DALLAS, Texas (KTRK) — The No. 1 Houston Cougars overcame the challenges of losing Terrence Arceneaux and Joseph Tugler to injuries during the regular season, but they had little time to acclimate to Jamal Shead’s in the first half of their loss against the Duke Blue Devils on Friday.
The Big 12 regular season champions stayed competitive with the five-time national champions in Dallas, where a 54-51 loss derailed Houston’s March Madness run.
The 6-foot-4-inch All-American, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and conference Player of the Year took an awkward step on a drive to the basket, rolled his right ankle, and went down in pain.
Shead left the game with 6:38 left in the first half, having to be helped off by two trainers.
The game broadcast reported before halftime that Shead was questionable to return. X-rays were negative for any extensive damage, and the team called it a severely spained ankle.
The broadcast stated that the door was open for a return, but he remained on the bench throughout the second half.
Houston’s defense still forced 14 Duke turnovers.
This marks the second straight Sweet Sixteen exit for the program.
More coverage on UH’s March Madness run
Houston’s Jamal Shead reacts after going down while driving to the basket against Duke during a Sweet 16 college basketball game in Dallas on Friday, March 29, 2024.
LOS ANGELES — LOS ANGELES (AP) — Grant Nelson converted a go-ahead three-point play with 38 seconds remaining, and Alabama beat top-seeded North Carolina 89-87 on Thursday night to reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history.
Nelson finished with a season-high 24 points, 19 in the second half, and he blocked RJ Davis’ attempt at a tying layup after giving Alabama the lead. Rylan Griffen added 19 points, tying his career high with five 3-pointers, and Aaron Estrada also scored 19 for the fourth-seeded Crimson Tide (24-11).
The Tide face sixth-seeded Clemson on Saturday for a berth in the Final Four. The Tigers (24-11) defeated second-seeded Arizona 77-72 in the first semifinal at Crypto.com Arena.
After Nelson blocked Davis’ shot with 25 seconds left, Davis furiously dribbled around before missing a layup and the Tar Heels got called for a shot-clock violation with 8 seconds left. They were forced to foul, sending Nelson to the line. He calmly made both for an 89-85 lead.
Armando Bacot scored inside with 1 second left, leaving North Carolina trailing 89-87. The Tar Heels fouled Nelson again with 0.9 seconds left. He missed both and time expired on the blueblood Tar Heels, who own six national championships.
Bacot finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds for UNC (29-8). Cormac Ryan had 17 points and made five 3-pointers and Davis had 16 points.
___
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
Clemson’s Joseph Girard III (11), Chase Hunter (1) and Ian Schieffelin (4) celebrate the Tigers’ 77-72 victory over Arizona in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen on Thursday, March 28, 2024 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA.
Robert Willett
rwillett@newsobserver.com
Clemson was sweet.
Now it’s elite.
An unforgettable NCAA Tournament run continued Thursday night for the Tigers as they upset Arizona, 77-72, in a thrilling, back-and-forth Sweet 16 game in Los Angeles. With the win, Clemson advances to only the second Elite Eight in program history and first in 44 years.
After upsetting the No. 2 Wildcats, the No. 6 Tigers qualify for their first Elite Eight since 1980 and will play Saturday against the winner of the UNC-Alabama game that’s set to tip off later Thursday in Los Angeles.
Clemson started out scorching (again) and led by as many as 13 points in the first half, with six different players scoring and four hitting a 3-pointer. Showing no signs of rust from a cross-country trip or one fewer day of rest than Arizona, the Tigers were 53% from the field in the opening 20 minutes and hit five of their 11 3-pointers.
Clemson (24-11) was up 29-16 with 6:43 remaining in the first half. Arizona narrowed the gap from there in front of a friendly crowd that was, by some estimates, about 80% Wildcats fans and got within seven points (39-31) at half.
And a furious 8-0 Wildcats run out of halftime spark the crowd again and tied things at 43-43 less than three minutes into the second half. Arizona (27-9) took its first lead of the game moments later.
The teams traded buckets during a thrilling second half down to the final minutes before Clemson held on, sank late free throws and broke a few presses to clinch a historic win.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
This story was originally published March 28, 2024, 9:23 PM.
Related stories from Raleigh News & Observer
Chapel Fowler has covered Clemson football, among other topics, for The State since June 2022. He’s a Denver, N.C., native, a 2020 UNC-Chapel Hill alumnus and a pickup basketball enthusiast with previous stops at the Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer and Chatham (N.C.) News + Record. His work has been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the South Carolina Press Association and the North Carolina Press Association.
Paige Bueckers matched Clark’s 32 points Monday, as UConn also got a scare with No. 6 Syracuse pulling within two late in Monday’s game. But after sealing the 72-64 win, Geno Auriemma and the Huskies advance to their 30th consecutive Sweet 16 game. They will take on No. 7 Duke.
The Houston Cougars breathed a sigh of relief, celebrating their latest Sweet 16 berth.What looked like a victory in hand turned into an overtime thriller in the span of two minutes.Video above: How an arena prepares to host NCAA Tournament Emanuel Sharp started overtime with a 3-pointer that put Houston ahead to stay as the top-seeded Cougars advanced to the Sweet 16 back in Texas by topping No. 9 seed Texas A&M 100-95 on Sunday night.Houston coach Kelvin Sampson credited playing this debut season in the Big 12, filled with lots of close games, with having his Cougars ready for this game.“We’re very fortunate tonight to win. Texas A&M could’ve won that game,” Sampson said. “But only one team can advance. I’ve learned not to autopsy wins at this time of the year. So we move on.”The Aggies forced overtime with a furious rally, outscoring Houston 17-5 in the final two minutes of regulation. Andersson Garcia beat the buzzer with his ninth 3-pointer of the season, and then was mobbed by his teammates.“Obviously, it’s a shot that will go down in Texas A&M lore,” Aggies coach Buzz Williams said. “It was to tie. It wasn’t to win, you know?”Sampson called the final two minutes of regulation “Murphy’s Law,” with missed free throws and the ball bouncing everywhere. “They didn’t miss a 3,” Sampson said. “And they didn’t make an easy one. They were all hard 3’s.”Sharp fouled out after his 3, finishing with 30 points. His teammates outscored Texas A&M 7-1 to start the extra session and close it out.The win by Houston (32-4) means all eight teams seeded 1 and 2 advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fifth time since the NCAA tourney started seeding in 1979. The top eight seeds also advanced in 2019, 2009, 1995 and 1989.The Cougars will play Duke, a 93-55 winner over James Madison, on Friday in Dallas in the South Region semifinals. This will be Houston’s fifth straight Sweet 16 and 16th all-time.Another No. 1 seed that advanced on Sunday was UConn.Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton and the top-seeded Huskies overwhelmed an undermanned Northwestern team 75-58 on Sunday night to sail into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.Newton had 20 points and 10 assists, and Clingan finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks. Connecticut led wire-to-wire and became the first defending national champion to reach the regional semifinals since Duke in 2016.“Just obviously impressed with the performance. Just really attacked them in the paint,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “Obviously, the injuries that they have sustained during the year changed the total complexion of that team.”The Huskies (33-3) built a 30-point cushion with 13:27 left and matched a program record for wins set by the 2013-14 national title squad. They’ll play Thursday night in the East Region semifinals against No. 5 seed San Diego State in Boston, about an 85-mile drive from UConn’s campus.The Huskies beat a fifth-seeded San Diego State squad 76-59 in last year’s national championship game. They lost Adama Sanogo, Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson Jr. to the NBA from that talented team, but this balanced and focused group has looked even more dominant as it attempts to become the first program to repeat as NCAA champion since Florida in 2007.
