Day 2 tourney takeaways: UConn's 3-peat remains alive
theScore runs down the top storylines and developments from Friday's biggest NCAA Tournament games and what it all could mean moving forward.
Vets keep UConn's 3-peat bid alive
The only thing that matters at this point of the season is surviving and advancing. That's exactly what UConn did in a nail-biting opening-round win over Oklahoma. The Huskies' performance was a far cry from the dominance they've shown over its past two national title runs, but they dug deep and did all the little things to keep their hopes of a three-peat alive.
Championship holdovers Alex Karaban and Hassan Diarra took charge down the stretch with the game very much in the balance. Karaban scored nine of his 13 points over the final 7:40, including a crucial triple to put UConn up four. His clutch block on Sooners forward Jalon Moore with 38 seconds remaining preserved a five-point lead and effectively sealed the contest.
Diarra's contributions weren't as obvious, but they were arguably just as vital. The fifth-year guard played tough defense on Oklahoma star Jeremiah Fears, dived for a loose ball that eventually led to a key Karaban bucket, generated a pair of steals with timely help defense, and hustled back to deflect a pass that would've led to an easy transition basket.
Pitino party in 2nd round
The Pitino family now stands alone in the college basketball history books. One day after Rick led St. John's to its first NCAA Tournament win in 25 years, his son, Richard, led No. 10 New Mexico to an upset victory over No. 7 Marquette. That marks the first time that a father and a son have won games with separate teams in the same tournament.
While Rick and the Red Storm were expected to win, Richard's Lobos entered as the slight underdogs, looking for their first tournament win in 13 years. There were probably a few phone calls this week from son to father asking for advice on how to handle the latter's St. John's conference foe, Marquette, on Friday.
Shaka Smart will have nightmares about the Pitino family all summer - he's racked up three losses to St. John's and one to New Mexico this season.
Chalk reigns supreme through 2 days
No. 15 Bryant kept it close versus No. 2 Michigan State for a while, but the Spartans eventually ran away to post a comfortable victory and complete a clean sweep for the top-4 seeds in each region through the opening two days of action. For just the sixth time since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985, the top-4 seeds in each region all made it through the opening round with a perfect 16-0 record.
The Spartans are built in classic Tom Izzo fashion with toughness, defense, and rebounding the calling card. Despite matching up well with height, Bryant simply could not keep Michigan State off the glass and a massive 50-27 rebounding advantage was a significant issue for the underdogs.
A Pitino-Izzo second-round matchup is certainly one that will grab headlines, but it's Richard and New Mexico that awaits the Spartans and not Rick's St. John's.
International flavor paces Illinois
Some schools recruit local, some go national and programs such as No. 6 Illinois look all over the globe for talent to fill its roster. That was on full display Friday for the Illini with an international trio going off on No. 11 Xavier in a dominant win. Canadian Will Riley led the team in scoring with 22 points on sparkling 8-of-12 shooting. Croatia's Tomislav Ivisic chipped in with a 20-10 double-double, but it was fabulous freshman Kasparas Jakucionis whose stats leapt off the page.
The Lithuanian star scored 16 points, tossed out 10 assists, and grabbed nine rebounds to finish just shy of only the 11th triple-double in the history of the NCAA Tournament. According to college basketball statistician Jared Berson, Jakucionis is the first freshman with at least nine points, nine rebounds and nine assists in a tournament game since Jameer Nelson in 2001.
Oregon caps perfect start for Big Ten
The SEC may have set the new tournament record with 14 teams in the field, but it's the Big Ten that is heading to the weekend with the headlines. The conference exits the opening round with a perfect 8-0 record thanks to a clean sweep late Friday by Michigan State, Oregon, and Illinois. According to Josh Dubow of The Associated Press, no conference had ever been better than 6-0 after the first round until this year.
The Ducks' victory was certainly the most comfortable of the trio with an electric 44-20 performance in the first half. While Oregon is a new member of the Big Ten, victory in March is no surprise to Dana Altman and the Ducks. Nobody has won more games in March since 2010 than Oregon, with the blowout of Liberty the 77th during that time period.
Up next is a contest with No. 4 Arizona - one that would have been a blockbuster conference game in the Pac-12 just last year.
ACC down bad after UNC loss
Some of us are old enough to remember when the ACC was the dominant basketball conference in the sport. However, in today's world, the once-proud league is now Duke and a whole lot of mediocrity. The latest hit to its reputation came Friday afternoon with No. 11 North Carolina bowing out to No. 6 Ole Miss to leave just the Blue Devils in the Round of 32. That marks the first time in 50 years the ACC has sent just one member to that stage of the tournament.
