Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

March Madness

March Madness Round-Up

by

SAN JOSE – (Staff and Wire Service Recap) – Trey Kaufman-Renn tipped in a shot with 0.7 seconds left to give the second-seeded Boilermakers a 79-77 win over 11th-seeded Texas in the NCAA Tournament’s West Region semifinals on Thursday night.

Embed from Getty Images

Purdue’s Braden Smith drove to the lane on the final possession, and his jumper bounced off, right to the hands of Kaufman-Renn, one of three starters for the Boilermakers (30-8) who were part of the team that played in the 2024 NCAA final.

Kaufman-Renn finished with 20 points and eight rebounds, making 8 of 10 shots from the floor. Fletcher Loyer scored 18 points and Smith added 16 for Purdue, which will face No. 1 Arizona in the regional final on Saturday for a trip to the Final Four.

Texas (21-15) got 29 points from Tramon Mark, the most by a Longhorn in the NCAA tourney since Kevin Durant had 30 in 2007. He hit 11 of 15 from the field and 5 of 7 from 3-point range. The Longhorns shot 51.8% overall, 55.6% in the second half.

No. 1 Arizona 109, Arkansas 88

Brayden Burries scored 23 points and fellow freshman Koa Peat added 21 as the Wildcats rolled past the Razorbacks in the West Region semifinals at San Jose.

Arizona (35-2) matched its school record for wins by shooting 63.8% from the field, advancing to its first Elite Eight since 2015.

Burries finished 7 of 11 from the field, while Peat made 8 of 11 shots.

Arkansas (28-9) got 28 points from freshman Darius Acuff Jr., who scored 88 in three tourney games. The Razorbacks were called for two flagrant fouls and two technicals, one on coach John Calipari. Billy Richmond III was ejected for a flagrant-2 foul with 7:14 left.

SOUTH

No. 3 Illinois 65, No. 2 Houston 55

David Mirkovic and Keaton Wagler produced double-doubles as the Fighting Illini parlayed a 17-0 second-half run into a victory over the Cougars in the South Regional semifinals at Houston.

Illinois (27-8) advanced to the Elite Eight for the second time in three seasons. The Fighting Illini will face a Big Ten rival, ninth-seeded Iowa, on Saturday with the winner advancing to the Final Four in Indianapolis.

Mirkovic paired 14 points with 10 rebounds. Wagler posted 13 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Emanuel Sharp led Houston (30-7) with 17 points. Kingston Flemings added 11 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Cougars, who shot just 34.4%.

No. 9 Iowa 77, No. 4 Nebraska 71

Bennett Stirtz scored a team-high 20 points, Tate Sage added 19 and the Hawkeyes rallied from a first-half, double-digit deficit to defeat the Cornhuskers in the South Regional semifinals at Houston.

Stirtz provided Iowa (24-12) with its first lead at 68-65 via a 3-pointer with 2:10 left. That ignited a decisive closing stretch from Iowa, which advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987 while dashing Nebraska’s bid for its first Elite Eight appearance.

Pryce Sandfort paced the Cornhuskers (28-7) with 25 points, while Braden Frager added 16. That duo combined to shoot 11 of 18 from behind the arc for the Cornhuskers, who missed 18 of 24 3-point shots in the second half after going 7 of 14 from deep before intermission.

–Field Level Media

Illinois to Face Iowa for Final Four Berth

by

HOUSTON – (Staff and Wire Serice Report) –  David Mirkovic and Keaton Wagler produced double-doubles as third-seeded Illinois parlayed a 17-0 second-half run into a 65-55 victory over second-seeded Houston on Thursday in the South Regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.

Embed from Getty Images

The Fighting Illini (27-8) advanced to the Elite Eight for the second time in three seasons. They will face a Big Ten rival, ninth-seeded Iowa (24-12), on Saturday with the winner advancing to the Final Four in Indianapolis.

Wagler responded to a driving layup from Joseph Tugler that pulled the Cougars (30-7) to within 27-26 by sinking a second-chance layup at the 17:37 mark of the second half. That ignited the decisive rally for Illinois, with Jake Davis and Mirkovic adding layups off dribble penetration before Davis knocked down a second-chance 3-pointer that extended the lead to 36-26.

Mirkovic and Ben Humrichous later added 3-pointers as the Illini extended their lead to 44-26. The Cougars went six-plus minutes without scoring before Milos Uzan hit a trey with 11:18 left.

Mirkovic paired 14 points with 10 rebounds. Wagler posted 13 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Andrej Stojakovic scored 13 points off the bench, including nine in the first half to keep the Illini afloat.

Emanuel Sharp led the Cougars with 17 points and led a furious rally that closed the deficit to seven in the waning moments. Kingston Flemings added 11 points, six rebounds and four assists for Houston, which shot just 34.4%.

Only Stojakovic appeared able to play through the first-half slog.

