
The second day of the First Round is here. The first day of the 2021 NCAA Tournament produced many upsets, three overtime games, and more. The fun was all recapped right here on Def Pen. As we get settled into our seats to watch more madness, 16 more games will be played to determine the Second Round matchups. Until 32 teams are left there will be great plays, bad beats, and maybe some buzzer-beaters. So let’s get into the games and spend some time with me.
5 Colorado vs 12 Georgetown
Another dreaded 12/5 game. 12-seeds can be dangerous, but that was not the case in this game. The Georgetown Hoyas did not come out looking like the team they were in the Big East Tournament. In fact, they looked very much like the 13-13 team they are. From the get-go, it seemed like they had forgotten to guard the three-point line. The Buffaloes of Colorado rained down 16/25 attempts from deep. The Buffs had a 47-23 lead at the half.
Finding the fam in the stands after a bucket is a mood ??pic.twitter.com/wgCsuS84nZ
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) March 20, 2021
The Hoyas were held to 39.7% from the field and they only had 12 assists compared to the Buffs 27. From the beginning, Patrick Ewing’s team seemed outmatched. Qudus Wahab had a great game for the Hoyas as he put up 20 points and 12 rebounds for the double-double. Jabari Walker of Colorado along with McKinley Knight IV was too much for Georgetown. The Colorado duo combined for 26 points while Knight dished out 13 assists.
Buffaloes win 96-73.
4 Florida State vs 13 UNC Greensboro
This game was not the most exciting. Both teams lacked offensive power for the majority of the game. There were wayward passes and desperate heaves across the court. But it felt like a March tournament game. It felt every bit like the 13/4 matchup it was. UNC Greensboro has been seen as a potential spoiler team all season. The program has been doing very well under coach Wes Miller. Shooting below 33%, the Spartans didn’t give themselves much of a chance to pull off the upset.
UNCG IS ALL HUSTLE ???@UNCGBasketball | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/F2tjAXHe4K
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 20, 2021
In the end, the Seminoles would pull away without having to ever hit a three-point shot. UNCG shot almost 10 more shots than Florida State and just couldn’t get it done. Isaiah Miller looked great. The senior put up 17 points. Sophomore Keyshaun Langley was able to put up 16 points of his own, but it wasn’t enough. Raiquan Gray led the way for the Seminoles. The forward put up 13 points and pulled down 9 rebounds in the effort.
FSU got away with one in this round. The rest of the 2021 NCAA Tournament might not be so kind. If they bring the same level of lackluster play to the Round of 32, they probably won’t be so lucky to come out on the other side.
Seminoles win 64-54.
3 Kansas vs 14 Eastern Washington
In the first big dramatic game of the day, the Kansas Jayhawks struggled mightily shaking off Eastern Washington. Bill Self might have been seeing visions of Buddy Hield or Ali Farokhmanesh as Jacob and Tanner Groves rained down three after three. The two would combine for over 55 points, 35 coming from Tanner. Those 35 are the second-most by a Big Sky player in tournament history. With every dagger that Kansas tried to plunge into the back of the Eagles, there was a Groves brother to pull it out the next play.
Bucket on one end. Block on the other.
It’s all Tanner Groves right now. pic.twitter.com/SmPVc38wIJ
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 20, 2021
David McCormack had a great game and almost a double-double for the junior. His 22 points and 8 rebounds helped Kansas battle through the adversity. Of course, he wasn’t alone. Marcus Garrett put up 23 points and pulled in 8 rebounds of his own. Both teams hit over 10 threes each and the offensive display was the best of the tournament so far.
The Eagles had the Jayhawks down 46-38 at the half and just couldn’t keep up their defense for 40 minutes. Turnovers ended up being the big discrepancy in the game. The Eagles gave it up 12 times and the Jayhawks were credited with 7 blocks. Favorite game of the 2021 NCAA Tournament up to this point. Just great basketball and effort from both sides of the ball.
Jayhawks win 93-84.
8 LSU vs 9 St Bonaventure
While this game may have been evenly matched, one team executed better than the other. The Bonnies had a really spread-out offensive production. Four Bonnies found themselves in double figures. They played just seven players, with the five starters carrying the bulk of the minutes. Unfortunately, LSU also had a well-balanced offense. They had four players in double figures, with Cameron Thomas leading the way. The thing that stuck out was just how dominating the Tigers were on the glass. Three players had 10 or more rebounds. All three, Aundre Hyatt, Darius Days, and Trendon Watford also had a double-double with 13, 13, and 11 points respectively.
LSU outrebounded St Bonaventure by more than 20. This was a well-played game, with less than 12 combined turnovers between the two teams. In the last part of the second half, Will Wade’s squad was able to pull away.
