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Well, we’re through the first round and we still don’t have a truly unexpected upset on the board. Kent State hung with UCLA into the second half and Northern Kentucky put its best foot forward vs. Kentucky, but in the en the seeds held, which sets us up for a monster second round and Sweet 16 with all the major players still in play.
Below we have grades for all of Thursday’s winners, rating their performance along with a look ahead to what’s next in the second round.
East Region
66-65 over (6) SMU
USC closed in tremendous fashion, outscoring SMU by nine over the final 11 minutes of the game and getting a stop in the final seconds. The Trojans have become yet another team to make it from Dayton into the Second Round. USC has now won 13 games after trailing by double digits, a fact we should keep in mind when eyeing Sunday’s matchup against Baylor. Picked by few to make the Sweet 16, Andy Enfield’s team looks like one of the best clutch teams in the country right now.
91-73 over (14) New Mexico State
After First Round losses to Georgia State (2015) and Yale (2016), Baylor junior Al Freeman (21 points) came off the bench and had the biggest impact on the game for the Bears in their win. The Aggies smelled upset early, were shooting unusually well and led at halftime, but the Bears blew it open with a 53-point second half, switching its defense along the way and attacking the rim. The weekend has been uncharted territory for most of this group, but if Johnathan Motley can stay out of early foul trouble they’ll stay on track for the Sweet 16.
93-73 over (10) Marquette
Frank Martin just got South Carolina to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since he arrived in Columbia, and on Friday night he succeeded in notching the program’s first NCAA Tournament win in 44 years. All-everything player Sindarious Thornwell, the heartbeat of this team and SEC Player of the Year, led the way with 29 points and 11 rebounds and now the Gamecocks will have the home court advantage against Duke in Greenville on Sunday.
87-65 over (15) Troy
Duke picked up right where they left off in the ACC Tournament, dominating the opposition with prolific offensive performances from the trio of Grayson Allen, Luke Kennard and Jayson Tatum. With Tatum, who became the first Duke freshman since Danny Ferry to record a double-double in the tournament (18 points, 12 rebounds), peaking at the right time it’s hard to imagine anyone stopping Duke before the Elite Eight in New York City.
Midwest Region
100-62 over (16) UC Davis
The unusual one-and-done showing from Kansas in the Big 12 tournament provided plenty of rest for their NCAA Tournament debut, and as UC Davis began to fade in the second half the Jayhawks poured it on in one of the most dominant wins of the day. Josh Jackson scored 17 points on 8-for-12 shooting in his return to action after a one-game suspension, a great sign for the Jayhawks’ title hopes. Frank Mason III can probably get Kansas to the second weekend on his own, but he’ll need help from Jackson and Devonte Graham at their best to get out of the Midwest Region.
78-58 over ( 8) Miami
After a horrendous showing in the first seven minutes of the game, Michigan State played what Tom Izzo estimated to be some of the best basketball he has seen from the Spartans in a “couple years.†A 20-2 run in the first half, fueled by Nick Ward and Miles Bridges, provided enough padding for Michigan State to not only avenge last season’s first round exit but set the stage for a contentious Second Round game against top-seeded Kansas with a Sweet 16 spot on the line.
84-72 over (6) Creighton
Rhode Island is one of the hottest teams in the country and now advancing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998. That team, led by Cuttino Mobley, made it to the Elite Eight and this year’s URI team is playing well enough to think they could make it just as far. All five starters finished in double figures and the Rams did a great job of answering every Creighton run during a wire-to-wire victory, the team’s ninth straight. Rhode Island’s length inside and the play of Hasaan Martin are going to be key factors in whether or not they can continue this run with a win against Oregon on Sunday.
93-77 over (14) Iona
Iona kept pace with some crazy 3-pointers, but Oregon overwhelmed them in the paint. The absence of top shot-blocker Chris Boucher still haunts the team, but as long as Jordan Bell plays at a high level (17 points, 10 rebounds vs. Iona) and Dillon Brooks can provide assistance as a rim protector, the Ducks will be fine. Oregon’s experience shines in easy wins like this, but that flawless offensive execution won’t come quite as easily in the next round.
