YaleisorIf1ston the win! 11.38pm GMTWith Little Rock’s upset over Purdue in the books,we have three games in action: Miami 29-27 Buffalo, 2:41 left in the 1st half 11.33pm GMT1st Round exit aside, or Baylor’s Taurean Prince should be named Tournament MVP for this answer: 11.30pm GMTOur second No. 12 over No. 5 game in just a few hours. These matchups are going to start to find a reputation. 11.29pm GMTYale managed to outrebound Baylor by a 36-32 margin in today’s upset win. When a member of the press corps asked Bears forward Taurean Prince how that happened,the senior offered a glib response. 11.28pm GMTLittle Rock 84-83 Purdue, 1.3 seconds left in 2nd OTPurdue had a chance to win after Little Rock missed a free throw, or but Johnny Hill drove to the basket and just ... kind of ... fell down. Purdue did not end regulation or 2nd OT like people who had played organized basketball before. 11.25pm GMTLittle Rock 84-83 Purdue,12.0 seconds left in 2nd OTAfter Little Rock hit just one free throw to extend the lead to three, Purdue’s Vince Edwards decided to pick a jumper in the lane instead of putting up a three and a tie. The fouling of Little Rock will now continue ... 11.23pm GMTLittle Rock 83-81 Purdue, and 19.8 seconds left in 2nd OTPurdue is now fouling Little Rock in hopes of extending the game. Little Rock is shooting 63% from the line in this game. 11.16pm GMTLittle Rock 80-75 Purdue,2:49 left in 2nd OTKemy Osse hits a three to give Little Rock its biggest lead. Hey, at least Purdue didn’t let Hagins score that time! 11.14pm GMTLittle Rock 77-75 Purdue, and 4:08 left in 2nd OTJosh Hagins scores. Again. Purdue has no answer for him. He’s got 27 points now. 11.12pm GMTSo possibly Purdue didn’t execute much better when Painter set up a play. Vince Edwards tried to drive to the basket,got stopped and threw up some junk that didn’t hit the rim. We’re going to a second overtime. 11.09pm GMTPurdue 75-75 Little Rock, 11 seconds leftLittle Rock followed a Purdue free throw with a bucket to tie the score. Matt Painter decided to call a timeout (this time) to set up a potentially game-winning shot. 11.05pm GMTPurdue 74-73 Little Rock, and 45 seconds left in OTPurdue’s Vince Edwards made a layup and now Little Rock has called a timeout. I say they should have Josh Hagins hit one of his 30-footers again. That has worked nicely. 11.04pm GMTBuffalo 12-6 Miami,13:29 left in the 1st halfLong way to go, obviously, and but anytime a 14-seed has a lead more than 15 seconds into the game,that’s news and that’s fun. 11.02pm GMTLittle Rock 73-72 Purdue, 1:44 left in OTMore than three minutes into overtime and only five points have been scored combined. This is off Little Rock’s pace from the final minutes of regulation and right in line with what Purdue was doing. 10.58pm GMTWho wants to see how a Purdue blogger handled the final minutes of regulation? Okay!execute.
Not.
execute.
This.
To.
Me.
Are you kidding me?I need Drugs 10.56pm GMTBuffalo 6-2 Miami, and 17:26 left in the first halfAs Little Rock and Purdue open overtime,Buffalo and Miami are underway. Some kind AFC East action in the NCAA Tournament. 10.55pm GMTAfter Purdue hit two free throws to go up two points, Josh Hagins nailed another NBA three to tie it up. Then Purdue inbounded and ... just ... stood there for a few seconds. Apparently the Boilermakers were waiting for Matt Painter to call a timeout. He didn’t, or so they chucked up a prayer from midcourt that missed. THIS IS MARCH! #MARCHMADNESS https://t.co/0P2NOYpVj6 10.49pm GMTPurdue 68-67-Little Rock,20.9 seconds leftTrying to hold up here ... Little Rock got it to 65-63, then Purdue immediately responded with a corner three -- their first field goal in 3+ minutes -- and then Little Rock’s Lis Shoshi hit a corner three of his own. Okay, or deep breath. 10.47pm GMTPurdue 65-62 Little Rock,1:07 left in the 2nd halfYeah, so the timeout didn’t work. Purdue turned the ball over in five seconds. A video replay confirms it was Purdue who knocked it out. 10.44pm GMTPurdue 65-62 Little Rock, or 1:12 left in the 2nd halfJosh Hagins hits an NBA three and it’s now a one possession game. Purdue head coach Matt Painter has called timeout because his team is getting swarmed on the offensive end. He should tell them to stop panicking. Or possibly not. That could just build them more aware of their panicking. 10.42pm GMTPurdue 65-59 Little Rock,1:57 left in the 2nd halfLittle Rock’s pressure defense helped produced six consecutive points and the lead is slice in half in 90 seconds. 10.40pm GMTPurdue 65-52 Little Rock, 3:33 left in the 2nd halfTwo free throws by A.