Houston missed its first seven shots yet pulled even at 3-3 when Sharp drilled a 3-pointer at the 15:12 mark, thanks in part to Illinois’ 1-for-10 start. Mirkovic lifted the Illini to a 14-10 lead when he followed his trey with a layup, only for Tugler to tie it with consecutive hook shots.

Embed from Getty Images

Stojakovic sank a difficult turnaround jumper that beat the shot-clock buzzer, giving Illinois a 21-14 lead. Wagler pushed the Illini to their largest advantage of the first half at 24-16 with a 3-pointer at the 3:23 mark.

The Cougars cut that deficit to 24-22 entering the break when Flemings beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer. Houston shot 27.3% and committed five turnovers in the first half, but the Illini countered with 35.7% shooting and scored only two points from seven offensive rebounds.

– Field Level Media

March Madness: Sweet 16 Showdown

by

SAN JOSE – The lowest-seeded team left in the NCAA Tournament will try to continue its unexpected run when No. 11 Texas faces No. 2 Purdue in the West Region semifinals on Thursday night.

The Longhorns (21-14) are the sixth team to go from the First Four to the Sweet 16, getting there by knocking off No. 11 North Carolina State, No. 6 BYU and No. 3 Gonzaga. The last two games were in Portland, Ore., making this the second trip to the West Coast in as many weeks without much downtime in between.

Embed from Getty Images

“I’m incredibly proud of our group, the resiliency that we’ve shown,” Texas coach Sean Miller said. “We caught fire in about a 10-day period. We were grateful just to have the opportunity to be in the tournament, and then we kind of entered this second weekend as a dangerous team.”

Purdue (29-8) beat No. 15 Queens and No. 7 Miami (Fla.) to notch its fourth Sweet 16 appearance in five seasons and third in a row. That run includes a trip to the NCAA title game in 2024, and the Boilermakers have three starters left from the team that fell to UConn in the finals.

The Boilermakers were No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 but dipped to as low as 18th during the regular season. They’re on a six-game win streak that includes beating Midwest Region top seed Michigan in the Big Ten tournament championship game 80-72 on March 15.

“We’ve just been collectively better defensively,” said Purdue coach Matt Painter, whose team has held the last five opponents under 48% shooting after the seven previous foes shot at least 51%.

Texas is in its first year under Miller, who previously coached at Xavier (twice) and Arizona. The Longhorns made it to the Elite Eight in 2023 under Rodney Terry, but he was fired last March following a First Four loss to Miller’s Xavier squad.

It’s been an uneven season, struggling in nonconference play and then starting 3-5 in the Southern Conference. Texas won five in a row, only to drop five of six down the stretch and end up in the First Four.

“I think the one thing about this tournament that you learn is the best team doesn’t always win in this tournament,” Miller said. “It’s the team who plays the very best on that particular day. Where we began (the season) and where we ended are two different places.”

Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn have each played at least 145 games for Purdue, a rarity in college sports. Smith is the NCAA career assists leader, with 1,091, breaking Bobby Hurley’s 33-year-old record in the first round, and all three Boilermakers average 14 points per game.

Texas’ leading scorer is Dailyn Swain, at 17.4 per game, but in the three NCAA Tournament games, 7-foot sophomore Matas Vokietaitis has been the main offensive weapon. He had 17 points and nine rebounds against Gonzaga after going for 23 points and 16 rebounds against BYU.

The Longhorns could be without senior guard Jordan Pope, who is dealing with an ankle injury suffered against Gonzaga. He had 17 in that game and averages 13.1 for the season.

A win for Texas would make it the second No. 11 seed in three years to reach the regional finals. North Carolina State got to the Final Four in 2024. The 2021 UCLA squad joined VCU (2011) as teams to go from the First Four to the national semifinals.

–Field Level Media

March Madness: Big Ten Showdown

by

HOUSTON – For Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg, there was ample familiarity in reviewing how the fourth-seeded Cornhuskers’ next opponent, Iowa, dispatched both Clemson and Florida en route to the South Region semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.

For the ninth-seeded Hawkeyes (23-12), imposing their will comes via exerting control. While film study reveals what Iowa aims to accomplish, the Cornhuskers have firsthand knowledge of the Hawkeyes’ preferred style of play.

Embed from Getty Images

When the teams meet for a third time this season on Thursday, the onus will fall on Nebraska to prevent the Hawkeyes from doing what they do best.

“When you look at the two games that we played earlier this year — Iowa with the way that they controlled pace and controlled tempo, I thought they did a great job with that in those first two (NCAA Tournament) games,” Hoiberg said. “They get up 10 early on Clemson and did the same thing, got a double-digit lead against Florida, and they were able to control pace and tempo for the entire game.

“That was the story, I thought, in our two games as well. They do as good a job as anybody.”

The Hawkeyes and Cornhuskers (28-6) split a pair of Big Ten conference games during the regular season, with Iowa claiming a 57-52 home victory on Feb. 17 before Nebraska closed the conference slate with an 84-75 overtime win three weeks later in Lincoln.

