2018 NCAA Tournament Round Two Day Two Recap

2018 NCAA Tournament
Tyus Battle #25 of the Syracuse Orange reacts during the second half against the Michigan State Spartans in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at Little Caesars Arena on March 18, 2018, in Detroit, Michigan.
(Source: Elsa/Getty Images)

The 2018 NCAA Tournament has been mind-blowing and full of upsets and highlight plays. Eight spots remained heading into the day and each team was eager to punch it’s ticket to the second weekend; to be a member of the Sweet Sixteen. The 2018 NCAA Tournament did not disappoint in the first weekend.

Butler Comeback Falls Short at the Buzzer Against Purdue

The East Region two seed Purdue came into the game without star center Isaac Haas due to a fractured elbow that he suffered in the first round of the tournament. The 10 seed Butler Bulldogs came into the game with upset on the brain against their in-state rivals. The game featured insane contested threes on both sides and the potential emergence of freshman big man Matt Haarms. Vincent Edwards posted 20 points for Purdue while Kelan Martin posted an outstanding 29 for the Bulldogs. A Bulldog run was promptly cut short courtesy of a three-point dagger by Dakota Mathias. Butler’s half-court buzzer beater to tie did not fall, so Purdue is Sweet Sixteen bound with a 76-73 victory! Three Seed Texas Tech awaits Purdue in the next round.

Syracuse Battles Past Michigan State for Upset Win and Sweet Sixteen Matchup with Duke

The Orange were not supposed to make the tournament, much less win a game. Syracuse was literally the last at-large bid into the tournament this year. The Orange now find themselves staring down a matchup in the Sweet Sixteen against the Duke Blue Devils. Michigan State looked rattled on offense against the mighty Syracuse zone in the final five minutes and it would end up being their downfall. Tyus Battle who led the Orange with 17 points hit a step back to extend the Orange lead to three with 47.6 seconds to go. Jim Boeheim ALWAYS fouls when up three. The strategy worked twice and Syracuse continues the madness by winning 55-53. The Spartans shot just 25.8 percent for the game and had 14 turnovers. A team that wasn’t supposed to make it past TCU has now upset one of the tournament favorites and has another in its sights.

Texas A&M Dominates Defending Champions North Carolina 

The Aggies didn’t quite dominate the game for 40 minutes, but saying they dominated for 36 minutes would be accurate. The Tar Heels shot an abysmal 19.4 percent from the 3 point line and 32.9 percent overall. Texas dominated the rebounding numbers against a North Carolina team that almost never loses the rebounding margin. The game was highlighted by a furious block and full-court pass that set up A&M Robert Williams for the windmill slam. Texas A&M cruised past the defending champions 86-65. TJ Starks and Joel Berry II led their teams with 21 points each. The Aggies will advance to play Michigan in the Sweet Sixteen. The 2018 NCAA Tournament will no longer include North Carolina.

Nevada pulls off a miraculous comeback to defeat Cincinnati 

The Wolfpack of Nevada trailed by 22 points in the second half. Cincinnati was well on its way to advancing to the sweet sixteen. Nevada had other plans. The Wolfpack stormed back into the game with a 16-0 run and didn’t look back. The two seeded Bearcats had no answer for Cody Martin who led all scorers with 25 points and also had a game-high seven assists. The game was quickly tied at 73 with under a minute to go when Cincinnati attempted to go two for one. The Bearcats failed and the Wolfpack was quick to answer on the other end to take a two-point led with nine seconds left. Nevada locked down on defense and did not allow anything close to a good look for Cincinnati. Nevada wins 75-73 when the final buzzer sounded. They advance to play the buzzer-beating Cinderella Loyola-Chicago.

Clemson Dominates Auburn to Earn First Sweet Sixteen Bid Since 1997 

The Clemson Tigers routed the Auburn Tigers 84-53. Clemson began the game firing hot and just didn’t let up against the SEC regular-season champion Auburn Tigers. Gabe DeVoe led the charge for Clemson with 22 points, five assists, and five rebounds. The Tigers are in the Sweet Sixteen again, but face a tall task against the one seed Kansas Jayhawks.

Kansas State ends Cinderella Story UMBC

UMBC made history by downing the University of Virginia in the round of 64. UMBC wanted to continue its Cinderella story by defeating the Kansas State Wildcats but just ran out of gas to end the game. Kansas State’s Barry Brown posted a game-high 18 points and helped seal a victory by guarding round of 64 hero Jairus Lyles. The Retrievers just seemed to start settling for poor jump shots at the end of the game and the Wildcats ended up winning the matchup 50-43. Kansas State will move on to the Sweet Sixteen and face the Kentucky Wildcats who are the best seed left now at five. The historical game was fun, but this 2018 NCAA Tournament Cinderella story has ended.

Florida State Crashes Sweet Sixteen with Win Over One-Seed Xavier  

The Seminoles never gave up despite the Muskateers controlling almost the entire game and leading by 10 points with six minutes to go. Florida State didn’t panic and executed late in the second half to knock off the one seed Xavier Musketeers 75-70. Florida State trailed by 2 in the final minute of the game and a quick three saw them take the lead.  Free throws after Xavier fouls would see the lead stretched to five. Xavier would not score again. The Seminoles were able to hold Trevon Bluiett to a quiet night of eight points on just 25 percent. Braian Angola led Florida State with 16 points on the night. FSU now faces the tall task of beating last year’s runner-ups… Gonzaga.

West Virginia Routs In-State Rival Marshall for Final Spot in Sweet Sixteen 

Jevon Carter exploded for 28 points as the Mountaineers down the Thundering Herd 94-71. The game was very quickly easily in West Virginia’s hands. The Mountaineers find itself in the hardest bracket remaining. They have captured the final spot in the sweet sixteen but now find themselves staring down the Villanova Wildcats. The sweet sixteen is set and the 2018 NCAA Tournament will roll on next weekend.

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