The primary spherical of the boys’s match kicked off Thursday, that includes nail-biters, signature performances, and most essential of all, upsets.
Right here’s every thing it’s good to know to be caught up on the insanity to this point heading into Friday’s slate of video games.
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No. 9 Creighton defeated No. 8 Louisville 89-75
As a lightweight drizzle handed over Lexington, a downpour of threes pelted Rupp Area.
Every part the Creighton Bluejays put up of their opening spherical conflict with the Louisville Cardinals appeared to fall via.
After the sport was deadlocked at 15, the Bluejays started firing from deep. With snipers at almost each offensive place, Creighton instantly constructed a double-digit lead solely on three-pointers from Steven Ashworth, Jamiya Neal and Jackson McAndrew.
When halftime rolled round, the Cardinals discovered themselves in a 15-point gap. Creighton had drained 9 first-half triples.
The vitality carried over into the second half. On Creighton’s first possession, Kalkbrenner faked a display screen for Neal. Neal pitched it again to the reigning Large East Defensive Participant of the Yr.
Kalkbrenner stepped into a 3 and drilled it, summing up how the sport went for the Bluejays—they merely couldn’t miss.
Neal led Creighton with a double-double, recording 29 factors on 11-16 capturing and grabbing 12 rebounds. Neal completed 4 assists shy of a triple-double. Ashworth added 22 factors, and Kalkbrenner, one of many premier shot-blockers in faculty hoops, tallied 4 blocks and 14 factors.
Chucky Hepburn led the Cardinals with 22 factors, whereas Terrence Edwards Jr. added 21. Creighton’s protection held Reyne Smith, one of many premier sharpshooters within the nation, to 5 factors on one-made three.
Regardless of the disappointing finish, Louisville seems to have a vibrant future beneath head coach Pat Kelsey, who orchestrated a 19-win turnaround in his first season with this system.
Creighton will transfer on to face off in opposition to No. 1 Auburn, the highest general seed within the match.
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No. 4 Purdue defeated No. 13 Excessive Level
On Choice Sunday, Excessive Level was a preferred choose to tug off a shock upset in opposition to final yr’s runners-up. For many of the recreation, that appeared like a risk.
Each groups battled for the primary 18 minutes of the half, till the Boilermakers shifted the momentum.
Up 31-25, Camden Heide missed a three-pointer. The ball caromed off the rim, and Myles Colvin crashed the glass exhausting, throwing down a ferocious jam that despatched the bench right into a frenzy.
Colvin then stole the ball from Excessive Level’s Terry Anderson and sprinted in direction of the basket. His layup barely missed.
However Heide, with shades of his electrical slam in final yr’s Nationwide Championship, threw down a two-handed putback jam.
Again-to-back slams.
Purdue rode the vitality to a 10-point halftime lead.
Purdue took that momentum into the second half. They tightened up on offense, matching Excessive Level’s high-powered offense by outscoring the Panthers 38-36 within the second half to safe the dub.
Trey Kaufman-Renn completed with a team-leading 21 factors and grabbed eight rebounds. Large Ten Participant of the Yr Braden Smith completed with 20 factors, and Heide recorded a double-double with 11 factors and 10 boards.
D’Maurian Williams led the Panthers with 12 factors and Trae Benham added 11 factors. Williams and Benham had been the one two Excessive Level gamers to attain double-digit factors.
The Boilermakers dominated the glass, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds and 45 whole, outrebounding Excessive Level by 21.
The Panthers outshot the Boilermakers from deep 10-5, however recorded 20 private fouls. These fouls changed into 22 free throws for Purdue, of which they transformed 14, the distinction within the recreation.
Purdue will now play the upset-minded McNeese State Cowboys and their supervisor Amir Khan within the spherical of 32.
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No. 3 Wisconsin defeated No. 14 Montana
The Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Montana Grizzlies 85-66.
John Blackwell led the Badgers will 19 factors. Steven Crowl added 18 and John Tonje, the crew’s main scorer, completed with 15 factors.
The Badgers had 5 gamers crack double-digit scoring, with Nolan Winter including 10 factors and 6 boards, whereas Xavier Amos dropped 11 off the bench.
Te’Jon Sawyer and Kai Johnson completed with 15 factors every to steer the Grizzlies.
The Badgers had been environment friendly on the offensive finish, capturing 55.4% from the sphere and 80% from the free throw line on 20 makes an attempt.
Whereas Montana stored the sport shut, reducing the result in 4 within the second half, the Badgers pulled away, outscoring the Grizzlies 45-34 within the closing body.
Wisconsin will now play BYU within the spherical of 32.
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No. 1 Houston defeated No. 16 SIU Edwardsville
Houston defeated SIU Edwardsville within the first spherical of the NCAA Event in a 78-40 rout.
Oklahoma switch Milos Uzan led Houston with 16 factors, whereas L.J. Cryer added 15 factors on 4 three-pointers.
The Cougars had 4 double-digit scorers, with Ja’Vier Francis and Terrance Arceneaux including 13 and 10 factors respectively off the bench.
Brian Taylor II and Ray’Sean Taylor led SIU Edwardsville with 10 factors every.
Houston dominated, grabbing an early lead three minutes into the sport and by no means trying again. The Cougars led by 40 factors within the second half at one level, their largest of the sport.
Houston’s protection held the Cougars to 30.6% capturing from the sphere, and 2-24 from past the arc. The Cougars’ offensive output of 40 factors was their fewest factors scored in a recreation all season.
Taylor II and Taylor had been the one SIU Edwardsville gamers to crack double-digit scoring.
Houston will look to lock up Gonzaga’s second-ranked scoring offense on Saturday within the spherical of 32.
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No. 1 Auburn defeated No. 16 Alabama State
The Auburn Tigers defeated the Alabama State Hornets 83-63.
Miles Kelly led the Tigers with 23 factors, his second-highest scoring evening of the season. Nationwide Participant of the Yr candidate Johni Broome completed with a double-double, dropping 14 factors and grabbing 11 rebounds. Freshman phenom Tahaad Pettiford added 16 factors and 5 assists and boards.
Amarr Knox, who scored the game-winning layup within the Hornets’ First 4 recreation, led the crew with 18 factors. TJ Madlock adopted go well with with 11 factors. Knox and Madlock had been the one two Hornets gamers who completed with double-digit factors.
The Tigers struggled to tug away early, with the Hornets erasing a double-digit deficit right into a one-possession recreation with just a little over a minute to play within the first half.
Nonetheless, Auburn outscored the Hornets 42-32 within the second half to shut out the sport.
Auburn’s protection stepped up, holding the Hornets to 37.1% capturing from the sphere and 24% from deep.
They may attempt to carry that defensive over to a red-hot Creighton crew who shot the Louisville Cardinals out of Rupp Area,
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No. 12 McNeese upset No. 5 Clemson
Amir Khan’s aura might be felt all through the Amica Mutual Pavilion partitions.
The McNeese State basketball supervisor was all over the place, from indicators within the crowd to socks on the cheerleaders.
When Khan led the walkout, geared up along with his personalized speaker draped round his neck and surrounded by his teammates singing, the makings of an upset had been set.
The Cowboys took the vitality to the courtroom, leaping out to an enormous lead early, and holding on to safe a 69-67 upset victory over the Clemson Tigers.
Brandon Murray led the Cowboys with 21 factors off the bench, and Quadir Copeland added 16 extra. Christian Shumate recorded a double-double, ending with 13 factors and 11 rebounds.
Jaeden Zackery led the Tigers with 24 factors, and Chase Hunter completed with 21 within the closing recreation of his collegiate profession. Ian Schieffelin and Viktor Lakhin, Clemson’s second and fourth main scorers, completed with a mixed seven factors.
The Cowboys clamped up early, holding the Tigers to 13 factors within the first half alone, whereas scoring 31. The Tigers solely made 5 subject objectives within the first half.
Within the second half, McNeese appeared to have management of the sport. The Cowboys maintained a double-digit for many of the half, logging a 17-point benefit with simply over 4 minutes to play.
Nonetheless, the veteran Tigers weren’t going to go down with no struggle. The Tigers drained 5 triples within the closing two minutes of the sport, miraculously reducing the earlier 24-point McNeese lead right into a one possession recreation with beneath a minute to go.
Nonetheless, Garcia made certainly one of his two free throws to ice the sport with a 4 level lead.
Regardless of the dominant starting, the Cowboys shot inefficiently from deep and from the free-throw line. They went 4-19 from past the arc and 11-22 from the free-throw line.
Clemson didn’t fare higher, capturing 36.8% from the sphere and 30% from past the arc on 30 tried triples. Nonetheless, they had been environment friendly from the free-throw line, flattening 16 of their 19 tried photographs.
Regardless of the dramatic comeback, the opening they dug themselves within the first half doomed them.
With the win, Wade earned his first NCAA Event win because the 2020-21 season, when he coached the LSU Tigers. The victory marked the primary match win in McNeese’s program historical past.
The Cowboys transfer on to play final yr’s runners-up, the Purdue Boilermakers within the spherical of 32.
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No. 6 BYU defeated No. 11 VCU
For the third straight time, the BYU Cougars earned a No. 6 seed within the Large Dance. For the previous two years, they fell to a No. 11 seed.
Within the 2020-21 season, a scrappy UCLA crew led by Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez rolled previous them. Then final yr, the A-10 Champion Duquesne Dukes pulled off a surprising upset.
Nonetheless, the third time was the attraction.
With program legend Jimmer Fredette in attendance, BYU silenced any critics who labeled them on “upset alert” by defeating the VCU Rams 80-71.
Richie Saunders led the Cougars with 16 factors and Egor Demin added 15 factors. Fousseyni Traore added 13 factors and 9 rebounds off the bench.
Zeb Jackson led the Rams with 23 factors off the bench. Jack Clark, Max Shulga and Joe Bamisile every added 12 factors of their very own.
The Rams outshot the Cougars within the recreation, draining 15 triples to BYU’s seven. Nonetheless, VCU doomed themselves by stepping into foul hassle. The Rams dedicated 23 private fouls, which changed into 19 factors for the Cougars on the charity stripe, the distinction within the recreation.
BYU took an 11 level lead into the half. The Rams had been unable to recuperate, having solely led for the primary two minutes of the sport.
The victory marked first-year head coach Kevin Younger’s first ever match win in his profession.
The Cougars will now tackle Wisconsin within the spherical of 32.
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No. 8 Gonzaga defeated No. 9 Georgia
On Choice Sunday, consultants and analytics believed Gonzaga was higher than their seeding confirmed. On Thursday, they performed prefer it.
The Zags rolled via Georgia’s protection, routing the Bulldogs 89-68.
Khalif Battle led Gonzaga with 24 factors on 9-13 capturing, whereas Nolan Hickman and Braden Huff every added 18 factors. Gonzaga’s main scorer Graham Ike completed with 13 factors.
Georgia freshman Asa Newell led the Bulldogs with 20 factors. Silas Demary Jr. additionally added 15 factors and a team-leading 4 assists. In what might be Newell’s closing collegiate recreation, the potential NBA lottery choose went out with a bang.
Newell confirmed finesse and his bag in opposition to veteran Gonzaga defenders Ike and Huff, capturing 60% from the sphere and 8-10 from the free-throw line. Newell added eight boards to his statline. The NBA’s mock draft has him presently going twelfth general, however his inventory can nonetheless rise.
The Zags dominated early, leaping out to a double-digit lead off of a 13-0 run. Georgia entered halftime in a 21-point gap and by no means recovered.
Gonzaga’s second-ranked scoring offense confirmed out. The crew shot 60% from past the arc and 55% from the sphere. The crew made 12 triples, with 4 of these coming from Battle, who earned approval from the boss.
With the victory, Zags coach Mark Few earned his forty fourth match win and Sixteenth-consecutive opening spherical victory.
Gonzaga will now sq. off in opposition to No. 1 Houston, in what’s shaping as much as be a battle of two premier faculty basketball packages and coaches.
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No. 2 Tennessee defeated No. 15 Wofford
The Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Wofford Terriers 77-62.
Chaz Lanier led the Volunteers with 29 factors and Zakai Zeigler recorded a double-double, dropping 12 factors and meting out 12 dimes.
Lanier’s scoring means was on full show, draining six three-pointers and making robust fadeaway jumpers off the dribble. Lanier’s 29 factors had been probably the most the North Florida switch scored since Tennessee’s Feb. 22 win in opposition to Texas A&M.
Jackson Sivills led the Terriers with 15 factors and Corey Tripp added 14 factors. The Terriers completed the sport with 4 double-digit scorers.
Wofford outshot the Vols from deep, draining 11 triples to Tennessee’s 10. Nonetheless, turnovers and 20 fouls held them again. Tennessee earned 22 free throw makes an attempt from these fouls, which turned in 15 factors.
The Vols now transfer on to play UCLA within the spherical of 32.
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No. 10 Arkansas defeated No. 7 Kansas
Within the battle of premier coaches, John Calipari emerged on prime.
In what was billed as a battle between Invoice Self and Calipari, Calipari’s Razorbacks defeated Self’s Kansas Jayhawks 79-72.
Tennessee switch Jonas Aidoo led the Razorbacks with 22 factors. Trevon Brazile posted a double-double, dropping 11 factors and recording 12 rebounds. FAU switch Johnell Davis added 18 factors and Kentucky switch D.J. Wagner completed with 14 factors.
Zeke Mayo led the Jayhawks with 18 factors, whereas AJ Storr contributed 15 factors off the bench. Star heart Hunter Dickinson completed out his collegiate profession with 11 factors and 9 rebounds, and KJ Adams Jr., who injured his achilles within the recreation, dropped 13.
Kansas outshot the Razorbacks from past the arc and the three-point line, draining eight triples and 14 free throws. Arkansas struggled with three-point effectivity, solely making 25% of their makes an attempt from past the arc.
Regardless of the upper effectivity, Kansas turned the ball over 16 occasions, which proved to be the difference-maker within the recreation.
Calipari will now face off in opposition to a former rival, Rick Pitino and the St. John’s Purple Storm.
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No. 4 Texas A&M defeated No. 13 Yale
On Choice Sunday, this recreation was deja vu.
Final yr, the Yale Bulldogs gained the Ivy League title and squared off with the Auburn Tigers, a strong SEC squad. Behind John Poulakidas and Danny Wolf, the crew battled and upset the Tigers 78-76.
This yr, Yale, led by Poulakidas was billed to play Texas A&M. Identical seeding. Identical convention opponent.
The one distinction—the outcome.
Texas A&M took care of enterprise, defeating Yale 80-71.
Pharrel Payne led the Aggies with an environment friendly double-double, dropping 25 factors on 10-12 capturing and grabbing 10 boards. Payne’s 25 factors had been a profession excessive for the junior ahead. Star guard Wade Taylor IV completed with 16 factors, and Jace Carter added 10 extra.
Poulakidas, the kryptonite of Auburn in final yr’s match, completed with 23 factors. Nick Townsend added 15 extra, and Isaac Celiscar contributed 12 off the bench.
A Yale victory was probably the most picked No. 13 upset within the nation, however a troublesome Aggie protection prevented that from taking place. The Aggies held Yale to solely 38.1% capturing from past the arc. The Bulldogs additionally struggled from the free-throw line, capturing 64.3% from the charity stripe in 14 makes an attempt.
Bez Mbeng, Yale’s third-leading scorer, was held to solely two factors on the evening. Mbeng completed with 9 assists and eight boards, however couldn’t discover the underside of the online.
Texas A&M will now transfer on to play the Michigan Wolverines within the spherical of 32.
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No. 11 Drake upset No. 6 Missouri
Specialists and followers new Bennett Stirtz was a bucket.
The Division II star joined Drake, alongside along with his head coach, Ben McCollum from Northwest Missouri State.
He had at all times been a bucket, however might by no means appear to search out the nationwide highlight.
Perhaps just a few folks seen when he dropped 22 factors in an time beyond regulation win in opposition to power-conference opponent Kansas State, when he went coast-to-coast earlier than draining a deep go-ahead three of a snatch-back.
Perhaps it was when he dropped 30 factors on Southern Illinois on solely 11 subject objectives.
Nonetheless, in his match debut, Stirtz put everybody discover.