The Houston Cougars breathed a sigh of relief, celebrating their latest Sweet 16 berth.
What looked like a victory in hand turned into an overtime thriller in the span of two minutes.
Video above: How an arena prepares to host NCAA Tournament
Emanuel Sharp started overtime with a 3-pointer that put Houston ahead to stay as the top-seeded Cougars advanced to the Sweet 16 back in Texas by topping No. 9 seed Texas A&M 100-95 on Sunday night.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson credited playing this debut season in the Big 12, filled with lots of close games, with having his Cougars ready for this game.
“We’re very fortunate tonight to win. Texas A&M could’ve won that game,” Sampson said. “But only one team can advance. I’ve learned not to autopsy wins at this time of the year. So we move on.”
The Aggies forced overtime with a furious rally, outscoring Houston 17-5 in the final two minutes of regulation. Andersson Garcia beat the buzzer with his ninth 3-pointer of the season, and then was mobbed by his teammates.
“Obviously, it’s a shot that will go down in Texas A&M lore,” Aggies coach Buzz Williams said. “It was to tie. It wasn’t to win, you know?”
Sampson called the final two minutes of regulation “Murphy’s Law,” with missed free throws and the ball bouncing everywhere.
“They didn’t miss a 3,” Sampson said. “And they didn’t make an easy one. They were all hard 3’s.”
Sharp fouled out after his 3, finishing with 30 points. His teammates outscored Texas A&M 7-1 to start the extra session and close it out.
The win by Houston (32-4) means all eight teams seeded 1 and 2 advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fifth time since the NCAA tourney started seeding in 1979. The top eight seeds also advanced in 2019, 2009, 1995 and 1989.
The Cougars will play Duke, a 93-55 winner over James Madison, on Friday in Dallas in the South Region semifinals. This will be Houston’s fifth straight Sweet 16 and 16th all-time.
Another No. 1 seed that advanced on Sunday was UConn.
Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton and the top-seeded Huskies overwhelmed an undermanned Northwestern team 75-58 on Sunday night to sail into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Newton had 20 points and 10 assists, and Clingan finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks. Connecticut led wire-to-wire and became the first defending national champion to reach the regional semifinals since Duke in 2016.
“Just obviously impressed with the performance. Just really attacked them in the paint,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “Obviously, the injuries that they have sustained during the year changed the total complexion of that team.”
The Huskies (33-3) built a 30-point cushion with 13:27 left and matched a program record for wins set by the 2013-14 national title squad. They’ll play Thursday night in the East Region semifinals against No. 5 seed San Diego State in Boston, about an 85-mile drive from UConn’s campus.
The Huskies beat a fifth-seeded San Diego State squad 76-59 in last year’s national championship game. They lost Adama Sanogo, Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson Jr. to the NBA from that talented team, but this balanced and focused group has looked even more dominant as it attempts to become the first program to repeat as NCAA champion since Florida in 2007.
The Houston Cougars breathed a sigh of relief, celebrating their latest Sweet 16 berth.What looked like a victory in hand turned into an overtime thriller in the span of two minutes.Video above: How an arena prepares to host NCAA Tournament Emanuel Sharp started overtime with a 3-pointer that put Houston ahead to stay as the top-seeded Cougars advanced to the Sweet 16 back in Texas by topping No. 9 seed Texas A&M 100-95 on Sunday night.Houston coach Kelvin Sampson credited playing this debut season in the Big 12, filled with lots of close games, with having his Cougars ready for this game.“We’re very fortunate tonight to win. Texas A&M could’ve won that game,” Sampson said. “But only one team can advance. I’ve learned not to autopsy wins at this time of the year. So we move on.”The Aggies forced overtime with a furious rally, outscoring Houston 17-5 in the final two minutes of regulation. Andersson Garcia beat the buzzer with his ninth 3-pointer of the season, and then was mobbed by his teammates.“Obviously, it’s a shot that will go down in Texas A&M lore,” Aggies coach Buzz Williams said. “It was to tie. It wasn’t to win, you know?”Sampson called the final two minutes of regulation “Murphy’s Law,” with missed free throws and the ball bouncing everywhere. “They didn’t miss a 3,” Sampson said. “And they didn’t make an easy one. They were all hard 3’s.”Sharp fouled out after his 3, finishing with 30 points. His teammates outscored Texas A&M 7-1 to start the extra session and close it out.The win by Houston (32-4) means all eight teams seeded 1 and 2 advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fifth time since the NCAA tourney started seeding in 1979. The top eight seeds also advanced in 2019, 2009, 1995 and 1989.The Cougars will play Duke, a 93-55 winner over James Madison, on Friday in Dallas in the South Region semifinals. This will be Houston’s fifth straight Sweet 16 and 16th all-time.Another No. 1 seed that advanced on Sunday was UConn.Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton and the top-seeded Huskies overwhelmed an undermanned Northwestern team 75-58 on Sunday night to sail into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.Newton had 20 points and 10 assists, and Clingan finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks. Connecticut led wire-to-wire and became the first defending national champion to reach the regional semifinals since Duke in 2016.“Just obviously impressed with the performance. Just really attacked them in the paint,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “Obviously, the injuries that they have sustained during the year changed the total complexion of that team.”The Huskies (33-3) built a 30-point cushion with 13:27 left and matched a program record for wins set by the 2013-14 national title squad. They’ll play Thursday night in the East Region semifinals against No. 5 seed San Diego State in Boston, about an 85-mile drive from UConn’s campus.The Huskies beat a fifth-seeded San Diego State squad 76-59 in last year’s national championship game. They lost Adama Sanogo, Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson Jr. to the NBA from that talented team, but this balanced and focused group has looked even more dominant as it attempts to become the first program to repeat as NCAA champion since Florida in 2007.
