NCAA Basketball Tournament Report: Duke and Missouri Both Upset Victims On Friday
For the first time in the history of the NCAA basketball tournament, two No. 2 seeds — Duke and Missouri — were upset by No. 15 seeds on Friday. Several other lower seeds also won to advance to the third round of play on Sunday. Here’s a full recap of the day’s action in the NCAA basketball tournament:
South Regional
Lehigh 75 — Duke 70
C.J. McCollum scored 30 points, and Lehigh upset Duke 75-70 in the second round of the NCAA tournament’s South Regional in Greensboro, N.C. on Friday. The Mountain Hawks’ improbable victory made them the second No. 15 seed to beat a No. 2 on Friday after Norfolk St. topped Missouri earlier in the day. Lehigh (27-7) advanced to play Xavier on Sunday. Mason Plumlee and Austin Rivers each scored 19 points for the Blue Devils (27-7) in the loss.
Xavier 67 — Notre Dame 63
Tu Holloway scored 25 points, including a key basket with 21.3 seconds remaining, to lift Xavier over Notre Dame 67-63 in the second round of the NCAA tournament’s South Regional in Greensboro, N.C. on Friday. Dezmine Wells added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the 10th-seeded Musketeers (22-12), who advanced to play Lehigh on Sunday. Down 64-63, the seventh-seeded Fighting Irish (22-12) saw two late calls – a free throw violation and an intentional foul call – prevent them from an attempt at tying the game in regulation. Jack Cooley led Notre Dame with 18 points on 8-for-8 shooting on the game.
West Regional
Norfolk St. 86 — Missouri 84
Kyle O’Quinn converted a decisive 3-point play with 34.9 seconds remaining, and 15th-seeded Norfolk State upset second-seeded Missouri 86-84 in the second round of the NCAA tournament’s West Regional in Omaha, Neb. on Friday. Missouri’s Phil Pressey had a chance to win the game at the buzzer, but his 3-point shot was long. It was just the fifth time in history a No. 15 seed defeated a No. 2 seed, before Lehigh repeated the feat over Duke later in the day. O’Quinn’s 26 points and 14 rebounds paced the Spartans (26-9), who were making their first appearance in the NCAA basketball tournament. Chris McEachin added 20 points for Norfolk State, which advanced to play Florida on Sunday. Michael Dixon led Missouri (30-5) with 22 points, while teammates Pressey and Marcus Denmon scored 20 each for the Tigers.
Florida 71 — Virginia 45
Casey Prather scored 14 points, and Florida routed Virginia 71-45 in the second round of the NCAA tournament’s West Regional in Omaha, Neb. on Friday. Freshman Bradley Beal added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Gators (24-10), who advanced to play Norfolk State on Sunday. Mike Scott scored 15 points to pace the 10th-seeded Cavaliers (22-10), who were outscored 41-23 in the second half.
Saint Louis 61 — Memphis 54
Kwamain Mitchell scored 22 points, and Saint Louis beat Memphis 61-54 in the second round of the NCAA tournament’s West Regional in Columbus on Friday. The ninth-seeded Billikens (26-7) advanced to play Michigan State on Sunday. Will Barton scored 16 points for the eighth-seeded Tigers (26-9), who led by as much as eight points in the second half, but could not hang on for the win.
Michigan State 89 — LIU Brooklyn 67
Draymond Green recorded a triple-double, and top-seeded Michigan State beat LIU-Brooklyn 89-67 in the second round of the NCAA tournament’s West Regional in Columbus on Friday. Green’s 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists helped the Spartans (28-7) advance to play Saint Louis on Sunday. The 16th-seeded Blackbirds (25-9) were led by Jamal Olasewere’s 17 points and eight boards.
East Regional
Cincinnati 65 — Texas 59
Yancy Gates had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Cincinnati held off a late second-half rally to beat Texas 65-59 in the second round of the NCAA tournament’s East Regional in Nashville on Friday. The sixth-seeded Bearcats (25-10) raced to a 16-2 lead and led by as much as 19, before the 11th-seeded Longhorns (20-14) charged back, ultimately tying the game at 52-52 with 3:44 to play. Cincinnati pulled away with a late run and made its free throws to advance to play Florida State on Sunday. J’Covan Brown led Texas with 19 points, while teammate Clint Chapman added 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Florida State 66 — St. Bonaventure 63
Bernard James had 19 points and nine rebounds, and Florida State rallied to beat St. Bonaventure 66-63 in the second round of the NCAA tournament’s East Regional in Nashville on Friday. The third-seeded Seminoles (25-9) trailed the entire first half and didn’t take the lead until just 5:15 remained in the game. Florida State dodged the upset to advance to play Cincinnati on Sunday. Andrew Nicholson had 20 points and seven rebounds for the 14th-seeded Bonnies (20-12), while teammate Demetrius Conger added 14 points and nine boards.