With momentum favoring Missouri, Stirtz caught the ball with time winding down on the shot clock. He dribbled to the highest of the important thing and pulled up a running-three pointer off of 1 leg.
He drained it, giving Drake an 11 level lead with slightly below 9 minutes to play, sending the INTRUST Financial institution Area crowd right into a frenzy.
Stirtz’s 21 factors on 8-11 capturing helped propel the Drake Bulldogs to an upset victory over the Missouri Tigers, their first NCAA Event win because the 2020-21 season.
Alongside Stirtz, Tavion Banks added 15 factors and 9 boards. Stirtz and Banks had been the one two Bulldogs to complete in double-digit scoring.
Caleb Grill led the Tigers with 14 factors and Tamar Bates added 10 factors. Mark Mitchell, Missouri’s main scorer, was held in-check with eight factors and eight rebounds.
Drake’s sluggish tempo of play proved to be the difference-maker within the recreation, because the Bulldogs discovered effectivity everywhere in the courtroom. Drake shot 54.3% from the sphere and 50% from past the arc, nailing 5 triples. They shared the ball, with seven totally different gamers recording assists and had been capable of outrebound the Tigers 31-26.
Nonetheless, regardless of a 10-point victory, the Bulldogs left alternatives on the free-throw line slip away. Drake shot 12-24 from the free-throw line. Regardless of the inefficiencies, they nonetheless grinded out a victory.
Missouri struggled from the sphere, solely making 15 subject objectives for your entire recreation. They shot 33.3% from the sphere and 4-16 from deep. Grill, the Tigers’ major sharpshooter solely shot 1-7 from past the arc and struggled to get going offensively.
Most of Missouri’s factors got here from the free-throw line, which they transformed 23 of 26 whole alternatives.
After being down for almost your entire recreation, Missouri erased a double-digit lead within the second half, reducing it right down to a three-point recreation. That was the closest the Tigers would get.
Drake, regardless of lacking lots of their free-throws whereas within the bonus, performed lockdown protection to solely enable six factors within the closing 4 minutes of the second half, outscoring the Tigers 13-6 in that body.
The Bulldogs will now face off in opposition to one other high-powered offense in Texas Tech within the spherical of 32.
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No. 7 UCLA defeated No. 10 Utah State
UCLA defeated Utah State 72-47.
Skyy Clark and Eric Dailey Jr. led the Bruins with 14 factors every. Adey Mara contributed 10 factors off the bench and added 5 blocks.
Mason Falslev led the Aggies with a double-double, dropping 17 factors and grabbing 10 boards. Deyton Albury added 12 factors. No different Aggie participant scored greater than 4 factors.
It was a Mick Cronin particular: a dominant defensive efficiency.
The Bruins held the Aggies to 30% capturing from the sphere and 12.9% from deep. They pressured 11 turnovers and by no means relinquished the lead after taking a 10-8 lead 5 minutes into the primary half.
UCLA’s expertise proved to be the difference-maker. The veteran squad took environment friendly photographs, capturing 48.1% from the sphere and 41.7% from deep, draining 10 triples. In addition they went good from the free-throw line.
UCLA will look to construct off of this efficiency after they tackle one other elite defensive crew in Tennessee within the spherical of 32.
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No. 2 St. John’s defeated No. 15 Omaha
Rick Pitino and St. John’s are again in March.
On the heels of a dream season that has seen the Johnnies seize a Large East common season and convention title, the crew made the Large Dance for the primary time because the 2018-19 season.
Their seeding as a No. 2 seed—hasn’t been seen because the 1999-00 season, the place they had been upset by an upstart Gonzaga crew led by Richie Frahm.
Nonetheless, with New York Metropolis on their again, the Johnnies took care of enterprise, dominating Omaha 83-53.
Large East Participant of the Yr RJ Luis Jr. led the Johnnies with 22 factors, whereas Simeon Wilcher added 13. Kadary Richmond and Zuby Ejiofor, different members of the crew’s Large Three, added 10 factors every.
JJ White led the Mavericks with 15 factors, whereas Marquel Sutton added 11. Sutton and White had been the one two Omaha gamers to complete in double-digit scoring.
Nonetheless, the story of the sport was not St. John’s protection, however quite their capturing.