The Houston Cougars breathed a sigh of relief, celebrating their latest Sweet 16 berth.
What looked like a victory in hand turned into an overtime thriller in the span of two minutes.
Video above: How an arena prepares to host NCAA Tournament
Emanuel Sharp started overtime with a 3-pointer that put Houston ahead to stay as the top-seeded Cougars advanced to the Sweet 16 back in Texas by topping No. 9 seed Texas A&M 100-95 on Sunday night.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson credited playing this debut season in the Big 12, filled with lots of close games, with having his Cougars ready for this game.
“We’re very fortunate tonight to win. Texas A&M could’ve won that game,” Sampson said. “But only one team can advance. I’ve learned not to autopsy wins at this time of the year. So we move on.”
The Aggies forced overtime with a furious rally, outscoring Houston 17-5 in the final two minutes of regulation. Andersson Garcia beat the buzzer with his ninth 3-pointer of the season, and then was mobbed by his teammates.
“Obviously, it’s a shot that will go down in Texas A&M lore,” Aggies coach Buzz Williams said. “It was to tie. It wasn’t to win, you know?”
Sampson called the final two minutes of regulation “Murphy’s Law,” with missed free throws and the ball bouncing everywhere.
“They didn’t miss a 3,” Sampson said. “And they didn’t make an easy one. They were all hard 3’s.”
Sharp fouled out after his 3, finishing with 30 points. His teammates outscored Texas A&M 7-1 to start the extra session and close it out.
The win by Houston (32-4) means all eight teams seeded 1 and 2 advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fifth time since the NCAA tourney started seeding in 1979. The top eight seeds also advanced in 2019, 2009, 1995 and 1989.
The Cougars will play Duke, a 93-55 winner over James Madison, on Friday in Dallas in the South Region semifinals. This will be Houston’s fifth straight Sweet 16 and 16th all-time.
Another No. 1 seed that advanced on Sunday was UConn.
Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton and the top-seeded Huskies overwhelmed an undermanned Northwestern team 75-58 on Sunday night to sail into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Newton had 20 points and 10 assists, and Clingan finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks. Connecticut led wire-to-wire and became the first defending national champion to reach the regional semifinals since Duke in 2016.
“Just obviously impressed with the performance. Just really attacked them in the paint,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “Obviously, the injuries that they have sustained during the year changed the total complexion of that team.”
The Huskies (33-3) built a 30-point cushion with 13:27 left and matched a program record for wins set by the 2013-14 national title squad. They’ll play Thursday night in the East Region semifinals against No. 5 seed San Diego State in Boston, about an 85-mile drive from UConn’s campus.
The Huskies beat a fifth-seeded San Diego State squad 76-59 in last year’s national championship game. They lost Adama Sanogo, Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson Jr. to the NBA from that talented team, but this balanced and focused group has looked even more dominant as it attempts to become the first program to repeat as NCAA champion since Florida in 2007.
Clemson Tigers guard Joseph Girard III (11) celebrates in the second half Sunday against the Baylor Bears in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum.
John David Mercer
USA TODAY Sports
It was tough to describe the absolute chaos that was the final few minutes of Sunday’s Clemson-Baylor NCAA Tournament game.
“We came here to fight,” he told the TNT broadcast after the Tigers advanced to the Sweet 16 in the bracket’s West Region with a 72-64 win over the Bears in Memphis. “We came here to show who we are. I’ve got blood all over me, man. I’m ready for another one.”
No. 6 seed Clemson is headed next to Los Angeles for the fifth Sweet 16 in program history after taking down No. 3 seed Baylor in a second-round thriller at the FedExForum. Emphasis on thriller. Gritty, hold-on-for-dear-life thriller.
Clemson was up 61-46 on Baylor with 6:41 left in Sunday’s game. That 15-point lead was the Tigers’ largest of the game.
It lasted — just barely.
Over the five minutes, Baylor outscored Clemson 16-5 and got its deficit within two points, 66-64, after two free throws with 1:02 remaining.
It was a moment where Clemson (23-11) could have folded, especially as it played its second game in three days as a betting underdog at a neutral site.
But Clemson followed a simple format — make your free throws, defend the 3-point shot, make your free throws, defend the 3 — to finish the game on a 6-0 run of its own and reach only its second Sweet 16 in 25 years.
Hunter had a team-high 20 points, and three other Tigers (Joe Girard III, Ian Schieffelin and PJ Hall) put up double digits as Brad Brownell became the first coach in Clemson history to lead the team to two Sweet 16s (also in 2018).
“Obviously ecstatic about the win,” Brownell said. “Just super happy for my players. These guys have been battling all year. And couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to coach. They’ve been just fantastic.”
Mar 24, 2024; Memphis, TN, USA; Clemson Tigers center PJ Hall (24) shoots against Baylor Bears forward Josh Ojianwuna (15) in the first half in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports Petre Thomas Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Clemson hangs on late
The Tigers continued a remarkable turnaround after entering the NCAA Tournament as losers of three of their last four games. They beat No. 11 New Mexico (a trendy upset pick) by 21 points in the first round Friday, and Baylor (despite a heroic late push) never led in Sunday’s game as a 4.5-point favorite.
Clemson was on point from the jump again and led 35-25 at halftime over a Bears team that entered as the only program nationally with six different players averaging at least 10 points per game.
But Baylor (24-11) and coach Scott Drew have their share of big game experience, and it showed late as the Bears mounted a furious comeback to get within a single possession of Clemson.
Trailing 66-62 with just over a minute remaining, Baylor forced a turnover and hit two free throws to get the score to 66-64 … then forced another live ball turnover, got Hall out of the game with his fifth foul and sent Big 12 Freshman of the Year Ja’Kobe Walter to the free throw down two with 36 seconds left.
Walter entered the game as an 81.4% free throw shooter.
Clank.
Clank.
“Sometimes the basketball gods smile at you, and today was one of those days for us,” Brownell said.
That was the case not just on Walter’s missed free throws but the sequence that followed: Clemson’s RJ Godfrey, playing in place of Hall, went to the line with 29 seconds left as a 59.6% free throw shooter this season and sank both to give his team a 68-64 lead.
