Sporting Alert

College Football, NCAAB, NBA, NFL

Ncaa March Madness

NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Schedule, Stream, Live TV Channels: March 28

by Leave a Comment

Anaheim, CA — The college basketball NCAA Tournament resumes on Thursday with the Sweet 16 round and here are the schedule, times and television channels for the list of games.

Today’s schedule includes four games with two No. 1 seeds hoping to stay alive in the NCAA Tournament.

The action gets underway at 7:09 PM ET at Honda Center in Anaheim, Califonia, where top-seed Gonzaga meets No. 4 seed Florida State will meet in a rematch of last season’s Sweet 16, which was won by the Seminoles.

Embed from Getty Images

Live coverage of this West Region round of 16 game will be on CBS, while NCAA.com will provide live online streaming coverage for those who are on the go.

The Bulldogs (32–3) booked their place in the Sweet 16 with wins over Fairleigh Dickinson and Baylor in the first and second round.

Florida State (29-7), meanwhile, brushed aside Vermont and Murray State in the earlier rounds and will be hoping to do a repeat over Gonzaga for a second consecutive year.

Gonzaga comes into this game averaging 88.6 points per game and giving up 60.0 at the other end, while the Seminoles are scoring 75.4 PPG and allowing 65.5 PPG.

Embed from Getty Images

Florida State could be without Phil Cofer, who missed the first two games of the tournament because of a foot injury. He is also dealing with the death of his father, who had died after a long illness.

“We’re going to respect Phil during this tragedy and the passing of his father,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton was quoted as telling Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

“He knows where we are, and we know where he is. We’re here for him.”

The other No. 1 seeded team in action on Thursday is Virginia, which faces Pace-12 Tournament champion and the 12th-seeded Oregon at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

Coverage of this game is at 9:57 PM and it is live on TBS. NCAA.com is also providing online streaming coverage.

Embed from Getty Images

Oregon enters this game with a just a 7.0 percent chance of beating Virginia (31-3), according to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index.

The Ducks (25-12) come into this game on a 10-game winning streak and could be very difficult for the Cavaliers.

Virginia, in the meantime, looks confident so far in the tournament, but coach Tony Bennett has been busy preparing his team for the tougher fixtures.

The Cavaliers were dumped from the tournament in the first round last season and started a little shaky against No. 16 Gardner-Webb this season before erasing a 14 point deficit in the first half to win that game.

Also in action in the Sweet 16 today are the clashes between No. 2 seed Tennessee and No. 3 Purdue at 7:29 PM on TBS at KFC Yum! Center, as well as the second-seeded Michigan battle against No. 3 seed Texas Tech at Honda Center at 9:39 PM.

NCAA Tournament Schedule, TV Channels, Live Stream
Thursday, March 28

2019 NCAA Tournament West Regional – (Sweet 16)

Florida State vs Gonzaga – 7:09 PM ET – CBS – NCAA.com
Honda Center – Anaheim, CA

Michigan vs Texas Tech – 9:39 PM ET – CBS – NCAA.com
Honda Center – Anaheim, CA

2019 NCAA Tournament South Regional – (Sweet 16)

Purdue vs Tennessee – 7:29 PM ET – TBS – NCAA.com
KFC Yum Center – Louisville, KY

Virginia vs Oregon – 9:57 PM ET – TBS – NCAA.com
KFC Yum Center – Louisville, KY

Williamson, Barrett Star, No. 1 Duke Rolls Over North Dakota State, 85-62

by Leave a Comment

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett combined for 51 points No. 1 seed Duke pulled away for an 85-62 win over No. 16 seed North Dakota State in a March Madness East Regional NCAA Tournament game on Friday.

The top overall seeded Blue Devils (30-5) led by just four points at halftime, but opened the second half on a 9-0 run and never looked back en route to the comfortable first-round game victory.

Embed from Getty Images

Barrett recorded a double-double with 26 points and 14 rebounds, while fellow freshman sensation Williamson scored 25 points on 12 of 16 shooting from the floor.

“In the second half, we played beautiful basketball,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

Williamson, who thrilled the crowd with a number of dunks in an explosive NCAA Tournament debut, was rested for a big portion of the second half, despite not picking up a single foul in the game.

Embed from Getty Images

“We did start out very sluggish. We weren’t playing very well,” Williamson admitted. “But I think in the second half we calmed down, and we just started playing Duke basketball.”

Cam Reddish added 12 points for Duke, which shot almost 51 percent overall from the field.

Vinnie Shahid scored 20 points to lead North Dakota State in the defeat.

Jordan Horn ended with 11 points for the Bison (19-16), who trailed 31-27 at the break, but couldn’t contain Williamson, who took over the game after the interval and in the blink of an eye, Duke stretched the lead to 40-27.

North Dakota State coach David Richman said the Blue Devils proved why they were selected as the No. 1 overall seed.

“Duke was the No. 1 overall seed there, especially in the second half, they get out in transition like that and turn you over, they’re elite,” said Richman.

“That’s an exceptional team, and it was a pleasure to coach against Coach K and for our guys to compete in that environment.”

With a big lead and just over four and a half minutes remaining in the second half, Krzyzewski emptied the Duke bench.

“In the second half, we played just beautiful basketball for those 12 minutes, and then we subbed, and they subbed.

The Blue Devils (31-5) will face the winner of the clash between the eighth-seeded VCU versus No. 9 seed UCF on Sunday in the second round.

North Dakota State’s season comes to an end.

Box Score | Play-by-Play | Team Stats | Videos |Bracket

NCAA Tournament Scores and Results – March Madness on March 21

by Leave a Comment

DES MOINES, Iowa — Minnesota and Murray State registered upset wins over higher seeds in the NCAA Tournament first round on Thursday. Latest March Madness scores and results.

At the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, IA, No. 10 seed Minnesota beat No. 7 seed Louisville 86-76 in the opening round of the East Region, while No. 12 seed Murray State defeated No. 5 seed Marquette in the opening round of the West Region at XL Center in Hartford, CT.

Freshman Gale Kalscheur scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Gophers past the Cardinals, as Minnesota won its first NCAA Tournament game in six years.

“I thought we played really good defense when we needed to. We showed great toughness and grit down the stretch,” said Minnesota coach Richard Pitino, whose father Rick Pitino coached the Cardinals for 16 seasons before he was fired 2017.

“You can’t undersell it. That’s a terrific win for our guys. Being proud of (them is) probably an understatement for these guys.”

Amir Coffey and Jordan Murphy had 18 points with six rebounds each, while Daniel Oturu and Dupree McBrayer finished with 13 points apiece for Minnesota (22-13), which made 11 3-pointers and shot 50.0 percent overall from the field.

“This wasn’t about getting the win for coach Pitino. It was about getting the win for us in general and advancing to the next round,” said Murphy.

“That’s what makes him happy, and that’s what makes us happy.”

Christen Cunningham led Louisville (20-14) with 22 points, and Steven Enoch added 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Darius Perry scored 12 points and Jordan Nwora contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Cardinals, who shot 9 for 26 from long-range and went 44.1 percent from the floor overall.

Meanwhile, Ja Morant grabbed a triple-double and Murray State stunned the fifth-seeded Marquette 83-64 in the West Region in Connecticut.

Morant, who ended with 17 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds, was collecting his ninth triple-double in NCAA Tournament history.

Tevin Brown scored 19 points with six rebounds and made 5 for 9 from 3-pointers.

KJ Williams added 16 points and Shaq Buchanan finished with 14 points and six boards for the Racers (28-4), who shot 53.6 percent from the field.

Markus Howard was the leading scorer for Marquette with 26 points and Sam Hauser added 16 points and 11 rebounds in the defeat.

How rare was Ja Morant’s #MarchMadness triple-double?