The Purple Storm silenced all critics who had been worrisome about their inefficient three-point capturing, flattening 14 triples at a 37.8% clip.
Luis and Wilcher knocked down 5 and three triples respectively, whereas sharpshooters Aaron Scott and Deivon Smith drilled two every.
Mixed with a lockdown protection that held the Mavericks to 25.7% capturing from the sphere and 5-36 from past the arc, the Johnnies look like peaking on the good time in March.
Pitino will now conflict with a well-recognized foe, John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks within the spherical of 32.
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No. 5 Michigan defeated No. 12 UC San Diego
Down two with two minutes to play in opposition to a scrappy mid-major with an upset in thoughts, Tre Donaldson discovered himself in an identical spot.
Final yr, the junior guard was enjoying for the Auburn Tigers, who landed the No. 4 seed in final yr’s match. The Tigers squared off in opposition to a Yale crew led by John Poulakidas and Danny Wolf—Donaldson’s present teammate with Michigan.
On the free throw line down two with seconds left, Donaldson missed his first try. He deliberately missed the second, and after a blocked layup and missed triple, the remaining was historical past. A 78-76 Yale upset.
However in his first match recreation with Michigan, he wasn’t going to let historical past repeat itself.
In crunch time, Donaldson caught a go and took one dribble to the wing, pulling up from deep. He held the follow-through, stepping again—virtually as if he knew it was getting into.
His shot was cash, placing the Wolverines up 66-65, a lead they might not relinquish.
After a a number of robust defensive possessions, Vladislav Goldin made two clutch free throws, giving Michigan a three-point lead.
After Tyler McGhie’s game-tying shot caromed off the rim, the Wolverines escaped with a 68-65 victory.
Goldin led the Wolverines with 14 factors, whereas Donaldson added 12, together with his go-ahead trey. Roddy Gayle Jr. added 11 factors off the bench. Wolf, Michigan’s point-forward, completed with 9 factors and 11 rebounds.
McGhie led the Tritons with 25 factors, whereas Nordin Kapic and Hayden Grey added 15 and 10 factors respectively. Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, the crew’s main scorer, fouled out after enjoying solely 25 minutes. He completed with seven factors, his lowest scoring output since Nov. 21.
Regardless of shedding their main scorer, the Tritons fought all through the sport. Michigan threatened to run away early, opening the sport on a 10-0 run. Going through a 14-point halftime deficit, the Tritons battled, reducing the result in three solely 4 minutes into the second half.
A McGhie jumper gave the Tritons their first lead of the sport with simply over two minutes to play. Nonetheless, on the following possession, Donaldson’s clutch three snagged the benefit again for the Wolverines.
The Wolverines will now face No. 4 Texas A&M Saturday.
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No. 3 Texas Tech defeated No. 14 UNC Wilmington
In a tightly contested affair, the Texas Tech Purple Raiders defeated the UNC Wilmington Seahawks 82-72.
Kerwin Walton led the Purple Raiders with a career-high 27 factors, making eight triples. All of Walton’s 19 shot makes an attempt got here from past the arc. The crew’s main scorer JT Toppin posted a double-double, dropping 12 factors and grabbing 11 rebounds. Elijah Hawkins additionally posted a double-double, dropping 14 factors and meting out 10 assists.
Nolan Hodge led the Seahawks with 18 factors off the bench. Donovan Newby, the crew’s senior main scorer, was held in verify, ending with eight factors.
The Seahawks gave the Purple Raiders a struggle when no one anticipated them to. Coming into the sport as 15.5 level underdogs, the Seahawks matched Texas Tech’s high-powered offense, closing out the primary half solely down 4 factors following a Hodge triple.
Each groups traded buckets within the second half, with the Purple Raiders outscoring the Seahawks 44-38 within the closing body.
Whereas UNC Wilmington shot extra effectively than Texas Tech, the Purple Raiders’ barrage of three-pointers proved to be the difference-maker within the recreation. Texas Tech shot 28.3% from past the arc, however nailed 13 triples all through the sport, in comparison with UNC Wilmington’s seven.
Texas Tech will now transfer on to play Drake within the spherical of 32.
