NCAA Tournament Results

Top seeds Kentucky and Syracuse were able to
advance to the third round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament
Thursday, although it took a late rally for the Orange to avoid
becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a 16th seed in the NCAA
men’s basketball tournament.
The Orange trailed with six minutes left before defeating
UNC-Asheville 72-65 in the East Regional.
Backup forward James Southerland finished with 15 points and a
season-high eight rebounds while giving Syracuse an inside presence
following the loss of Fab Melo due to ineligibility. The Orange
didn’t do much from outside, missing 17 of their first 20
three-point attempts and finishing 5-for-23.
Kris Joseph and Dion Waiters both had 12 points for Syracuse,
while J.P. Primm had a game-high 18 points for Asheville.
The Bulldogs led 34-30 at the break, making them just the third
No. 16 seed to lead at halftime. But a couple of controversial
calls over the final 80 seconds prevented them from getting any
closer than three points down the stretch.

Kentucky raced to a 45-26 lead and beat No. 16 Western Kentucky
81-66 in the South Regional. Terrence Jones delivered 22 points and
10 rebounds, and Doron Lamb added 16 to help the Wildcats bounce
back from their loss to Vanderbilt in the SEC title game.
The defending champs have been bounced from the tournament for
the first time since UCLA in 1996. Chris Allen led four Iowa State
players in double figures with 20 points in a 77-64 triumph over
Connecticut. The Cyclones led by 22 in the first half and earned
the right to play Kentucky on Saturday.
The South Regional also included third seed Baylor squeezing out
a 68-60 win over No. 14 South Dakota State after trailing by 12 in
the first half. Pierre Jackson finished with 18 points and Brady
Heslip added 17 to spoil the Jackrabbits’ first trip to the NCAA
tournament.
No. 11 Colorado will take a crack at beating Baylor after the
Buffaloes upset No. 6 UNLV 68-64. Askia Booker contributed 16
points and Colorado squandered most of a 49-29 lead before winning
their first NCAA appearance in nine years.
Bradford Burgess drained a go-ahead three-pointer with 1:33 left
as No. 12 Virginia Commonwealth pulled out a 62-59 win over fifth
seed Wichita State. Ragland had 15 points for the Rams, who blew a
13-point lead in the second half.
Next up for VCU is Indiana, which came away with a 79-65 win
over New Mexico behind Jordan Hulls’ 22 points. Hulls shot 7-of-8
in the second half, including his own 11-point run that allowed the
Hoosiers to blow it open.

Back to the East Regional, where Deshean Thomas scored a
career-high 31 points and snared 12 rebounds to lead second-ranked
Ohio State to a 78-59 romp over Loyola of Maryland. Jared Sullinger
delivered 12 points, grabbed 11 boards and helped the Buckeyes
outrebound the Greyhounds 49-24.
Robert Sacre and Gary Bell Jr. each scored 14 points as seventh
seed Gonzaga coasted by No. 10 West Virginia 77-54. The Bulldogs
shot 56 percent, put together a 13-0 run in the first half and
dealt the Mountaineers their worst postseason loss in 28 years.
Rodney McGruder scored 30 points to lead eighth-seeded Kansas
State over No. 9 Southern Miss 70-64. Jordan Henriquez added 15
points, nine rebounds and six blocks as the Wildcats earned the
right to face Syracuse on Saturday.
No. 4 Wisconsin ripped No. 13 Montana 73-49 as Jordan Taylor
provided 17 points, six assists and eight rebounds. Ryan Evans
added a team-high 18 points for the Badgers, who will take on
Vanderbilt on Saturday.
John Jenkins went 6-for-6 from the line down the stretch and
finished with 27 points in No. 5 Vanderbilt’s 79-70 triumph over
Harvard. The Commodores led by 18 early in the second half and won
despite failing to make a field goal over the final 5:22.

Over to the West Regional, where third seed Marquette blew most
of a 19-point lead before whipping BYU 88-68. Jae Crowder finished
with 25 points and 16 rebounds, and Darius Johnson-Odom provided 12
of his 20 points after halftime.
No. 4 Louisville was a 69-62 winner against Davidson as Peyton
Siva (SEE’-vah) scored 17 points and had six assists. Chane Behanan
added 14 points and 11 rebounds as the Cardinals advanced to play
New Mexico in the third round.
The fifth-seeded Lobos were 75-68 winners against Long Beach
State as Kendall Williams scored 14 of his 16 points in the second
half. Drew Gordon produced 18 points and 13 rebounds while New
Mexico was holding Big West player of the year Casper Ware to 17
points on 5-of-19 shooting.
Isaiah Canaan (KAN’-uhn) had 15 points and backcourt mate Donte
Poole added 13 to lead No. 6 Murray State past Colorado State
58-41. The Racers went on an 18-2 run in the second half to take
control earn a third-round meeting with Marquette.