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March Madness

Sweet 16: San Diego St vs UConn

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – San Diego State didn’t have to wait long for another shot at the University of Connecticut in the NCAA Tournament. Less than a year after falling to the Huskies in the national championship game, the Aztecs will have a chance to redeem themselves tonight when the East Region teams collide in the Sweet 16.

Fifth-seeded San Diego State (26-10) seemed eager to set up a rematch with the defending national champions, putting together an 85-57 drubbing of No. 13 seed Yale on Sunday in the second round of the tourney.

Jaedon LeDee poured in a game-high 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting to go along with nine rebounds for the Aztecs, while Darrion Trammell added 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Trammell, who was on the San Diego State squad that came up just short of a title in 2023, believes the Aztecs now have what it takes to get past UConn (33-3) this time around.

“We’re just excited to get another crack at (the Huskies),” Trammell said. “Obviously they won a national championship last year, but I feel like we were right there. Just to get another chance at it, I think we’re up for the opportunity.

“We have the team to do it.”

However, Huskies coach Dan Hurley doesn’t think any team is capable of dethroning UConn.

“We are bulletproof,” Hurley said following the Huskies’ 75-58 victory over ninth-seeded Northwestern on Sunday. “Elite offense, elite defense.

“Didn’t love the offensive rebounding today and didn’t love the second-half defensive rebounding but, again, 20 assists, seven turnovers. … It’s tough to lose when you have that level of quality.”

Top-seeded UConn got 20 points and 10 assists from Tristen Newton against the Wildcats, while Donovan Clingan also recorded a double-double (14 points, 14 rebounds). The Huskies went just 3-for-22 from beyond the arc (13.6 percent) but still managed to shoot 53.7 percent from the field.

Even with that success, UConn doesn’t have all the odds in its favor, as no defending champion has reached the Elite Eight since Florida did so in 2007.

Hurley is determined to change that.

“We’ve been confident the whole year. I think last season changed how heavy we feel going into these games,” Hurley said. “Obviously you’re nervous and you know the history of NCAA champions not being able to get out of the first weekend.

“But we’re different.”

What the Huskies do have working for them on Thursday is a venue within driving distance of the UConn campus.

Boston’s TD Garden is about 90 minutes away from Storrs, Conn. With what is bound to be a primarily hostile crowd, San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher is hoping his guys stay loose.

“This is the time of year to be fearless and don’t worry about making a mistake. Play your best,” Dutcher said. “And we have experience in the tournament and I think some of that experience showed over the last two games.”

The Aztecs are playing in back-to-back Sweet 16s for the first time in program history. Prior to last season, the Huskies hadn’t reached the Sweet 16 since 2014, but they have twice made three straight (1994-96 and 2002-04).

Newton is one of five UConn players with a scoring average in double figures, posting a team-high 15.3 points per game. Cam Spencer (14.4 ppg) and Alex Karaban (13.7) trail close behind.

Clingan averages 12.8 points and a team-best 7.4 boards.

LeDee leads San Diego State with 21.5 points per contest. The Aztecs’ next best scorer is Reese Waters at 9.8 points per game.

The Huskies are seeking their 13th Elite Eight appearance, while San Diego State is looking for its second.

–Nick Galle, Field Level Media

Sweet 16: Odds Favor UConn

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – UConn’s quest to become the first team to repeat as the men’s national champion in nearly two decades has gotten off to a dominating start.

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Not only do the Huskies own the longest winning streak in the country at nine games, but UConn has now won eight consecutive NCAA Tournament games by double digits. After dispatching No. 16 Stetson and No. 9 Northwestern by an average of 28 points, next up for UConn in the East Regional is No. 5 seed San Diego State tonight at TD Garden.

The Huskies opened the tournament as the +360 favorite via Betting Hero, and those odds have shortened to +210 ahead of the Sweet 16. It helps that No. 4 Auburn and No. 6 BYU failed to make it out of the first round.

UConn is also the third-biggest liability at BetMGM, where the Huskies are the +200 title favorite and lead the field with 11.8 percent of the total bets and 20.3 percent of the money backing them.

Next is North Carolina with 11.7 and 12.0 percent of the action, respectively, as the Tar Heels have moved from +1300 to +1000 since the start of the tournament. DraftKings reported Monday they had received the most action in the title market in the past 24 hours, followed by UConn.

North Carolina has also cruised through its first two games, but if the Tar Heels get past No. 4 Alabama in the Sweet 16 an Elite Eight date against No. 2 Arizona could lie in wait.

Arizona owns double-digit victories over Long Beach State and Dayton to begin the tournament and will face No. 6 Clemson next. The Wildcats have been the biggest mover of the tournament at DraftKings, where their title odds have shifted 30 percent from +1200 to +900.

Next is Duke, which opened at +3500. The fourth-seeded Blue Devils are now +2200 at the book ahead of a Sweet 16 matchup against top-seeded Houston. After that is a potential matchup against No. 2 seed Marquette.

While UConn does face a difficult road with four of the top five seeds remaining in the East, No. 1 Purdue faces the same challenge in the Midwest. If the Boilermakers can get past No. 5 Gonzaga in the Sweet 16, they would face an Elite Eight duel against either No. 2 Tennessee or No. 3 Creighton.

Purdue has been a popular play at BetMGM, drawing the third most total bets (7.7 percent) on the title winner along with the third most money (9.1 percent).

However, the biggest liability remains North Carolina State, the 11th seed in the South. The surprise ACC Championship winner has kept the ride rolling with opening victories over No. 6 seed Texas Tech and an overtime win over No. 14 Oakland.