After the Bears’ Rayj Dennis missed a pull-up 3-pointer on the ensuing possession and Baylor fouled Girard, Clemson’s best free throw shooter, the Tigers bench started brewing. Another Baylor miss. Two more Godfrey free throws. Ball game.
“These guys are a brotherhood,” Girard said postgame. “It’s something I wanted to be a part of and what makes it so special and exciting.”
After surviving and advancing twice this weekend, Clemson’s run continues this Thursday against Arizona, the No. 2 seed in the West Region. It’ll be Tigers and Wildcats in the Sweet 16 at Crypto.com Arena (formerly the legendary Staples Center) and another chance for Clemson to show what it’s believed all along:
That this is a dangerous, veteran team capable of weathering a few cold stretches and more than willing to scrap and claw its way to a win in Memphis.
Or anywhere else.
“There were times in this game where they started coming back,” Hunter said. “We made sure we got a stop when we needed it. That’s what helped us prevail today.”
Clemson’s next game
Who: No. 2 Arizona (27-8) vs. No. 6 Clemson (23-11) in NCAA Sweet 16
When: Thursday, March 28
Where: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles
Time: TBA
Channel: TBA
What’s next: The Arizona/Clemson winner will face either No. 1 UNC or No. 4 Alabama in an Elite Eight game in Los Angeles on March 30
This story was originally published March 24, 2024, 8:23 PM.
Related stories from Raleigh News & Observer
Chapel Fowler has covered Clemson football, among other topics, for The State since June 2022. He’s a Denver, N.C., native, a 2020 UNC-Chapel Hill alumnus and a pickup basketball enthusiast with previous stops at the Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer and Chatham (N.C.) News + Record. His work has been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the South Carolina Press Association and the North Carolina Press Association.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Angel Reese had 20 points and 11 rebounds and third-seeded LSU responded to a nine-point third-quarter deficit with a dominant finish to defeat upstart No. 11 seed Middle Tennessee 83-56 in the second round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Sunday.
Flau’Jae Johnson scored 21 for the Tigers (30-5) and played central role in helping LSU surge to a comfortable second-half lead that ended the Blue Raiders’ 20-game winning streak.
The decisive victory came one day after LSU coach Kim Mulkey railed against the Washington Post — and threatened potential legal action — for what she described as an impending “hit piece” against her and promised that it would not derail her team’s preparation for NCAA Tournament games.
MTSU (30-5) led 41-32 and looked primed to widen the gap when Reese tripped over a fallen teammate on an attempted layup and crashed hard to the court, sending the Blue Raiders on a 5-on-4 fast break the other way.
But Jalynn Gregory’s open 3 bounced off the back rim to LSU guard Last-Tear Poa, who fired the ball down court, where Reese had just gotten to her feet and made an uncontested layup.
That play spawned a 10-0 run, fueled in part by Mikaylah Williams’ pull-up jumper in transition and her left corner 3, which put the Tigers back in front, 42-41.
Later in the quarter, Johnson forced a turnover by tying up MTSU’s Ta’Mia Scott, followed that up with a 3, and later hit a bail-out, fall-away jumper as the shot clock expired.
LSU wound up outscoring Middle Tennessee 27-8 during the final 8:22 of the third quarter to take a 59-49 lead on Reese’s layup and pulled away from there, going up by as many as 30 points.
MTSU 6-foot-6 starting center Anastasiia Boldyreva scored nine points and blocked three shots, but was challenged constantly by LSU’s physical play in the paint and fouled out just before the end of third quarter. The Tigers turned the game into a rout after that.
Savannah Wheeler, the Conference USA Player of the Year, scored 21 and Scott scored 15 for Middle Tennessee, which lost for the first time since Dec. 30.
Aneesah Morrow scored 19 points and Williams added 16 for LSU, which jumped out to a 24-15 lead that got the Pete Maravich Assembly Center crowd roaring early.
In the second quarter, however, Middle Tennessee seemed unfazed by either the crowd or the Tigers’ prowess in the paint.
LSU is rarely outrebounded, but the Blue Raiders managed more than once to steal rebounds from Reese and outrebound the Tigers 25-18 in the first half to take a 36-32 lead.
BIG PICTURE:
MTSU: The Blue Raiders gave LSU all it could handle for nearly 32 minutes, but lacked the depth to withstand the Tigers’ relentless second-half surge. After Boldyreva fould out, MTSU was outscored 28-7 and fell to 0-5 all-time in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
LSU: LSU proved too much for MTSU inside, outscoring the Blue Raiders 30-18 in the paint. The Tigers also shot 41.7% (5 of 12) from 3-point range.
UP NEXT:
LSU heads to Albany, New York, for the Albany 2 Region semifinals. One more victory could potentially pit the Tigers against Iowa and NCAA all-time leading scorer Caitlin Clark in a rematch of last year’s national title game.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Freshmen MiLaysia Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson aren’t waiting for their turn. They’re grabbing the opportunity to lead the way for undefeated South Carolina in the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Fulwiley scored 20 points, Johnson had 11 and the pair combined for seven of the top-seeded Gamecocks’ nine 3-pointers in an 88-41 win over No. 8 seed North Carolina on Sunday that sent South Carolina to its 10th straight Sweet 16.
“They see themselves as being integral parts of our success,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. “And they didn’t back down from it.”
Kamilla Cardoso had 12 points and 10 rebounds in her return from a one-game suspension after she was ejected for fighting during the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game two weeks ago. The 6-foot-7 center missed her team’s March Madness opener against Presbyterian on Friday.
Fulwiley knows she’s among the most promising young players in the game along with Southern California’s JuJu Watkins, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo and Texas’ Madison Booker. But Fulwiley’s bigger priority is blending in with her talented Gamecocks teammates.
“I think this team, we do a great job of just playing for each other,” she said. “I think we don’t play for the fans and all the other extra stuff. I think everything we do out on the court is for each other.”
South Carolina will carry that bond into the Sweet 16 to face No. 4 seed Indiana or No. 5 seed Oklahoma on Friday in the Albany 1 Region.
The Gamecocks, at full strength and playing like their potent selves, were too much for the Tar Heels, who had lost by single digits in the teams’ previous two meetings, most recently on Nov. 30.
Chloe Kitts, a South Carolina sophomore who hit all nine of her field goals for 21 points in the first round, scored 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting in the first half of this one. She finished with 12 points and has made 13 of 14 shots in the tournament.