The Tigers win 76-61.
1 Michigan 16 Texas Southern
This game was never in doubt. Even without Isaiah Livers, the Michigan Wolverines led from the beginning and played as a one seed should. For the most part. Opening up the first half with almost a 20 point lead, Juwan Howard’s team came out and put it to their opponents from the SWAC. Michael Weathers was great for the Tigers. His 24 point performance allowed them to stay in the game as long as they did. They did just about everything right except make enough baskets.
Michigan connected on 9 of their 26 threes and held their opponents to just 1/11. That defense extended to all field goals as the Tigers finished 23/64 (35.9%) compared to the Wolverines 26/54 (48.1%). Michigan had four scorers in double figures led by Mike Smith with 18.
Michigan ends Texas Southern’s tournament run at one game in the First Four. Final score 82-66.
Moving on to the Second Round of Madness!
Smith: 18P, 5A, 4R
Dickinson: 16P, 3B
Brooks: 11P, 6R, 5A, 2S
Johns, Jr: 11P, 2R, 1B, 1S
Wagner: 9P, 9R, 6A#GoBlue ??? pic.twitter.com/IXmzKEdlC3— Michigan Men’s Basketball (@umichbball) March 20, 2021
5 Creighton vs 12 UCSB
Another great game in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. These two teams gave it their all every minute of the game and it was fun to watch. If you missed it, I’m sorry. Creighton has a very consolidated roster and plays their main five the majority of the game. Marcus Zegarowaski had a great effort for the Bluejays. His 17 points and 7 assists led the way for his team. Christian Bishop had a 13 point, 10 rebound double-double as he held down the paint.
Creighton is up at the half!!!!pic.twitter.com/7RSAtjSZ3E
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) March 20, 2021
For the UCSB Gauchos, their roster went a bit deeper. At the end of a very close game, it might have made a difference in keeping them in contention. Four Gauchos scored in double figures led by Miles Norris and Jaquori McLaughlin. Rebounding became a factor as UCSB took a slight advantage and pulled in 14 offensive rebounds. This game truly came down to the wire. If every game ended with this much drama in the 2021 NCAA Tournament that would be great.
Bishop grabbed a rebound with 16 seconds to go and down 62-61. Going in he was shooting 64.2% from the line. He sunk both. 63-62 and UCSB had a timeout, on a botched play they didn’t call a TO and coughed the ball up. It was a good layup from Amadou Sow, but Shereef Mitchell ended up with the board.
Creighton missed a free throw with 1.9 seconds and the Gauchos left a TO on the board. Bluejays win 63-62.
2 Alabama vs 15 Iona
This game had a lot of people thinking that Rick Pitino might outcoach his opponent for the upset. Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide had other ideas. It was fun seeing Pitino on the sideline of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, his Iona Gael faring much better than Richard Pitino’s now ex-Minnesota squad. However, Bama just had too much talent. The effort was astounding and I think that Coach Oats will be thankful for the challenge as they advance. Isaiah Ross and Asante Gist had John Petty Jr and company on the ropes most of the game.
Rick Pitino’s Iona squad is giving Bama all it can handle! ?@IonaGaelsMBB #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/25hXQmBGt1
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 20, 2021
With just a one-point lead going into the half, Alabama came out with more of a focus on defense in the second. Herb Jones led the way scoring 20 points. As a team, they pulled in 10 steals. Pitino and Oats showed each other great respect for one another after the game. A scare for the 2-seed, but a win nonetheless.
Final score 68-55, Bama.
? ROLL TIDE!
Close your ears, @AuburnMBB fans. ?#MarchMadness @AlabamaMBB pic.twitter.com/9qlSHR2oAO
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 20, 2021
6 USC vs 11 Drake
The Drake Bulldogs were the best team in the nation against the spread this season. However, ATS stats don’t mean anything in March. The first half was an offensive back and forth. The Trojans, led by potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Evan Mobley showed out. The Pac-12 has been a bit disrespected in recent years and the Trojans showed they have the talent.
Drake played a strong game, but in the second half could not get buckets to fall. They would finish the game shooting worse than 32% from the field. They connected on 7/21 three-pointers and actually outrebounded their opponents. However, the 17 points and 11 rebounds from Mobley proved too much for the Bulldogs. Isaiah Mobley was able to put up 15 points as well in the game. When it was all said and done, the last minute was filled with USC bench players.
Scary Hours ?
The Mobley brothers are dunking all over Drake #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/SQIypuwKhm
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 20, 2021
Drake just didn’t have answers on offense in the second half, and couldn’t provide the same intensity on defense. Joseph Yesufu, with 26 points finished his career after starring in the First Four game. Drake finished the year with the second-most wins in school history, 26.