Midwest Regional
Ohio 65 — Michigan 60
Walter Offutt scored 11 points, including two free throws with 6.8 seconds left, which allowed Ohio to beat Michigan 65-60 in the second round of the NCAA tournament’s Midwest Regional in Nashville on Friday. D.J. Cooper scored 21 points for the 13th-seeded Bobcats (28-7), who advanced to play South Florida on Sunday. The fourth-seeded Wolverines (24-10) were led by Trey Burke 16 points and five assists.
Purdue 72 — St. Mary’s (CA) 69
Terone Johnson scored 21 points, and Purdue beat St. Mary’s 72-69 in the second round of the NCAA tournament’s Midwest Regional in Omaha, Neb. on Friday. After blowing an 11-point lead in the second half, the 10th-seeded Boilermakers (22-12) needed clutch free throws from Lewis Jackson and Robbie Hummel to advance to play Kansas on Sunday. The seventh-seeded Gaels (27-6) had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer, but Rob Jones missed a 3-pointer as time expired. Jones led St. Mary’s with 23 points and 14 rebounds.
Creighton 58 — Alabama 57
Doug McDermott had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Creighton beat Alabama 58-57 in the second round of the NCAA tournament’s Midwest Regional in Greensboro, N.C. on Friday. The eighth-seeded Bluejays (29-5) trailed by as much as 11 points in the second half before McDermott helped lead the comeback. Creighton advanced to play North Carolina on Sunday. The ninth-seeded Crimson Tide (21-12) had a chance to win in the final seconds, but Trevor Releford’s 3-point attempt was blocked by Creighton’s Josh Jones as time expired. Releford led Alabama with 14 points.
N.C. State 79 — San Diego St. 65
Richard Howell scored 22 points, and North Carolina State upset San Diego State 79-65 in the second round of the NCAA tournament’s Midwest Regional in Columbus on Friday. The 11th-seeded Wolfpack (23-12) advanced to play Georgetown on Sunday. Jamaal Franklin scored 23 points, and Chase Tapley added 19 for the sixth-seeded Aztecs (26-8). Lorenzo Brown scored 17 points for N.C. State.
Georgetown 74 — Belmont 59
Jason Clark scored 21 points, and Georgetown soundly defeated Belmont 74-59 in the second round of the NCAA tournament’s Midwest Regional in Columbus on Friday. Otto Porter added 16 points and eight rebounds for the third-seeded Hoyas (24-8), who will play North Carolina State in the third round on Sunday. Blake Jenkins scored 17 to lead the 14th-seeded Bruins (27-8), whose 14-game winning streak was snapped by the defeat.
North Carolina 77 — Vermont 58
Tyler Zeller had 17 points and 15 rebounds, and North Carolina beat Vermont 77-58 in the second round of the NCAA tournament’s Midwest Regional in Greensboro, N.C. on Friday. James Michael McAdoo added 17 points for the top-seeded Tar Heels (30-5), who were without injured starter John Henson. With the win, North Carolina advanced to play Creighton on Sunday. Sandro Carissimo scored 11 points for the 16th-seeded Catamounts (24-12), who beat Lamar in a First Four game on Wednesday.
Kansas 65 — Detroit 50
Thomas Robinson had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Kansas beat Detroit 65-50 in the second round of the NCAA tournament’s Midwest Regional in Omaha, Neb. on Friday. The second-seeded Jayhawks (28-6) dominated the contest to advance to play Purdue on Sunday. Doug Anderson led the 15th-seeded Titans (22-14) with 15 points.
South Florida 58 — Temple 44
Victor Rudd Jr. and Anthony Collins each scored 17 points, and South Florida overcame a poor offensive performance in the first half to beat Temple 58-44 in the second round of the NCAA tournament’s Midwest Regional in Nashville on Friday. The 12th-seeded Bulls (22-13) beat California in a First Four game on Wednesday. South Florida’s victory over Temple let them to advance to play Ohio in the third round on Sunday. Khalif Wyatt led the fifth-seeded Owls (24-8) with 19 points in the loss. Temple held the Bulls to just 15 points in the first half, but got outscored 43-25 in the second half.