2 months ago
Iowa State guardant Joshua Jefferson sprained his near ankle successful nan opening minutes of nan second-seeded Cyclones’ 108-74 rout of No 15 seed Tennessee State connected Friday, leaving nan All-American’s position successful mobility for nan remainder of nan NCAA Tournament.
The Cyclones’ second-leading scorer and apical rebounder did not look to beryllium touched arsenic he drove nan lane for an unfastened layup. But his full 240lb assemblage came down connected his near ankle arsenic it turned beneath him, and Jefferson instantly dropped to nan level successful beforehand of nan Iowa State chair arsenic a hush came complete a crowd filled pinch Cyclones fans.
X-rays were negative, Cyclones coach TJ Otzelberger said, and Jefferson watched nan 2nd half of nan crippled successful a boot.
“We’ll proceed to reevaluate complete nan adjacent time aliases 2 and conscionable spot wherever things are connected Sunday,” Otzelberger said.
That’s erstwhile nan Cyclones play seventh-seeded Kentucky, which hit No 10 seed Santa Clara successful an overtime thriller earlier Friday.
“It’s a next-man-up [mentality],” Iowa State defender Dominick Nelson said. “It sucks. He’s 1 of our champion players. But we person to person nan adjacent man up. We each put successful nan activity each day. We each spot each other. We each spot what each different does day-in and day-out.”
The 6ft 9in Jefferson, who was averaging 16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists, was a second-team AP All-American this season, missing retired connected nan first squad by a azygous constituent successful voting. And he was ascendant passim nan Big 12 Tournament past week, helping Iowa State hit Arizona State and Texas Tech earlier losing connected a buzzer-beater to eventual champion Arizona.
The Cyclones were hoping he could proceed to beryllium nan catalyst for a programme that hasn’t been to nan Final Four since 1944.
He whitethorn still get that chance. But it mightiness return beating nan Wildcats without him connected Sunday.
No 7 Kentucky 89, No 10 Santa Clara 84 (OT)
Santa Clara thought they had knocked Kentucky retired of nan NCAA Tournament erstwhile freshman Allen Graves answered a tying handbasket by Wildcats prima Otega Oweh pinch a three-pointer successful beforehand of his ain chair pinch 2.4 seconds near successful regulation.
The problem for nan Broncos: There were still 2.4 seconds near successful regulation.
As coach Herb Sendek tried to telephone timeout, Kentucky quickly sewage nan shot into nan hands of Oweh, who raced crossed nan midcourt statement and heaved up a three-pointer, which banked done nan bucket to necktie nan crippled astatine 73-all. The buzzer sounded erstwhile nan shot was successful midair.
The benignant of changeable that puts nan madness into March Madness didn’t precisely extremity Santa Clara’s postseason hopes — that didn’t travel until Kentucky scored 8 consecutive points successful OT to propulsion away. But nan series of shots successful those chaotic past fewer seconds of regularisation will beryllium remembered overmuch longer than nan 89-84 last people Friday, which sent nan No 7 seed Wildcats into a matchup pinch No 2 seed Iowa State successful nan Midwest Region.
“You know,” Sendek said afterward, “it was a really euphoric precocious followed by a reliable 1 to swallow.”
The No 10 seed Broncos surely gave everything they had – everything built up complete nan 30 years since Steve Nash past led them to nan NCAA Tournament – successful trying to sound disconnected 1 of assemblage basketball’s bluebloods wrong nan packed Enterprise Center.
The crippled was tied 12 times. The lead changed hands 20 times. Santa Clara led by 2 astatine halftime arsenic nan West Coast Tournament runner-up went toe-to-toe pinch Kentucky, which was making its record-extending 63rd NCAA Tournament appearance.
Yet nan first 59 minutes simply group nan shape for nan melodramatic conclusion.
No 3 Virginia 82, No 14 Wright State 73
Jacari White deed six three-pointers and scored 26 points, and Virginia avoided yet different early NCAA Tournament exit, beating a resolute Wright State successful nan first round.
The Cavaliers (30-5) will look sixth-seeded Tennessee successful nan 2nd information successful nan Midwest Region connected Sunday.
Virginia won their first NCAA Tournament crippled since they won nan 2019 nationalist title.
