Buddy ‘Buckets’ lifts Orange to upset win
Buddy Boeheim carried his father, Jim, to the Hall of Fame coach’s 20th Sweet 16 appearance, scoring 22 of his 25 points after halftime to lead No. 11 seed Syracuse past No. 3 seed West Virginia 75-72 in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Jim Boeheim’s Orange (18-9) got the better of another legend, Bob Huggins, in the second March Madness meeting between coaches with at least 900 Division I victories. Huggins won No. 900 when West Virginia beat Morehead State in the first round on Friday. Boeheim got his 982nd at Huggins’ expense.
Buddy “Buckets” Boeheim erupted in the second half, when he made all but one of his six 3-pointers. He finished 6 of 13 from deep, and he helped put the game away with three late free throws.
While deep tournament runs are nothing new for his dad, it’s the first for Buddy, who was a freshman role player when the Orange lost in the opening round two years ago. Now he’s the Orange’s leading scorer and one of college basketball’s most dangerous shooters. He made two straight 3s just after the break, and his jumper and 3 on consecutive possessions put Syracuse ahead 63-59 with 4:55 left.
The Mountaineers (19-10) last made the Sweet 16 in 2018.
WVU trailed 74-72 with 4 seconds left before Boeheim was fouled at midcourt on an inbounds pass. He made one free throw and missed the second, but Miles McBride traveled after grabbing the rebound.
Razorbacks hold on: Justin Smith had 20 points and played a key role in a final-play defensive stop, helping Arkansas beat Texas Tech 68-66 at Hinkle Fieldhouse, securing the program’s first trip to the Sweet 16 in a quarter-century.
In the final seconds of a tense finish, Smith found himself defending Kyler Edwards beyond the 3-point arc. Edwards drove into the paint with Smith on his hip and missed a layup, with Arkansas guard JD Notae snagging the rebound and sprinting up court to run the final seconds out and send Arkansas’ reserves spilling onto the court to celebrate.
Moments later, coach Eric Musselman ripped off his mask as he ran off the court to yell to the Razorbacks fans behind one basket and repeatedly pump his fist in exuberance.
That’s because the South Region’s No. 3 seed is off to the regional semifinals for the first time since 1996 under famed former coach Nolan Richardson.
Star freshman Moses Moody had 11 of his 15 points after halftime for Arkansas (24-6).
Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 20 points for the sixth-seeded Red Raiders (18-11).
On one side, it’s mighty UCLA. College basketball royalty.
On the other end, it’s tiny Abilene Christian. NCAA novice.
A perfect matchup for March Madness.
Johnny Juzang and UCLA take on Joe Pleasant and Abilene Christian on Monday in an unlikely matchup in the second round of the East Region. The 11th-seeded Bruins (19-9) advanced with a 73-62 win over BYU, and the 14th-seeded Wildcats (24-4) edged No. 3 seed Texas 53-52 in a big surprise Saturday night.
It’s the sixth time there has been an 11 vs. 14 contest since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, the previous one occurring in 2015.
Unlikely matchup: