The first day of the second round of the NCAA Tournament had some great buzzer beaters. The second day had four that ruined a lot of brackets, and almost mine. I’m hoping all goes to plan for the favorites in the Sweet 16. How is your bracket looking? Below is a recap of the upsets on the second day of the second round of March Madness.
No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 10 Florida State
The first upset of the day was Florida State beating Texas A&M 57-50. Everyone knew it would be a defensive affair. FSU is the nation’s leading field-goal defense and held Texas A&M to 31.4% shooting. The Seminoles were paced by Derwin Kitchen with 15 points and seven rebounds. The Aggies were led by Khris Middleton with 16 points and four assists. FSU star Chris Singleton returned from a broken foot that kept him out of action for a month but struggled with five points and four fouls. FSU plays No. 2 Notre Dame on Sunday at 9:40 p.m. EST in the Southwest Region.
No. 6 Xavier vs. No. 11 Marquette
In the East Region, Marquette upset Xavier with a 66-55 victory. It stopped Xavier’s bid for a fourth straight Sweet 16 appearance. Marquette was led by Darius Johnson Odom with 19 points and Jimmy Butler had 15. Xavier’s top scorer was Andrew Taylor with 16 points. The biggest accomplishment for Marquette was holding Atlantic 10 player of the year Tu Holloway to five points. Marquette has a tough test against No. 3 Syracuse on Sunday at 7:45 p.m. EST.
No. 6 Georgetown vs. No. 11 VCU
VCU likes being the underdog. The Rams beat USC to get in a play-in game to make the field of 64 and they knocked out Georgetown 74-56 with ease in the Southwest Region. They had four players in double figures, led by Brandon Rozzell’s 26 points, and made 12 3-pointers to upset Georgetown. Rozzell tied his career high with six three’s. Georgetown returned point guard Chris Wright but it wasn’t enough as the Hoyas endured their worst loss in the NCAA tournament since 1996. Georgetown’s top scorer was Hollis Thompson with 26 points. It’s the first time VCU has won more than one game in the NCAA Tournament. VCU plays No. 3 Purdue on Sunday at 7:30p.m. EST.
No. 8 UNLV vs. No. 9 Illinois
The last upset of the day was Illinois over UNLV 73-62. Illinois was led by Mike Davis with 22 points and nine rebounds. UNLV’s top scorer was Oscar Bellfield with 14 points. Illinois showed inconsistency going into the NCAA Tournament, losing six of its last 10 games. Meanwhile, UNLV had lost only three of its last 13 games. Illinois put the late-season struggles behind and led by double digits throughout the second half. The Fighting Illini face No. 1 Kansas on Sunday at 8:40 p.m. EST in another meeting between Illinois coaches past and present in the Southwest Region.
NCAA Tournament Third Round Match Odds (provided by Titan Bet)
No. 2 Notre Dame vs. No. 10 Florida State
Notre Dame: 2/5
Florida State: 19/10
Point Spread: Notre Dame -5.5
Over/Under: 134
No. 3 Syracuse vs. No. 11 Marquette
Syracuse: 9/20
Marquette: 17/10
Point Spread: Syracuse -4.5
Over/Under: 140
No. 3 Purdue vs. No. 11 VCU
Purdue: 3/20
VCU: 79/20
Point Spread: Purdue -9
Over/Under: 134
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 9 Illinois
Kansas: 1/5
Illinois: 73/20
Point Spread: Kansas -8.5
Over/Under: 144