The Tar Heels were the most controversial selection of the bracket reveal thanks to their eye-popping 1-12 record in Quad 1 games. Add the fact the NCAA Tournament selection chairman is North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham, and it's easy to cook up whatever conspiracy theory you like. Wednesday's dominant win over San Diego State in the First Four provided a brief respite for the discourse, but the loss to the Rebels turned the heat back up.
North Carolina got its doors blown off out of the gate, eventually falling behind by 22 points as Ole Miss scored at will. While the Tar Heels would mount a furious comeback to get within four, the SEC program would see the game through and advance to the next round.
Take solace, Tar Heel fans - spring football is just around the corner and you now have arguably the greatest coach of all time leading your program.
Florida's ruthless offense knows no limit
Florida served a ruthless reminder Friday that the potential of its offense knows no bounds. The Gators hung 95 points on the scoreboard, beat Norfolk State by 26, and did so while having a B-minus game at best. That's just how explosive the SEC Tournament champs can be.
Putting up 95 points in a 40-minute college game almost always comes as the result of a ridiculous 3-point shooting performance. That wasn't the case for Florida, as the Gators made just 10-of-32 attempts from beyond the arc. They didn't even shoot a particularly electric number from close range either, making just 12-of-21 layups and shooting 48% overall from the floor - almost exactly their average on the season.
No, the Gators gave the scoreboard a workout by putting in an absolute shift on the glass. Florida is one of the nation's best offensive rebounding teams, but Friday's performance was still other-worldly even given that context. A total of 21 offensive rebounds on the night is nine better than the season average and helped significantly in getting them 63 total possessions on the night. Add in the efficiency of 20 assists on 29 made field goals, and that's how you hit 95 points in a game where the team shoots less than 32% from deep.
Alabama got a legit scare
Grant Nelson's status for Friday might as well have read, "Only to be used for emergency purposes." The Alabama forward was cleared to play despite suffering a knee injury in the SEC Tournament but spent the first 31 minutes on the bench against Robert Morris. With the Crimson Tide clinging to a four-point lead with just over eight minutes to play, head coach Nate Oats apparently deemed the situation to be emergency level because Nelson entered the game for the stretch run.
It paid immediate dividends for the Tide, as the defense stepped up to help the veteran team close on a 26-16 run to secure the win and avoid a stunning upset.
An optimist might consider the team scoring 90 points despite Nelson playing limited minutes a positive sign for the Tide. A pessimist may highlight the fact that Alabama needed Nelson to save it from a very tough situation against KenPom's 139th-ranked team.
Which one is right? We'll find out Sunday when the Tide face No. 7 Saint Mary's.
Flagg looks like himself
Duke phenom Cooper Flagg didn't show any ill effects from an ankle sprain that sidelined him for the ACC Tournament semifinal and final. The presumptive first overall pick in this year's draft came out of the gates firing, tallying nine points, two boards, two assists, and two blocks in 13 first-half minutes. He had three layups and a dunk just past the midway point of the first half.
Flagg's all-around skill set was on display in his NCAA Tournament debut. He was throwing lobs to big man Khaman Maluach, finishing through contact at the rim, making timely cuts, and bringing the ball upcourt coast to coast. Flagg played only nine more minutes in the second half with the Blue Devils up big. He still needs time to ramp up his conditioning, but Friday's performance was an encouraging step in the right direction.
Memphis has another early exit
Memphis' struggles in the NCAA Tournament under Penny Hardaway continued Friday as they squandered a seven-point second-half lead to fall 78-70 against No. 12 Colorado State. It was the Tigers' second opening-round exit in the past three years. The defeat dropped Hardaway's record in the Big Dance to 1-3.
Memphis' offensive game plan down the stretch was puzzling. They went away from the hot hand of Dain Dainja and leaned on the ice-cold PJ Haggerty instead. Dainja finished with a team-high 22 points, but attempted only two shots over the final 12:23. Meanwhile, Haggerty shot 1-of-6 in the last 6 minutes and 22 seconds. His lone field goal made was a meaningless triple with 24 seconds remaining that broke an 0-for-15 slump from downtown.
The Tigers also had their share of self-inflicted wounds in the second half. Haggerty and backcourt mate Colby Rogers combined for six of the team's 11 turnovers over the final 20 minutes, leading to 12 points for the Rams. Hardaway's never had an issue assembling a talented roster, but his in-game management leaves much to be desired.
Arizona shoots the lights out
Tommy Lloyd's squad had one of its better offensive performances of the season, pouring in 93 points on sizzling 57% shooting in Arizona's opening-round blowout win over Akron. Five different Wildcats players recorded double digits in scoring, including a 19-point effort from Jaden Bradley.
