The second day of the 2023 NCAA Tournament is here with some exciting matchups set for today. Def Pen Sports will be providing a live recap of each round with updated scores and info as each game ends. There will be 16 more games today as sixteen more teams look to claim their spot in round two of March Madness!
No. 7 Michigan State: 72 vs No. 10 USC: 62
The first game of the day was a good one and it gave us quite the back-and-forth all game. Michigan State immediately jumped out with a commanding lead, dominating the first ten minutes of the game. They were active defensively and were able to get out in transition. Then much like yesterday’s first game of the day where Maryalnd settled in against West Virginia, USC did the same and was able to battle back from a double-digit deficit to take a lead. The shot-making for both teams went hot and cold and led to a tie game at the half.
Tom Izzo joking about the board he broke ???
Michigan State moves on to the Round of 32! #MarchMadness
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) March 17, 2023
It wasn’t until Tom Izzo snapped a whiteboard and lit into his team that a team was able to pull away. Michigan State used some sloppy USC play and good shotmaking to give themselves some breathing room in the second portion of the second half. A couple of three-pointers on second chance opportunities later and Izzo’s group managed to open up a fourteen-point lead that USC was unable to overcome. Spartans left the door open with some shaky free throw shooting late left the door open for the Trojans but they were unable to take advantage leading to the end of their season.
No. 3 Xavier: 72 vs No. 14 Kennesaw State: 67
March always delivers. The 2023 NCAA Tournament hasn’t been chalked full of upsets quite yet but it’s delivered some great games with high seeds pushing these teams with top five seeds. Kennesaw State was able to take a 13-point lead in the second half, extending the lead they took into the half. They were able to completely control most of the second half before Xavier was able to mount a 14 to 0 run to get themselves back in it.
Xavier and Kennesaw St are going back and forth! #MarchMadness
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) March 17, 2023
Kennesaw State looked rattled and seemed poised to lose this one comfortably before re-focusing and making a few plays to re-take the lead late. The talent of Xavier was able to make more plays down the stretch and their athletic advantage frustrated Kennesaw late and forced them into a few turnovers. Xavier escaped a few potential foul calls at the end to help them seal the deal or they could potentially have made the third team on the two through 4 seed lines to go down in the first round.
No. 4 Baylor: 74 vs No. 13 UC Santa Barbara: 56
This tournament has seen high seeds play unafraid of some of these top teams, especially in the first half. UCSB is no different as they hung step for step with Baylor in the first half and took a one-point lead into halftime. The second half was a different story. The guards that have led Baylor to this point took over. Adam Flagler and LJ Cryer combined for 33 of Baylor’s 74 points with reserve big man Caleb Lohner contributing a surprise 13 points from the bench. Baylor’s defense has been talked about quite a bit this season but that second-half performance will be good enough to take them on a deep run with the trio of guys they have in their backcourt. Guards win in March and Baylor has the best trio in the entire country.
No. 5 St. Mary’s: 63 vs No. 12 VCU: 51
This game was expected to be more of a defensive game and it lived up to that expectation. It was a bit slow, tight, and very low scoring. St. Mary’s seemed to control most of the game with it being played at their pace and never let VCU get away from them in the spurts that VCU played well. This was a favorite upset pick of many and St. Mary’s halted that at the beginning of the second half. St. Mary’s controlled the second half and kept VCU at arm’s distance the whole way through. VCU struggled to score and make shots and the Gaels were able to knock down just enough to secure the win. Neither team lit things up but St. Mary’s is a top ten defense for a reason.
No. 2 Marquette: 78 vs No. 15 Vermont: 61
Marquette had an injury scare with Tyler Kolek going back to the locker room to get his hand checked out in the first half. The Big East Player of the Year was able to return but never quite looked himself. The Golden Eagles were tested but never truly in danger of falling like Arizona yesterday. It was a slow and methodical built lead but they were able to stifle Vermont throughout the night.
Kam Jones has dropped 18 points in a row for Marquette ???
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) March 17, 2023
In Kolek’s absence of excellence, Kam Jones stepped up, at one point scoring 18 straight points for Marquette. He was the main man leading the charge to Marquette pulling away and getting them to the second round. They’ll now face a Michigan State team who should have some confidence after their second-half performance. Monitoring Kolek’s hand will be of interest but if he’s not at 100 percent vs a surging Spartans backcourt it could be tough. The matchup should be fun with two solid coaches matching up and two tough, hard-nosed teams looking to get to the second weekend of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
No. 11 Pittsburgh: 59 vs No. 6 Iowa State: 41
It may not get uglier throughout the remainder of the 2023 NCAA Tournament than this. Iowa State nearly set a record for the fewest points scored in an NCAA Tournament game with the 41 points they scored. Pittsburgh jumped out to a whopping 22 to 2 lead to begin the game. Iowa State was never able to close it to single digits from there. The Cyclones have had a brutal offense throughout the year but this was a new low. Pittsburgh themselves were not great as they failed to break 60 points themselves but as they say in March, it’s all about Surviving and Advancing. Pittsburgh now continues the tradition of an eleven-seed from the First Four upsetting a six-seed. It seems like every year that of them pulls it off. Could a Sweet 16 berth be up next? That’s usually the pattern for those 11th-seeded First Four participants.
No. 6 Creighton: 72 vs No. 11 NC State: 63
It’s been a day of favorites winning comfortably after an initial scare and Creighton continued the trend. NC State took the lead a couple of times in each half but Creighton showed great resiliency and continued to come right back. It was a good showing for a team many believed was not only a top 10 team coming into the year but a team with true Final Four aspirations. NC State had its moments didn’t do enough to string together a good 40 minutes of play. They did have the dunk of the tournament so far in the second half though.
Terquavion Smith THROWS IT DOWN! The Wolfpack are fighting back! #MarchMadness
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) March 17, 2023
This win sets up a very fun offensive matchup between Creighton and Baylor on Sunday. Surprisingly Creighton is the better defensive team in this matchup but both teams are plenty capable offensively and look to shoot from deep. The winner has the bracket opened up a bit for them with Arizona falling yesterday too. They could conceivably find themselves with an easier path to an Elite Eight than previously expected. Lot on the line Sunday.
No. 4 UConn: 87 vs No. 13 Iona: 63
This was arguably the most anticipated game of the tournament. Rick Pitino is back on the big stage looking to pull an upset for a former Big East foe and for a half, it looked like they may just do it. Iona came out firing from three and if UConn hadn’t been answering with threes of their own consistently, doubt like begins to creep in for a program that lost in the first round back-to-back seasons entering this tournament. UConn would hit Iona with a haymaker of possessions and Iona continued to just punch right back. It was the kind of first half that makes March Madness what it is. Throughout the 2023 NCAA Tournament teams have hung around for a half and made things fun but have not been able to finish. Iona fell right in line with that.
Bill Murray is LOVING Adama Sanogo and the UConn Huskies right now! #MarchMadness
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) March 17, 2023
The second half belonged to Adama Sanogo of UConn though and at one point he had scored 22 second half points to Iona’s 24. It was the story of the half and helped Danny Hurley and company break their first-round tournament “curse” and advance to the weekend.
No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson: 63 vs No. 1 Purdue: 58
HISTORY.
Purdue becomes just the second one seed ever to lose to a 16 seed. Five years after Virginia became the first one seed to lose, Purdue now joins them moving 16 seeds to 2-150 all-time. Fairleigh Dickinson from jump street looked unafraid and was in attack mode. They never let Purdue out of reach in the first half and closed strong to take a one-point lead into halftime. Lots of underdogs have taken small leads into the half only to relinquish them in the second half. Fairleigh Dickinson was finally the team to break through and get the job done, completing the upset.
That March Madness feeling!!!! Fairleigh Dickinson is moving on!!!!
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) March 18, 2023
Purdue, the more FDU hung around got progressively tighter. Shooters were passing up shots they’d normally take, and the shots they did take rarely fell for a team that has good shooters. The deeper games go with underdogs hanging around, one and two seeds become unsure of themselves and in real time you could see Purdue had no answers outside Edey’s offensive rebounds. FDU did a great job of limiting Edey down the stretch. With that, history has once again been made and it’s what makes March Madness the greatest sporting event there is.
No. 6 Kentucky: 61 vs No. 11 Providence: 53
A game overshadowed by playing in the same time slot as the game above and both teams are probably lucky for that. The game was a bit of a slog and even when Kentucky went cold, their lead always seemed to maintain because Providence was just as cold. Oscar Tshiebwe was dominant on the glass but struggled from the field. The 2023 NCAA Tournament has had some great games so far but it would be hard to argue this is one of them. Kentucky was able to hold off Providence throughout the game with their defense stifling the Friars throughout. This should help Calipari breathe a bit after a few years of struggles in the tournament including the loss to St. Peter’s last season.