The only double-digit seed to reach the Sweet 16, the Wolfpack opened the tournament at +15000 to cut down the nets at the end. A third of the way toward that unlikely event, NC State is now +10000 while drawing 2.1 percent of the total title money wagered.

Now that a program that finished below .500 in conference play clinched its first Sweet 16 since 2015, NC State star DJ Burns Jr. was asked for his message to the Wolfpack’s doubters.

“I’m just saying welcome back,” he said. “They didn’t really believe in us. They probably still don’t, but that doesn’t matter to us. We’re just going to stay together.”

–Field Level Media

Purdue, Edey Dominate Utah State

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INDIANAPOLIS  – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Purdue’s center Zach Edey once again dominated with 23 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and two steals to lead the Midwest’s top-seeded Boilermakers to a 106-67 second-round rout of No. 8 seed Utah State on Sunday.

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Purdue (31-4) advances to play No. 5 seed Gonzaga on Friday in Detroit.

Lance Jones and Trey Kaufman-Renn sparked a 20-6 uprising to open the second half, turning a 16-point lead to 30. Purdue didn’t let its foot off the gas in the second half, building the lead as high as 41.

Kaufman-Renn finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Fletcher Loyer added 15 points for Purdue went 8-of-14 from 3-point range in the second half to put the game away.

Great Osobor had 14 points and Josh Uduje added 13 for Utah State (28-7), which fell to 7-25 all-time in NCAA Tournament play and fell a round shy of reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1970.

Purdue thrilled the heavily-partisan crowd of 16,770 that turned out to watch them advance to the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years.

Utah State provided some resistance early on, taking leads of 14-10 and 20-17.

But after Uduje hit a 3-pointer with 9:21 left in the first half to put the Aggies ahead 23-21, Utah State missed its next 12 shots from the field while Purdue caught fire behind Edey, Jones and Kaufman-Renn.

Purdue went on a run of 18-1 to take a 39-24 lead. Jones ended the first-half scoring when he banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to put the Boilermakers up 49-33.

Jones opened the second half with a trey as well, just 13 seconds in.

After Purdue’s Braden Smith stole a pass from Ian Martinez, Smith found Kaufman-Renn cutting to the basket for a layup.

On the next possession, Kaufman-Renn’s two-handed slam ignited the Purdue fans, putting the Boilermakers up 56-33 and sparking a desperate timeout from Utah State head coach Danny Sprinkle just 73 seconds into the half.

–Field Level Media

March Madness: Saturday Recap

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PITTSBURGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – DJ Burns Jr. had six points and one crucial assist in overtime and No. 11 seed North Carolina State outlasted No. 14 Oakland 79-73 on Saturday to secure an improbable Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament’s South Region.

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Burns finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and four assists for the Wolfpack (24-14), who won their seventh straight postseason game between the ACC and NCAA tournaments. Michael O’Connell had 12 points and a season-high eight assists, and DJ Horne, Casey Morsell and Mohamed Diarra each supplied 11 points.

Oakland (24-12) clawed back in the final minutes of regulation before its underdog story ended with an 11-1 NC State run in overtime. Trey Townsend scored 24 of his 30 points after halftime and grabbed 13 rebounds.

Jack Gohlke, Oakland’s first-round hero who made 10 3-pointers against Kentucky, went 6-for-17 from deep Saturday to finish with 22 points and eight rebounds for the Golden Grizzlies.

West Region

No. 1 North Carolina 85, No. 9 Michigan State 69

RJ Davis scored 20 points and the Tar Heels shrugged off a slow start and a couple of shaky moments to defeat the Spartans in Charlotte.

Armando Bacot added 18 points and seven rebounds and Harrison Ingram had 17 points as the Tar Heels delighted a partisan crowd and were sent off to the West Coast with momentum after two games in their home state.

North Carolina (29-7) goes on to face Alabama or Grand Canyon in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night in Los Angeles. Tyson Walker scored 24 points Malik Hall added 17 for Michigan State (20-15), which began the season ranked No. 4 in the country.

No. 2 Arizona 78, No. 7 Dayton 68

Caleb Love scored 19 points and the Wildcats earned a Sweet 16 spot with a victory over the Flyers in Salt Lake City.

Pelle Larsson had 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Keshad Johnson recorded 13 points and seven rebounds for Arizona (27-8). Jaden Bradley added 12 points, three steals and three blocked shots.

Daron Holmes II had 23 points, 11 rebounds and three steals for Dayton (25-8).

Midwest Region

No. 2 Tennessee 62, No. 7 Texas 58

Dalton Knecht churned out 18 points to help Volunteers coach Rick Barnes defeat his former Longhorns in Charlotte.

Knecht, who provided seven of his team’s final 15 points, clinched the outcome by sinking both ends of a 1-and-1 with 3.8 seconds to play. Tennessee (26-8) won despite shooting just 33.8 percent for the game and will face No. 3 Creighton on Friday.

Reserve Chendall Weaver and Tyrese Hunter both had 13 points to lead Texas (21-13), which is coached by former Barnes assistant Rodney Terry. The Longhorns shot 36.4 percent.

No. 3 Creighton 86, No. 11 Oregon 73 (2 OT)

Steven Ashworth scored 21 points and ignited the game-winning, 15-point run to propel the Bluejays past the Ducks in Pittsburgh.

Trey Alexander tallied 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Ryan Kalkbrenner had 19 points, 14 boards and five blocks for Creighton (25-9). The Blue Jays escaped a tough second half and will play No. 2 seed Tennessee in the Sweet 16.