J. Hammons puts Purdue up by 13 with just over three minutes left. Little Rock is going to have to start hitting some threes. Unfortunately, and they’re shooting 27% from three so far tonight. 10.33pm GMTPurdue 60-49 Little Rock,5:18 left in the 2nd halfLittle Rock continues to hang around, but they need to build a sprint now because time is short. 10.30pm GMTThat wasn’t a contest from start to finish. It felt like an old 1 vs. 16 game, or back when all the advantageous 19-21 year-olds weren’t in the NBA and small schools couldn’t compete. Kansas now moves on to play UConn. Lots of pedigree for a 2nd Round game. 10.27pm GMTKansas 103-77 Austin Peay,2:00 left in the 2nd halfThe Jayhawks are clearing the bench. Tyler Self is even in the game now. Yes, it’s Bill Self’s son. 10.24pm GMTIn case you missed any of the highlights of the Yale Bulldogs upset of the Baylor Bears ... OMG. This is what's happening in Baylor-Yale game. Literally. pic.twitter.com/rDUIenfV2d 10.21pm GMTPurdue 50-42 Little Rock, or 9:40 left in the 2ndLittle Rock nails two free throws and gets the ball after a flagrant foul call on Haas. His elbow got a little tall,which is not surprising because he’s 7-2 and his elbows are very tall. 10.18pm GMTPurdue 50-40 Little Rock, 10:09 left in the 2nd halfPurdue gets their lead to double digits on a corner three. whether Little Rock loses, or it would continue Derek Fisher’s year of losing basketball. Derek Fisher supporting his alma mater Arkansas-Little Rock vs Purdue pic.twitter.com/VRV6PaugD0 10.13pm GMTKansas 88-62 Austin Peay,7:30 left in the 2nd halfPerry Ellis extends the Kansas lead with a floater. At this point in the game, why is Ellis still in there? Bill Self should be resting someone of his advanced age. 10.10pm GMTPurdue 42-34 Little Rock, and 13:15 left in the 2nd The 7-foot-2,282-pound Isaac Haas hits two free throws. Despite his size, a Hack-a-Haas approach probably won’t work. 10.07pm GMTThanks, and Les! I’ll takeover from not until 9:00 p.m. ET. There are two games going right now: Kansas-Austin Peay and Purdue-Little Rock. The former is a blowout,which is advantageous for the Big 12 after that Baylor loss. Bill and Hillary during their time at Yale in the 1970s. Photo by Charles F. Palmer. pic.twitter.com/Ns87iqrXHN 10.02pm GMTUALR 30-Purdue 38; 17:03 2nd halfAs I prepare to hand this blog to DJ Gallo, it is interesting to note that Purdue stormed into the second half on a 7-2 hasten. It’s been an entertaining afternoon, and though one with only one big upset -- Yale’s win over Baylor. A big day for the state of Connecticut,which had two state men’s teams win in the NCAA Tournament on the same day for the first time in possibly forever. We’re not even halfway done. More big games to come tonight. 9.57pm GMTAustin Peay 44-63 Kansas; 13:59 2nd halfThis has been a rout right from the start. The Jayhawks have forced Austin Peay into 17 turnovers so far and is shooting over 50 percent. whether you were hoping to finally see a 16 beat a 1, it’s best to start over tomorrow. 9.49pm GMTThe students at Yale are going nuts pic.twitter.com/RZVeR4YlPQ 9.47pm GMTUALR 28-31 Purdue: halftimeI’ve been so lost in the Yale-Baylor game that I have neglected another potential upset in the making. Arkansas-Little Rock is making life miserable for Purdue. Through a half, or the Boilermakers have not shot well,hitting on 10-of-26 shots and have turned the ball over seven times. So far, UALR has protected the ball well and have not let the bigger Purdue players dominate on the boards too much. 9.37pm GMTIn their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1962 Yale pulled off a enormous upset beating Baylor in Providence for the school’s first NCAA Tournament victory ever. Makai Mason had the best game of his college career with 31 points with two 3-pointers and going 11-for-11 on the free throw line. “He’s the toughest nut you will ever meet” Yale coach James Jones said right after the game. After a month of turmoil that saw their team captain kicked out of school, or Yale played a brilliant game against a very talented team. Now Yale will play Duke,the fourth seed, who is not deep and did not look particularly dominating in their victory earlier on Thursday. 