The pure madness of March continued into the Round of 32 of the 2018 NCAA Tournament yesterday. After a first round filled with massive upsets, including the first ever 16-over-1 victory ever, the thrill and excitement drilled itself into day one of the NCAA Tournament’s second round.
The day began with three lopsided victories from classic collegiate basketball powerhouses. Villanova ended Alabama’s season of resurgence by a score of 81-58. Star NBA prospect Mikal Bridges led the way with 23 points.
Duke then routed Rhode Island 87-72 behind Marvin Bagley’s 22 points, with every Duke starter scoring in double figures. John Calipari and Kentucky then took care of business against Buffalo behind a brilliant 27 point 6 rebound 6 assists and 2 steal performance from Shake Gilgeous-Alexander.
Following this was when the true madness began.
After defeating Miami on a last second buzzer-beater, Clayton Custer’s game-winning shot with 3 seconds left gave Loyola-Chicago a spot in the Sweet Sixteen with a 63-62 win over Tennessee. This means the 1 seed Virginia, 3 Tennessee, and 4 seed Arizona have all been knocked out from the South Region. Leaving the likes of Cincinnati and Kentucky staring a clear road to the Final Four.
LOYOLA HITS THE GAME-WINNER
LU KEEPS DANCING pic.twitter.com/YjV8oyz4fY
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) March 18, 2018
Kansas was given a run for their money thanks to dominant performances Khadeen Karrington and Angel Delgado of Seton Hall, however, the Jayhawks prevailed 83-79 with Malik Newman scoring 28 points. Zach Norvell Jr. then put up 28 points to lead Gonzaga past Ohio State 90-84.
A true thriller saw Florida miss two potential game-tying three-pointers at the end of the game against Texas Tech in a 69-66 win for the Red Raiders.
TEXAS TECH IS STILL ALIVE!#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/q7XHL60VBH
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) March 18, 2018
Shortly after Jordan Poole hit a buzzer-beating three to end the game against Houston and end the night’s sleight of action in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
