Top Story Lines for the Second Round of Men’s Tourney
Chris Jones/USA TODAY Sports
The second round of the Big Dance has a tough act to follow.
Here are some of the biggest story lines heading into the round of 32 in the men’s tournament as teams look to extend their seasons another week and inch closer to the Final Four in New Orleans.
Will a No. 1 Seed Go Down?
At least one top seed has fallen in the first weekend in seven of the last nine tournaments. Will that streak continue? Three of the four No. 1s are in action Saturday, and all feel at least somewhat vulnerable. No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga had its fair share of struggles with Georgia State on Thursday and drew a tricky second-round foe in Memphis, a team that since Feb. 1 has been the nation’s fifth-best team. If nothing else, Penny Hardaway’s Tigers are athletic enough to create some problems. Meanwhile, Baylor takes on a North Carolina team that was outstanding in its tournament debut against Marquette, and Kansas draws a Creighton team fresh off a furious come-from-behind win over San Diego State.
Thursday’s Stars Look for Their Second Act
Two of the tournament’s stars of day one are in action again Saturday, looking to propel their teams to a second straight upset. Perhaps the loudest one is New Mexico State’s Teddy Allen, whose 37 points, excessive celebrations and nickname (“Teddy Buckets”) makes him an easy guy to root for. His Aggies will face one of the best defensive teams in the nation in Arkansas.
Meanwhile, Richmond’s Jacob Gilyard is the classic undersized mid-major star you can’t help but fall in love with. He’s scrappy and makes tough shots but is actually best known for all the work he does on the defensive end, where he has etched his name into the record books as the NCAA’s all-time leader in steals. After scoring 24 points against Iowa, he’ll lead the Spiders into Saturday’s matchup with Providence.
“Jekyll and Hyde” Michigan Goes for the Upset
It has been so long since Michigan won or lost consecutive games that star big man Hunter Dickinson joked Friday morning that the Wolverines should scrimmage the team’s managers to get their loss out of the way. Can college basketball’s pendulum skip a swing and knock off a Tennessee team playing with a ton of confidence coming off a blowout win over Longwood and an SEC tournament championship last week?
History Will Be Made Between Saint Peter’s, Murray State
One of these two mid-major programs will make its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance this season. Murray State is a regular participant in the Big Dance and has busted its fair share of brackets over the years, but the Sweet 16 has always eluded the proud Racers program. Saint Peter’s made quite the introduction to college hoops fans Thursday with arguably the second-most stunning first-round upset in the history of the tournament. Regardless, the representative from either the MAAC or OVC will be one of the final 16 teams standing.
Your March Moment?
Share your best snapshots from the first round with us, whether it’s the moment you tore up your bracket (we’re looking at you, Hawkeyes!) or when your favorite pet decided to take part in the festivities. Reply here, or email us at morningmadness@si.com.
Bracket Busters
And then there were none. Before the first round was even over in the men’s tournament, brackets had been busted all across the internet with no chance of perfection left.
It was a pair of No. 11 vs. No. 6 games that lit the flame to the final perfect brackets on two of the major platforms. Iowa State’s win over LSU took out the last one in ESPN’s challenge, while Notre Dame’s win over Alabama did it for Yahoo’s.
Things aren’t looking much better on the women’s side, either. No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast’s win over No. 5 Virginia Tech had perfect women’s brackets drop below 1%, according to an NCAA tracker.
ICYMI
• Saint Mary’s has been perpetually overshadowed by its famous rival, Gonzaga. Greg Bishop on how the “gritty, not pretty” Gaels are stepping into the spotlight.
• Ole Miss’s Shakira Austin and Virginia Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley were ousted early in the women’s tourney. Ben Pickman looks at the foundations the star centers have built for their programs.
What to watch
Women’s tournament:
• No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Villanova: Two of the country’s most prolific players will meet in this first-round matchup. Villanova is led by star junior Maddy Siegrist, who averaged 25.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game on 49.8% shooting from the field, while Shaylee Gonzalez drives BYU’s attack, averaging 18.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game. 1 p.m. ET, ESPNNews
• No. 7 UCF vs. No. 10 Florida: Florida is back in the NCAA tournament for the first time in six years, having undergone a revival in Kelly Rae Finley’s debut stint as the program’s head coach. The Gators will meet an in-state competitor that could be one of the more dangerous sleepers in the first round in the ACC champion Knights. 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPNNews
• No. 6 Kentucky vs. No. 11 Princeton: While Kentucky is coming off an SEC championship and features a future top-three WNBA draft pick in Rhyne Howard, Princeton comes into this contest having won 17 games and an Ivy League title of its own. The Tigers are undersized, but play stellar team defense, holding opponents to just 50.9 points per game. 4 p.m. ET, ESPN
Men’s tournament:
• No. 1 Baylor vs. No. 8 UNC: After breezing past their first-round opponents, things are about to get more serious for both teams in Saturday’s opening game. The Tar Heels will need Caleb Love to get off to another hot start, but the Bear’s staunch defense beyond the arc could make it difficult for UNC to shoot from deep. 12:10 p.m. ET, CBS
• No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 5 Saint Mary’s: The Bruins were on upset watch for most of their game against Akron on Thursday night before Tyger Campbell’s late 8–0 run pulled his team out of trouble. Can Saint Mary’s take advantage of UCLA’s rocky start, especially after taking down Indiana with ease? 7:10 p.m. ET, TBS