., where they play.

“I think we put Bradley basketball back on the map,” O’Bryant said.

The Braves had been the NCAA spoiler so far after beating Kansas and Pittsburgh to reach their first regional semifinal since 1955 when it was 24-team tournament, but they began the second half 4-for-16 and struggled to get open looks at the basket against speedy, aggressive Memphis.

The Tigers took Bradley right out of its preferred half-court offense.

“They wanted to run, and we run,” Washington said. “That’s Memphis basketball.”

Bradley committed 14 first-half turnovers, then took better care of the ball after halftime but couldn’t make shots. Coach Jim Les was whistled for a technical with 8:29 remaining for arguing, a sign of his team’s frustration down the stretch.

MEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT RESULTS Thursday’s games ATLANTA REGIONAL LSU 62, Duke 54 Texas 74, West Virginia 71 OAKLAND REGIONAL Memphis 80, Bradley 64 UCLA 73, Gonzaga 71

After the Braves cut the lead to seven with 12:25 left, Williams hit a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down to start a 7-0 Memphis run that also featured Carney’s dazzling dunk.

“There’s a reason why they’re the (fourth)-ranked team in the country and a No. 1 seed,” Les said. “We needed to play our ‘A’ game and we didn’t play our ‘A’ game because of what they do and how they play.”

The 7-foot O’Bryant faced two or three defenders almost every time he caught the ball in the paint. Marcellus Sommerville led Bradley with 18 points — making nine of 10 free throws — and eight rebounds and Lawrence Wright added 14 points.

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