There will be few secrets between Iowa and Nebraska when the rubber match tips off. Throughout the season, teams add wrinkles to their approaches, often deleting those that prove unsuccessful. The team best able to execute something new might have the advantage in pursuit of an Elite Eight berth.

“We’ve kind of opened the entire playbook,” Cornhuskers forward Rienk Mast said. “Throughout the season, we’ve added new sets, we’ve gone away from some things that teams scouted.

“So, yeah, just everything’s open, and we got a bunch of guys with a high basketball IQ, so that definitely helps with just having a huge amount of sets that we can go to.”

Bennett Stirtz scored 25 points, including 10 of the Hawkeyes’ final 14 points, in the triumph over Nebraska. He shot 4 of 10 and totaled 11 points in the rematch. While Stirtz, an Associated Press All-America honorable mention, is the linchpin for Iowa, the senior guard fully grasps that his influence on the game goes beyond simply scoring. His assertiveness against the Cornhuskers will be paramount.

“They obviously did a great job, and I wasn’t on my A game that game,” Stirtz said. “So unfortunately, I didn’t play well at all, but that’s a testament and credit to them. Their defense was ready to go, and I didn’t really get many looks, many clean looks at the rim or from 3.

“So it’s not a big worry because even if I don’t get any looks and lots of eyes are on me, then Cam (Manyawu) or Kael (Combs) or any of the other guys on the team will get looks. So, yeah, just trying to get everyone involved, and if I need to go score a bucket, hopefully, I can do that (Thursday).”

Three of the four South Region semifinalists represent the Big Ten. The Iowa-Nebraska winner could face third-seeded Illinois, which will take on No. 2 Houston, for a spot in the Final Four. The chore of preparing for a familiar foe would be revisited in that event.

The challenge required to advance this far for the six remaining Big Ten teams is a badge of honor.

“I think the night-in, night-out grind prepared us,” Iowa coach Ben McCollum said. “I do think sometimes it can hurt you, too. Meaning you get exposed a lot, and if you get exposed too much, eventually it can break you.

“Fortunately, we’ve got a really tough team, and so it didn’t break us when we got exposed quite often. It just sharpened us up a little bit and got us ready for the postseason.”

–Field Level Media

Oh Darling! It’s Sweet 16 for Johnnies

by

SAN DIEGO – (Staff and Wire Report) – Oh! Darling! Please believe me.

St, John’s is leaving Southern California with a victory and are heading to the District to face Duke in the East Regional semifinals. Red blood out for blue blood.

Embed from Getty Images

The winner of that game faces either Michigan State or UConn/UCLA.

Johnnies’ point guard Dylan Darling’s first points of East Region No. 5 seed St. John’s 67-65, second-round NCAA Tournament win over fourth-seeded Kansas on Sunday came as the buzzer sounded, sending the Red Storm to their first Sweet 16 since 1999.

St. John’s (30-6) never trailed in the second half and led by as many as 14 points before the Jayhawks (24-11), behind Darryn Peterson’s 21-point effort, rallied to force a 65-65 tie.

Peterson sank a pair of free throws with 13 seconds remaining and Kansas — having been called for only two personal fouls in the second half — disrupted the Red Storm’s attempts to run a final play with intentional whistles.

But after exhausting its fourth straight foul near midcourt and with less than four seconds remaining, the Jayhawks defense broke down as Darling attacked the middle of the floor of the inbounds pass.

Zero-for-four from the floor before the buzzer-beating layup, Darling dribbled through a seam and laid the decisive basket off the glass to thunderous cheers from the St, John’s crowd at Viejas Arena.

Both offenses struggled to establish much rhythm throughout Sunday’s contest, with St. John’s scoring 14.5 points fewer than its season-long average of 81.5 per game, and Kansas finishing with 10.4 points fewer than its output.

The Red Storm shot just 25 of 69 (36.2%) from the floor, while the Jayhawks went 24 of 54 (44.4%). One difference for St. John’s was its 3-point shooting — specifically, Bryce Hopkins’ 3-point shooting.

Hopkins scored a team-high 18 points, all on 6-of-9 shooting from long range. The rest of the Red Storm went 5 of 26 from deep.

Embed from Getty Images

Peterson shot 3 of 8 from beyond the arc for Kansas, but the rest of the Kansas lineup combined for just two triples.

Former Jayhawk Zuby Ejiofor matched Hopkins’ team-high with 18 points and matched the game-high with nine rebounds. Ejiofor delivered some crucial plays in the final five minutes, including scoring off of an offensive rebound and taking a steal from Peterson the other way for a bucket on the very next possession.

With Sunday’s victory, St. John’s reached 30 wins in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons.

–Field Level Media

Tale of Two Coaches?

by

SAN DIEGO – (Wire Service Preview) – Only three active head coaches in Division I college basketball have won multiple national championships. Two of them meet for a berth in the Sweet 16 when Bill Self’s No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks face Rick Pitino’s No. 5 St. John’s Red Storm on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament East Region.