Trojans win 72-56.
2 Iowa vs 15 Grand Canyon
Most of the day has been chalky. While there have been scares here and there, there hasn’t been the level of upsets that we saw yesterday. Not even an overtime game. Iowa and Grand Canyon were much of the same. Iowa’s Jordan Bohannon made news this week as #NotNCAAProperty started trending amid players speaking out for NIL rights. Bohannon played a vital role in the game as he has all season being the Hawkeyes third-leading scorer.
Luka Garza cannot be stopped ?@IowaHoops | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/bwtMBNrFMA
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 21, 2021
Iowa’s whole strategy this season for the most part is to run the score up as high as you can and hope the other team can’t do the same. Now that seems silly and sounds like ‘The team who scores the most will win,’ but it’s true. They have the second most efficient offense according to KenPom but rank 52nd in defense.
Luka Garza was great as usual. The Antelopes were able to get four players to score double-digits. Asbjorn Midtgaard had 18 points and 6 rebounds and also has the coolest name in the tournament. Garza had 24 points and 6 rebounds as Iowa shot their way to a victory. Grand Canyon closed the gap towards the end of the game, but it wasn’t as close as the final score says.
Hawkeyes win 86-74.
4 Virginia vs 13 Ohio
Now, this was a classic UVA game. With just under 3:00 to go, the Ohio Bobcats led by two, 49-47. Low scoring and grind it out, that’s what has given UVA so much success over the years. Today they met a familiar foe, offensive issues. Sam Hauser was the first Cavalier to get to 13 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Kihei Clark had good minutes as well. Ohio had a star player in Ben Vander Plas though. His double-digit scoring along with Jason Preston’s rebounding was crucial for Ohio. Preston dished 7 assists as well.
COURT STREET! pic.twitter.com/o7qCWU1K9N
— ? truTV, 7:15 p.m. ? (@OhioMBasketball) March 21, 2021
Ohio has Virginia shook right now ?pic.twitter.com/LT0dWWxx9S
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) March 21, 2021
Virginia shot under 35% for the game and gave up big plays on defense. Including a dagger three from Ben Broderick with 1:05 to go. That shot gave Ohio a seven-point lead and Roderick 15 points. Hauser was fouled with 51.6 seconds to go. After two free throws, it was just a five-point game. UVA chose to start fouling with 43.4 seconds to go and sent the Bobcats to the line.
Ohio was able to pull down over 10 more rebounds than the Cavaliers and it set them apart when it mattered. They were also able to convert just a few more times on offense compared to Tony Bennett’s team. With that said, UVA was able to make it a three-point game with just 13.3 seconds after a crafty steal on the inbound. A quick timeout from Ohio stopped play.
With 7 seconds to go Trey Murphy III put the Cavs within two points after a gutsy three. Lunden McDay secured the ball off the inbound and was fouled by UVA promptly. He sank both free throws in front of his alumni parents.
Bobcats win 62-58, they advance to play Creighton in the Round of 32.
7 UCONN vs 10 Maryland
Although this is a seed upset, I don’t think it should be considered a true upset. UCONN should have been the 10 here in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, but alas. Maryland was led by Eric Ayala with a 23 point performance. The Terrapins had two more players in double figures, Donta Scott and Aaron Wiggins had 12 and 14 respectively. As a team, they hit over 50% of their shots from the field and 9/18 from deep. The Huskies did not have as much success on offense but shot 20 more shots than their opponents.
The Huskies were able to keep it close for so long due to their double-digit rebound advantage. In the end, it wouldn’t be enough to hold off the offensive attack. James Bouknight had a 15 point performance while Tyrese Martin pulled in 11 rebounds. Jalen Gaffney was the only other Huskie in double figures with 12 points.
Terrapins win 63-54.
8 Oklahoma vs 9 Missouri
The Missouri Tigers tried to avenge the SEC’s lackluster performance in the post-season so far. Oklahoma definitely had other plans. The two teams battle back and forth all game. Towards the end, it was a foul fest with each team looking for any advantage. Jeremiah Tilmon was a force as usual. He posted a double-double of points and rebounds. Mark and Dru Smith were also double-figure scorers with 16 and 14 respectively. With 9 three-pointers the Tigers looked sharp at times on offense.
The Sooners had success from multiple players. Austin Reaves led the team with 23 points while Brady Manek and Elijah Harkless followed close behind. Harkless had a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Dru Smith kept his team in the game in the final minute. Hitting two threes in back-to-back possessions from the sideline. With 46 seconds to go the game was 70-67 in favor of Oklahoma.