Oregon’s two-man wrecking crew of Jermaine Couisnard and N’Faly Dante ran out of gas in the second overtime. Couisnard finished with 32 points and eight rebounds, and Dante racked up a career-high 28 points and 20 rebounds for the Ducks (24-12).

No. 5 Gonzaga 89, No. 4. Kansas 68

Anton Watson scored 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and the Bulldogs delivered a massive second-half knockout punch in routing the Jayhawks in Salt Lake City.

Nolan Hickman had 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting as Gonzaga reached its ninth consecutive Sweet 16. The Bulldogs blew the game open with a 32-4 burst over a 12-plus minute stretch of the second half.

Hunter Dickinson scored 15 points and KJ Adams Jr. and Dajuan Harris Jr. added 10 points apiece for the Jayhawks (23-11). Harris added 11 assists, and Kansas again played without All-American Kevin McCullar Jr. (knee). Gonzaga will face either No. 1 Purdue or No. 8 Utah State in the Sweet 16.

East Region

No. 2 Iowa State 67, No. 7 Washington State 56

Tamin Lipsey scored 15 points and the Cyclones reached the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons with a victory over the Cougars in Omaha, Neb.

Curtis Jones added 14 points for Iowa State, which won for the ninth time in its past 10 games. Keshon Gilbert and Milan Momcilovic added 10 points apiece.

Jaylen Wells scored 20 points for Washington State. Myles Rice added 13 points.

No. 3 Illinois 89, No. 11 Duquesne 63

Terrence Shannon Jr. scored a game-high 30 points and Marcus Domask added 22 to help the Fighting Illini cruise past the Dukes in Omaha, Neb., and into the Sweet 16.

Illinois (28-8) advanced to face No. 8 Iowa State in Boston on Thursday. It’s the Illini’s first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 2005.

Saturday marked the final game for Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot, who is retiring at season’s end. Dambrot guided the 11th-seeded Dukes to an Atlantic 10 tournament championship to clinch the school’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 1977. Jimmy Clark III paced Duquesne with 14 points, and Fousseyni Drame followed with 13.

–Field Level Media

WHALE of a Game for YALE

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SPOKANE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Yale’s John Poulakidas sank six 3-pointers and scored 28 points and Samson Aletan made a key blocked shot in the final seconds as 13th-seeded Bulldogs notched a 78-76 upset of fourth-seeded Auburn on Friday afternoon in an East Region first-round game.

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August Mahoney scored 14 points and Danny Wolf had 13 for the Bulldogs (23-9), who overcame a 10-point, second-half deficit to improve to 2-7 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. Upstart Yale will face No. 5 seed San Diego State in Sunday’s second round with the winner headed to Boston for the Regional final.

“I don’t know if that’s the best win in Yale basketball history, but I will tell you that’s the best basketball team we’ve beaten in Yale basketball history as far as I’m concerned,” Bulldogs coach James Jones said.

Johni Broome recorded 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Tigers (27-8). Denver Jones added 17 points and Jaylin Williams had 13 for Auburn. K.D. Johnson had a chance to win it at the buzzer with a 3-pointer, but his shot bounced off the rim.

East Region

No. 1 UConn 91, No. 16 Stetson 52

Donovan Clingan scored 12 of his 19 points in the first half for the top-seeded Huskies, who began the defense of their national championship with a wire-to-wire win over the Hatters in an East Region first-round game in New York.

Cam Spencer had 15 points, including 13 in the first half, for UConn (32-3), which will oppose No. 9 Northwestern in a second-round game Sunday. Stephon Castle (14 points), Tristen Newton (13 points, eight assists) and Alex Karaban (12 points) all scored in double figures for the Huskies.

Stephan Swenson scored a game-high 20 points and Jalen Blackmon had 14 points and eight rebounds for Stetson (22-13), which made its first NCAA Tournament appearance after winning the Atlantic Sun Conference.

No. 5 San Diego State 69, No. 12 UAB 65

Jaedon LeDee recorded 32 points and eight rebounds to lead the Aztecs to a victory over the Blazers in East Region first-round play at Spokane, Wash.

Lamont Butler added 15 points and four steals for the San Diego State (25-10), which is looking for another deep run after losing to UConn in last season’s NCAA title game.

Efrem “Butta” Johnson made five 3-pointers and scored 19 points for UAB (23-12). However, Johnson missed a tying 3-point attempt with eight seconds remaining before Reese Waters split two free throws with 3.5 seconds left to seal it for San Diego State.

No. 9 Northwestern 77, No. 8 Florida Atlantic 65 (OT)

Ryan Langborg scored 12 points in overtime for the Wildcats, who squandered a nine-point second-half lead before recovering to beat the Owls in an East Region first-round game in New York.

Brooks Barnhizer forced overtime by hitting a floater with nine seconds left for Northwestern (22-11).

Vladislav Goldin scored 19 points for Florida Atlantic (25-9), which returned every player who had remaining eligibility from last year’s Final Four team. Johnell Davis had 18 points.

West Region

No. 3 Baylor 92, No. 14 Colgate 67

Four players scored in double figures and the Bears canned 16 of 30 3-point attempts to dispatch the 14th-seeded Raiders in an NCAA Tournament West Region first round game in Memphis.

Jalen Bridges scored a game-high 23 points for Baylor (24-10), which advanced to the second round Sunday against Clemson. Ja’Kobe Walter added 19, while Jayden Nunn tallied 15 and RayJ Dennis contributed 10 points plus nine assists.

Keegan Records paced Colgate (25-10), which won 17 of 18 prior to this one, with 14 points. Sam Thomson added 11, and Patriot League Player of the Year Braeden Smith scored 10.

