First 4
Wagner’s transition offense led by Melvin Council Jr. was an excessive amount of for Howard to beat regardless of a valiant comeback.
After a controversial inclusion within the subject, Virginia proved the naysayers proper with simply 14 factors within the first half of a blowout loss to Colorado State.
Jimel Cofer’s offense fueled a livid Grambling second-half rally to drive extra time because the Tigers pushed previous Montana State.
Tad Boyle’s Colorado group used an 11-0 run that began on a Tristan Da Silva three-pointer to flip the sport on Boise State’s head and safe a victory.
Spherical of 64
From the primary seconds of the sport, Mississippi State seemed out of types and unprepared, with Michigan State cruising to an opening-round win.
Jimmy Clark put Duquesne on his again within the closing 4 minutes on each side of the ball because the Dukes upset BYU.
Akron may solely sustain with Creighton’s shotmaking for therefore lengthy, because the Bluejays held the Zips to only 29 factors within the closing 26 minutes after 31 within the first 14.
In a sport that describes why fast-paced video games are much less prone to yield upsets, Arizona received the observe meet towards Lengthy Seaside State.
Wagner hung powerful for a lot of the primary half, however North Carolina had too many weapons, with 4 gamers scoring over 13 factors.
Dain Dainja took over within the second half, ending 9-9 from the sphere for 21 factors, exploiting a matchup downside that Morehead State was not outfitted to deal with towards Illinois.
Towards his former faculty, Jermaine Couisnard put collectively a revenge sport for the ages with 40 factors as Oregon dealt with South Carolina.
Nevada confirmed precisely what to not do in late-game conditions, turning the ball over towards the press and settling for unhealthy pictures as Dayton got here again from 17 right down to win.
Isaiah Stevens performed the worst sport of his season, taking pictures 4-16 from the sphere and turning the ball over 4 occasions as Texas stopped Colorado State’s offense proper in its tracks.
The legend of Jack Gohlke was born with 10 three-pointers main Oakland to Greg Kampe’s long-awaited first NCAA Event Spherical of 64 win towards third-seeded Kentucky.
Will Wade and McNeese made the error of treating Gonzaga like a Southland group with overeager doubles and full-court traps, creating wide-open three-pointers for the poised Bulldogs.
Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert mixed for 32 factors, 12 rebounds, and 5 steals in Iowa State’s win over South Dakota State.
Tennessee shut off Saint Peter’s water offensively, holding Corey Washington to 1-9 from the sphere and profitable the battle on the board by a margin of 26.
Mo Diarra and Ben Middlebrooks’ versatility on each side of the ball annoyed Texas Tech, and NC State survived and superior.
Bailed out by a phantom foul name on an ideal block, Kansas averted the notoriety of a near-22 point-blown second-half lead towards Samford.
When Darnell Brodie fouled out of the sport, Drake as soon as once more let a first-round sport slip away, with Washington State benefiting from his absence.
With an opportunity to win the sport in regulation, Florida Atlantic’s closing possession left a ton to be desired, and Ryan Langborg took over in OT for Northwestern.
Colgate had zero reply for the potent Baylor offense, which rained down 16 threes and 1.44 factors per possession.
UAB made it very attention-grabbing late, however San Diego State’s Jaedon LeDee confirmed why he was named an All-American by taking on the sport with 32 factors.
After trailing by as a lot as ten within the first half, Marquette lastly discovered the gasoline pedal and put collectively a dominant second half to take down Western Kentucky.
As if anyone anticipated any in another way, UConn turned the opening spherical of the event right into a November purchase sport, leaping out to a 46-10 lead over Stetson and profitable by 39.
Seemingly overmatched from the beginning, New Mexico surrendered an early 19-2 run to PJ Corridor and Clemson and by no means introduced the sport again inside single digits.
With an eerie mirror to a few of the clutch pictures made by John Poulakidas late within the Ivy League closing, Yale’s guards pushed the Bulldogs over Auburn in a surprising upset.
Colorado and Florida’s legendary offensive battle ended with KJ Simpson getting a pleasant roll to knock the Gators out instantly after Walter Clayton Jr. tied the sport from 35 ft.
67 factors from the trio of Wade Taylor, Manny Obaseki, and Tyrece Radford highlighted a blitz of offense from Texas A&M towards Nebraska.
Duke by no means trailed towards Vermont, however the Catamounts utilized strain within the second half, simply unable to make sufficient pictures to maintain the sport shut.
Zach Edey had 30 factors and 21 rebounds, almost singlehandedly outrebounding Grambling in Purdue’s snug victory.
The speedy tempo and ideal spacing of Alabama’s offense made it subsequent to not possible for Charleston, a quick group in its personal proper, to maintain up.
In a 62-possession sport, Longwood turned the ball over 18 occasions, equal to its variety of complete rebounds, and exceeding its variety of made subject objectives, as Houston cruised.
From the opening tip, it was clear that James Madison was merely the higher basketball group, as Wisconsin by no means held a lead and even actually threatened.
Isaac Johnson supplied a spark with a career-high 19 factors in Utah State’s win over TCU.
Saint Mary’s didn’t have sufficient gasoline within the tank to beat Grand Canyon’s power in attending to the basket and drawing fouls.
Spherical of 32
After relying closely on the three all through the season, Dayton solely tried three triples within the closing 11 minutes, and Arizona went on a run to shut the sport.
Kansas held on by a thread within the first half, however Gonzaga went turbo mode, with a 32-4 run within the second to go away the Jayhawks within the mud.
It felt like one other Izzo March miracle was within the making for Michigan State, however North Carolina shortly flipped a 12-point first-half deficit right into a 16-point victory.
A raucous Iowa State crowd in Omaha willed the Cyclones again from an early deficit to a snug victory over Washington State.
Chris Conway’s go was out of the attain of Trey Townsend, blowing Oakland’s probability to take down NC State in regulation earlier than the Pack received in extra time.
In a sport that reminded of Tennessee’s groups of previous, the Vols cranked down on protection on an evening the place pictures wouldn’t fall to defeat Texas.
Duquense by no means stood an opportunity towards the tandem of Terrence Shannon and Marcus Domask creating straightforward layups for Illinois.
45 minutes wasn’t sufficient to determine a winner, however Oregon’s free trial of basketball.exe expired as quickly because the ball was tipped for 2OT, with Creighton scoring 15 in a row.
There was nothing that Colorado may do about Marquette’s guards and bigs discovering their manner into the paint for straightforward layups all afternoon.
Purdue simply deterred Utah State’s potent rim-pressure offense and bought all the pieces it needed on the opposite finish of the ground in a forty-point blowout.
Jared McCain nailed eight three-pointers as Duke impeached James Madison with a 38-point destruction.
For all the nice that Ja’Kobe Walter did in his probably solely season in faculty, Baylor followers will keep in mind his essential missed free throws that allowed Clemson to seal the sport.
These have been the varieties of video games that many thought Alabama would battle in, however the Tide locked in and gritted previous Grand Canyon regardless of taking pictures 8-31 from three.
Donovan Clingan rejected eight Northwestern pictures as UConn put one other dominant NCAA Event victory on its resume.
4 starters fouled out, a walk-on was taking vital free throws, and Houston blew a 13 level lead with beneath 4 minutes to play, but when there was ever a tradition win, it was this efficiency by the Cougars to outlive Texas A&M.
San Diego State did to Yale what many anticipated Auburn to do, a wire-to-wire blowout victory resulting in an unceremonious exit.
Candy 16
Caleb Love completed 0-9 from behind the arc, emblematic of Arizona’s ineptitude in key conditions towards Clemson.
Due to 21 offensive rebounds, UConn dispatched of San Diego State regardless of struggling immensely from the sphere within the first half.
Grant Nelson’s clutch buckets and blocks have been the end result of a seasonlong improvement curve that allowed Alabama to masks its flaws and defeat North Carolina.
In a efficiency that will likely be remembered all through Illinois basketball lore, Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 29 factors towards the nation’s prime defensive group, Iowa State.
Marquette clanked open three after open three off the rim to the purpose the place NC State was not even fearful about guarding the lengthy ball, and the Wolf Pack emerged victorious.
Braden Smith darted and weaved via the Gonzaga protection, wheeling and dealing 15 assists to only two turnovers in Purdue’s victory.
The lifeblood was sucked from Houston’s veins when Jamal Shead went down damage, however Duke’s coming of age and toughening up shouldn’t be forgotten within the remembrance of this sport.
Dalton Knecht ended a 9-0 Creighton run with a 3, then drained one other one a minute later when Steven Ashworth answered his, holding respiration room for Tennessee late within the second half.
Elite 8
In the identical manner that Secretariat opened up a 31-length victory within the 1973 Belmont Stakes after being even via three-quarters of a mile, UConn was transferring like an amazing machine in a 30-0 run towards Illinois.
As soon as Mark Sears began to see some pictures go down, it was curtains for Clemson, and Alabama was off to the Last 4.
A very legendary efficiency from Zach Edey, with 40 factors, 16 rebounds, and a game-sealing block of Tennessee star Dalton Knecht vaulted Purdue into its first Last 4 since 1980, and cemented the Canadian’s standing as an all-time nice within the sport.
DJ Burns fever swept the nation, because the charismatic massive man scored 29 factors to guide NC State over Duke.
Last 4
Regardless of a disastrous first half from Braden Smith, Purdue comfortably disposed of NC State with a stellar defensive efficiency.
The hardest take a look at that UConn confronted all event to that time nonetheless ended with the Huskies profitable by double digits over Alabama.
Nationwide Championship
UConn’s dominant second half offset Zach Edey’s 37 and 10 to cap off a second consecutive nationwide championship run in a win over Purdue.