Embed from Getty Images

Self, winner of the 2008 and 2022 national championships at Kansas, praised Pitino’s continued success over multiple eras. Pitino is 30 years removed from winning his first title with Kentucky in 1996 and won another at Louisville in 2013, although the latter has been officially vacated by the NCAA.

“To me, the coaches (who) are so impressive are (those who) coached without a 3-point line, then became efficient with the 3-point line. Coached without a shot clock, then became one of the best with the shot clock – always evolving with the game,” Self said. “And (Pitino) has done that as well as anybody maybe ever.”

Pitino began his full-time head-coaching career in 1978 at Boston University, seven years before the introduction of the shot clock and eight before the 3-point line was introduced across college basketball.

His longevity puts Pitino in the unique position to guide his fourth different program, along with Providence, Kentucky and Louisville, to the Sweet 16. It would be the first such appearance since 1999 for St. John’s (29-6).

The Red Storm advanced to the second round with a 79-53 rout of No. 12 Northern Iowa on Friday, St. John’s seventh straight win overall and fourth in a row by 10-plus points.

The veteran trio of Oziyah Sellers, Bryce Hopkins and Kansas transfer Zuby Ejiofor have paced St. John’s, combining to average 40.5 of St. John’s 81.6 points per game. Ejiofor, the Big East Conference Player of the Year, posted a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double in Friday’s win.

Kansas (24-10), meanwhile, weathered a furious second-half comeback on Friday to advance past No. 13 Cal Baptist behind standout freshman Darryn Peterson’s 28 points.

The Jayhawks led by as many as 26 points before Cal Baptist cut the deficit to six points with 1:20 left in the 68-60 Kansas win.

Pitino offered effusive praise of Peterson, a potential No. 1 overall pick in this summer’s NBA draft. The 6-foot-6 guard is averaging 20.1 points per game despite battling a variety of injury issues throughout the season.

“He’s got great size,” Pitino said of Peterson. “He’s got a beautiful-looking jump shot. …He’s going to be a great NBA player because he has an NBA game.”

Peterson’s presence on the Kansas roster reflects one of the many positives Pitino touted when analyzing his counterpart in Self. Pitino called the Kansas coach a “great evaluator of talent” on top of being a multidimensional tactician.

“He’s a great offensive coach and he’s a great defensive coach,” Pitino said. “He’s such a well-rounded guy. His teams do everything well.”

The Jayhawks come into the second round with a balanced resume but with especially impressive defensive credentials. They have held opponents to 44.5% shooting on 2-point field-goal attempts and only 30.5% from beyond the arc, both top 25 nationally.

Big men Flory Bidunga and Bryson Tiller both rank in the top 150 nationally in block percentage, per KenPom.com.

They will clash with a stout St. John’s frontcourt led by Ejiofor, whose 16.3 points per game come on 55% shooting from the floor.

–Field Level Media

March Madness: Tournament Round-up

by

OKLAHOMA CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Braden Frager drove for the winning layup with 2.2 seconds left Saturday night and fourth-seeded Nebraska rallied for a 74-72 win over fifth-seeded Vanderbilt in the second round of the NCAA Tournament’s South Region.

The result wasn’t secured until the Commodores’ Tyler Tanner, who scored a game-high 27 points, barely missed a 3-point shot from beyond halfcourt as time expired. Tanner’s heave hit the glass and bounced out after hitting both the front and back rim, causing a gasp and then a wild ovation from the pro-Cornhusker crowd inside Paycom Center.

Embed from Getty Images

Frager and Pryce Sandfort each scored 15 points for Nebraska (28-6), which will play either top-seeded Florida or No. 9 Iowa Thursday in Houston in its first Sweet 16 appearance in program history. The Gators and Hawkeyes match up on Sunday night in Tampa.

Tyler Nickel added 16 points for Vanderbilt (27-9), which rallied in the second half by canning 10 of 22 3-pointers. Tanner’s layup gave the Commodores a 72-70 edge with 58 seconds remaining but Mast equalized with 37 seconds on the clock by tipping home Sam Hoiberg’s missed layup.

No. 2 Houston 88, No. 10 Texas A&M 57

Emanuel Sharp scored 18 points and the Cougars delivered an 18-0 knockout punch in the first half to sail into the Sweet 16 with a win over the Aggies in Oklahoma City.

Chris Cenac Jr. registered 17 points and nine rebounds and Milos Uzan added 15 points for the Cougars (30-6), who will face third-seeded Illinois in next week’s Sweet 16 in Houston. Mercy Miller added 12 points as the Cougars notched their fifth consecutive 30-win campaign and reached the Sweet 16 for the seventh straight season.

Josh Holloway was the only scorer in double figures for the Aggies (22-12) with 12 points off the bench. Leading scorer Rashaun Agee was limited to seven points. The Cougars connected on 44.1% of their field-goal attempts and held a commanding 46-29 rebounding edge, grabbing 19 on the offensive glass.

No. 3 Illinois 76, No. 11 VCU 55

Andrej Stojakovic scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half to help the Fighting Illini breeze past the Rams in Greenville, S.C.

Tomislav Ivisic added 14 points and 11 rebounds for Illinois (26-8), which advanced to its second Sweet 16 in 21 years. It will face No. 2 Houston on Thursday in Houston. Keaton Wagler scored 14 and Kylan Boswell finished with 12 for the Fighting Illini, who won their first two NCAA Tournament games by a combined 56 points.

Terrence Hill Jr. led VCU (28-8) with 17 points and seven boards, while Barry Evans and Tyrell Ward had 11 apiece. The Rams shot just 7-for-32 (21.9%) on 3-point attempts in the lopsided loss.

WEST REGION

No. 11 Texas 74, No. 3 Gonzaga 68

Matas Vokietaitis and Jordan Pope scored 17 points apiece and Camden Heide hit a key 3-pointer with 14.7 seconds left to lift the Longhorns past the Bulldogs in Portland, Ore.

With the Longhorns leading by one after a dunk by the Bulldogs’ Graham Ike, Texas called a timeout with 32 seconds left and inserted Heide, whose 3-pointer from the right corner pushed the lead to 72-68. Mario Saint-Supery missed a desperation Gonzaga 3-pointer for Gonzaga (31-4) and Vokietaitis hit a layup to close the scoring for Texas (21-14), the first First Four winner to win at least three games in the tournament since 11th-seeded UCLA won five straight to reach the 2021 Final Four.

West Coast Conference Player of the Year Ike had 25 points and Jalen Warley had 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Gonzaga.

No. 4 Arkansas 94, No. 12 High Point 88

Darius Acuff Jr. had 36 points, Meleek Thomas added 19, and the Razorbacks burst the Panthers’ tournament bubble, pulling away late for the victory in Portland, Ore.

Acuff scored nine of the Razorbacks’ last 11 points as they broke from a tie at 83-83 in the final three minutes to overcome a 30-point performance from High Point guard Rob Martin. Billy Richmond III had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Malique Ewin had 14 points and 12 boards for the Razorbacks (28-8), who have won seven in a row and nine of 10. Ewin’s two free throws with 44.4 seconds made it 92-85.

Cam’Ron Fletcher had 25 points and was two rebounds short of a third straight double-double and Terry Anderson had 15 points for High Point (31-5), which had a 15-game winning streak broken after posting the first NCAA Tournament win in school history Thursday.

EAST REGION

No. 1 Duke 81, No. 9 TCU 58

Cameron Boozer scored 17 of his game-high 19 points in the second half to help lead the Blue Devils past the Horned Frogs in Greenville, S.C.

Isaiah Evans added 17 points and Dame Sarr scored 14 for Duke (34-2), which advanced to the Sweet 16 against the winner of No. 4 Kansas and No. 5 St. John’s. Boozer added a game-high 11 rebounds while Maliq Brown finished with 12 points and nine rebounds for the Blue Devils, who outscored TCU by 19 points in the second half.

Micah Robinson led TCU (23-12) with 18 points, followed by Xavier Edmonds’ 12. The Horned Frogs were outrebounded 42-25 for the game, but 24-14 during the second half.

No. 3 Michigan State 77, No. 6 Louisville 69

Coen Carr had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Jeremy Fears Jr. scored 12 points with 16 assists and the Spartans locked down the Cardinals to advance to the Sweet 16 for the 17th time under Tom Izzo.

Fears set a Michigan State NCAA Tournament assists record and Carr helped carry the offense for the Spartans (27-7) and fell one point shy of his career high. The Spartans head to the East Region semifinal in Washington, D.C., where their first game in the Sweet 16 will be the winner of seventh-seeded UCLA and No. 2 seed UConn

Louisville leading scorer Ryan Conwell played through a left foot injury in the second half and did not appear to have his typical spring. Conwell had 21 points and made 5 of 11 attempts from 3-point range for the Cardinals (24-11).

MIDWEST

No. 1 Michigan 95, Saint Louis 72

Yaxel Lendeborg scored 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting, and the Wolverines pulled away for a win over the Billikens at Buffalo, N.Y.

Morez Johnson Jr. added 15 points and eight rebounds for Michigan (33-3), which advanced to the Sweet 16 to face either Texas Tech or Alabama. Aday Mara finished with 16 points, and Elliot Cadeau scored 12 points to go along with a team-high eight assists.

Amari McCottry scored 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting to lead Saint Louis (29-6). Dion Brown finished with 13 points, and Robbie Avila contributed nine points.

–Field Level Media

March Madness: Friday Recaps

by

ST. LOUIS – (Wire Service Report) – Otega Oweh rescued Kentucky with a buzzer-beating 35-footer off the glass to force overtime, then the seventh-seeded Wildcats owned the extra session to escape with an 89-84 win over No. 10 Santa Clara in Midwest Region first-round action on Friday afternoon.

Santa Clara forward Allen Graves hit what looked to be a game-winning 3-pointer when he connected from the right wing with 2.4 seconds left, but Oweh took the inbounds pass and pulled up just in time to send the game to overtime. He then made all four of his free-throw attempts in the extra session when Kentucky outscored Santa Clara 16-11.

