If the first full day of the NCAA tournament was any indication of the madness that can happen in March, then Day 2 should be full of surprises too.
A pair of five seeds went down during Thursday’s action, plus an absolute stunner as the East Region’s 2 seed Kentucky was sent home by Saint Peter’s, a private school with less than 3,000 students located in Jersey City, New Jersey.
The tournament’s second full day started with Ohio State, the South Region’s No. 7, taking down 10-seed Loyola-Chicago, which had been backed by America’s favorite nun.
The last No. 1 seed to see action, Arizona takes on Wright State, fresh off their First Four victory over Bryant on Wednesday.
The ladies also take center stage as their tournament gets underway. Friday’s slate includes No. 1 overall seed South Carolina and player of the year candidate Aliyah Boston battling Howard.
Two other No. 1 seeds also begin their march in hopes of ending up in the Final Four in Minneapolis, with Louisville playing Albany and Stanford beginning its title defense against Montana State.
Boilermakers crush Yale
No. 3 seed Purdue cruised past Yale 78-56 to avoid the type of upset that has plagued the program in the NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers, who were knocked out in the opening round by North Texas last season, left no doubt against the Bulldogs by breaking open the game with a 15-0 run early in the second half. Purdue, seeking its first Final Four appearance, was led by 22 points from Jaden Ivey.
Azar Swain had 18 points to lead Yale.
The win by the Boilermakers advances a third Big Ten into the second round with the possibility of three more joining them later Friday.
— Erick Smith
Another 10-7 upset in the women’s tournament
Morgan Maly matched a career high with 20 points and Lauren Jensen and Molly Mogensen each had 16 as 10th-seeded Creighton defeated No. 7 seed Colorado 84-74 on Friday in a women’s NCAA Tournament first-round game.
Emma Ronsiek added 10 points for the Bluejays, making their first NCAA appearance since 2018.
Creighton (21-9) will play either No. 2 seed Iowa or No. 15 seed Illinois State in Sunday’s Greensboro Region second round. Colorado finished the season at 22-9.
Texas Tech cruises to second round
SAN DIEGO — Three years ago, Texas Tech went all the way to the national championship game under coach Chris Beard.
But then Beard left Lubbock last year, opting to become the head coach at rival Texas instead.
Nearly a year later, the No. 3-seeded Red Raiders don’t exactly look like they’ve been disrupted by the upheaval. To the contrary, they looked like a team ready to make another deep run in the men’s tournament after demolishing No. 14 seed Montana State at Viejas Arena Friday 97-62.
Under new head coach Mark Adams, the Red Raiders have stressed defense on a team that has seven transfers. They used it to race out to 30-9 lead in the first nine minutes and held the Bobcats to 38% shooting for the game.
Offensively, Tech shot 67% and was led by guard Terrence Shannon, a junior from Chicago who had 20 points. The Red Raiders (26-9) scored 23 points off of 16 turnovers for Montana State.
— Brent Schrotenboer
South Dakota makes history with win in women’s tournament
South Dakota has won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in school history.
The Coyotes (28-5, 17-1 Summit) topped Ole Miss (23-9, 10-6 SEC) 75-61 in the First Round Friday in Waco, Texas, completely dominating from start to finish.
South Dakota center Hannah Sjerven had 20 points and seven rebounds. Chloe Lamb added 20 including several big 3’s at the end of the game. Maddie Krull had 13 and Kyah Watson has eight.
South Dakota will play the winner of No. 2 Baylor vs. No. 2 Hawaii in the second round of the Wichita region.
— Michael McCleary, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
No. 2 Auburn easily handles No. 15 Jacksonville State
At least one SEC heavyweight will advance out of the first round of the men’s NCAA Tournament.
Unlike rival Kentucky, which suffered a shocking loss as a heavy favorite against Saint Peter’s, No. 2 Auburn overcame a sluggish start and looked the part of a tournament contender with an 80-61 win against No. 15 Jacksonville State.
Down 24-22 with 5:39 left in the first half, the Tigers closed the first half on a 17-3 run and pulled away to reach the second round of the Midwest Regional. The SEC regular-season champions will face the winner of No. 7 Southern California and No. 10 Miami (Fla.) for a spot in the Sweet 16.
Auburn was led by freshman forward Jabari Smith, one of the top prospects in the upcoming NBA draft, who scored 20 points capped by an exclamation-mark dunk with just over a minute left. Coach Bruce Pearl has advanced out of the first round eight times in 11 tournament trips at three different stops: Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Tennessee and with the Tigers.
— Paul Myerberg
There will be no 16-1 upset for South Carolina
No, the game isn’t over yet. In fact, it’s only halftime.
But it’s safe to say that top-seeded South Carolina in the women’s bracket — and one of the heavy favorites to make the Final Four — will cruise into the second round. In their game against No. 16 seed Howard, the Gamecocks have more than decupled the score of their opponents.
For those wondering, decupled is basically the version of double, triple, quadruple … but when the number is 10. South Carolina led the Bison at the half by a score of 44-4.
Howard converted just a single shot from the field, giving it a 3.8% shooting percentage. All four points were scored by the same player, guard Iyanna Warren.
Ohio State knocks off Loyola Chicago
There will be no deep tournament run for Loyola Chicago this season. Ohio State knocked off the trendy, first-round upset pick by reversing its poor form at the end of the season with a comfortable 54-41 victory. E.J. Liddell had a game-high 16 points and Malaki Branham added 14 to push the Buckeyes into the second round after losing four of their last five entering the tournament.
The 10th-seeded Ramblers, one year removed from making the Sweet 16 and four years away from making the Final Four, were stifled by the Buckeyes defense. They shot just 26.8% from the field and leading scorer Lucas Williamson managed just four points on 1-for-10 shooting.
— Erick Smith
Hurricanes hold on to top Bulls in women’s tournament
In the women’s tournament, the No. 8 seed Miami Hurricanes are moving on after they took down the No. 9 South Florida Bulls 78-66.
The Hurricanes had a balanced day on offense, with five players scoring in double figures, as Miami shot 53.6% from the field. It was the opposite for the Bulls, who had forward Elena Tsineke and guards Elisa Pinzan and Sydni Harvey combine for 51 points, or 77.3% of the team’s scoring.
‘Finally on the map’
JERSEY CITY — Angelo Madrigal heard a lot of noise coming from his hallway around 9:30 on Thursday night.
“It was a bit chaotic in the hallways,” said Madrigal, a resident adviser at St. Peter’s University. “A lot of people were just happy. I don’t blame them at all.”
The happiness was the result of the men’s basketball team’s shocking 85-79 overtime victory over national powerhouse Kentucky in the first round of the men’s NCAA Tournament. The Peacocks were the No. 15 seed in the East Regional bracket, while Kentucky was the No. 2 seed and considered a favorite to win the entire tournament.
It was the first NCAA Tournament win in school history for the private Jesuit school with just more than 3,000 students enrolled.
— Robert Aitken Jr., NorthJersey.com
Sister Jean is back at it
Loyola Ramblers fans will be glad to know their biggest supporter and good luck charm, Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, is back for the program’s latest run in the men’s tournament. Sister Jean, their 102-year-old team chaplain and America’s favorite nun, is in attendance Friday for No. 10 Loyola’s game against No. 7 Ohio State.
Ever since Loyola’s unexpected run to the Final Four in 2018, Sister Jean has become a March Madness staple.
“I’m excited to come here because of the NCAA having chosen (Pittsburgh) to be the spot of the games,” Sister Jean said before the tournament began. “This is something our team has been talking about all year long – long before the season began. When we won the conference (title), we were so happy because we had the past week to be thinking about it.”
And we’re off…..
The action got started in the women’s tournament as South Florida is taking on Miami in Columbia, South Carolina, in the Greensboro region. The winner will take on the victor of top-seeded South Carolina and Howard matchup.
Friday’s Watchability rankings
Some of the most intriguing matchups involve teams that are closely seeded. Virginia Tech comes in as one of the hottest teams in the nation, having ran through the ACC elite to capture the conference tournament title. The Hokies will take on Texas (4:30 p.m., TBS who are known for their defense, but have issues making baskets. First team to 70 probably wins.
Here are some other games to keep an eye on.
10 Loyola Chicago vs. 7 Ohio State, 12:15 p.m., CBS
This is another case where the higher seed might actually be the perceived underdog. The Buckeyes limp into the tournament with just one win in their last five outings and could still be shorthanded due to lingering injuries, but E.J. Liddell’s takeover ability will still warrant plenty of attention.
9 TCU vs. 8 Seton Hall, 9:57 p.m., truTV
The Pirates had to reinvent themselves when Bryce Aiken sustained a concussion in early January that ended his season, but they won enough games in the Big East to earn a bid. The Horned Frogs took some lumps in the crowded Big 12 but were able to post one win in three tries against Kansas down the stretch
– Eddie Timanus
Who is Saint Peter’s? Meet the No. 15 Peacocks, who upset No. 2 Kentucky
After No. 2 seed Kentucky’s shocking loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, coach John Calipari was asked what the Wildcats struggled with against Saint Peter’s.
“Give Saint Peter’s credit,” Calipari said. “I watched the tape of them before the game. These guys can play.”
Indeed they can.
The Peacocks (20-11) busted brackets everywhere Thursday by taking down Kentucky in a first-round overtime thriller – becoming just the 10th-ever No. 15 seed to oust a No. 2 in the NCAA Tournament. They followed in the footsteps of mid-majors Oral Roberts (last year), Middle Tennessee (2016) and Florida Gulf Coast (2013), who became the darlings of their respective tournaments.
Saint Peter’s University is a private Jesuit university in Jersey City, New Jersey. It has roughly 2,500 undergraduate students, helping to fit the definition of a mid-major.
– Scott Gleeson
Murray State outlasts San Francisco in overtime thriller
INDIANAPOLIS – KJ Williams scored six of his 18 points in overtime after Murray State blew an eight-point lead late in regulation, and the seventh-seeded Racers extended their winning streak to 21 games with a 92-87 victory over San Francisco in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night.
The Racers (31-2) tied South Dakota State for the longest winning streak in the nation this season. With SDSU’s loss to Providence earlier Thursday, Murray State can edge ahead in Saturday’s East Region second-round game against Saint Peter’s. The 15th-seeded Peacocks toppled Kentucky 85-79 in OT.
The nightcap in Indianapolis was just as tight, with 18 lead changes and 14 ties. Murray State ultimately took control with Williams’ clutch baskets and Jordan Skipper-Brown’s timely plays in the extra session.
Jamaree Bouyea scored 36 points for USF (24-10), which made its first NCAA appearance since 1998.
Williams made a go-ahead layup with 1:15 remaining before Skipper-Brown’s layup made it 89-85 with 30 seconds left. Zane Meeks’ putback got USF within a basket, but he missed a free throw. Skipper-Brown made two free throws with 13.7 seconds left before adding another with 1.7 seconds remaining to seal the win.
— Associated Press
UCLA squeaks by Akron
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Akron Zips’ confidence was fueled by eight consecutive victories, including three upsets to win the Mid-American Conference tournament.
Their nerves were replaced by excitement for the big moment for the University of Akron and its men’s basketball program.
The 13th-seeded Zips led most of the way in a bitter battle with fourth-seeded UCLA in an NCAA Tournament East Regional game at the Moda Center before losing 57-53.
UCLA (26-7), which reached the Final Four from the First Four in 2021, advanced to meet fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s, an 82-53 winner over 12th-seeded Indiana.
Xavier Castaneda led UA with 18 points, six rebounds and one assist and Enrique Freeman added 14 points, 10 rebounds and an assist before fouling out.
Tyger Campbell scored 10 of his 16 points in the second half to pace the Bruins and added five assists. Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists. UA held Johnny Juzang to nine points, five rebounds and two assists.
— Marla Ridenour, Akron Beacon Journal
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Contributing: Associated Press
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism