The males’s NCAA tournament tipped off on Thursday, and Friday was much more simple throughout the board because the opening spherical of the tournament got here to a detailed.
But the insanity actually began on Friday with the primary recreation of the day.
Advertisement
Drama throughout and after Kentucky-Santa Clara recreation
No. 7 Kentucky was on the verge of a first-round loss when No. 10 Santa Clara hit a go-ahead 3 with 2.4 seconds remaining in regulation. But the Wildcats raced down the court docket, and Otega Oweh (35 factors, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) launched a prayer from close to halfcourt that banked off the glass and in because the buzzer sounded.
Oweh’s 3 despatched the sport to additional time, the place Kentucky secured an 89-84 win to advance to the second spherical. But the drama wasn’t carried out.
After the sport, Santa Clara head coach Herb Sendek was not pleased. He’d signaled for a dead-ball timeout after Santa Clara’s made 3 to arrange his protection. But officers neither noticed the sign nor granted a timeout as Kentucky rushed to get the ball again in play.
Advertisement
“I unequivocally called timeout, but they didn’t grant it,” Sendek mentioned in his postgame information convention. “I mean, I think the video evidence is clear.”
Everything occurred within the blink of an eye fixed. Should Sendek have anticipated to be granted a timeout in that state of affairs, or was Kentucky just too fast on the ball for Sendek to fairly count on one?
What occurred on Day 2 of the NCAA males’s tournament? (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)
So, ought to Miami (Ohio) have made the sphere?
Miami (Ohio) entered the NCAA tournament because the most-debated at-large choice to make the sphere.
After a First Four win over No. 11 seed SMU and a blowout loss on Thursday to No. 6 Tennessee, it’s nonetheless unclear if the choice committee received issues proper.
Advertisement
Miami put on a First Four present in beating an SMU group that additionally barely made the sphere. But it was outclassed and outmatched in a 78-56 loss to Tennessee on Thursday that strengthens the argument for Miami’s detractors: The Redhawks performed a creampuff schedule with zero Quad 1 wins and didn’t need to make the sphere as an at-large group regardless of posting a 31-1 document.
Miami and High Point have lobbied this March for hesitant high-major groups to schedule them in the regular season. Doing so would give them an opportunity to spice up their résumés and show their tournament mettle earlier than Selection Sunday. But there stays little incentive for energy convention groups to take action. Until one thing modifications, Miami gained’t be the final mid-major on the heart of this type of dialog.
Iowa State loses star Joshua Jefferson
No. 2 Iowa State is likely to be in a little bit of bother.
Advertisement
The Cyclones had absolutely no issue getting past No. 15 Tennessee State on Friday afternoon to kick off their NCAA tournament run. They rolled to a 108-74 blowout win. But the Cyclones misplaced star Joshua Jefferson early to an obvious ankle harm.
Jefferson went down after making a layup not even three minutes into the competition, and seemed like he was in loads of ache nearly instantly. He was helped off the ground and didn’t return.
X-rays got here again damaging after the sport, nevertheless it’s unclear how lengthy Jefferson might be sidelined. Jefferson averaged 17 factors and 7.6 rebounds per recreation this season, and was an enormous half within the Cyclones securing a No. 2 seed within the tournament and contending with the highest tier of the Big 12.
“I felt like I was back there for a long time just going through pain, but I was happy nothing came back serious,” Jefferson mentioned, by way of CycloneFanatic’s Rob Gray. “So, just take that information back and then try to get healthy … I’m gonna hit my rehab hard.”
The Cyclones will take on Kentucky within the second spherical on Sunday. The Wildcats received previous Santa Clara in a wild additional time battle earlier on Friday to achieve the second spherical. While pulling off a win with out Jefferson isn’t out of the query, he can be an enormous enhance for this system because it makes an attempt to achieve its third Sweet 16 prior to now 5 years.
Yahoo Sports Staff
Like upsets? Then Friday wasn’t your day. Every single betting favourite gained at the moment, which is the primary time that’s occurred within the opening spherical of an NCAA tournament since 1992.
Yahoo Sports Staff
Credit to the 15 seeded Paladins for placing up a combat, however Tarris Reed and the Huskies have been simply an excessive amount of.
UConn strikes on to face No. 7 UCLA within the subsequent spherical.
Yahoo Sports Staff
UConn is in management and seemingly going to hold on right here and Tarris Reed Jr. is an enormous motive why. He’s received 31 factors and 27 rebounds as UConn leads 80-67 with below a minute to play.
Yahoo Sports Staff
UConn is up 72-65 with 3:59 to play. Does Furman have another run in them?
Yahoo Sports Staff
Malik Reneau scored 24, Tre Donaldson added 17 and the Hurricanes gutted out a win over a Missouri group that was enjoying in entrance of a really pleasant crowd in St. Louis.
Miami strikes on to face No. 2 Purdue within the second spherical.
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Canes merely blitzed Mizzou within the closing minutes.
Miami leads by 11 with below 40 seconds to play.
Yahoo Sports Staff
UConn has led nearly the complete recreation however Furman has stored contact throughout.
Huskies lead 67-61 with 6:59 to play.
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Jayhawks can breathe a sigh of reduction, however holy cow, what a collapse. They let Cal Baptist again right into a recreation they have been main by 26 at one level. It suits Kansas’ narrative on the season: They’re able to beating anyone, or themselves, on any given night time.
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Hurricanes wil have two free throws after the break too.
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Lancers are alive! There’s only one:23 left however they’ve rallied all the way in which again into this factor. Dominique Daniels is on hearth. It’s a 6-point recreation late!
Yahoo Sports Staff
After Mizzou briefly took the lead, the Canes went on a 7-0 run to recaptured the benefit. Miami leads 59-54 with 6:04 to play after Malik Reneau (17 factors) knocks down a 3.
Yahoo Sports Staff
It could find yourself being too little too late, however Dominique Daniels and Cal Baptist are lighting it up late of their East area matchup with Kansas. Fifteen of Daniels’ 20 factors have come within the second half.
Yahoo Sports Staff
Reed is now 10 for 11 with 23 factors, and UConn leads Furman 56-47 on the under-16 timeout.
Yahoo Sports Staff
Stone has 21 factors for the sport, 14 since halftime, and he’s helped Missouri take the higher hand on this one.
Tigers lead Miami 54-52 with 7:39 to play.
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Tigers final led when the sport was 2-0. It’s now 51-49
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Lancers have labored their approach again from a 26-point deficit and now it’s solely 12 factors with 6 minutes left after a wild sizzling streak by Dominique Daniels.
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Huskies open the 2nd half on a 10-4 run and pressure a Furman timeout.
UConn’s lead is as much as 50-40 within the opening minutes of the half.
Yahoo Sports Staff
The lead has hovered within the single digits many of the recreation, however the Canes are maintaining Mizzou at bay, main 49-43 with 10:13 to play.
Yahoo Sports Staff
It’s the second-largest margin of victory in NCAA tournament historical past and probably the most factors Florida has ever scored in a tournament recreation.
Seven totally different Gators had double digits within the 114-55 win.
Nick Bromberg
Yet the Hurricanes solely lead by three. Miami can suppose that it must be up double digits, whereas Missouri can surprise how a lot it could be main by if it might hold the Hurricanes off the offensive glass.