Embed from Getty Images

Oweh finished with a career-high 35 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and Mouhamed Dioubate had 17 points and eight rebounds for the Wildcats (22-13), who shot 50.8% to win a rollercoaster game which featured 20 lead changes and 12 ties.

Elijah Mahi led the Broncos (26-9) with 20 points in the program’s first NCAA Tournament game in 30 years. Graves added 17 points and seven rebounds.

No. 2 Iowa State 108, No. 15 Tennessee State 74

The Cyclones dominated the final 38 minutes of action, blowing out the Tigers in St. Louis despite losing All-American forward Justin Jefferson to a knee injury.

Iowa State advanced to play No. 7 Kentucky in the second round on Sunday. Head coach T.J. Otzelberger said X-rays were negative and that Jefferson would be re-evaluated on Saturday before determining his game status against the Wildcats.

Freshman Killyan Toure had 25 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, Nate Heise scored 22 points and Milan Momcilovic added 17 for Iowa State, which forced 16 turnovers. Aaron Nkrumah led Tennessee State (23-10) with 21 points. Antoine Lorick III added 20 points and eight rebounds.

No. 3 Virginia 82, No. 14 Wright State 73

Jacari White scored a season-high 26 points and hit the go-ahead floater off the glass with 4:07 to play as the Cavaliers survived a tough test from the Raiders in Philadelphia.

White made 6 of 8 from 3-point range, Sam Lewis scored 12 points, Malik Thomas added 11 and Thijs De Ridder had 10 for Virginia (30-5), which used a late 11-0 run to create some distance and secure its first NCAA Tournament win since winning the 2019 national championship.

Michael Imariagbe had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Wright State (23-12). Solomon Callaghan added 18 points and combined with Imariagbe to shoot 9 for 15 from behind the arc. The Raiders made 13 3-pointers, the most Virginia has allowed this season.

No. 4 Alabama 90, No. 13 Hofstra 70

Labaron Philon Jr. took over by scoring 21 of his game-high 29 points in the second half as the Crimson Tide shrugged off an early 10-point deficit to handle the Pride during first-round play in Tampa, Fla.

Philon, who sported a bandage on his cut chin in the second half, made 10 of 18 shots and added eight rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. The Crimson Tide (24-9) played without No. 2 scorer Aden Holloway, who was suspended for first-degree felony marijuana possession, but Aiden Sherrill stepped forward with 15 points and 15 rebounds.

Taylor Bol Bowen added 15 points while Amari Allen and Latrell Wrightsell contributed 11 points apiece.

Hofstra (24-11) built a 28-18 lead in hopes of extending its seven-game winning streak, but Alabama recovered to take a 37-35 edge by halftime. Preston Edmead paced the Pride with 24 points, four rebounds and four assists. Cruz Davis had 14 points and six assists while German Plotnikov scored 12 points.

No. 5 Texas Tech 91, No. 12 Akron 71

Jaylen Petty scored 24 points to lead five Red Raiders in double figures as they pulled away late for a win over the 12th-seeded Zips in Tampa, Fla.

Petty made 9 of 14 shots, helming a sensational shooting performance that saw No. 5 Texas Tech (23-10) make a season-best 64.2% of its shots to snap a three-game skid and win its NCAA Tournament opener for the sixth time in its last seven appearances. The Red Raiders face Alabama on Sunday.

Amani Lyles (26 points) and Shammah Scott (20 points) were the only two players in double figures for Akron (29-6), which had a 10-game winning streak snapped and fell to 0-8 in the NCAA Tournament. The Zips entered the day ranked 21st nationally in 3-point accuracy at 37.9%, but they made just 5 of 19 from long range (26.3%).

The Wildcats rode a rare 3-point barrage in the first half to overwhelm the underdog Sharks and roll to an easy first-round win in San Diego.

Arizona (33-2) came into the postseason averaging 5.9 3-pointers per game, but Tommy Lloyd’s team eclipsed that average before the final media timeout in first half as the Wildcats hit 6 of 9 from beyond the arc. Brayden Burries hit four 3-pointers in the first half en route to a game-high 18 points. Koa Peat added 15 points while Ivan Kharchenkov posted 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Long Island (24-11) shot well from deep in its own right, with Mason Porter-Brown (15 points) and Jamal Fuller (11 points) combining to knock down five 3-pointers by intermission, and six of the team’s eight for the contest. However, the Sharks’ struggles to contain the Wildcats on the interior proved insurmountable. Arizona scored 50 points in the paint, a portion of which came off the Wildcats’ 22 second-chance points. The bigger Arizona lineup dominated the glass, 52-31, with 16 on the offensive end.

No. 9 Utah State 86, No. 8 Villanova 76

MJ Collins Jr. scored seven of his 20 points in the final three minutes as the Aggies outscored the Wildcats 15-3 down the stretch to rally for the first-round win in San Diego.