North Carolina got no closer than 31 points in the final two quarters. Maria Gadkeng, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds in Friday’s win over Michigan State, picked up three first-half fouls. Alyssa Ustby led North Carolina with 12 points.
Leading scorer Deja Kelly had two fouls and five of the Tar Heels’ 11 first-half turnovers. She was held to seven points on 2-of-13 shooting.
“I felt like I had two people on me at all times,” Kelly said.
North Carolina was held to the fewest points in its 81-game NCAA Tournament history. The Tar Heels’ previous low was a 55-46 loss to George Washington at the old Carolina Coliseum in Columbia 27 years ago.
The Gamecocks extended their program record with their 59th straight win at home in their final game of the season at Colonial Life Arena, where they averaged an NCAA-best 16,489 fans.
CARDOSO’S RETURN
Staley said Cardoso felt she had let her teammates down with her suspension for shoving LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson to the ground in the SEC title game. But hearing the fans cheer her return Sunday lightened her mood.
“I’m so happy she got over that part of it and we can move on,” Staley said.
INDIANAPOLIS — The Big Dance is over for the Colorado men’s basketball team.
Despite a valiant second-half comeback by the Buffaloes, CU’s Sweet 16 dreams fell short of the elusive Sweet 16 berth, as second-seeded Marquette held off the Buffs for an 81-77 victory in an NCAA Tournament second-round battle at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
CU rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit to set up a third thrilling tournament-game finish in the past five days, but this time the Buffs fell short.
Colorado opened the second half with a 10-2 run to get back in the game, and took a brief lead at 55-54 on a KJ Simpson 3-pointer midway through the second half. The Golden Eagles answered with an 8-2 run but CU tied it again at 74-74 on a Tristan da Silva 3-pointer with about 3 minutes left.
Marquette outscored the Buffs 7-3 the rest of the way to end CU’s season.
Simpson finished with 20 points and seven assists, while da Silva scored 17.
N.C. State’s Mohamed Diarra slams in two during the second half of the Wolfpack’s 79-73 overtime win against Oakland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Kaitlin McKeown
kmckeown@newsobserver.com
Pittsburgh
The end of regulation, facing overtime in a game N.C. State led almost the entire way and missed a chance to win late, was surely the point where the Wolfpack would finally run out of gas.
No, it was three minutes later, with Oakland in the lead and both Ben Middlebrooks and Mohamed Diarra fouled out, when the needle would finally hit empty for N.C. State. Had to be.
A team with nothing left in reserve but pride, playing its seventh (and a quarter) game in 12 days, had to reach deep into its empty tanks one more time.
And once again found all it needed.
“I don’t think there’s a time when we have nothing left in the tank,” Middlebrooks said. “We’re the type of team, we will keep going as long as it takes to win the game. There is no quit in us at all.”
N.C. State’s improbable postseason lives on. Not even Jack Gohlke’s Steph Curry tribute act could derail this runaway train. When the end came Saturday night, it was Oakland’s shots that started coming up short, as the Wolfpack ran the lead to five. To seven. To nine. To Dallas.
N.C. State head coach Kevin Keatts celebrates with athletic director Boo Corrigan following the Wolfpack’s 79-73 overtime win against Oakland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa. Kaitlin McKeown kmckeown@newsobserver.com
For the first time since 2015, the Wolfpack is going to the Sweet 16, to face either Marquette or Colorado on Friday, after a 79-73 win over the equally resilient Golden Grizzlies.
Duke may join them in Dallas, if it can get past James Madison on Sunday, reminiscent of 2012 in St. Louis when Kansas single-handedly denied a regional final between N.C. State and North Carolina. And a year after being shut out of the Sweet 16, the Triangle accounts for an eighth of it. Maybe more.
The Wolfpack is the least likely of the bunch, an 11 seed that two weeks ago faced the tricky logistics of playing a home NIT game while hosting the first two rounds of the women’s tournament at Reynolds Coliseum.
Instead, a school famished for this kind of basketball in March is now overflowing with it. That it has been so long in coming, and so unexpected, only makes it sweeter.
“They’ve been longing for success, especially in the postseason, for a long time,” Raleigh native D.J. Horne said. “To come in, knowing I only had one year to make it happen, and the fact that it is all unfolding like this?”
The team that keeps asking “Why not us?” keeps finding answers where others might least expect them.
N.C. State’s Michael O’Connell reacts in the second half of the Wolfpack’s 79-73 overtime win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa. Kaitlin McKeown kmckeown@newsobserver.com
Overtime was yet another example of that. While D.J. Burns was the focus, Horne hit a critical jumper. Jayden Taylor hit the 3-pointer that put N.C. State in the lead for good. Casey Morsell defended Trey Townsend, who had a game-high 30, and kept him from hitting a field goal. Everyone had a piece.
That’s been the recipe, the most important of all the ingredients that have gone into this bubbling cauldron of basketball witchcraft. Michael O’Connell hit the bank shot to force overtime against Virginia. Horne had 29 and Diarra had a double-double against UNC. Middlebrooks had a career game against Texas Tech. And everyone contributed against Oakland, with five players in double figures led by Burns’ 24.
Burns was at the center of it all, N.C. State’s own basketball unicorn outplaying Oakland’s. Gohlke, the fifth-year Division II transfer who was one short of an NCAA tournament record with 10 3-pointers against Kentucky, looked like he was on his way again against N.C. State. He missed his final four attempts Saturday. Burns did not, especially when the Wolfpack went to a four-guard lineup out of necessity in the final minutes.
N.C. State’s DJ Burns Jr. is fouled by Oakland’s Blake Lampman during the second half of the Wolfpack’s 79-73 overtime win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa. Kaitlin McKeown kmckeown@newsobserver.com
In those moments, the crowd was squarely behind Oakland, the even pluckier underdog, as the Wolfpack took on the unfamiliar role of favorite, all the neutrals rooting against N.C. State for a change. On this night, in this building, the Wolfpack was the bad guy. It embraced that role as well.
There were so many moments in this one when things could have gone awry. There were so many moments in the past two weeks when one little error, one bad call, one ill-advised shot could have relegated N.C. State to a basketball footnote.
Instead, the Wolfpack continues to make history, extending a streak that was already unprecedented and is starting to take on a life of its own. Every question that is asked, N.C. State has found an answer.
Except one.
“Why not us?” Horne asked, again. “We’re going to keep that running until the wheels come off.”
Sports columnist Luke DeCock joined The News & Observer in 2000 and has covered seven Final Fours, the Summer Olympics, the Super Bowl and the Carolina Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup. He is a past president of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, was the 2020 winner of the National Headliner Award as the country’s top sports columnist and has twice been named North Carolina Sportswriter of the Year.