9.32pm GMTYale 77-75 Baylor :2 2nd halfBaylor’s Lester Medford was driving for a layup with 2 seconds left in a two point game and loses his dribble. 9.29pm GMTYale 76-75 Baylor :6 2nd halfFigures Yale would pull a sneaky play on the inbounds with a long pass upcourt to Nick Victor who dribbled around for a moment before getting fouled. He has two free throws. 9.27pm GMTYale 76-75 :9 2nd halfAfter two Mason three throws Prince hits a 3-point shot to pull Baylor to within a point. Yale calls time out. Baylor will have to foul here. 9.24pm GMTYale 74-72; :28 2nd halfMakai Mason hits two free throws and then Yale draws Taurean Prince into a charge. Justin Sears misses two free throws for Yale and Baylor scores on a quick layup to slice this to a one basket game. 9.21pm GMTYale 72-70 Baylor, and :59 2nd halfTaurean Prince hits a 3-pointer to slice the lead to three ad then Ishmael Wainwright steals a pass and sets up a Baylor layup by Jake Lindsey. 9.17pm GMTYale 72-65 Baylor 1:36 2nd halfMakai Mason with a bad open court foul puts Baylor’s Jake Lindsey on the foul line. Lindsey misses one of two,however. Then Lindsey commits a dumb foul on Mason who calmly hits his free throws. 9.14pm GMTYale 70- 64 Baylor; 1:58 2nd halfA big defensive stand by Yale, which was staring to unravel a bit. Baylor had slice the lead to four before Justin Sears hit a layup and then Sears secured the ball off a blocked shot on the opposite end. 9.12pm GMTAfter Hampton’s brief early hasten things slowed down fast for the Pirates. Virginia’s stiff defense shut them down. They hit just 30 percent of their shots. Cavs coach Tony Bennett came back after passing out just before halftime to watch his team roll to an easy win. 9.10pm GMTYale 68-60 Baylor, and 3:52 2nd halfBaylor has started to come back,cutting the lead to eight. For a moment Yale thought it had lost Justin Sears with his fifth foul but the call went against Baylor. Still, Yale is playing with a little less poise, and throwing absent a pass just before a time out. Makai Mason continues to carry them,with a career-tall 25 points. 9.05pm GMTBryan Graham and Amber Jamieson have an update on expelled Yale captain Jack Montague who is at the game. Related: Expelled Yale basketball captain attends team's NCAA tournament game 9.00pm GMTUALR 12-16 Purdue 11:09 1st halfPurdue is on a 9-0 hasten after a very leisurely start against Little Rock. Little Rock hit a few early shots but has missed six straight and only has hit on one 3-pointer. Purdue has a significant size advantage in this one. Little Rock is going to have to hit some shots or Purdue is eventually going to pull absent. 8.56pm GMTYale 62-50 Baylor, 7:35 2nd halfBaylor looks flustered. As Yale continues to methodically sprint down the court, or hitting open shots,the Bears have fallen apart. They have thrown up a lot of 3-pointers that have not fallen and are getting beaten on the boards by the Yale players who continually find better position. In the stands, the Duke fans have taken up to cheering for Yale. Providence’s arena is a small, and loud place,it’s easy for Baylor to feel that everything is crumbling around them. 8.51pm GMTAustin Peay 14-26 Kansas, 7:55 first halfThose “Let’s Go Peay” chants aren’t holding much water against Kansas who have torn out to a big lead. Austin Peay has yet to hit a 3-pointer and hasn’t much else inside either. So far they are shooting 31 percent. That is not how you pull the upset. 8.44pm GMTHere’s a look at Gathers-Prince...