No. 4 Alabama 109, No. 13 Charleston 96

Mark Sears poured in 30 points, and the nation’s top-scoring team was in high gear as the Crimson Tide rolled over the Cougars in Spokane, Wash.

Latrell Wrightsell Jr. made 5 of 6 3-point attempts while adding 17 points for Alabama (22-11), which entered the contest averaging 90.8 points per game and set a school mark for most points in an NCAA Tournament game. Alabama will face No. 12 Grand Canyon in Sunday’s second round.

Ben Burnham scored 19 points for Charleston (27-8), which had its 12-game winning streak halted. Frankie Policelli added 15 points.

No. 12 Grand Canyon 75, No. 5 Saint Mary’s 66

Tyon Grant-Foster recorded 22 points and seven rebounds and the Lopes beat the Gaels at Spokane, Wash., to win an NCAA Tournament game for the first time.

Ray Harrison added 17 points and six assists for Grand Canyon (30-4), which is making its third appearance in March Madness.

Mitchell Saxen had 14 points and 11 rebounds and Aidan Mahaney scored 13 points but shot just 5 of 21 from the field for Saint Mary’s (26-8).

No. 6 Clemson 77, No. 11 New Mexico 56

The Tigers got a game-high 21 points from Chase Hunter and led by as many as 23 points in the second half of a rout of the Lobos at Memphis.

First-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference pick PJ Hall scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half for Clemson (22-11).

Jaelen House scored 12 points for the Lobos (26-10) before fouling out with 6:27 remaining in the game. Nelly Joseph worked hard inside for 14 points and 12 rebounds but New Mexico never found any sort of rhythm, connecting on just 29.7 percent of its field-goal attempts and going 3 of 23 on 3-point shots.

South Region

No. 1 Houston 86, No. 16 Longwood 46

It didn’t take long for the Cougars to announce their presence with authority, and once they did, they were well on their way to a blowout of the Lancers in Memphis.

The result sets up a rematch Sunday in the second round against ninth-seeded Texas A&M, which beat Nebraska 98-83 earlier in the day. Houston held off the Aggies 70-66 on Dec. 16.

L.J. Cryer finished with 17 points, going 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, Jamal Shead finished with 11 points and nine assists and Damian Dunn added 17 points off the bench for Houston (31-4). Johnathan Massie scored 10 points off the bench to pace Longwood (21-14).

No. 2 Marquette 87, No. 15 Western Kentucky 69

Tyler Kolek returned from a three-week absence and fell just four rebounds shy of a triple-double to help the Golden Eagles pull away in the second half for a win over the Hilltoppers.

Kolek, who finished with 18 points, 11 assists and six rebounds, showed no ill effects from an oblique injury sustained on Feb. 28. Kolek hit two long threes on his first two shot attempts and scored 10 points in the opening seven minutes, helping Marquette (26-9) build a 26-17 lead. The Golden Eagles advance to a second-round matchup on Sunday vs. No. 10 seed Colorado.

For the Hilltoppers (22-12), Tyrone Marshall Jr. scored 17 of his team-leading 21 in the first half while teammate Don McHenry was the only other player in double figures with 11 points.

No. 4 Duke 64, No. 13 Vermont 47

Mark Mitchell and Jared McCain scored 15 points apiece to lead four Blue Devils players in double figures as Duke pulled away in the second half to beat the Catamounts.

Duke (25-8) will play James Madison in a second-round game on Sunday. The Blue Devils, who were knocked out by Tennessee in the second round last season, haven’t missed the Sweet 16 in consecutive tournaments since 2007-08.

Jeremy Roach scored 14 points and Tyrese Proctor added 13 for Duke. Kyle Filipowski, who was averaging 17.1 points per contest, was held to three points and just one field goal attempt but pulled down 12 rebounds. Shamir Bogues scored 18 points for Vermont (28-7), which won the America East for the third straight season.

No. 12 James Madison 72, No. 5 Wisconsin 61

Terrence Edwards Jr. scored 14 points for the Dukes, who never trailed as they upset the Badgers in a first-round matchup in New York.

James Madison (32-3) extended the nation’s longest active winning streak to 14 games. T.J. Bickerstaff and Julien Wooden scored 12 points apiece, while Michael Green III added 11 points for the Dukes, who advanced beyond the first round for the first time since 1983.

Max Klesmit scored all 18 of his points while hitting five 3-pointers in the second half for Wisconsin (22-14).

No. 10 Colorado 102, No. 7 Florida 100

KJ Simpson capped a wild second half with a baseline jumper that hit the rim five times before rattling in with one second left, lifting the Buffaloes to a dramatic win over the Gators in Indianapolis.

Simpson finished with a team-leading 23 points while Eddie Lampkin Jr. added 21 for Colorado (26-10).

Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. scored a game-high 33 points and hit the backboard on a desperation miss at the final buzzer. The Gators (24-12) ended their season in heartbreak after erasing a 13-point deficit in the final 4:28.

No. 9 Texas A&M 98, No. 8 Nebraska 83

The Aggies converted 13 3-pointers and enjoyed a comfortable win over the Cornhuskers.

Wade Taylor IV bombed in 7 of 10 attempts from deep and scored 25 points for the Aggies (21-14). Manny Obaseki added 22 points, while Tyrece Radford stuffed the stat sheet with 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Brice Williams scored 24 points to pace the Cornhuskers (23-11), who were making their first NCAA tourney appearance in 10 years. Keisei Tominaga added 21 points.

Midwest Region

No. 1 Purdue 78, Grambling State 50

All-American Zach Edey scored 30 points, grabbed 21 rebounds and blocked three shots to power the Boilermakers to a rout of the Tigers in Indianapolis.