The Cavaliers mislaid successful nan first information aliases nan First Four successful 2021, 2023 and 2024, and title-winning coach Tony Bennett abruptly retired earlier past season. Ryan Odom took complete this play and quickly turned nan programme around.
Odom knows each astir Virginia upsets successful nan tournament. He coached UMBC successful 2018 erstwhile they were nan first No. 16 seed to sound disconnected a No. 1 — yes, Virginia.
Wright State (24-11), a No 14 seed, were 18-and-a-half-point underdogs but ne'er looked retired of measurement arsenic it tried to propulsion disconnected nan shocker.
Michael Imariagbe scored 19 points and kept dream live for that uncommon 14 seed triumph – location person been nary successful nan tourney since 2024 – pinch a precocious 3 that pulled nan Raiders wrong 78-73. White responded pinch a bucket that yet put to remainder immoderate thought of an early thrust backmost location for nan Cavaliers.
No 4 Alabama 90, No 13 Hofstra 70
Labaron Philon Jr scored 29 points and Alabama rallied from an early double-digit shortage to hit Hofstra successful a first-round crippled successful nan Midwest Region of nan NCAA Tournament.
The Crimson Tide (24-9) precocious to a second-round matchup against fifth-seeded Texas Tech (23-10), a 20-point victor complete 12th-seeded Akron successful nan earlier first-round crippled astatine Benchmark International Arena.
Alabama ended nan opening half connected a 19-7 tally to swipe retired a 10-point deficit, past built its ain lead to 13 earlier Hofstra (24-11) mounted 1 past push for a imaginable upset.
Freshman Preston Edmead had 24 points for nan Pride, and his handbasket pulled nan Pride wrong 67-62 pinch conscionable complete 7 minutes remaining. Victory Onuetu’s dunk trimmed Alabama’s lead to 69-64 and ignited overmuch of a crowd of 17,769 that threw its support down nan underdogs.
Philon was simply excessively overmuch down nan stretch, though, delivering a layup and a agelong three-pointer during a surge that enabled Alabama to rebuild nan lead to double digits. Taylor Bol Bowen put an exclamation constituent connected nan Crimson Tide consequence pinch 2 dunks and a three-pointer arsenic nan lead ballooned to 20.
No 5 Texas Tech 91, No 12 Akron 71
Jaylen Petty scored 24 points, Christian Anderson added 18 and Texas Tech hit Akron successful nan first information of nan NCAA Tournament.
The Red Raiders (23-10) will look fourth-seeded Alabama successful nan 2nd information successful nan Midwest Region connected Sunday.
Playing without All-America defender JT Toppin, who tore nan ACL successful his correct knee past month, Texas Tech sewage double-figure scoring from 5 players.
Josiah Moseley had 16 points, Donovan Atwell scored 15 and LeJuan Watts added 14.
Amani Lyles led Akron pinch 26 points and Shammah Scott had 20.
Akron (29-6) became first squad to triumph nan Mid-American Conference Tournament 3 consecutive years. But nan Zips again grounded to scope nan 2nd information successful their eighth March Madness appearance.
Petty and Atwell opened nan 2nd half pinch consecutive 3-pointers to springiness Texas Tech an 11-point lead.
Akron sewage wrong 64-60 midway done 2nd aft Eric Mahaffey scored connected a layup and made a free propulsion to complete a three-point play. But nan Zips couldn’t get immoderate closer.
No 1 Arizona 92, No 16 LIU Post 58
Brayden Burries deed 4 three-pointers while scoring 18 points, Koa Peat added 15 points and top-seeded Arizona opened their NCAA Tournament tally pinch a complete Long Island connected Friday.
Ivan Kharchenkov had 14 points and 10 rebounds for nan Big 12 regular-season and tourney champion Wildcats (33-2), who quickly showed why they’re nan tournament’s 2nd wide seed down Duke.
Pushing nan gait connected discourtesy and stifling nan Sharks pinch defense, Arizona went up by double digits successful nan opening minutes and led nan Sharks by 27 successful nan first half while delighting nan thousands of fans who filled Viejas Arena pinch red.
Arizona will return Sunday to look Utah State successful nan West Region bracket.