92-91 over (10) Oklahoma State
The dream run of 2017 continues for Michigan, from a plane crash to a Big Ten conference title and now a win in the best game of the tournament to this point. The best 3-point shooting teams in the country average 11 or 12 made field goals from long range per game, and the Wolverines just dropped 16 (setting a new school record) on Oklahoma State to edge out a one-point win. Derrick Walton Jr. is the leading the way, Michigan’s won six in a row and now the popular Cinderella pick is one win away from making the Sweet 16.
78-63 over (15) Jacksonville State
The Cards got off to a bad start, got dominated by Jacksonville State big man Norbertas Giga and finally used its athleticism and talent advantage to open up the game in the second half. Nothing came easy on offense for Quentin Snider and Donovan Mitchell, as the First Round win showcased Deng Adel’s value in the Card’s potential Final Four run. Sunday’s Second Round matchup with Michigan, a rematch of the 2013 national title game, could be one of the best games of the weekend, and to win it Rick Pitino’s squad will need to play better.
South Region
103-64 over (16) Texas Southern
Very little to complain about for North Carolina, only concern considering the status of Joel Berry and his injured ankle. Like with Ty Lawson in 2009, the Tar Heels are charging ahead in the NCAA Tournament with title hopes and a hobbled point guard. Berry checked back into the game after landing awkwardly and will likely continue to play, but it’s a story to monitor moving forward. Justin Jackson has snapped his recent shooting slump and North Carolina’s front line dominated against Texas Southern, a good sign with Moses Kingsley waiting in the next round.
77-71 over (9) Seton Hall
Friday was a wake-up call for those who doubt the strength and power of Moses Kingsley. The Arkansas senior big man had three nasty blocks against Seton Hall to go with 23 points and six rebounds in a bounce-back performance from his controversial finish in the SEC Tournament, where he was ejected after a flagrant foul on De’Aaron Fox in the final minutes. Kingsley didn’t finish the season matching his Preseason SEC Player of the Year projection, but he’s playing like one of best big men in the tournament right now.
75-61 over (11) Kansas State
Winning games with a strong rebounding edge and solid defensive play is Cincinnati’s thing, but shooting 62.8 percent from the field was a surprise as the Bearcats became the only No. 6 seed to win in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. They were powered by their vets -- Troy Caupain, Gary Clark and Kyle Washington combined for 44 points -- and never let go of a lead established early in the game. Cincinnati is seasoned, ready to scrap and coming off an unusually strong shooting performance, that’s bad news for the UCLA/Kent State winner.
97-80 over (14) Kent State
UCLA never trailed, and never let Kent State get closer than down four points in the second, but there was something left to be desired from the Bruins first appearance in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Lonzo Ball’s hard fall provided a scare but didn’t seem to impact his production (though I’m sure he’s going to be sore tomorrow), and fellow freshman TJ Leaf actually turned in one of his better performances in the last month in the win. Still, there were lapses in focus in the middle of the game against a MAC team that UCLA should have put away much earlier given its talent advantage. It’s hard to pick at a 17-point win, but UCLA could have played better and will need to against Cincinnati on Sunday.
64-58 over (7) Dayton
The much-anticipated meeting of Gregg Marshall and Archie Miller ended up as an absolute rock right, with neither team cracking 40 percent shooting from the field and one of the lowest combined totals of the tournament’s first round. Both teams brought an intense physicality to the game, but Wichita State established its edge on the defensive end in the second half. The energy and effort is there, but the Shockers will need a more consistent offensive performance to have a chance at knocking off Kentucky on Sunday.
79-70 over (15) Northern Kentucky
Kentucky deserves a perfectly fine passing grade for a performance that would have earned a degree but fallen short of the honor roll. The Wildcats held a comfortable double-digit lead through most of the game but didn’t look dominant while Northern Kentucky brought every bit of the effort needed to pull off the upset. Malik Monk missed a lot of open looks and Kentucky was getting beat to a lot of loose balls, but the impact of a healthy De’Aaron Fox pushing the ball and Bam Adebayo (15 points, 18 rebounds) imposing his will down low was enough for the Wildcats. There are a lot of coachable moments on the tape for John Calipari between now and Sunday afternoon’s clash with Wichita State.