The Boilermakers (30-4) pulled away at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half to atone for last year’s shocking first-round loss to No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson in Columbus, Ohio. Purdue will play No. 8 Utah State on Sunday in a second-round contest, again before a heavily partisan crowd inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Tra’Michael Moton had 21 points and Kintavious Dozier scored 16 to lead Grambling (21-15), which made it difficult for the first 18 minutes, trailing just 31-27 before Purdue scored the final five points of the first half.

No. 8 Utah State 88, No. 9 TCU 72

Isaac Johnson scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half to lead the Aggies past the Horned Frogs, breaking their 10-game NCAA Tournament losing streak.

Ian Martinez added a game-high 21 points, while Darius Brown II chipped in with 10 points and 10 assists for Utah State (28-6).

JaKobe Coles had 19 points while Emanuel Miller added 13 points and 11 rebounds for TCU (21-13), which jumped out to leads of 16-8 and 18-10 but couldn’t hold on.

–Field Level Media

NCAA Hoops Round-Up | Kentucky’s Out

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PITTSBURGH – Jack Gohlke drilled 10 3-pointers en route to 32 points and DQ Cole buried the final triple of the game to clinch No. 14 seed Oakland’s 80-76 upset of No. 3 seed Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament’s South Region on Thursday.

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The Golden Grizzlies (24-11) led for nearly the entire second half and went shot for shot with the heavily favored Wildcats (23-10) down the stretch. Oakland advances to the Round of 32 for the first time since joining Division I while handing Kentucky its second first-round exit in three years.

Gohlke, a graduate transfer from Division II Hillsdale, earned his place in NCAA Tournament lore. All 20 of his field-goal attempts came from 3-point range, and he came one shy of tying the tournament single-game record of 11 triples set by Jeff Fryer of Loyola Marymount in 1990.

Oakland, the Horizon League champion, will face No. 11 NC State in the second round Saturday. Antonio Reeves scored 27 points and went 5-for-9 on 3-point shots in his attempt to carry Kentucky back from the dead. Tre Mitchell had 14 points and 13 rebounds.

South Region

No. 11 North Carolina State 80, No. 6 Texas Tech 67

Ben Middlebrooks scored a career-high 21 points, Mohamed Diarra added a career-best 17 points plus 12 rebounds and the Wolfpack continued their surprising March by taking down the Red Raiders in Pittsburgh.

DJ Horne tallied 16 points, six rebounds and five assists and D.J. Burns Jr. scored 16 for NC State (23-14), which only made it this far by winning five games in five days to capture the ACC tournament title, where it was the 10th seed. Now, the Wolfpack will play No. 14 seed Oakland on Saturday with a Sweet 16 berth from the South Region on the line.

Joe Toussaint led Texas Tech (23-11) with 16 points. Pop Isaacs scored 12, and Darrion Williams finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

West Region

No. 1 North Carolina 90, No. 16 Wagner 62

RJ Davis scored 22 points and Armando Bacot had a double-double in the first half as the Tar Heels routed the Seahawks in Charlotte.

Bacot finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds, Jae’Lyn Withers notched 16 points and 10 rebounds off the bench and Cormac Ryan posted 13 points for the top-seeded Tar Heels, who shot 55 percent from the field.

North Carolina (28-7) will meet ninth-seeded Michigan State in the second round Saturday. Melvin Council Jr. and Julian Brown both had 18 points for Wagner (17-16), which defeated Howard 71-68 in Tuesday night’s First Four in Dayton, Ohio. Keyontae Lewis added 13 points.

No. 2 Arizona 85, No. 15 Long Beach State 65

The Wildcats took control with a 17-2 run over the first four minutes of the second half and cruised past Beach in the first-round game in Salt Lake City.

Kylan Boswell led Arizona (26-8) with 20 points and Caleb Love added 18 points and 11 rebounds. Oumar Ballo had 11 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots for the Wildcats.

Long Beach State (21-15) couldn’t keep up in the second half as Arizona found its rhythm on offense. Beach got 14 points and 15 rebounds from Aboubacar Traore and 14 points from Amari Stroud off the bench.

No. 7 Dayton 63, No. 10 Nevada 60

DaRon Holmes II scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Flyers stormed back to beat the Wolf Pack in Salt Lake City.

Dayton (25-7) erased a 17-point deficit in the second half to rally for its first tournament win since the 2014-15 campaign. Koby Brea finished with 15 points on five 3-pointers, and Enoch Cheeks chipped in 12 points.

Jarod Lucas scored 17 points to lead Nevada (26-8), which recorded the eighth-most victories in program history but failed to advance out of the first round. Kenan Blackshear and Nick Davidson finished with 15 points apiece.

No. 9 Michigan State 69, No. 8 Mississippi State 51

Tyson Walker scored 19 points and the Spartans never trailed in claiming a victory against the Bulldogs in the first-round matchup.

Michigan State (20-14) meets top-seeded North Carolina in the second round on Saturday. Jaden Akins racked up 15 points, joining Walker with three 3-pointers, and Malik Hall added 10 points.

Josh Hubbard scored 15 points for Mississippi State (21-14), which shot 37 percent from the field and made only 6 of 27 attempts from 3-point range. The Bulldogs ended up with a season-low point total.

Midwest Region

No. 2 Tennessee 83, No. 15 Saint Peter’s 49

Dalton Knecht poured in 23 points and the Volunteers quickly snuffed out any hopes the Peacocks had of making another deep Cinderella run into the postseason with the first-round blowout.