Mason Falslev, the Mountain West Player of the Year, delivered 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists for Utah State (29-6), which will face top-seeded Arizona on Sunday. Adlan Elamin added 13 points and seven rebounds while Drake Allen contributed 11 points, six assists and three steals.

Bryce Lindsay paced all scorers with 25 points for Villanova (24-9), which built a 10-point lead early in the second half. Duke Brennan and Tyler Perkins added 15 points apiece. The Wildcats took their last lead, 73-71, with 6:04 to play on Lindsay’s sixth and final 3-pointer.

Utah State responded with a 9-0 run keyed by two Collins’ layups, then he delivered a breakaway dunk that made it 84-74 with 1:13 to go.

–Field Level Media

Early March Madness’ Madness

by

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – “Hello A.I. my new friend. I’ve come to chat gpt with you again. Because of visions so creepy, with premonitions gained while I was sleeping. And, the vision that was planted in Naismith’s brain, no longer remains. On my Road to Indianapolis.”

With all this talk about A.I. – I figured it was time to go to the well, and call up A.I. himself. I had a question, and I needed The Answer.

WWYI: “A.I. – what would you like me to call you? Just “A or AI, Mr. I?”

A.I. – “You can call me Allen.”

WWYI: “Oh, okay, I once knew a guy by the name of Allen, and everyone called him “A.I.” or “Bubba Chuck,” or “The Answer.”

A.I. – “I know the guy, but can you stop screwing around and let’s get on with it. What do you want to know?”

WWYI: “Alright already.”

Here we go:

WWYI: “Can you explain the thoughts and logic behind the 2026 NCAA Selection Sunday process and why St. John’s remained at the exact same No. 5 seed that they were on Wednesday morning, even after beating the living daylights out of UConn twice in the same game?”

A.I. – The general reaction to St. John’s receiving a No. 5 seed has been a mix of surprise, frustration from fans and local media, and strategic analysis from bracketologists. Despite winning their second consecutive Big East Championship with a 20-point blowout of UConn, the Red Storm did not see the significant seed jump many expected.

WWYI: “Tell me more, please.”

A.I. – There’s quite a lot to go over. Let’s break it down into different pods of thought and information.

First, the “Disrespect” Theory

Fans and local media have characterized the No. 5 seed as a “disgrace” and “criminal bias,” particularly because St. John’s: Dominated the Big East: They won both the regular-season and conference tournament titles for the second consecutive year.

Beat the Best: They (St John’s) soundly defeated No. 2-seeded UConn twice this season, including a 20-point blowout in the Big East championship.

Rankings Discrepancy: The Red Storm were ranked No. 13 in the final AP Poll, yet were seeded lower than teams like Nebraska and Gonzaga, who they outperformed in several metrics.

The Committee’s Mumbo-Jumbo: Selection committee chairman Keith Gill defended the decision by citing the team’s non-conference performances. Despite their late-season surge (winning 19 of their last 20), their early-season résumé was lacking, including:

Top-Tier Losses: St. John’s went 0-4 against elite non-conference opponents, losing to Iowa State, Alabama, Kentucky, and Auburn.

Quadrant 1 Struggles: They finished with a relatively pedestrian 5-5 record in Quad 1 games. By comparison, teams seeded No. 3 or No. 4 generally had more “depth and quality” in their marquee wins.

Selection Committee’s “Full Body of Work” Argument: The selection committee chair doubled-down, noting that while the win over UConn was “big,” the team’s non-conference schedule lacked the “depth and quality” of teams seeded higher. St. John’s finished just 5-5 in Quadrant 1 games, with losses to Iowa State, Alabama, Kentucky, and Auburn weighing down their resume.

Continuing the “We Got Screwed” Rants: Many analysts and fans felt the No. 5 seed was too low for a team that has won 19 of its last 20 games and features the unanimous Big East Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar Athlete of the Year, Zuby Ejiofor. Some bracket projections had them as high as a No. 2 or No. 3 seed prior to the reveal.

WWYI: “If we accept all of those explanations and follow that logic, then why did No. 18 ranked Purdue Boilermakers go from the depths of the Top 25 (AP and Coaches Polls) to a #2 seed in the West? While they did win the BIG Ten tournament, they had recent losses to Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Ohio State?”

AI – That does not compute. Re-boot, re-boot, re-boot!

WWYI: “So sorry, I’ll get back to regular questioning. How did St. John’s and coach Rick Pitino react to all of this?”

The P, P&P Theory: Rick Pitino’s Perspective: Pitino’s reaction was a mix of realism and motivation. He admitted that while his staff hoped for a No. 4 seed, he personally expected a No. 5. Rick Pitino’s Pragmatism: Coach Rick Pitino expressed that traveling to San Diego for the first round was “not ideal,” but maintained a focused “deal with it” attitude. He has publicly emphasized that his team has “out of hibernation” and is playing its best basketball at the right time.