Dru Smith with B2B threes to bring Mizzou back ?@MizzouHoops | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/jhbggibQ8O
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 21, 2021
After trying to make an in-and-out play to Tilmon and then to Smith, Missouri gets fouled with 2.5 seconds to go. Down three with two FTs to shoot, Drew Buggs hit the first one and missed the second purposefully. Oklahoma ended up with the ball and was fouled with 1.3 seconds to play. Jalen Hill would sink two FTs to get his team to the next round in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Sooners win 72-68.
7 Oregon vs 10 VCU
The first victim of the 2021 NCAA Tournament came via the VCU Rams. The Rams had a positive COVID-19 test that went through the team and caused them to forfeit their First Round game. No one wants to see teams go out of the tournament this way, but it is an unfortunate reality.
The Oregon Ducks move on as the game is a no contest.
1 Gonzaga vs 16 Norfolk State
The No. 1 overall seed didn’t leave much to the imagination on Saturday night. The Norfolk State Spartans couldn’t keep up with the high-scoring Bulldogs. Gonzaga went on to score triple digits. Four players scored in double digits for the Bulldogs while 10 players found themselves on the box score with at least two points.
Norfolk State’s Devante Carter had double-digit points along with Kyonze Chavis, 12 apiece. Plenty of Spartans got in on the action though, which is always good to see in the tournament. These kids worked all year to be in Indianapolis and the more that gets to be apart of that experience the better. Gonzaga hit over 50% of their shots from the field and from deep as well as hitting all but one of their free throws. They finished the game with 27 assists.
Bulldogs win 98-55.
6 BYU vs 11 UCLA
After being a member of the First Four, UCLA looks poised to make a run. Under head coach Mick Cronin, UCLA came in as an 11-seed with not many expectations. Now, after two 20 point performances from Johnny Juzang, they are headed to the Round of 32 in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. BYU put up a good game most of the way, but like many of the games today they ran out of steam.
Transfer Matt Haarms had a double-double for the Cougars with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Alex Barcello had a good game with 20 points and 5 rebounds himself. However, these were in vain as the three-point shots put the Bruins over. UCLA shot 8/19 compared to BYU’s 3/17. After going into the break with an 11 point lead, UCLA held on to win by 11.
Johnny Juzang (27pts) had himself a night ???@UCLAMBB | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/eiQXzf5KRW
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 21, 2021
Juzang put up 27 points. He joins Lew Alcindor and Reggie Miller as the only Bruins to score at least 20 points in their first two career tournament games for UCLA. (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had not changed his name when he achieved this feat. It is common to refer to these records under Alcindor instead of Abdul-Jabbar).
UCLA wins 73-62.
3 Texas vs 14 Abilene Christian
The last game of the night on day two of round one in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The battle of the Texas schools. The small private school versus the large state school, and the beloved team of the lone star state. From the jump, the Wildcats applied their defense that they became known for over the course of the season. KenPom has them ranked 31st in defensive efficiency compared to Texas at 36th. For those who know, this wasn’t necessarily a surprise.
This was a great game to watch. ACU stayed calm and composed during the game. In the last minute and a half, Courtney Ramey took a shoulder to the mouth causing him to leave the game with a bloody lip. Right after, both teams committed quick turnovers to give the ball back over to the Longhorns with just 1:09 left. Texas had over 20 turnovers compared to less than 10 for the Wildcats. It was surprising to see Abilene Christian outrebound the Longhorns how they did with 21 offensive rebounds. Less than a minute to play and the Wildcats led by four, 51-47.
THE FINISH ?@ACU_MBB | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/wjEJrCgNrJ
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 21, 2021
Andrew Jones knocked down two free throws to make it a two-point game, even after being iced with delays as the blood needed to be cleaned off the court. Jones would go on to knock down a huge three to put the Longhorns up by one with 13.8 seconds to go. Longhorns went up 52-51.
Andrew Jones with the go ahead bucket ? pic.twitter.com/voOtMP2xfe
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) March 21, 2021
With 1.2 seconds to go, a foul on a rebound by Matt Coleman would send Joe Pleasant to the free-throw line. Pleasant is only a 59% shooter from the line. He tied it with his first shot. 52-52.
And nailed the second. 53-52 to leave Texas with 1.2 seconds. Pleasant stole the inbounds pass and secured the FIRST NCAA Tournament win in school history for the ACU Wildcats. What an ending to the Round of 64 in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The emotion was wonderful.
ABILENE CHRISTIAN KNOCKS OFF TEXAS FOR THEIR FIRST EVER TOURNAMENT WIN ?pic.twitter.com/agq2OG0vZf
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) March 21, 2021
They win it, 53-52.
ACU PULLS OFF THE UPSET ????(14) Abilene Christian STUNS (3) Texas 53-52 to advance to the Second Round! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/1uUhFo56MG
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 21, 2021