NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Dion Dixon and the Cincinnati Bearcats are making it an Ohio party in the NCAA tournament, giving the Buckeye State four teams in the final 16.

Next up, the sixth-seeded Bearcats play Ohio State for only the second time since beating the Buckeyes in 1961 and 1962 for back-to-back national championships.

Dixon stole the ball and dunked to put Cincinnati ahead for good with 1:32 left, and the Bearcats edged No. 3 seed Florida State 62-56 Sunday night to reach their first regional semifinal in the NCAA tournament since 2001.

Cincinnati (26-10) will play No. 2 seed Ohio State in Boston on Thursday night in the East Regional, joining Xavier and Ohio in the second weekend. The Bearcats and Ohio State last played on Dec. 16, 2006, when Ohio State won 72-50 in Indianapolis in the Wooden Tradition. That was the only time the former state rivals have played since Cincinnati’s championship game wins with Oscar Robertson.

“It’s an accomplishment for us considering everything we’ve been through all year,” Dixon said. “To make it to the Sweet 16 is just unreal.”

It’s a game few could have pictured for Cincinnati back in December after trash talking and a brawl capped a 76-53 loss to Xavier that led to suspensions. The Bearcats now have won five of six, reaching their first Big East tournament championship game as well.

“We were so far from the NCAA tournament we couldn’t see it with binoculars,” Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said. “These guys, they’re prepared to play must-win games because we’ve been playing them since Dec. 13 at Wright State.”

Sean Kilpatrick scored 18 points and Dixon finished with 15. Yancy Gates had 10 and JaQuon Parker grabbed 11 rebounds.

Florida State (25-10) had its six-game winning streak snapped. The Seminoles who won their first Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title this season are heading home short of the NCAA regional semifinal they reached a year ago.

“As physical as it was, it got to the point where I mean, I think the refs had to not call a lot of things,” Florida State senior Bernard James said. “I don’t think we handled that too well, me in particular. I shot a much lower percentage than I normally shoot, especially point-blank jump hooks and layups.”

Luke Loucks led the Seminoles with 14 points. James and Michael Snaer both scored 11.

“They did the little things that gave them the edge to give them the opportunity to win this game,” coach Leonard Hamilton said.

This game featured 19 lead changes and 11 ties, and neither team led by more than three in the second half until the Bearcats scored seven straight points. Kilpatrick hit a free throw to tie it at 50, then Dixon stole the ball on a careless pass from Loucks in front of the Cincinnati bench as Florida State tried to bring the ball up court. Dixon took off and slammed down a dunk to give Cincinnati the lead.

“I got a steal, it was just me and the basket,” Dixon said. “I saw nobody else, and I went up and dunked it. It kind of sparked us a little bit.”

Cronin called that the play of the game, with the Bearcats needing every steal possible to combat Florida State’s size in the paint.

“That was a tremendous play on his part, reading the pass and tremendous anticipation,” Cronin said.