Jonas Aidoo posted 15 points and Zakai Zeigler provided 11 points and 10 assists for the Volunteers, who led by as many as 29 points in the first half. Tennessee (25-8) takes on seventh-seeded Texas (21-12) on Saturday.

Latrell Reid scored 17 points and Marcus Randolph followed with nine for Saint Peter’s (19-14), which reached the Elite Eight as a No. 15 seed two years ago. The Peacocks were winners of eight of their past 10 games prior to Thursday.

No. 3 Creighton 77, No. 14 Akron 60

Ryan Kalkbrenner racked up 23 points and eight rebounds, Baylor Scheierman added 15 points and 13 boards and the hot-shooting Bluejays took care of Akron in Pittsburgh.

The Bluejays (24-9) shot 56.5 percent overall and a season-high 58.8 percent from 3-point range (10 of 17) to advance out of the first round for the fourth straight tournament. They will face No. 11 Oregon in the next round. Trey Alexander scored 19 points and Mason Miller and Steven Ashworth each supplied 10. Enrique Freeman powered Akron (24-11) with 21 points and 14 rebounds.

No. 4 Kansas 93, No. 13 Samford 89

Hunter Dickinson registered 19 points, 20 rebounds and four blocked shots to help the Jayhawks escape an upset bid by the Bulldogs in Salt Lake City.

KJ Adams Jr. scored 20 points and Nicolas Timberlake added 19 for Kansas (23-10). Johnny Furphy added 16 points and eight rebounds for the Jayhawks, who never trailed but nearly let a 22-point, second-half lead slip away.

Achor Achor recorded 23 points and eight rebounds for Samford (29-6). The Bulldogs’ A.J. Staton-McCray appeared to make a clean block of a Timberlake shot with 14.7 seconds left, but a foul was called and Timberlake hit two free throws to give Kansas a three-point lead.

No. 5 Gonzaga 86, No. 12 McNeese 65

Graham Ike and Anton Watson had double-doubles and the hot-shooting Bulldogs routed the Cowboys in the first round in Salt Lake City.

Ike finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Watson had 13 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists and two steals for the Bulldogs (26-7).

Christian Shumate had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Shahada Wells scored 19 points for McNeese, which entered the tournament on an 11-game winning streak.

No. 11 Oregon 87, No. 6 South Carolina 73

Jermaine Couisnard dropped a career-high 40 points against his former team as the Ducks toppled the Gamecocks in Pittsburgh.

Couisnard spent three seasons with the Gamecocks before transferring to Oregon ahead of the 2022-23 season. He shot 14 of 22 on Thursday, making 5 of 9 from beyond the arc and adding six assists and four rebounds. N’Faly Dante provided 23 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Oregon (24-11), will face No. 3 seed Creighton on Saturday.

Meechie Johnson poured in 24 points, Ta’Lon Cooper had 15 and B.J. Mack scored 13 for South Carolina (26-8), which suffered a field-goal drought of 8:21 at the end of the first half and could not recover.

No. 7 Texas 56, No. 10 Colorado State 44

Max Abmas and Dylan Disu scored 12 points apiece and the Longhorns overcame offensive struggles to control the Rams in in Charlotte.

Chendall Weaver came off the bench for Texas (21-12) to add 11 points, making 5-of-7 shots when most other players had trouble converting. The game was defined by miserable shooting along with turnovers, with Colorado State committing 19 to 12 for the Longhorns.

Isaiah Stevens and Joel Scott each had 10 points for No. 10 seed Colorado State (25-11), which was playing for the second time in three nights. Despite missing 41 shots from the floor, the Rams collected only 13 offensive rebounds on its 29.3 percent shooting from the field.

East Region

No. 2 Iowa State 82, No. 15 South Dakota State 65

Milan Momcilovic scored 19 points to help the Cyclones thump the Jackrabbits in Omaha, Neb.

Tamin Lipsey added 17 points and seven assists for the Cyclones (28-7), who won their fourth straight game and eighth in their last nine. Keshon Gilbert had 15 points and three steals. Iowa State will face No. 7 Washington State on Saturday.

Zeke Mayo scored 19 points and William Kyle III had 14 for the Jackrabbits (22-13), who had an eight-game winning streak snapped. They are 0-7 all-time in NCAA Tournament play.

No. 3 Illinois 85, No. 14 Morehead State 69

Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 26 points, Dain Dainja had 17 of his 21 points after halftime and Marcus Domask notched a triple-double to lift the Illini past the Eagles.

Illinois (27-8) pulled away thanks a 20-3 run midway through the second half to go ahead 68-51. Dainja scored 10 points during the surge and finished 9-for-9 from the floor. Illinois advanced to face 11th-seeded Duquesne in the second round on Saturday. Domask finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Riley Minix, an NAIA transfer and the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, scored a game-high 27 points, giving him 20-plus points in 13 of 14 games to close the season. Jordan Lathon followed with 23 points for the Eagles (26-9) to go with seven rebounds.

No. 11 Duquesne 71, No. 6 BYU 67

Dae Dae Grant scored 19 points and the Dukes picked up their first NCAA Tournament victory since 1969 by knocking off the Cougars in Omaha, Neb.

Jakub Necas added 12 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots and Jimmy Clark III tallied five of his 11 points in the final 88 seconds as Duquesne (25-11) won its ninth consecutive game. The contest was the Dukes’ first in the NCAA Tournament since the Norm Nixon-led team played in the 1977 tourney.

Jaxson Robinson scored 25 points off the bench for BYU (23-11). Spencer Johnson had 11 points and 16 rebounds.

No. 7 Washington State 66, No. 10 Drake 61

Isaac Jones recorded 20 points and 11 rebounds and Isaiah Watts made the go-ahead shot to help the Cougars beat the Bulldogs in Omaha, Neb.

Jaylen Wells added 17 points and nine rebounds as the Cougars (25-9) won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2008. Washington State will face No. 2 seed Iowa State on Saturday.

Atin Wright scored 20 points for the Bulldogs (28-7). Tucker DeVries had 14 points and six assists and Darnell Brodie contributed 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.

–Field Level Media

Oakland YAYS

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PITTSBURGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Oakland University was so far off the map before Thursday that casual fans of the NCAA Tournament needed reminding the school is in Michigan — not California.

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The Golden Grizzlies received the No. 14 seed in the South Region, knocked off third-seeded Kentucky and became the latest small school to enter the March Madness pantheon.

“This changed everything,” coach Greg Kampe said Thursday. “There’s nobody in the country that doesn’t know what Oakland basketball is.”

Either Oakland or No. 11 seed North Carolina State will extend a stunning run to the Sweet 16 when they face off in the second round of the tournament Saturday.

Kampe has led Oakland (24-11) for 40 seasons, far longer than the school has competed at the Division I level. The Golden Grizzlies’ 80-76 upset of Kentucky marked the first time the program won a game in the Round of 64.

Jack Gohlke knocked down 10 of 20 3-point shots, becoming the fifth player in NCAA Tournament history to make double-digit 3s in a game. He scored 32 points, and Trey Townsend added 17 points and 12 rebounds after he posted up and made a turnaround jumper over 7-footer Ugonna Onyenso in the final minutes.

“It’s such a great thing to see our fanbase travel,” said Townsend, who averages 16.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists. “We wanted Pittsburgh (or) Indianapolis because we knew they would travel if they could drive … Seeing them out there, my parents are here, my dad is right back there. To win with them here was a special thing for sure and we’re definitely not done yet.”

One question for Saturday’s game against the Wolfpack (23-14) is how the Golden Grizzlies will match up against NC State’s DJ Burns Jr., all 6-foot-9, 275 pounds of him.

Burns has been on a heater for NC State, which won five games in five days to storm through the ACC tournament before beating No. 6 Texas Tech 80-67 on Thursday. Burns has shot 24-of-34 for 55 points over his past three games.

“He was a local star for a whole year and now everybody in the national media is starting to understand that,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts said. “I mean, he’s just fun. He scores and he gets beat up all the time. And he’s almost gotta play through contact. But it is so fun to watch him.

“And you know, I consider him a closer for us. We put him in the game, and he closes the game.”

While four Wolfpack players have done the majority of the scoring this year — DJ Horne (16.9 ppg), Burns (12.5), Jayden Taylor (11.6) and Casey Morsell (11.4) — contributions are coming from up and down the bench.

Both Ben Middlebrooks (21 points) and Mohamed Diarra (17) put up career-high totals against Texas Tech, and Michael O’Connell scored in double figures in all five games of the ACC tournament before dishing six assists Thursday.

NC State and Oakland likely can appreciate one another’s paths to the Round of 32. Both teams, of course, are hungry for more.

“The whole thing down the stretch has been, once we knew we had won a ring, the whole banter in the locker room has been, what’s it going to say on that ring, right?” Kampe said. “What’s it going to say on that ring: just Horizon League champ? NCAA? Sweet 16? Final Four? I’ve put that thought in their mind, and they’ve really battled for it, and they understand that their life got changed (Thursday), but it could get changed a hell of a lot more if we keep this thing going.”

– Field Level Media

UConn Earns No. 1 Seed in NCAA

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – UConn’s Donovan Clingan put up 22 points and 16 rebounds, Tristen Newton and Jaylin Stewart each drilled three critical 3-pointers and the BIG EAST’s top team and national No. 2 Connecticut Huskies  pulled away from No. 10 Marquette to win the Big East championship game 73-57 on Saturday night.

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The top-seeded Huskies claimed their first Big East tournament title since 2011, before the university left the conference from 2013-2020. After sweeping third-seeded Marquette during the regular season, UConn avenged a semifinal loss to the Golden Eagles in last year’s tournament.

UConn is likely to receive the No. 1 overall bid in this week’s NCAA tournament.

Newton had 13 points, 10 assists and five rebounds for UConn (31-3), which will be in the mix for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Stewart — a freshman who came in averaging 2.4 points per game — scored all nine of his points in the second half, when the Huskies overcame another slow start to shoot 63 percent from the floor.

UConn came out cold on offense, similar to its starts in the previous rounds against Xavier and St. John’s. A 19-5 second-half run powered by Newton and Stewart broke the game open.

Kam Jones tallied 13 points and eight rebounds and David Joplin added 12 points and six boards for the Golden Eagles (25-9), the defending conference tournament champions, who reached this year’s tournament final despite star guard Tyler Kolek sitting out all week with an oblique injury.

UConn missed its first eight attempts from the floor, including three layups, before Samson Johnson subbed in and dunked at the 13:27 mark. Marquette hardly took advantage at the other end, starting 2-for-11 from the floor.

Neither side led by more than four throughout the first half. The Huskies missed their first eight 3-point tries before going ahead 19-15 when Newton finally connected with 3:41 remaining.

Joplin deflected a pass for a steal and score, then blocked a shot that led to Jones’ 3-pointer at the other end to give Marquette a 22-21 advantage with 1:39 left.

After the teams traded baskets, Newton collected his dribble and knocked down another 3-pointer with three seconds left for a 26-24 UConn lead at the break.

