UMBC run stops at 1
Kansas St. slays giant killer
The ultimate underdog story is over, but this NCAA tournament will always be remembered for the sweetest No. 16 in college basketball history.
UMBC’s brief, but historic run ended with a 50-43 loss to ninth-seeded Kansas State last night in Charlotte, N.C.
UMBC became the first 16 seed to beat a No. 1, destroying top-ranked Virginia 74-54 on Friday night. After pulling off an all-time sports stunner, the Retrievers ran out of magic against the Wildcats.
“I’m proud of my guys, man,” UMBC senior guard Jourdan Grant. “We made history. Can’t be mad at that. I wouldn’t want to go out with another set of guys, man. I love these guys to the moon and back. This season, we’ll remember it for the rest of our lives.”
As UMBC coach Ryan Odom emptied his bench with 9.4 seconds left, the crowd gave the Retrievers a standing ovation. The players hugged at midcourt. After the game ended, players walked over to the side of the court and gave their fans an appreciative wave.
The dream had ended. Barry Brown led Kansas State with 18 points and Xavier Sneed came up with some huge plays down the stretch, including a monster dunk off an offensive rebound.
The Wildcats (24-11) move on to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2010 when they lost in the Elite Eight to Butler. They will face No. 5 Kentucky on Thursday night.
UMBC had only had two field goals in the final six minutes and shot just 29.8 percent for the game.
UMBC finished 6-of22 from 3-point range two nights after lighting up Virginia. And 9-of-18 from the free throw line.
“This entire week has been amazing up until the last two hours,” UMBC guard Joe Sherburne said. “We connected with people around the world.”
Texas A&M 86, North Carolina 65 — T.J. Starks scored 21 points and the Aggies overpowered the Tar Heels inside, upsetting the reigning national champions in Charlotte, N.C.
Seventh-seeded Texas A&M (22-12) did everything it had to do to hand the Tar Heels a rare loss in a home-state NCAA game. It dominated the glass. It used its size to control the paint and block shots. And it pounced when UNC’s small-ball lineup couldn’t make an outside shot.
Joel Berry II scored 21 points in his final game for the second-seeded Tar Heels (26-11), who were trying to reach their third straight Final Four.
Nevada 75, Cincinnati 73 — Josh Hall converted an offensive rebound for the tiebreaking basket with 9.1 seconds left as the Wolf Pack (28-7) erased a 22-point deficit in the final 11 minutes of a stunning victory over the Bearcats (31-5).
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 for their first NCAA victory since 2007.
Florida St. 75, Xavier 70 — In Nashville, Tenn., Braian Angola scored 16 points and the ninth-seeded Seminoles (22-11) stunned the top-seeded Musketeers (29-6).
Clemson 84, Auburn 53 — In San Diego, Gabe DeVoe scored 22 points and Elijah Thomas had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Clemson (25-9), which closed the first half with a 25-4 run that helped it beat cold-shooting Auburn (26-8) and reach the Midwest Region semifinal.