In the NCAA women’s basketball tournament, the South Carolina team moves forward to the second round, facing South Florida. Stanford’s Cameron Brink was unable to participate due to a stomach bug, but Stanford still won against Sacred Heart University. In men’s basketball, the Pittsburgh Panthers won the first round against Iowa State and are now playing against Xavier. U.N.L.V’s 22-game winning streak ended as Michigan won 71-59 in the first round of the women’s NCAA tournament. The Wolverines forced the Rebels into uncharacteristic turnovers and stifled the star center, Desi-Rae Young. Sixth-seeded Michigan will face No. 3 Louisiana State on Sunday. The Panthers have a few role models in the recent history of First Four teams as five of ten previous teams won their games in the round of 32 as well.
Fairleigh Dickinson Makes History With Shocking Upset Against Purdue
On Friday, the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights made history by defeating top-seeded Purdue in the first round of the N.C.A.A. men’s basketball tournament. This marks only the second time in history that a No. 16 seed has managed to beat a No. 1 seed. Five years ago, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County beat Virginia in a 20-point rout.
FDU, located in Teaneck, N.J., had never before advanced to the second round of the tournament before Friday. In fact, the Knights had to defeat Texas Southern in a play-in game just to earn the right to play Purdue, the Big Ten champion led by the 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey.
Despite the substantial height advantage of almost every Purdue player, including Edey, FDU outplayed Purdue in virtually every aspect of the game. Purdue struggled to make shots, especially from 3-point range, while FDU managed to maintain a steady performance throughout the game.
FDU’s victory is remarkable considering that they are the shortest team in Division I, with an average height of just 6-foot-1. The win against Purdue is an enormous achievement for the team and is sure to be remembered as one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history.
Meanwhile, the No. 3 seed Xavier Musketeers had a scare against Kennesaw State, a No. 14 seed. Kennesaw State led by 13 with just under 10 minutes to play, but Xavier rallied to come back against the Owls, eventually holding them off for a 72-67 win. Baylor, another No. 3 seed, also dodged a bracket surprise in the first round by trouncing the University of California, Santa Barbara after being down by one at halftime.
In the opening salvo of their first-round game, No. 1 seed South Carolina dominated No. 16 Norfolk State, allowing only 7 points in the first quarter while scoring 20 points of their own. The Gamecocks easily moved past Norfolk State to advance to the second round.
Overall, the first round of the N.C.A.A. men’s basketball tournament has seen some surprising upsets, close games, and dominant performances. It will be interesting to see how the tournament progresses and which teams manage to make it to the Final Four.
South Carolina Dominates in First-Round Win; Stanford Plays Without Leading Scorer
The South Carolina Gamecocks started their run for a second consecutive national championship with a resounding 72-40 victory against the Spartans in the first round of the women’s N.C.A.A. tournament. Although the Gamecocks struggled at times to convert solid possessions to points, committing 12 turnovers and missing 16 of their 41 free-throw attempts, their dominance and ease on their home court were too much for the Spartans, who were making their first N.C.A.A. tournament appearance in 21 years.
The Gamecocks will face No. 8 seed South Florida in the second round after the latter beat No. 9 Marquette, 67-65, in overtime on Friday.
Meanwhile, top-seeded Stanford played their first-round game without their leading scorer, 6-foot-4 junior forward Cameron Brink, who sat out due to a stomach bug. Brink, who averages 14.9 points a game, helped the Cardinals secure a championship two years ago. However, Stanford didn’t miss a beat without Brink as they beat Sacred Heart University, 92-49. It was the program’s 100th N.C.A.A. tournament win.
Brink’s status is day-to-day, according to the school.
In the men’s N.C.A.A. tournament, the First Four saw Pittsburgh advance to the first round, where they became the 11th team relegated to the play-in games to win their next contest. Pitt raced out to a 22-2 lead against Iowa State en route to a 59-41 win. Pitt held the Cyclones to just 23.3 percent shooting, including 2 of 21 on 3-point attempts.
In the second round, Pitt will face No. 3 seed Xavier, which narrowly avoided an upset against No. 14 Kennesaw State.
First Four Teams’ History of Deeper Runs; L.S.U. Advances to Second Round
Recent history suggests that First Four teams could have a deeper run in the men’s N.C.A.A. tournament. Five out of the 10 previous First Four teams that went on to first-round wins since the field expanded in 2011 also won their games in the round of 32. Furthermore, two of those teams made it to the Final Four, both as No. 11 seeds: Virginia Commonwealth in 2011 and U.C.L.A. in 2021.
In the women’s N.C.A.A. tournament, third-seeded L.S.U. easily defeated No. 14 Hawaii, 73-50, in the first round. L.S.U.’s shaky shooting and starting point guard Alexis Morris’s below-average scoring didn’t matter much as the team’s defense limited Hawaii to several stagnant possessions and forced 21 turnovers. Forward Angel Reese finished with 34 points and 15 rebounds — her 29th double-double of the season — despite briefly leaving the game late in the second quarter with a cramp.
L.S.U. will play sixth-seeded Michigan, which beat U.N.L.V. earlier Friday, in the second round on its home floor on Sunday before a crowd that should be even larger than Friday’s 8,608, with students returning from spring break.
Michigan’s confidence in their knowledge of U.N.L.V.’s offensive plays didn’t play out during Friday’s game. The graduate forward Emily Kiser said they were “dead wrong.”
Michigan defeated U.N.L.V. 71-59 to advance to the second round of the women’s N.C.A.A. tournament. Despite the Rebels’ 22-game winning streak, the Wolverines’ defense forced them into uncharacteristic turnovers and limited star center Desi-Rae Young to only 11 points and 8 rebounds. The Wolverines were well prepared for U.N.L.V.’s press-and-zone style and exploited it with corner 3-pointers and opportunities for Emily Kiser to work in the middle of the floor. Kiser finished with a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds and Leigha Brown had 17 points and 7 assists. Maddie Nolan also played a critical role with 18 points, including a 3-pointer during a 12-0 run in the third quarter that allowed the Wolverines to gain separation. Sixth-seeded Michigan will now face No. 3 Louisiana State, the host for these first- and second-round games, on Sunday.
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