Clingan’s catch and dunk through a foul prompted a brief UConn run that gave the Huskies a four-point lead. It wasn’t until Stewart connected from outside and Newton added a triple on consecutive possessions that the Huskies made it 47-41 with 9:27 to play.

Stewart knocked down his next two triples, Hassan Diarra added one and UConn’s flurry ultimately grew the lead to 60-44 with 5:54 left.

One last push by the Golden Eagles got them within 11 points down the stretch.

–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media

Big East Final: It’s UConn vs Marquette

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – A little over a year ago, Marquette was the last team to defeat UConn before the latter stormed its way to a fifth national title.

The Huskies didn’t lose again that season and dominated their way to the top of the Big East in 2023-24.

On Saturday, 10th-ranked Marquette is the opponent standing in the way of the second-ranked Huskies, who will seek their first Big East title since returning to the league in 2020.

The Huskies (30-3) took their first loss since the Marquette semifinal game when they fell by four points at Kansas on Dec. 1. They also are seeking their first conference tournament title since Kemba Walker’s magical run led them to five wins in five days in 2011.

The top-seeded Huskies are on a six-game winning streak and advanced to Saturday’s final thanks to a prolific offense. After scoring 87 in a 27-point win over ninth-seeded Xavier in Thursday’s quarterfinals, UConn was challenged at times in a 95-90 win over fifth-seeded St. John’s on Friday.

The Huskies are ready to face third-seeded Marquette (25-8), which claimed a 70-68 win over UConn in last season’s conference semifinals.

Tristen Newton scored 20 of his 25 points in UConn’s 52-point opening half Friday and added nine assists. Cam Spencer contributed 20 points and nine assists for the Huskies, who shot 57.4 percent from the floor, sank 11 3-pointerss and collected 23 assists.

“These are the environments that you want to play in,” Spencer said. “It’s a high-level basketball game, working towards something that we’ve worked for all year, and it’s — the Big East championship is something that we want to go get. Probably one of the highest, I guess, more intense games of this year, and rightfully so.”

Marquette is playing without Tyler Kolek due to an oblique injury. The guard could be out again for its second appearance in the title game, although he has begun practicing and is expected to play in the NCAA Tournament.

“We’ve played through a lot of adversity,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said. “Obviously (Saturday) is going to a heck of a challenge for us.”

The Golden Eagles lost two of their final three regular-season games and opened the tournament with wins over Villanova and Providence. After allowing an average of 69.7 points a game during the regular season, the Golden Eagles allowed 65 and 68 in their tournament games and received clutch showings from Kam Jones and Oso Ighodaro.

Jones scored 23 points in Friday’s 79-68 win over the Friars and helped the Golden Eagles lead for virtually the entire way and fend off a late comeback attempt. Ighodaro added 20 vs. Providence after scoring his lone basket in overtime against Villanova on Thursday.

UConn dominated the first meeting against Marquette this season when the Huskies rolled to an 81-53 victory on Feb. 17 in Hartford, Conn. The Huskies held off a comeback attempt in their 74-67 win on March 6 in Milwaukee.

“Obviously UConn has some good players, has a good team,” Marquette’s Stevie Mitchell said. “So we’re obviously going to watch film, learn from previous games against them, and learn from this game and continue to move forward, but I think being the best version of ourselves is what we’re really focusing on the most.”

–Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media

Big East: Marquette Clears Way to Final

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Kam Jones scored 23 points as No. 10 Marquette led virtually the entire way and defeated Providence 79-68 Friday night in the semifinals of the Big East tournament.

The third-seeded Golden Eagles (25-8) advanced to their second title game and will attempt to win back-to-back titles when they face UConn, the top seed. UConn, which took a two-point loss to Marquette in last season’s semifinals, advanced earlier Friday with a 95-90 win over St. John’s.

A night after his buzzer-beater was waved off in regulation against Villanova, Jones shot 9-of-17 from the field and made several big plays down the stretch to fend off Providence’s comebacks.

Oso Ighodaro added 20 points after making just one basket against Villanova late in overtime. David Joplin contributed 12 and Stevie Mitchell chipped in 10 as Marquette shot 45.6 percent and withstood the absence of Tyler Kolek due to an oblique injury.

Providence (21-13), the seventh seed, entered with a NET rating of 57 and fell to 6-9 in Quad 1 games. The Friars were unable to consistently find their offense after upending Georgetown and Creighton to start the tournament.

Devin Carter kept the Friars in it by scoring 20 of his 27 points after halftime to lead all scorers. Jayden Pierre added 16 and Josh Oduro contributed nine and 10 rebounds before fouling out. Ticket Gaines had 10 rebounds but was held to two points on 0-of-9 shooting as Providence shot 36.4 percent.

Marquette surged ahead with a 17-2 burst and took its first double-digit lead when Ighodaro’s easy jumper made it 28-18 with just under seven minutes left. The lead grew to 35-18 on his dunk with 4:11 left.

The Friars withstood the run and got the deficit down to 40-31 on Corey Floyd Jr.’s three-point play with 13 seconds left, but Joplin was fouled on a 3-point try with one second left and made two free throws.

Carter’s 3 following an offensive rebound by Gaines moved Providence within 46-39 a little more than two minutes into the second half. The Friars missed six straight shots and Ben Gold’s 3 capped an 8-0 Marquette run with 13:29 remaining.

Providence gradually rallied, and consecutive hoops by Carter cut the lead to 68-65 with 4:35 left.

Jones hit a turnaround jumper with 3:13 left and scored again with 96 seconds to go for a 74-68 lead.

–Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media