Pitino noted he has reached Final Fours before after starting on the West Coast and added, that if they survive the first round, they would likely face Kansas, whose fans would travel “heavy” and would likely “pack the house,” leaving St. John’s with only a “few hundred people” in support.

Nightmare vs. Dream Scenarios: St. John’s must beware as “Danger Lurks,” as The No. 5 vs. No. 12 matchup is a notorious “upset” slot. Facing a tough Northern Iowa team in the first round is seen as a potential trap.

The Opportunity: Some analysts believe St. John’s is actually the “best” No. 5 seed and a nightmare matchup for potential high-seed opponents like Duke or Kansas later in the bracket because of their physical, defensive style.

Strategic Analysis as The Giant Slayer: Interestingly, some analysts—including those from Duke-affiliated forums – view St. John’s as a “nightmare” No. 5 seed.

The Matchup: Because they play a physical, defensive style similar to UConn, they are seen as a team that could potentially upset any higher seed in the Sweet 16.

Don’t you think Pitino will jump on these points to motivate his team?

WWYI: “Wait, who is asking the questions, here.”

The Danger Zone: Conversely, expert “bracketologists” warned of the “upset alert” against Northern Iowa, a senior-led team that shoots well from the perimeter and rarely turns the ball over—the exact profile that often takes down aggressive, pressing teams.

WWYI: “I have an idea. Maybe they should focus one game at a time, instead of looking at the entire region? Keep the focus on:

Northern Iowa No. 12 San Diego, CA Friday, March 20 @ 7:10 PM EDT

A.I. – “It’s amazing how quickly you humans can learn. Can you get me a gig in The White House? Maybe the Department of War? Or, as Speaker of the House? Or, maybe just the Atlanta Hawks’ promotions office?”

Editor’s Note: Apologies to Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel at the top of this missive.

 

Howard Hangs on for Historic Win

by

DAYTON – Ose Okojie scored 16 of his team-leading 23 points in the first half and Bryce Harris added 19 points and 14 rebounds as Howard held off a furious rally by UMBC 86-83 on Tuesday in an NCAA Tournament First Four contest.

As the shot clock was expiring, Harris hit a clutch turnaround jumper with 12.7 seconds left to give Howard (24-10) a four-point lead. The Bison held on to advance as the No. 16 seed and oppose No. 1 seed Michigan in a Midwest Region first-round game Thursday in Buffalo.

Embed from Getty Images

“We talk about how important it is for them to have a chance to get to an NCAA Tournament and win games. It’s a box that we checked,” Howard coach Kenneth Blakeney said of Howard’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win in five tries. “We talked about that before the game. We’ve never won a game. We’ve done a lot of things in our program, but let’s check off the box of winning an NCAA game today.”

Harris gathered the team together on the court after the win and spoke about the history they made.

“Bryce’s speech was just like, we did it,” Okojie said. “We made history with these guys. And it wasn’t just me. It wasn’t just the starting five. It was 1 to 16. The energy they gave up is the (credit to the) coaching staff.”

The Bison, who qualified for the 68-team field by capturing the MEAC tournament title, extended their season-best win streak to nine games.

“I think our guys’ resiliency and being battle tested in our tournament and some of our games this year, it was a very familiar place for us,” Blakeney added. “I’m just so happy for our university, our players. We talk about this moment, these moments when we present our university to our young men.”

Jah’Likai King had 19 and DJ Armstrong Jr. added 17 for the Retrievers (24-9), who had their program-record 12-game win streak snapped. The Retrievers, tournament champions of the America East, were making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since their historic 2018 upset of No. 1 seed Virginia.

Caden Diggs added 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench for UMBC. Armstrong’s 30-foot 3-point attempt was off the mark to the right as time expired.

Howard led by double figures for most of the second half, but Diggs converted two free throws with 53.8 seconds left to draw UMBC within 83-78. After the Bison’s Cam Gillus came up short on the front end of a 1-and-1 with 52.9 seconds left, Armstrong drained a long 3-pointer with 43.4 seconds left to cap a 9-0 run, and UMBC was within 83-81.

“In the second half, I think you got to see what UMBC does all the time where we didn’t foul and we really guarded, played good offense, and we made it a game,” Retrievers coach Jim Ferry said. “It was a very exciting game to watch, but I’m so proud of my guys because I saw it in warmups and I don’t really want to say it, I thought those guys were flying around on Howard and we were kind of (passive). But then we fought through it and fought through it which is what we’ve done all year and made it into a fantastic basketball game.”

After UMBC opened with the game’s first four points, Howard scored the next nine points to take an early lead. The Bison used an 8-0 surge to take a 19-11 advantage on a layup by Okojie.

Trailing 21-13, the Retrievers went on a 9-3 spurt to draw within 24-22 on a King layup. UMBC cut the gap to 31-30 before Howard answered with a 12-0 run that gave them their biggest first-half lead after a pair of free throws from Alex Cotton.

Cougar Downing’s layup with two seconds left in the half sent UMBC into halftime down 49-41.

–Mike Petraglia, Field Level Media