We haven’t seen one since Draymond Green in 2012! #MorantMadness pic.twitter.com/3jkqjqRs4e— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 22, 2019

The Golden Eagles (24-10) shot 32.4 percent from the field in the loss and went just 8 for 31 from 3-pointers.

In other early NCAA Tournament first round results on Thursday, No. 4 seed Kansas dominated Northeastern 87-53 in the opening round of the Midwest Region, while second-seeded Michigan State held off Bradley 76-65 in the opening round of the East Region.

Elsewhere, fourth-seeded Florida State held 13th-seeded Vermont 76-69 in the opening round of the West Region, No. 3 seed LSU survived against 14th-seeded Yale 79-74 in the opening round of the East Region and No. 5 seed Auburn held on for a 78-77 win over the 12th-seeded New Mexico State in the Midwest Region.

Villanova Beats Michigan 79-62, Wins Title Behind DiVincenzo 31pts

by Leave a Comment


SAN ANTONIO, TX — Donte DiVincenzo came off the bench to score 31 points No. 1-seeded Villanova beat third-seeded Michigan 79-62 on Monday night at Alamodome in San Antonio to win its second National Championship in three years.

DiVincenzo, who played a team-high 37 minutes and was instrumental at key moments after Jalen Brunson slipped into foul trouble during the second half, shot 10 of 15 from the field and hit five of the 10 Villanova 3-pointers.

The 6-foot-5 reserve junior guard also grabbed five rebounds, three assists and two key blocks.

“Honestly, I didn’t look at the score at all,” said DiVincenzo, who scored 12 points in the first half before exploding in the second.

“I didn’t know how many points I had. I didn’t know any of that. I was just trying to make the right play.

“And Omari (Spellman) was setting unbelievable screens for me getting me open. And I was just feeling it.”

Mikal Bridges added 19 points on 7 of 12 shooting from the floor, including three 3-pointers, while Spellman pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds for the Wildcats (36-4), who pull ahead with a decisive run late in the first half to lead 37-28 at the break.

Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman led Michigan with 23 points on 8 of 13 shooting in his final college basketball game.

Moritz Wagner scored 11 points early, but was limited to just five after that, with Villanova head coach Jay Wright revealing at halftime that he instructed his players to keep the ball away from the big forward.

Wagner ended with 16 points and seven rebounds for the Wolverines (33-8), who had won 14 straight entering the NCAA Tournament championship game on Monday night.

Meanwhile, junior guard Brunson, the national Player of the Year, ended with nine points and went junt 4 of 13 from the field for Villanova, which won all six NCAA Tournament games by double digits.

“It just shows how much depth we have, and that we don’t care who gets the credit,” Brunson said.

The Wildcats joined Michigan State (2000), Duke (2001) and North Carolina (2009) as the only teams to do so.

BOX SCORES AND MORE ESPN LINKS BELOW

Villanova v Michigan: National Championship, Preview, How To Watch

by Leave a Comment


SAN ANTONIO, TX — No. 1-seeded Villanova will aim to win its second NCAA Tournament national title in three years when it takes on third-seeded Michigan on Monday night at Alamodome in San Antonio.

Game time for the national championship is set for 9:20 PM ET and will be televised and stream live on TBS.

Villanova whipped fellow No. 1 seeded Kansas in its Final Four game on Saturday night, while Michigan rallied to top Loyola-Chicago 69-57 in the other Final Four encounter.

While the Wildcats (35-4) are in their second national championship game in three seasons and seeking a second title in the three campaigns, the Wolverines (33-7) are making their first national championship game appearance since 2013.

Both teams are also in good form entering the season finale.

Villanova, which boasts the nation’s best offense with 86.8 points per game and is shooting just over 50-percent, is currently on a 10-game winning streak and beat the likes of West Virginia, Texas Tech and the Jayhawks during this run.

Jalen Brunson of Villanova during a college basketball
Jalen Brunson of Villanova during a college basketball game.