Ready for more madness? Follow all the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Championship second-round action on SiriusXM as the Big Dance rolls on this Saturday and Sunday, March 23-24. Listen live on the SiriusXM app and car radios to hear every electrifying moment as 32 remaining teams battle for a ticket to the Sweet 16. Could a No. 1 seed go down? Which Cinderella hopeful will survive and advance? Find out right here, and stay locked in with a full second-round schedule below.
March Madness on the SiriusXM app
SiriusXM subscribers can tune in to live coverage of all 16 second-round games – plus every other March Madness matchup in the men’s tournament and from the Sweet 16 forward in the women’s – on the SiriusXM app and web player. Audio coverage is provided by Westwood One. Not a subscriber? Sign up for three months free here.
Jared McCain and Mark Mitchell each had 15 points, and No. 4 seed Duke opened the NCAA Tournament with an uneven performance before finally pulling away from 13th-seeded Vermont for a 64-47 victory Friday night.
Jeremy Roach scored 14 for the Blue Devils (25-8), who were able to advance without much offensive production from star center Kyle Filipowski. The sophomore took only one shot and scored a career-low three points, though he did grab 12 rebounds.
Seeking its sixth national championship, Duke will face No. 5 seed Wisconsin or 12th-seeded James Madison in a South Region second-round game Sunday in Brooklyn.
Shamir Bogues had 18 points for Vermont (28-7), playing in its third consecutive NCAA Tournament as America East champions. Aaron Deloney added 14 for the Catamounts, who had won 10 straight games.
Coming off two consecutive losses to in-state rivals, including an ACC quarterfinal flop against North Carolina State, the Blue Devils had trouble putting away Vermont until late in the game. Tyrese Proctor finished with 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting for Duke, which outscored the Catamounts 20-2 at the free-throw line and 10-0 in points off turnovers.
Even in New York City, where Duke has a large alumni network and fan base, the pesky Catamounts had the crowd chanting “UVM! UVM!” when they cut their deficit to two early in the second half.
McCain answered with a 3-pointer, and Duke finally started to establish some sustained breathing room midway through the second half.
A hush fell over the crowd with 1:18 left when Vermont’s leading scorer, TJ Long, went down with a serious-looking injury. Long was about to go up for a breakaway layup when his right knee buckled and he dropped to the floor. After receiving attention from an athletic trainer, he was helped off the court to applause.
Duke played without Caleb Foster again after coach Jon Scheyer said Thursday that the freshman guard will sit out the remainder of the season with a stress fracture in his right ankle.
The team had hoped Foster (7.7 points per game) could return during the NCAA Tournament, but he missed his sixth consecutive game. Foster saw multiple doctors and even tried to practice this week, but Scheyer said Foster “wasn’t able to be himself.”
Duke went on an 8-0 spree in the first half and it appeared the Blue Devils were poised to break it open when they established a 10-point cushion.
But the Catamounts answered and cut it to 34-29 at halftime. Long and Deloney each tossed in a circus bucket to beat the shot clock, after Vermont coach John Becker received a technical foul earlier in the half for yelling at an official.
Lana Zak reports on Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis, a deadly attack on a concert hall in Moscow, and a preview of the top NCAA Women’s Basketball games.
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Freshman Audi Crooks scored a career-high 40 points on 18-for-20 shooting in her sensational NCAA Tournament debut, and No. 7-seed Iowa State hit all the big shots in the second half to rally from 20 points down and beat 10th-seeded Maryland 93-86 on Friday night.
Iowa State forward Nyamer Diew (5) shoots between Maryland forwards Brinae Alexander, second from left, and Faith Masonius, right, during the first half of a first-round college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament in Stanford, Calif., Friday, March 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)(AP/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Iowa State forward Nyamer Diew (5) shoots between Maryland forwards Brinae Alexander, second from left, and Faith Masonius, right, during the first half of a first-round college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament in Stanford, Calif., Friday, March 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)(AP/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Audi Crooks grabbed the Iowa State name plate and emphatically placed it on the big NCAA Tournament bracket board, into the space for the second round.
She absolutely earned the chance to do so.
“That was so fun, my teammates soaked me in water,” she said, still grinning from ear to ear some 30 minutes later. “
The freshman star scored a career-high 40 points on 18-for-20 shooting in her sensational NCAA Tournament debut, and No. 7-seed Iowa State hit all the big shots in the second half to rally from 20 points down and beat 10th-seeded Maryland 93-86 on Friday night.
The 20-point comeback marked the second-largest all-time in an NCAA Tournament game trailing only Texas A&M overcoming a 21-point deficit to beat Penn in 2017.
“I thought that was one of the most entertaining games I’ve ever been a part of,” Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said, praising his team’s poise to charge back. “So proud of our team, ecstatic for them.”
Fighting tears, Crooks shared how she takes a moment before every game to be spiritual, pray, and remember her father Jimmie who died when she was 16 in 2021. She committed to Iowa State shortly after that, and Fennelly even went to her favorite Mexican food restaurant during the recruiting process and it’s not his favorite fare.
“I’m just grateful, I can’t say thank you enough to the people that I’m surrounded by,” Crooks said. “When you’re surrounded by people that you love, that care about you, that trust you as much as they do getting you the ball, that speaks volumes to how we play as a unit.”
Emily Ryan knocked down a key 3-pointer with 6:06 remaining and finished with 18 points while dishing out 14 assists as Iowa State kept pounding the ball inside to the ever-reliable Crooks — even when it led to a handful of late turnovers.
Crooks, the program’s first freshman to earn AP All-America honors with her honorable mention selection this week, came in leading the team averaging 18.9 points and 7.7 rebounds and became the 16th player to score 40 or more this season. She had 12 rebounds against Maryland.
“She dropped 40 on 20 shots, that’s pretty eye-popping right there,” Ryan said of pointing out the stat sheet to her teammate. “It was a special night for her as well as our team. It couldn’t have happened to a better person. … When we throw it in there she gets it every time.”
Allie Kubek knocked down all five of her 3-pointers in the first half and finished with seven from long range on the way to a season-best 29 points, and it looked like Maryland might run away from the Cyclones.
Instead, it’s Iowa State (21-11) advancing to play Sunday for a spot in the Portland Regional. The Cyclones will face either No. 2 seed Stanford or 15th-seeded Norfolk State with those teams playing Friday’s late game at Maples Pavilion.