No. 3 Gonzaga: 82 vs No. 14 Grand Canyon: 70
Gonzaga had a fight on their hands through one half. It seems just about every game today has the underdog right in there at halftime and this game was no different. Grand Canyon held the lead for a good amount of the first half before the Zags were able to take a slim four-point lead into halftime.
Drew Timme rejection ????#MarchMadness
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) March 18, 2023
Julian Strawther was excellent, scoring over 20 before halftime and keeping a sluggish Gonzaga team in the game. The second half Grand Canyon just couldn’t keep up as the Zags with better focus and intensity. The Zags did enough to build a comfortable double-digit lead that they were able to hold onto and grind the game down. They got a fairly pedestrian game from Drew Timme for his standards but it was enough to move them a game closer to the second weekend.
No. 5 Miami: 63 vs No. 12 Drake: 56
This game had to be an absolute gut punch for Drake who controlled and led most of this game until the last four to five minutes. They went cold and missed some good looks and had a few dumb errors that allowed Miami to squeak past them and steal the game. Drake scored one point in the final 5:37 of the game, relinquishing an 8-point lead. Drake was up five at the half and extended their lead to eight with a three-pointer with 5:38 left, their last made field goal. Miami was able to finish the game on a 16 to 1 run. This is what makes March Madness so great and cruel at the same time and the 2023 NCAA Tournament has been no stranger to that. Underdogs come so close but can’t finish the job with such razor-thin margins for error. With this Miami, win helped all the five-seeds sweep the 12s, a rarity these days in the tournament.
No. 9 Florida Atlantic: 66 vs No. 8 Memphis: 65
What a way for FAU to get their first NCAA Tournament win in program history. A last-second layup after blowing plenty of chances at the end to take a lead. They were luckily given a chance at redemption with five seconds left and truly made the most of it.
THE GAME WINNER! FAU wins their FIRST EVER NCAA Tournament game!! #MarchMadness
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) March 18, 2023
This game while maybe not the highest scoring or efficient had moments that make March what it is. A classic back-and-forth, eight/nine game affair that truly comes down to a flip of a coin. Florida Atlantic has been such a good team all year and a bit of a media darling. In their first true time on the main stage to possibly go out after one game would have been tough. Their dream season continues on where they’ll get the opportunity to play a 16-seed for the right to make their first-ever Sweet 16.
No. 3 Kansas State: 77 vs No. 14 Montana State: 65
Hard to argue that another three-seed had an easier time than Kansas State. They controlled the game from start to finish and had virtually no issue with Montana State. The other three number three-seeds were either down at half or very close to it. Kansas State had four guys score double-figures including Markquis Nowell who put up 17 points and 14 assists to go with it. Kansas State looked extremely impressive and now set up a date with Kentucky who struggled with a Providence team who was pretty poor themselves. This region is fairly wide open with the loss of Purdue but still pretty stacked in the bottom half.
No. 6 TCU: 72 vs No. 11 Arizona State: 70
The 2023 NCAA Tournament may not have had a ton upset but the games have been pretty spectacular, today’s games in particular. TCU with a pretty incredible comeback late to pip Arizona State near the buzzer.
TCU game winner ???? #MarchMadness
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) March 18, 2023
The Horned Frogs battled with everything they had as the Sun Devils took them to the absolute brink. After a lackluster evening session last night, day two of the first round has more than made up for it. With now two of the last three games being decided by floaters in the final three seconds. The Horned Frogs for all of their efforts, get a date with Gonzaga with a trip to Vegas on the line.
No. 4 Indiana: 71 vs No. 13 Kent State: 60
Trayce Jackson-Davis POSTER TIME! #MarchMadness
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) March 18, 2023
The above video summed up this game. Indiana held a hand to Kent State’s forehead the entire game while Kent State simply ran in place unable to truly make it much of a contest. Indiana cruised into the next round, setting up an interesting matchup with Miami who had to claw their way to the second round. The ease at which Indiana had in their game should make up for whatever rest time Miami has on them. That game will be a bit of a contrast of styles with Indiana more defensively focused while Miami wants to run and gun while putting up lots of threes. With Marcus Sasser for Houston looking hobbled it could open the door for the winner to potentially make their way to the Elite Eight if they can take advantage.
