Rare is it to see in the round of 32 in the men's NCAA tournament so many blowouts. Especially when they involve the likes of a blue blood program in the Kansas Jayhawks and defending national champion Villanova Wildcats.
That's exactly what happened on Saturday when both exited the 2019 tournament. Kansas was sent packing courtesy of the Auburn Tigers, 89-75. And Villanova met their maker in the form of a steam engine, the Purdue Boilermakers, losing 87-61.
The day started off in true, March madness form, with the first two games coming down to the wire. Little did we think excitement levels would only dwindle as the day went on.
Third-seed LSU needed a last-second bucket -- after losing a 15-point lead -- from Tremont Waters to defeat the sixth-seed Maryland Terrapins 69-67. In the Midwest Region, the second-seed Kentucky Wildcats took advantage of Fletcher Magee's shooting woes (0-12 from three-point range) to take down 7th-seed Wofford, 62-56.
From there, games were played with very little intrigue.
Tied at various times throughout the first half, the Michigan/Florida game was never really in doubt, with the Wolverines advancing to the Sweet 16 for the 2nd consecutive year. The same lack of doubt can be said of the game between Big Ten foes Michigan State Spartans and Minnesota Golden Gophers. Clearly the controversy surrounding Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo had little negative effect as the Spartans won 70-50.
Ja Morant of Murray State kept things interesting in scoring 28 points, but Florida State still won 90-62. And Gonzaga defeated Baylor 83-71 in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicated. Brandon Clarke had 36 points and 5 blocked shots for the Bulldogs in the victory.
Here's to hoping Sunday's games provide more excitement. Take a look at these four games to watch.
Oregon vs UC Irvine
Higher seeds won 7 of the 8 games played on Saturday, with fifth-seed Auburn the lowest seed to advance.
The matchup between the 12th-seed Oregon Ducks (24-12) and 13th-seed UC Irvine Anteaters (31-5) will guarantee that at least one double-digit seed will reach the Sweet 16.
Oregon has won nine straight, defeating the Wisconsin Badgers 72-54 on Friday. Three players reached double figures in scoring for the Ducks, led by Payton Pritchard's 19. Pritchard also had eight assists.
During the winning streak, the Ducks have kept opponents under 60 points in all but two games. Only one, Arizona State, managed to score over 70. Oregon averages 70.5 points per game while opponents only score 62.7.
Nine games might be a nice winning streak, but for UC Irvine, 17 in a row is even better. The latest was their first-ever NCAA tournament win, a shocker over Kansas State 70-64. Four players scored in double figures, led by 19 each from Max Hazzard and Evan Leonard and the Anteaters had nine steals.
Lovers of defensive-minded games might find this matchup intriguing, as UC Irvine allows only 63.3 points per game. The Anteaters average 72.8 points per contest.
Buffalo vs Texas Tech
Two teams that made some noise in last season's NCAA tournament will meet in this round of 32 matchup.
The Buffalo Bulls (32-3) were a surprise first-round winner in 2018 before ultimately falling in this very round to Kentucky, 95-75.
After being ranked much of this season, and earning a sixth-seed in the West region, the Bulls hope this year goes much better. They defeated Arizona State in style on Friday, 91-74, behind four different players scoring in double figures. Jeremy Harris and Nick Perkins scored 21 apiece.
Buffalo scores 85.1 points per game while allowing 70.6.
This game will pit a high-scoring offense against the tight defense of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (27-6). Texas Tech holds opponents to 59.2 points per game, good for third-best in the nation.
Texas Tech will be looking for a return trip to the Sweet 16. They fell in the Elite 8 last season, losing to eventual champion Villanova. In round 1 this season, Texas Tech defeated Northern Kentucky 72-57 behind a well-rounded game from Jarrett Culver. Culver had 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Liberty vs Virginia Tech
Friday's victory for the Liberty Flames (29-6) meant the number 12 seeds went 3-1 in the opening round of the tournament, returning to glory the deified status of the seed. The Flames used a 16-4 run in the second half, overcoming a ten-point deficit, and ultimately defeated fifth-seed Mississippi State, 80-76.
Liberty, who has won 11 of their last 12 games, was led by a career-high 30 points from Caleb Homesley. The Flames put up 74.6 points per game and hold opponents to 61.2.
The 4th seed of the East Region, the Virginia Tech Hokies (25-8) are one of four ACC teams playing today. The Hokies had an easy time in defeating Saint Louis in round 1, winning 66-52. Three starters reached double digit points in this game for Virginia Tech, led by 20 from Nickeil Alexander-Walker. He also had six assists and three steals.
Virginia Tech also has one of the top defenses in the nation, allowing 61.8 points per game. They usually score around 74 on offense.
ACC no. 1 seeds
Did I just lump all three of these teams together? You bet I did because all three struggled in the first half of their opening round games.
The memory of an opening round loss in 2018 seemed to living in the brain case of the Virginia Cavaliers (30-3). Virginia trailed by double digits most of the first half to Gardner-Webb, trailed by six at halftime and eventually pulled it together to pick up the victory, 71-56.
Virginia will meet the ninth-seed Oklahoma Sooners in a South Region round of 32 game.
The Duke Blue Devils (30-5) also had their struggles in the first half of their opening game. Upstart North Dakota State battled a sluggish Duke team as the Blue Devils were up only 31-27 at halftime.
With a wake-up call likely delivered at halftime, the top seed in the East Region ran away with the second half and finished with a 85-62. The Blue Devils have a tall task ahead of them in the round of 32, facing off against 7'6'' Tacko Fall and the UCF Knights.
North Carolina (28-6), top seed in the Midwest Region, completed the trio of ACC teams by having the same, sluggish first half. The Tar Heels played in similar fashion to Virginia, as they, too, trailed at halftime.
A five-point deficit was quickly erased, however, and ended up with a 88-73 victory over Iona. North Carolina meets the Washington Huskies on Sunday.
It's safe to say, if any of these number one seeds play like they did on Friday, at least one of them will not be making it past the first weekend.
photo credit: commons.wikimedia.org
Comments