Kelsey Joens hit a tying 3-pointer with 3:20 left in the third quarter as Iowa State used a 10-0 run to get back in the game and Crooks’ three-point play at the 2:50 mark put the Cyclones ahead 62-61 before she scored again the next time down.
Kubek’s hot hand from 3-point range got Maryland (19-14) going early from the perimeter and the Terrapins had to try to make things tough on 6-foot-3 Crooks in the low post as she came in shooting an NCAA-best 58.4% from the floor.
“I would say it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen considering the points, the efficiency, the venue, the event,” Fennelly said.
Maryland made nine 3s in the first half, its most in any half this season — and the 11 total 3s were the Terrapins’ high.
This was a coaching reunion between close friends. Fennelly hired now-Terrapins coach Brenda Frese on his first staff in Ames and she stayed with the program from 1995-99. They posed for a photo before the game.
“It’s awful, Brenda’s part of my family,” Fennelly said of beating his dear friend.
The programs had never met previously — and Frese’s team reached its 14th straight NCAA Tournament after an upset of Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament before losing to Nebraska.
“We’re really disappointed and sad for our fifth-year seniors that we couldn’t close this out,” said Frese, whose teams had never lost in the first round during her tenure dating to 2002.
Maryland hit six quick 3s and 10 of 13 shots out of the gate for a 33-20 lead after the opening quarter.
BIG PICTURE
Maryland: The Terrapins shot 70.6% in the first period making 6 of 7 3s and the 33 points were their most in any quarter of an NCAA Tournament game. They also kept possessions alive with hustle plays and by crashing the boards to create second chances. … During the time Frese coached under Fennelly, Iowa State reached three NCAA Tournaments and the Elite Eight in 1999. Frese’s sister, Stacy, played for Fennelly from 1997-2000.
Iowa State: Crooks also became just the fourth player in Iowa State program history to score 40 points in a game — and the performance marked the most points in an NCAA debut in the last 25 years. … The Cyclones trailed 52-36 at halftime and overcame 17 turnovers, helped by a 36-25 rebounding advantage.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — The most exciting two days of college basketball are finally upon us. The NCAA tournament Round of 64 begins with North Carolina and North Carolina State on the docket Thursday and Duke playing Friday.
Duke
The Blue Devils enter the NCAA tournament on a two-game losing streak. They dropped their last two games against rivals North Carolina and North Carolina State. Worse for the Blue Devils is the fact that no college team has ever lost its first game of a conference tournament and then won a national championship.
The Blue Devils enter as a No. 4 seed and look to avoid an upset against Vermont.
But that doesn’t mean Duke is dead. The team has the talent to get back on track with its winning ways.
The Blue Devils (24-8) are a No. 4 seed playing at 7:10 p.m. Friday in Brooklyn against 13 seed Vermont (28-6). This is the fourth time those teams have met; Duke has never lost against the Catamounts.
NC State
Some felt NC State wasn’t supposed to be here. The Wolfpack proved they belonged.
Some felt NC State wasn’t supposed to be here. The Wolfpack proved they belonged.
NC State (23-14) used a strong night from its frontcourt to take control in the second half and subdue No. 6 seed Texas Tech 80-67 on Thursday night.
Ben Middlebrooks scored a career-high 21 points, Mo Diarra added 17 points and 12 rebounds, and DJ Burns Jr. chipped in with 16 points as the Wolfpack frontcourt feasted on the Red Raiders.
DJ Horne also tossed in 16 points as the Wolfpack shot nearly 51% from the floor to Texas Tech’s 38.7% shooting.
NC State’s Ben Middlebrooks battles inside against Texas Tech’s Warren Washington at the NCAA tournament on Thursday night.
Gene J. Puskar
It was the Wolfpack’s first NCAA tournament win in nine years and the first under head coach Kevin Keatts.
Joe Toussaint led the Red Raiders with 16 points, but Texas Tech made just 7-of-31 3-pointers and couldn’t keep pace in the second half.
NC State broke the game open with a 13-2 surge midway through the second half, highlighted by a pretty bounce pass from Michael O’Connell that turned into a dunk by Diarra and a soft running hook shot by Burns that made it 65-51.
Texas Tech’s Joe Toussaint shoots past the defense of NC State’s Casey Morsell on Thursday night at the NCAA tournament.
Matt Freed
The sixth-seeded Red Raiders (23-11) had relied on defense to reach the tournament in coach Grant McCasland’s first season. Texas Tech came in 18-0 when holding opponents under 70 points and just 5-10 when teams reach that threshold.
N.C. State hit the 70-point mark on a layup by Middlebrooks with 4:06 to go.
It’s been a remarkable turnaround in the past 10 days for N.C. State, which entered the ACC Tournament as the 10th seed and was dealing with questions about coach Kevin Keatts’ future. The Wolfpack responded by beating rivals Duke, Virginia and North Carolina, the last in a decisive victory in the title game.
Keatts admitted he was worried about how his team would respond emotionally against an opponent it barely knows. Turns out N.C. State was just fine thanks to Middlebrooks, a transfer from Clemson who has been a key reserve but rarely the focal point.
WATCH | NC State’s big win
NC State Wolfpack beats UNC Tar Heels, wins the ACC Tournament and earns NCAA March Madness bid
That changed against the Red Raiders. The 6-10 Middlebrooks tied his career high of 14 points set in January against Wake Forest in the first half. He kept going in the second. And when Burns – who plays a throwback under-the-rim game – got going after halftime, Texas Tech was scrambling to keep up.
It couldn’t, sending N.C. State to the second round for the first time since 2015, when the Wolfpack won two games in Pittsburgh to reach the Sweet 16. Another chance awaits this weekend against Horizon League champion Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies (24-11) stunned No. 3 Kentucky (23-10) 80-76. The results ensure that a double-digit seed will reach the Sweet 16.
North Carolina was the first of the Triangle schools to take the court in this year’s tournament, beating Wagner 90-62 in Charlotte.
The West Region No. 1 seed Tar Heels (28-7) came out sloppy in the first half, committing six turnovers that Wagner (17-16) converted into nine points.
Armando Bacot had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and North Carolina never trailed.
Hubert Davis’ team steadied the ship quickly and started to use its size advantage against the Seahawks — finishing the first half with a 24-12 advantage on points in the paint.
UNC led Wagner 40-28 at halftime and steadily pulled away.
Armando Bacot had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and North Carolina never trailed.
UNC’s Armando Bacot drives to the basket against Wagner in Thursday’s opening round of the NCAA tournament.
