Meet your new NCAA tournament darlings: The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks. Trailing most of the second half after a meltdown against Virginia Commonwealth’s relentless pressure, the gritty ‘Jacks tied the game on Desmond Haymon’s improbable four-play play with 3.6 seconds left in regulation and survived in overtime for a 77-75 win over VCU on Friday night.
North Carolina isn’t going home early like Duke. But only just barely.
Cleanthony Early had 23 points and unbeaten Wichita State faced no resistance from Cal Poly, going to 35-0 for the best start in NCAA history with a 64-37 rout of Cal Poly in the Midwest Region on Friday night.
Top sixth-man Michael Dixon Jr. scored 19 points and hit four free throws in the final 10 seconds to help Memphis hold off the George Washington 71-66 on Friday night in the second round of the East Regional.
Gonzaga and Oklahoma State players, coaches and fans no doubt left Viejas Arena with the shrill sound of the referees’ whistles ringing in their ears Friday. The refs called 61 fouls, which affected the pace and outcome of eighth-seeded Gonzaga’s 85-77 win against Marcus Smart and ninth-seeded Oklahoma State in the West region of the NCAA tournament.
The Utah Jazz will be one of 24 teams participating in the NBA Summer League this year, up from 22 in 2013.
The Midwest Region’s 14-seed Mercer upset 3rd-seeded Duke 78-71 in NCAA tournament.
Andrew Wiggins scored 19 points, Jamari Traylor and Perry Ellis had double-doubles and second-seeded Kansas pulled away down the stretch to beat pesky Eastern Kentucky 80-69 on Friday in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Jarnell Stokes scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to help Tennessee beat Massachusetts 86-67 on Friday in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Jordan McRae added 21 points for the Volunteers (23-12), the No. 11 seed in the Midwest Regional.
Doug McDermott scored 30 points and third-seeded Creighton got three huge 3-pointers in the second half from Ethan Wragge to beat No. 14 Louisiana-Lafayette 76-66 Friday in the West Regional.
Arizona avoided becoming the latest and biggest upset victim in an NCAA tournament that’s been filled with them. Arizona (31-4) appeared to be next in line, falling into an 8-point hole in the opening 6 minutes. Arizona closed in around Weber State (19-12), shutting down the Wildcats during two big first-half runs, seemingly putting the fairytale to bed.
Chasson Randle scored 23 points and No. 10 seed Stanford made an impression in its first NCAA appearance since 2008, leading almost start to finish in a 58-53 victory over seventh-seeded New Mexico on Friday.
I have colleagues that cannot write about Steve Alford, now the coach at UCLA, formerly the coach at New Mexico, without mentioning that he likes to wear a basketball net as a fashion accessory. But he wasn’t the first.
Cory Jefferson scored 16 points and No. 6 seed Baylor kept 11th-seeded Nebraska winless in its NCAA tournament history with a 74-60 second-round victory Friday. The Bears (25-11) kept up a two-month tear and will play either No. 3 seed Creighton or No. 14 seed Louisiana-Lafayette on Sunday.
Daniel Coursey scored 17 points and Mercer pulled off the biggest upset in the NCAA tournament so far by knocking off Duke 78-71 Friday.