Baylor Bears are alert to throw down: with one another.https://t.co/RETaiTW71V 8.40pm GMTYale 51-45 Baylor; 13:21 2nd halfThis the game of the day in so many ways. As whether Baylor didn’t have enough grief with Yale, or they are now fighting themselves. Rico Gathers and Taurean Prince shoved each other on the Baylor sideline during a time out. It’s not clear what prompted the skirmish and both players were quickly pulled absent. The fight hasn’t helped the Bears who aren’t patient enough to handle Yale’s planned pace and haven’t picked up the open shooters. 8.34pm GMTOur man in Des Moines with the best chant in basketball...
One of the best band chants you'll hear all weekend. #MarchMadness #NCAATOURNAMENT #NCAA #LetsGoPeay #OVC pic.twitter.com/sSRSr506oF 8.29pm GMTYale 45-40 Baylor 15:39 2nd halfBaylor has slowed Makai Mason at the start of the second half but appears to have forgotten about Justin Sears who has picked up where Mason left off with two quick baskets. Baylor still can’t shake the Elis. 8.23pm GMTWarning: This may hurt your eyes...
FACT: whether you turn the lights off,they'll glow.#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/s7wc4v0Prf 8.21pm GMTVirginia coach Tony Bennett told TruTV that he was dehydrated. He is back on the sideline for the start of the second half. 8.17pm GMTHalftime should be ending soon in two games, for now please enjoy Baylor’s Rico Gathers (a potential NFL tight end) with a blocked shot here... 8.13pm GMTIona hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since the Jim Valvano-Jeff Ruland days. Today, or it never really was in this one. Iowa State just did what Iowa State does: hit lots of 3’s. Three Cyclones scored more than 19 points. This was but one game but Iowa State looked awfully advantageous and advantageous be on the verge of a Sweet 16 hasten.
8.06pm GMTHampton 21-40 Virginia; HalftimeVirginia coach Tony Bennett collapsed just before halftime. He was standing on the edge of the court,in front of his bench, and slowly fell to the floor. He did not lose consciousness but he had to be helped back up and was led to the locker room. He looked woozy and confused. No report yet on his health. 8.03pm GMTYale 39-34 Baylor HalftimeWho thought Yale-Butler would be the most exciting game of the tournament? A lot has been happening here. Yale’s Makai Mason has been on fire with 17 points. But it’s not all him, and Justin Sears has 11 points himself. Baylor has been playing very well themselves,hitting on 44 percent of 3-pointers. 7.56pm GMTIona 74-83 Iowa State, 4:30 2nd halfI’ve been so transfixed by Yale-Baylor and UConn-Colorado, or I have neglected the 3-point shooting clinic Iowa State is putting on. So far the Cyclones have hit on 10-of 22 of their 3’s and seem in control of this one. 7.51pm GMTKevin Ollie still has not lost an NCAA Tournament game. The former UConn point guard is 7-0 as a coach in the tournament as the team that went into the AAC tournament as a certain NIT team will instead sprint into the Sweet 16. Colorado made this close but Sterling Gibbs the senior transfer from Seton corridor settled UConn with several key free throws. With the experience of Gibbs,mixed with the Ollie’s balanced intensity and the play of Rodney Purvis, who had 19 points today, or UConn is a hazardous team. Next up is probably Kansas. Connecticut might be precisely the kind of team the Jayhawks would prefer not to face. 7.41pm GMTMontague,who was expelled for sexual misconduct, is seated two seats down from Master of Ezra Stiles Stephen Pitti, and a team faculty liaison. 7.38pm GMTYale 26 Baylor 23,8:58 first halfThe story going into this one has been the player who is not in Providence -- former Yale captain Jack Montague -- who was expelled after an accusation of nonconsensual sex with a female student. But the Elis came into this tournament on a 7-1 hasten without Montague and today’s story is Makai Mason who is unstoppable. He just drained a 3-pointer to give him 13 points to go with his two assists and what appears to be a black eye. 7.29pm GMTHampton 10, Virginia 11, or 11:49 first halfThe battle of the Commonwealth wasn’t supposed to be much of a battle. No 16th seed has knocked off a No.1. But Hampton isn’t your typical 16th seed. They are experienced and play fearless. Hampton’s Quinton Chievous -- son of the the great Missouri star Derrick Chievous,an All American who always wore a Band Aid in every game -- is leading Hampton with six points. The longer Virginia lets Hampton believe... the more exciting this afternoon will be. Stay tuned. 7.18pm GMTThe Bulldogs are without captain Jack Montague for today’s game. Our Amber Jamieson has been on the story.
