Upsets: Nevada rally stuns Cincinnati

KNOXVILLE, TENN.— Josh Hall converted an offensive rebound for the tie-breaking basket with 9.1 seconds left as Nevada erased a 22-point deficit in the final 11 minutes of a stunning 75-73 victory over Cincinnati in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

Nevada’s stirring comeback — the second-largest in tournament history — came just two days after the seventh-seeded Wolf Pack rallied from 14 points down to beat Texas 87-83 for its first NCAA victory since 2007.

The Wolf Pack (28-7) move on to an all-upstart South Region semifinal matchup with 11thseeded Loyola-Chicago (30-5) on Thursday night.

“Nothing feels better than this,” Nevada coach Eric Musselman said. “Nothing. Sweet 16!”

Cincinnati, the No. 2 seed, never trailed until Hall’s tiebreaking basket but watched its lead disintegrate as it failed to make a basket in the final 5:45.

With the game tied in the closing seconds, Hall got a rebound off a missed shot by Cody Martin. Hall made a move in the paint and then hit the winning basket. No. 7 Texas A&M 86, No. 2 North Carolina 65: Reigning national champion North Carolina sputtered to the worst NCAA Tournament loss of Roy Williams’ career on Sunday night, overpowered in its home state.

It’s the second straight year the titleholder has been bounced from March Madness before the Sweet 16.

T.J. Starks scored 21 points and the No. 7 seed Aggies (22-12) manhandled the second-seeded Tar Heels. They dominated the glass.

They used their size to control the paint and block shots. And they pounced when UNC’s small-ball lineup couldn’t make an outside shot.

Robert Williams finished with 13 rebounds, helping the Aggies take a 50-36 edge while shooting 52 per cent — including 10 of 24 from three-point range.