Chris Carlson
Jae’Lyn Withers had a season-high 16 points and matched his best rebounding work with 10 boards for the West Region’s headliner. That helped the Tar Heels finish the game shooting 55% while dominating up front against a short-handed upstart aiming to pull off only the third opening-round takedown of a 1-seed in March Madness history.
“I think he did set the tone,” Davis said, and he added: “J-Wit, his energy and effort on both ends of the floor really ignited us and got us the lead going into halftime. He came off the bench and his production was real.”
UNC’s Armando Bacot shoots over Wagner forward Keyontae Lewis on Thursday during the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Chris Carlson
RJ Davis, named this week as a first-team All-American by The Associated Press, had 17 of his 22 points after halftime for the Tar Heels.
UNC also played with the backing of a blue-clad crowd about 2 1/2 hours from its Chapel Hill campus. And the Tar Heels will have that again for the next step: a marquee matchup with Michigan State (20-14) and Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo on Saturday. It’s a rematch of the 2009 national championship game. The Tar Heels won that game, to give head coach Roy Williams his second national title.
RJ Davis scored 22 points for the Tar Heels against Wagner.
Mike Stewart
The Tar Heels dominated this one inside, finishing with 48 points in the paint and a 43-24 rebounding advantage to go with 17 second-chance points.
Withers had scored in double figures only three times all year, the last time coming against his former Louisville program on Jan. 17.
The UNC basketball team practiced at Johnson C. Smith, a Charlotte HBCU that means a lot to Hubert Davis.
“(Davis) typically challenges us before the game and sometimes at half, saying, ‘It doesn’t need to be only an Armando Bacot rebounding game or a Harrison Ingram rebounding game,’” Withers said.
Melvin Council Jr. and Julian Brown each scored 18 points for the Seahawks, who won their first-ever NCAA game by holding off Howard in the First Four on Tuesday night. Wagner shot 39.7% for the game.
“I was happy for them to be able to compete in this, and I was really proud the way they competed,” Seahawks coach Donald Copeland said. “Obviously what we’ve gone through all year isn’t ideal, but we expected to play well. We expected to win the game. Obviously, we didn’t. But I’m glad the way we played.”
UNC had the clear edge inside against a team with only seven available scholarship players and only one – 6-foot-9, 255-pound Keyontae Lewis – offering any notable size. By halftime, the 6-10 Bacot had a double-double after getting multiple deep-block touches while the 6-9 Withers showed plenty of energy in the paint by tallying his first double-digit scoring output since Jan. 17.
The Tar Heels gradually stretched that lead out after the break. That included Davis and Harrison Ingram hitting back-to-back 3-pointers, followed shortly by an alley-oop dunk in transition from Elliot Cadeau to a high-flying Withers for a 70-50 lead with 8:33 left.
The Tar Heels got another comfortable setting to start the tournament. They improved to 35-2 in NCAA games in their home state, including 13-1 in Charlotte. Notably, the lone loss came in their last tournament game here: a second-round loss as a 2-seed to Texas A&M.
Tar Heel fans excited about team’s chances in NCAA tournament
Looking ahead, Izzo’s Spartans have lost all four meetings with UNC in the NCAA tournament. The time of the game and the channel on which it will air have not yet been announced.
Back in Chapel Hill, Maggie Casey was celebrating her 17th birthday this weekend, and a UNC victory was just what she wanted to start the party. She and her friends cheered on the Heels from Top of the Hill on Franklin Street.
“I’m thrilled for everything. Go Heels all day,” she said.
On the Final Edition, Bryan has two guests for you! First, he speaks with his former teammate … Jay Caspian Kang of The New Yorker. They kick off the show by discussing the gambling story involving Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara (1:32). Then they talk about LeBron’s ventures into the podcasting space with JJ Reddick (15:17). Last, they discuss the first round of March Madness and the reaction from Oakland’s head coach Greg Kampe after their upset win over Kentucky (38:40).
Then Bryan talks with Ellie Hall, who discusses the royal family and how they are covered by the British press (40:34).
Then, David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.
This podcast was recorded before the announcement that Princess Kate Middleton has been diagnosed with cancer.
Host: Bryan Curtis Guests: Jay Caspian Kang and Ellie Hall Producer: Brian H. Waters
Buffalo Wild Wings March Madness Overtime Wingtime Deal
Buffalo Wild Wings is bringing back its popular Overtime Wingtime deal during the college basketball March Madness tournament. Whenever a March Madness game goes into overtime, Blazin’ Rewards members will receive free boneless wings.
Members just need to check in or place an order via Blazin’ Rewards on the same day as an overtime game to qualify for the free wings. All digital coupons will be valid for 30 days after the NCAA championship game.
Blazin’ Rewards members (who check in at a participating BWW location or place an order for takeout/delivery via the BWW website/app between sixty minutes prior to game start and the end of overtime) will receive a reward for one order of 6 boneless wings if that NCAA March Madness game enters overtime.
Members can earn only one reward per day, regardless of number of overtime games played.
Must redeem reward on next visit at participating locations; not valid with any other offers (excluding bundles).
Member must be logged in/provide phone number at time of order or check in to redeem reward.
(CNN) — It’s the hope that kills you as over 99% of March Madness bracket fans brutally discovered after day one of the men’s tournament, which is already delivering its fair share of shocks.
Yahoo announced that just 116 perfect brackets remain on its website. Meanwhile ESPN said that over 22 million brackets were broken, with just 1,825 perfect ones left.
So take a bow, Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson.
The NCAA’s X – formerly known as Twitter – account tweeted that Robinson, who has just finished an excellent rookie campaign in the NFL, was one of the few remaining players with a chance of a perfect bracket.
“Perfect day 1 haha kinda dope,” Robinson replied.
Achieving a perfect bracket is one of the few things in sports left to achieve, with fans needing huge amounts of luck and skill to pick all 63 games correctly.
Due to the number of upsets and “Cinderella” stories March Madness tends to throw up, it has proven an impossible feat so far: the odds of getting every result correct are an extraordinary one to nine quintillion.
As explained to CNN Sport in 2023 by Tim Chartier – distinguished visiting professor at the US National Museum of Mathematics and Joseph R. Morton professor of mathematics and computer science at Davidson College – nine quintillion is a nine followed by 18 zeroes.
Chartier helped put that into context: “I’m going to pick one second in 292 billion years, and your job is to tell me which second I pick.”
If you’re struggling with the numbers, Chartier suggests a physical representation of the nine quintillion to help. He says that the height of nine quintillion dollar bills stacked on top of one another is equivalent to the distance of going from Earth to Pluto over 60 times.