Arizona is no stranger to lighting up the scoreboard. The program has KenPom's 12th-best offensive unit and has cracked the century mark on four occasions this season. However, the manner in which the Wildcats picked apart the Zips differed from their usual tendencies. They entered Friday's matchup ranked 277th in the nation with 6.8 threes per contest. They nearly doubled that amount against Akron, making 12-of-25 attempts from deep to go along with 48 points in the paint. Arizona's offense will be even tougher to handle if it can strike a similar balance going forward.
Baylor feasts on the glass
The 8-9 matchup is often the most even in the NCAA Tournament with very little separating the teams. That was certainly the case Friday between Baylor and Mississippi State with the Bears winning almost exclusively because of relentless offensive rebounding.
The Bulldogs shot better than the Bears from inside and beyond the arc but were dominated in offensive rebounds by a 15-7 margin. That resulted in a 22-11 edge in second-chance points for Baylor and a 40-26 advantage in points in the paint. With a final margin of three points, it's not hyperbole to say that offensive rebounding was the main difference.
The teams entered the game dead even in rebound rate on the season, so Baylor's performance Friday is certainly a nod to the desire needed to scratch and claw to an NCAA Tournament victory when the shots aren't falling.
Oweh drives Kentucky's offense
It wasn't the prettiest offensive performance from Kentucky, but Otega Oweh's contributions were enough to fend off 14-seeded Troy. The junior guard was frequently at the center of everything the Wildcats did on the offensive end, posting a team-high 21.5% usage rate. He has taken on a heavier workload with second-leading scorer Jaxson Robinson done for the season.
Oweh had a game-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting against the Trojans, marking the fourth time he's reached the scoring threshold in his past five appearances. The All-SEC second-team selection ran the floor in transition, took the ball to the basket with force, and used his change of pace effectively when probing the paint. Oweh's ability to knife into the teeth of the defense allowed him to dump off passes in the dunker's spot and find open shooters on the perimeter off the drive-and-kick. He paced all players with six assists to go along with eight boards.
Maryland shuts down Grand Canyon
Maryland entered Friday's first-round clash against Grand Canyon ranked sixth in adjusted defensive efficiency. The Terrapins performed to that level versus the Antelopes' balanced attack, holding them to a season-low 49 points on 29% shooting. No player on Grand Canyon registered double digits in scoring outside of Tyon Grant-Foster.
The Antelopes' bread and butter is driving to the basket and getting to the charity stripe. Nearly half of their field-goal attempts come at the rim, according to Hoop Explorer. They're also sixth in the NCAA with 25.9 free-throw attempts per contest. Maryland took away the paint and forced Grand Canyon to beat them from downtown. The Terrapins' strategy went according to plan, as the Antelopes converted only 5-of-23 long-distance attempts.
Vaunted Iowa State pressure delivers
Lipscomb's chance for an upset of No. 3 Iowa State essentially rode on whether it could handle the vaunted defensive pressure of the Cyclones. Ball control should have been an area of strength for the Bisons, who entered the contest ranked 21st in the nation at just nine turnovers per game. It was clear early on that they accumulated those numbers playing teams that weren't Iowa State's caliber. The Cyclones swarmed their mid-major opponent to force a whopping 17 turnovers and generated 23 points off them to pull well ahead by halftime.
Joshua Jefferson, in particular, was a thorn in Lipscomb's side with an incredible, all-around stat line in the win. The guard claimed three steals and two blocks on defense while supplying 10 points, eight assists, and eight rebounds. He's the first player since steals and blocks became official in 1986 to have at least eight points, eight rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and two blocks in regulation time of an NCAA Tournament game, according to college basketball statistician Jared Berson.
Depth saves Saint Mary's
As far as nightmare scenarios go for Saint Mary's, trailing by 12 points in the second half with two-time WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis on the bench with four fouls is about as bad as it gets. But that's exactly what faced the seventh-ranked Gaels against No. 10 Vanderbilt in Friday's opening-round NCAA Tournament game. Even nightmares sometimes have happy endings, though, and Saint Mary's came in the form of Jordan Ross.
The veteran guard scored 10 points with Marciulionis on the bench to bring Saint Mary's all the way back. The offensive star then re-entered the fray and immediately canned a couple of clutch shots down the stretch to give the Gaels a late three-point lead. Vanderbilt clanged two separate game-tying triples in the dying seconds to see Saint Mary's off to the next round, where a highly intriguing matchup with Alabama awaits.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a more polarizing matchup for the Gaels than the Crimson Tide. Alabama plays at the fastest tempo of any team in the nation while Saint Mary's ranks 360th in the same stat. Whichever team can keep Sunday's game at their pace likely will be off to the Sweet 16.