“Obviously we’re very talented offensively,” said junior guards Jalen Brunson, who scored 18 points in the win over Kansas.

“We have a lot of weapons offensively, but when it comes to us staying together on defense, that’s what makes it special and we’re going to keep getting better and keep getting better (to) be ready for Monday.”

Meanwhile, Michigan will carry an impressive 14-game winning streak into the national championship contest and is scoring almost 74 points per game and giving up close to 59 at the other end.

“This team’s had no attention at all,” said Michigan head coach John Beilein.

“Until we went up to beat Michigan State we weren’t nationally ranked. Now we’re playing on Monday night.”

Moritz Wagner, who recorded a double-double with 24 points and 15 rebounds to help the Wolverines erased a 10-point deficit in the second half in the win over Loyola-Chicago, is expected to be a handful for Villanova on Monday night.

Wagner, who is from Berlin, Germany, got noticed by idol and fellow countryman Dirk Nowitzki on Twitter, became only the third player and the first since 1983 to register at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in a national semifinal game.

The 6-foot-11 junior joined NBA greats Larry Bird (1979) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1983).

“Wow. If you put it like that, that’s probably cool,” Wagner told reporters after Saturday’s win.

“But to be honest, I kept looking possession by possession. … And I honestly just tried to do my job.”

Michigan Ends Loyola-Chicago NCAA Tournament Run In Final Four

by Leave a Comment


SAN ANTONIO — Moritz Wagner recorded a double-double and third-seeded Michigan rallied to end the cinderella-run of No. 11 seed Loyola-Chicago in the NCAA Tournament with a 69-57 victory Saturday night in a Final Four game in San Antonio, TX.

Wagner had 24 points, 15 rebounds and three steals and shot 10 of 16 from the field for the Wolverines (33-7), who erased a 10-point second-half deficit en route to the victory.

“I just tried to go in the game, take what the opponent is giving me, what the game is giving me, stay emotionally solid and don’t get emotionally drunk, and it worked out today,” Wagner said.

Charles Matthews went 7 of 12 from the floor to finish with 17 points, five rebounds and three steals for Michigan, which will take a 14-game winning streak into the national championship game on Monday night at the Alamodome.

It is also the first time since 2013, the Wolverines are making a national championship game appearance, and their second trip under coach Jon Beilein.

Cameron Krutwig paced Loyola with 17 points and six rebounds, but turned the ball over six times in the defeat.

Clayton Custer scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half for the 11th-seeded Ramblers (32-6), who were the fourth 11th-seeded team to make it to the Final Four.

Loyola led 29-22 at halftime, but Michigan shot 57-percent in the second half and outscored the Ramblers 47-28 to seal the contest and await the winner of the second semi-final game between Villanova and Kansas.

The Wolverines are seeking to win their first NCAA Tournament championship title since 1989.

NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Scores: Duke, Kansas Win: March 23

by Leave a Comment


OMAHA, Neb. — Duke and Kansas registered Sweet 16 wins to advance in the NCAA Tournament on Friday to set up a heavyweight Elite Eight battle between two of the nation’s top programs on Sunday.

The top-seeded Jayhawks secured their passage into the last eight with a very close 80-76 victory over fifth-seeded Clemson, while No. 2 seeded Blue Devils booked their Midwest Regional final place, with a workman-like 69-65 win over No. 11 seed Syracuse.

Malik Newman led Kansas (30-7) with 17 points on 6 of 11 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, while senior guard Devonte’ Graham, who went just 4 of 12 from the field, added 16 points, five rebounds and four assists.

There were also enjoying signs for coach Bill Self’s side, as big man Udoka Azubuike impressed in his first start of the tournament, notching a double-double with 14 points (7 of 9 shooting) and 11 rebounds to go with two blocks and played a tournament-high 25 minutes.

Lagerald Vick had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Jayhawks, who into halftime with a 40-27 lead but needed to hold on down the stretch.

Gabe DeVoe finished with a career-high 31 points for Clemson, which outscored Kansas 49-40 in the second half, but came up short at the end.

DeVoe also had nine rebounds and three steals in the defeat, while Marcquise Reed scored 13 points and Shelton Mitchell had 12 for the Tigers (25-10).

Clemson, which trailed Kansas by as many as 20 points early in the second half, shot 43 percent and went just 6 for 20 from 3-point range.

“We didn’t have our best game. Sometimes that’s not easy to keep fighting like that,” a defeated Clemson coach Brad Brownell said after the contest.

Meanwhile, in the night’s second Midwest Region semi-final game, second-seeded Duke used a balanced effort to dismiss fellow ACC rival Syracuse to progress to the Midwest Region final.

In a game that neither team led by double-digit, freshman sensation Marvin Bagley III had 22 points and seven rebounds to lead the way for Duke, which showed composure in the closing minutes of the game to advance to the Elite Eight.

Grayson Allen struggled shooting the ball from long-range, going just 3 for 14 from 3-pointers, but managed to contribute 15 points, including making clutch free throws down the stretch to help the Blue Devils (29-7) hold on.

Wendell Carter Jr. added a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Gary Trent Jr., who also made a pair of key free throws down the stretch, ended with 14 points and five rebounds for Duke, which went a dismal 5 for 26 from 3-point range and was held to less than 40-percent shooting (39.3) on the night.

Tyus Battle scored 19 points to lead Syracuse and Oshae Brissett added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Orange (23-14).

2018 NCAA Tournament Scores and Results on March 18

by Leave a Comment


PITTSBURGH — Defending national champion North Carolina and No. 1 seed Xavier were among the top teams eliminated in the second-round of the 2018 March Madness NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 18.

Second-seeds Michigan State and Cincinnati both also failed to advance to the Sweet 16 of this year’s tournament, as the upsets continued on day three.

Third-seeded North Carolina suffered a disappointing 86-65 defeat to seventh-seeded Texas A&M in front of the large gathering in its home state at the Spectrum Arena in Charlotte.

T.J. Starks scored 21 points on 7 of 15 shooting with five assists to lead the Aggies (22-12), who led 42-28 at halftime and then quickly pushed the lead to 20 points with less than two minutes into the second half.

Tyler Davis had 18 points and nine rebounds, DJ Hogg added 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals and Admon Gilder ended with 12 points for Texas A&M, which overpowered North Carolina inside, especially off the glass.

Robert Williams made all three of his shots for eight points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for the Aggies, who dominated the reigning champion 50-36 in the rebounding column.

Joel Berry of North Carolina
Joel Berry II of North Carolina

Joel Berry II scored 21 points with five rebounds in his final game for North Carolina, which suffered its most-unbalanced NCAA Tournament loss under Roy Williams.

Luke Maye closed out his UNC career with a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, but went just 6 of 16 from the floor.

The Tar Heels (26-11), who trailed by as many as 24 in the second half, shot just 33 percent, including 6 for 31 across 3-pointers.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Also losing in the second round on Sunday was No. 1 seed Xavier, which went down 75-70 to very a determined Florida State team.

Braian Angola led five Seminoles in double figures with 16 points to go with six rebounds, while Trent Forrest added 14 points and PJ Savoy ended with 11, including a big 3-pointer with 1:08 left which gave Florida State a 71-70 lead and its first advantage of the second half.

Phil Cofer and Terance Mann each had 10 points for the Seminoles (22-11), who shot 50-percent after halftime and rallied from a 12-point deficit to beat the Musketeers and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011.

J.P. Macura scored 17 points with five rebounds for the Xavier (29-6), Kerem Kanter had 15 and six boards and Paul Scruggs scored 11 points in the defeat for Musketeers, who led by 12 points with 10:42 left in the game.

In another eye-popping score, No. 3 seed Michigan State, one of the favored teams picked at the start of the NCAA Tournament to go all the way, went out in the second round, following a 55-53 defeat to eleventh-seeded Syracuse, the last team picked for the field of 68 on Selection Sunday.

Elsewhere in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, No. 2 seeded Cincinnati blew a 22 point second half advantage and suffered a 75-73 defeat to seventh-seeded Nevada, 16th-seeded UMBC, which stunned No. 1 overall seed Virginia in the first round, was beaten 50-43 by ninth-seeded Kansas State, while second-seeded Purdue holds off No. 10 seed Butler 76-73, No. 5 seed Clemson routed fourth-seeded Auburn 84-53 and fifth-seeded West Virginia scored an easy 94-71 victory over 13th-seeded Marshall.

NCAA Tournament – March Madness Scores
Second Round Games

Sunday, March 18

Spectrum Arena (Charlotte, North Carolina)
(7)Texas A&M Aggies 86, (2) North Carolina Tar Heels 65
(9) Kansas State Wildcats 50, (16) UMBC Retrievers 43

Little Caesars Arena (Detroit)
(2) Purdue 76, (10) Butler 73
Syracuse 55, Michigan State 53

Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, Tennessee)
(7) Nevada Wolf Pack 75, (2) Cincinnati Bearcats 73
(9) Florida State Seminoles 75, (1) Xavier Musketeers 70

Viejas Arena (San Diego)
(5) Clemson Tigers 84, (4) Auburn Tigers 53
(5) West Virginia Mountaineers 94, (13) Marshall Thundering Herd 71

March Madness NCAA Tournament Scores On March 17

by Leave a Comment


PITTSBURGH — The following are the scores and results from another busy day of second-round action at the 2018 March Madness NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 17.

No. 1 seeds Villanova and Kansas both moved into the Sweet 16 of the tournament, while second-seeded Duke and the eleventh-seeded Loyola-Chicago also joined the list of teams advancing on the third full day of operation.

VILLANOVA WINS EASILY

Villanova ESPN3 Schedule
Jay Wright Villanova head coach

Mikal Bridges scored 23 points, hit five 3-pointers and Villanova eased to an 81-58 triumph over ninth-seeded Alabama to progress to the Sweet 16.

Donte DiVincenzo also made five 3s and added 18 points with five assists off the bench for the Wildcats (32-4), who made 17 3s and got 12 points from Jalen Brunson.

Collin Sexton led Alabama with 17 points, but no other Crimson Tide (20-16) player managed to score in double figures in the defeat.

KANSAS HOLDS ON FOR SWEET 16 SPOT

Meanwhile, Kansas battled hard to hold off eighth-seeded Seton Hall 83-79 to reach its third consecutive Sweet 16.

Malik Newman scored 28 points on 8 of 14 shooting and Svi Mykhailiuk added 16 while shooting 7 of 16 from the floor to lead the way for Kansas, which shot 50-percent (28 of 56) as a team.

Lagerald Vick had 13 points and Udoka Azubuike chipped in with a solid 10 points and seven rebounds performance for the Jayhawks (29-7), who made key plays down the stretch to advance to the Midwest Region semifinals.

Angel Delgado had a monster double-double night with 24 points and 23 rebounds for Seton Hall.

The senior big man converted 10 of his 17 shots from the floor and added five assists in the win.

Guard Khadeen Carrington scored 28 points and hit five 3s, while Myles Powell scored 14 points for the Pirates (22-11), who shot 45 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3-point range.

Kansas was able to overcome an off night from senior guard Devonte Graham, who wasn’t as productive as his 29 point performance against Pennsylvania in the first round.

On Saturday, Graham ended with just eight points on 1 of 7 shooting, but dished out a game-high nine assists.

DUKE ROLLING AS WELL

Duke Blue Devils College Basketball Team
Duke Blue Devils College Basketball Team

Another strong contender to win the national championship is Duke and the Atlantic Coast Conference outfit rolled into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament with an 87-62 rout of seventh-seeded Rhode Island.