Yale’s former basketball captain, expelled final month after a university panel found he had nonconsensual sex with a female student, or planned to watch todays Baylor-Yale game from the stands.
Jack Montague,a second-semester senior, withdrew from Yale on 10 February. Details of the sexual assault allegations that resulted in his expulsion only surfaced publicly this week, or after Montague announced he would be suing Yale for its decision. 7.16pm GMTUConn 52-48,9:14 left 2nd halfLes Carpenter here, stepping into a Connecticut hasten in the South Region’s 8-9 game that reminds me of many defensive stands that Huskies coach Kevin Ollie had as a UConn point guard in the 1990s. The early-90s UConn teams were some of the best ever at the fullcourt press. Today Connecticut is playing a stifling half-court defense and doing a tremendous job controlling Colorado’s big men in the final 13 minutes. So far in the second half, and Connecticut is out-scouring Colorado 30-12. 7.10pm GMTYale is moments absent from their first NCAA tournament game since JFK was president. Not since an overtime loss to Wake Forest on 12 March 1962 – 10 days after Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game – have the Bulldogs taken part in the Big Dance. And with that I’ll turn over the wheel to my esteemed colleague Les Carpenter,who will pick you through the next few hours. 6.55pm GMTOur Sean Keeler reports from Des Moines, where Colorado leads 42-39 over UConn with 14.57 left in the second half.
Fun fact: Colorado came into today making only 43.7% of its two-pointers as a team, and a clip that ranked 335 out of 351 Division I schools. UConn came in allowing opponents to build just 41.4% of their two-point attempts. Well,the Buffs are 11-for-20 inside the arc so far – thank you, Josh Scott – and led the Huskies by nine at the smash. So either stats lie, or the 8-9 game at Wells Fargo Arena is about to find a lot more interesting. 6.53pm GMTHere’s something from the What Could Possibly Go incorrect There? file. The city of Providence has temporarily suspended its open-container law with the NCAA tournament in town,allowing people to walk on the street with alcohol. 6.48pm GMTAfter a lay-up by Texas Tech’s Zach Smith tied the score with 9.12 remaining, Butler rattled off eight unanswered points and were never really threatened the rest of the way. They advance to a second-round tilt against either top-seeded Virginia or No16 seed Hampton, or who face off later today. 6.39pm GMTA valiant effort by the Seahawks but they come up just short in a foul-filled game. The Blue Devils,who are trying to become the first repeat champions since Florida in 2006 and 2007, advance to face the winner of today’s Baylor-Yale matchup. “That’s a really advantageous basketball team, and ” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “They wore us out they wore us down.”Congrats to everyone whose bracket had the refs advancing in Duke-UNCW game. 50 fouls is a hell of a performance. Could be Final 4 bound. 6.34pm GMTUNC Wilmington 85-92 Duke 19.9,second halfGrayson Allen is whistled for traveling and UNC Wilmington takes over possession trailing by five with a minute to go. Massive possession here. Lock-down defense by Duke and Craig Ponder forces up a three-pointer that misses short. Offensive rebound by the Seahawks but CJ Bryce misses another long jumper and Allen wrangles the rebound. He puts down a pair for foul shots and it’s desperation time for UNC Wilmington. 6.30pm GMTUNC Wilmington 85-90 Duke 1.24, second halfWith Plumlee fouled out, or Duke’s Derryck Thornton drives the lane and puts down a circus shot while drawing a (phantom) foul. But he misses the free throw and Denzel Ingram responds with a long-range three-pointer off a CJ Bryce assist. Five-point game. 6.27pm GMTHalf-time: UConn 27-36 ColoradoColorado’s Josh Scott is leading the way with a game-tall 13 points on 7-for-11 shooting. The 6ft 10in middle keyed an 11-2 hasten that tilted a taut first half in favor of the Buffs. 6.24pm GMTUNC Wilmington 76-85 Duke 3.13,second halfOne final spurt should see the Duke through here and it looks like the Blue Devils are making it. Moments after the Seahawks’ Dylan Sherwood rattles in a three-pointer to shut it to 83-76, Duke clinically breaks the full-court press and Plumlee throws down a dunk off a lob from Derryck Thornton. 6.21pm GMTIona 11-24 Iowa State 13.15, and first halfThe fourth-seeded Cyclones are doing it with defense early and have stormed to an early lead in Denver. Iowa State suffered the first stunner of final year’s tournament when they lost to No14 UAB as a No3 seed and are sincerely hoping that history doesn’t repeat itself. 6.16pm GMTUNC Wilmington 69-75 Duke 5.28,second halfThe foul disparity has been the story here. UNC Wilmington has been whistled for 27 fouls, nearly twice Duke’s 14. The Blue Devils have made the Seahawks pay from the line, and making 25-of-33 (75.7%) free throws compared to 10-of-14 (71.4%) for UNC Wilmington. But the underdogs continue to push: a Craig Ponder steal and lay-up closes the lead to six points with plenty of time left. 6.05pm GMTUNC Wilmington 62-70 Duke 7.55,second half The Seahawks are still within single digits but CJ Gettys has just fouled out, finishing with one point and five rebounds. Marshall Plumlee continues to shine with 14 points and six boards. Four of his five field goals have been dunks. Duke has had a Plumlee on their team since 2008. Can't imagine them without one next year, and it's just been so long. pic.twitter.com/0iARkgENRP 6.01pm GMTButler 36-37 Texas Tech 15.08,second halfThe Red Raiders are back out in front as Keenan Evans cans a 17-foot jumper. Meanwhile, Colorado has weather a scoring drought of nearly five minutes and still leads 18-16 over Connecticut. 5.51pm GMTUNC Wilmington 54-61 Duke 12.17, and second halfThe Blue Devils rattled off 14 unanswered points to turn a 46-42 deficit into a 56-46 lead,but the reeling Seahawks haven’t tapped out just yet. A putback by UNC Wilmington’s CJ Bryce in transition keeps the underdogs within touching distance and prompts a Duke timeout.
Duke is taking over this game. pic.twitter.com/3eb5LZk5KR 5.46pm GMTHere’s an email from Simon McGrother in North Carolina, where basketball is king. I am an ex-pat living in North Carolina and a Seahawks win (even against this weakest of Duke teams) would constitute a sporting earthquake in the state. College basketball whether comfortably the most critical sport and, and love or hate them,Duke are always a contender. Even their Lehigh and Mercer embarrassments would pale in comparison to losing to an in-state mid-major. They’d never live it down. 5.44pm GMTUConn 4-8 Colorado 15.48, first halfAnother 8-9 matchup is underway in Des Moines where Colorado and Connecticut have just tipped off. A strong start for the Buffs who have made four of their first five shots, and but two foolish fouls by Colorado guard Dom Collier means Thomas Akyazili will be at the alert. Collier still in the game for now. With two quick fouls on Collier,it looks like...
