Thomas lifts Tigers
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Freshman Cameron Thomas scored 27 points, leading eighth-seeded LSU past ninth-seeded St. Bonaventure 76-61 on Saturday.
LSU (19-9) can reach its second straight Sweet 16 if it beats Michigan on Monday.
“We can certainly play better, but I think we’ve played a lot more physical since the Vanderbilt home game,” coach Will Wade said.
NO. 10 MARYLAND 63 NO. 7 CONNECTICUT 54
Eric Ayala scored 23 points and the Terrapins clamped down on defense to snag a victory at West Lafayette, Ind.
The Terrapins held UConn to 32 percent shooting. Maryland’s defense carried the Terps to a game vs. No. 2 Alabama.
NO. 11 UCLA 73, NO. 6 BYU 62 Johnny Juzang poured in 27 points as the Bruins upset the Cougars at Indianapolis.
It was the first win for UCLA in regulation since handling Utah on Feb. 25.
Alex Barcello led the Cougars (20-7) with 20 points, most of them coming as Mark Pope’s team tried to rally from a 38-27 halftime deficit.
NO. 4 FLORIDA ST. 64 NO. 13 NC-GREENSBORO 54
RaiQuan Gray scored 17 points and the Seminoles began what they hope will be another deep NCAA Tournament run under coach Leonard Hamilton after holding off the Spartans at Indianapolis.
The Seminoles, who reached the Elite Eight and the Sweet 16 in the previous two tournaments, allowed the Spartans to hang around deep into the second half thanks to an uneven offensive performance.
FSU will play Colorado in the second round on Monday.
Florida State went 0 for 9 from 3-point range, winning a game without a made 3 for the first time since February 2018.
NO. 5 COLORADO 96 NO. 12 GEORGETOWN 73
Jabari Walker went 5-for-5 from 3-point range en route to a career-high 24 points and the fifthseeded Buffs (23-8) made 16 3-pointers in a rout of the Hoyas.
“We’re a dangerous team. A lot of teams can’t run with us, because there are so many skill sets we have,” Walker said.
NO. 2 ALABAMA 68 NO. 15 IONA 55
Herb Jones scored 20 points to help the Crimson Tide pull away from Iona and coach Rick Pitino at Indianapolis.