Freshman forward Marvin Bagley had 22 points on 8 of 10 shooting to go along with nine rebounds to lead Duke, which collected 18 points from fellow classmate Gary Trent Jr, who also made four 3-pointers and had five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Freshman Big man Wendell Carter Jr., who revealed he’s playing injured, added 13 points and six rebounds for the Blue Devils (28-7), who are starting to show signs of their full potential.

Elsewhere, Trevon Duval ended with 11 points and seven assists and senior captain Grayson Allen finished with 10 points for Duke, which advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 26th time in program history.

E.C. Matthews led Rhode Island with a game-high 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

ELSEWHERE…

In another notable NCAA Tournament second round score on Saturday, eleventh-seeded Loyola-Chicago continued its impressive showing at the Big Dance after stunning third-seeded Tennessee 63-62.

With Sister Jean watching anxiously from the sidelines, Clayton Custer made a jumper with 3.6 seconds left to guide the Ramblers (30-5) into the Sweet 16.

In other NCAA Tournament second round scores, Kentucky ended the run of 13th-seeded Buffalo 95-75, third-seeded Texas Tech beats sixth-seeded Florida 69-66, fourth-seeded Gonzaga holds off No. 5 seeded Ohio State 90-84, while third-seeded Michigan edged sixth-seeded Houston 64-63.

NCAA Tournament
Second round

March 17

PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh)
(1) Villanova Wildcats 81, (9) Alabama Crimson Tide 58
(2) Duke Blue Devils 87, (7) Rhode Island Rams 62

Intrust Bank Arena (Wichita, Kansas)
(1) Kansas Jayhawks 83, (8) Seton Hall Pirates 79
(3) Michigan Wolverines 64, (6) Houston Cougars 63

American Airlines Center (Dallas)
(11) Loyola-Chicago Ramblers 63, (3) Tennessee Volunteers 62
(3) Texas Tech Red Raiders 69, (6) Florida Gators 66

Taco Bell Arena (Boise, Idaho)
(5) Kentucky Wildcats 95, (13) Buffalo Bulls 75
(4) Gonzaga Bulldogs 90, (5) Ohio State Buckeyes 84

Loyola Chicago mens basketball Twitter Page photo

NCAA Tournament Scores: No. 1 Villanova Beats 9th-seeded Alabama, 81-58

by Leave a Comment


PITTSBURGH — Mikal Bridges hit five 3s on his way to scoring 23 points and No. 1 seed Villanova cruised to an 81-58 win over ninth-seeded Alabama in its NCAA Tournament – March Madness – second-round game on Saturday.

“We sometimes get away with some out-of-control shots, but we know that we don’t really care about offense,” Bridges said.

Donte DiVincenzo connected on five 3-pointers and added 18 points and five assists off the bench for the Wildcats (32-4), who are in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time since winning the national championship in 2016.

Jalen Brunson ended with 12 points and Omari Spellman grabbed a team-high eight rebounds for Villanova, which is now the new favorite to win the national title, following the shocking first-round exit of No. 1 overall seed Virginia, which suffered the historic 20-point loss to 16th-seeded UMBC on Friday night.

“There’s a youthful exuberance with this team that is exciting me,” said Wildcats head coach Jay Wright, who is taking this program to its sixth Sweet 16 under his guidance.

“My good vibes are coming from how this team’s playing, how unselfishly they play,” he added.

DiVincenzo said: “We’re a 1 seed so it was more attention for us.”

He added: “We just had to withstand that first initial hit, and then once we got comfortable out there with each other, we started defending at a higher rate.

“I just think we wore down their men.”

Collin Sexton paced Alabama with 17 points on 7 of 14 shooting, but none of his team-mates managed to score in double figures.

The Crimson Tide (20-16), who shot 4 for 16 from 3-pointers in the game, trailed 32-27 at the break and were outscored 49-31 after halftime.

Villanova returns to the court on Friday in Boston where it will play the winner of the Marshall versus West Virginia second round clash.

Bagley III Leads Duke Into NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 After Beating Rhode Island

by Leave a Comment


PITTSBURGH — Marvin Bagley III flirted with a double-double and led all five Duke starters in double-figure scoring and the second-seeded Blue Devils rolled into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament – March Madness – with an 87-62 thump over the seventh-seeded Rhode Island on Saturday. Complete Box Scores

Bagley, the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and top forward, had 22 points on 8 of 10 shooting to go along with nine rebounds to lead Duke to a second-round victory at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

“After seeing these last couple games, these last few days of basketball, seeing what can happen, we have an idea that this tournament anything can happen,” Bagley said.

“We can’t look ahead. We’ve got to worry about now.”

Gary Trent Jr. finished with 18 points and made four 3-pointers to go with five rebounds, four assists and three steals, while fellow freshman Wendell Carter Jr. added 13 points and six rebounds for the Blue Devils, who were advancing to the Sweet 16 for the 26th time in program history.

Freshman guard Trevon Duval had 11 points and seven assists and senior captain Grayson Allen ended with 10 points for Duke 28-7) which will play either Michigan State or Syracuse in the Midwest Regional semifinals in Omaha, Nebraska on Friday.

Meanwhile, E.C. Matthews led Rhode Island with a game-high 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Jeff Dowtin added 10 points and nine assists and Jared Terrell finished with 10 points for the Rams (26-8), who never really threatened after the halfway mark in the opening half and trailed by as many as by 29 late in the second half.

“They (Duke) played and looked like an NBA team out there,” Rhode Island coach Danny Hurley said.

“They have the inside game, the 3-point game and then the length of that zone was really — it had us — we were just spooked.”

As a team, Rhode Island shot nearly 38 percent from the field on 25 of 63 shooting and went 6 for 19 from 3-pointers.

Duke made 10 of its 21 shots from 3-point range and shot almost 57 percent from the field.

The Blue Devils, who led 45-28 at the break, had 20 assists on 29 made baskets, outrebounded the Rams 36-29 and had a 36-28 advantage in points in the paint.

UCLA v St. Bonaventure: First Four NCAA Tournament Stream, Preview

by Leave a Comment


DAYTON, Ohio — Eleventh seeds UCLA and St. Bonaventure will battle in a First Four NCAA Tournament meeting this Tuesday evening at the University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio, and you can watch live stream coverage of the action.

This clash, which begins at 9:10 p.m. ET, is the second of the two matchups on the schedule for the day, with 16th seeds LIU Brooklyn and Radford taking the court in the earlier game at 6:40 p.m.

**All the games will be broadcast live on either TruTV, CBS, TBS or TNT, and will also be streaming live on March Madness Live.**

The winner of this encounter will take on No. 6 seed Florida in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Thursday.

UCLA (21-11), which has advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 49th time in school history, will be making its 11th appearance in the national tournament in the last 14 seasons.

Steve Alford’s side lost 86-75 to Kentucky in the Sweet 16 last season.

Meanwhile, the Bruins were handed a 78-67 in overtime defeat by then-No. 15 Arizona in the Pac-12 tournament semifinals on Friday night.

St. Bonaventure, in the meantime, had its double-digit winning streak snapped by Davidson in an Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament semifinal clash on Saturday.

Prior the loss over the weekend, Bonnies (25-7) won 13 straight and have won 25-games in a season to matched the school record set by the 1969-70 team, which went to the Final Four.

St. Bonaventure will be making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2012, when it was edged 66-63 by Florida State in the second round of the tournament in Nashville, Ten.

Tuesday night’s battle will be the third meeting between UCLA and St. Bonaventure all-time.

The Bruins have a 2-0 all-time record against the Bonnies in this series – having won the previous two meetings in Dec. 1973 and Dec. 1974.

UCLA eased to a comfortable 111-59 victory over St. Bonaventure on Dec. 22, 1973, and followed that up the very next season with a closer 78-62 win on a neutral-site on Dec. 27, 1974.