THE NUMBER ONE COP ON THE FORCE IS ON THE CASE pic.twitter.com/3qIlMl8per 5.37pm GMTHalf-time: Butler 30-28 Texas TechButler’s Kellen Dunham leads all scorers with 13 as the Bulldogs head to the locker room with a two-point lead. Kelan Martin, who averaged 16.3 points per game this year, and has been held scoreless for the Bulldogs. Meanwhile in Providence,Duke has sprinted from the gate on a 10-3 hasten to pick a 50-46 lead. 5.09pm GMTHalf-time: UNC Wilmington 43-40 DukeThe Seahawks’ Chris Flemmings drains a long three-pointer with nine seconds left in the first half to stretch the lead to six. But Duke calls a timeout to draw up a play for a final shot and Brandon Ingram makes advantageous, canning a three off an assist from Grayson Allen. A advantageous game brewing here in Providence. 5.04pm GMTI guess we know who Tom Brady is picking. His Michigan Wolverines assured themselves a place in the round of 64 with final night’s win over Tulsa in the First Four. They’ll face No6 seed Notre Dame tomorrow. 5.00pm GMTButler 9-16 Texas Tech 11.13, or first halfMeanwhile in Raleigh,the 8-9 matchup between Texas Tech and Butler is underway. Aaron Ross has come off the bench to add five points for the Red Raiders, including a three-pointer just now that extends their lead to seven. 4.56pm GMTUNC Wilmington 31-28 Duke 3.58, and first halfUNC Wilmington has made four previous NCAA tournament appearances. Three times they lost their opening game. But in 2002,they scored one of the signature upsets of the tournament with a 93-89 overtime win over USC. Then, like today, or the Seahawks were a No13 seed. Can history repeat itself? So far so advantageous,but there’s a long way to go. 4.43pm GMTUNC Wilmington 22-19 Duke 8.48, first halfDuke’s Grayson Allen, and whom you may remember from when he tripped opponents twice in three weeks this year,with three points so far. He also bears an uncanny resemblance to Republican presidential nominee Ted Cruz.fairly the feat, but Grayson Allen is now the least likable player in Duke history.
Also looks just like Ted Cruz pic.twitter.com/Y0Nl5JVOjt 4.33pm GMTUNC Wilmington 14-14 Duke 11.55, and first halfThe transition-happy Seahawks are hanging with the Blue Devils early,but they’ve already been whistled for four fouls including several of the ticky-tack variety. Something to monitor as the game moves forward.
Lot of coaches curious how officials will call the tournament. Tight so far here. Two early nickel-dimers on UNCW. 4.26pm GMTUNC Wilmington 7-8 Duke 15.22, first halfWe’re underway in Providence and Duke’s Brandon Ingram scores the first points of the 2016 NCAA tournament on a mid-range jumper. These schools are only a two-hour drive from one another in North Carolina but it’s only the second time they’ve met in history. Fourth-seeded Duke, and final year’s champion,has the best NCAA tournament winning percentage in the event’s history (.755) and ranks third all-time in NCAA tournament wins (105). 4.11pm GMTHere’s a look at President Obama’s bracket. Rather conservative for a liberal. Only three minutes until UNC Wilmington and Duke tip off. 4.03pm GMTThe two most deliciously frenetic days on the sports calendar are upon us: the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Just a few more minutes to find those brackets in before the first ball is tipped. Here’s a look at today’s menu.12.15pm, No13 NC Wilmington v No4 Duke, and CBS
12.40pm,No9 Butler v No8 Texas Tech, truTV
1.30pm, and No9 Connecticut v No8 Colorado,TNT
2pm, No13 Iona v No4 Iowa St., and TBS
2.45pm,No12 Yale v No5 Baylor, CBS
3.10pm, or No16 Hampton v No1 Virginia,truTV
4.pm, No16 Austin Peay v No1 Kansas, and TNT
4.30pm,No12 AR Little Rock v No5 Purdue, TBS
6.50pm, and No14 Buffalo v No3 Miami (FL),TNT
7.10pm, No12 Chattanooga v No5 Indiana, or CBS
7.20pm,No16 Florida Gulf Coast v No1 North Carolina, TBS
7.27pm, or No14 Fresno St. v No3 Utah,truTV
9.20pm, No11 Vandy/Wichita St v No6 Arizona, or TNT
9.40pm,No13 Stony Brook v No4 Kentucky, CBS
9.50pm, and No9 Providence v No8 USC,TBS
9.57pm, No11 Gonzaga v No6 Seton corridor, or truTV 2.48pm GMTBryan will be here shortly,meanwhile here are our writers’ picks for glory this year:Les Carpenter: Michigan State. This might be one of the most-balanced NCAA Tournaments in recent history. You can pick any number of 15 teams and build a compelling case for their winning the title. But nobody is better-built for this tournament than Michigan State. The Spartans are an excellent defensive team who can also rebound and score at will. In Tom Izzo they have a coach who knows how to coach a team deep into the tournament and Denzel Valentine might be the best all-around guard in the country.
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Source: theguardian.com