Silva, Oregon State throttle Tennessee
Beavers continue run of upsets, top fifth-seeded Vols
INDIANAPOLIS — Oregon State played up the underdog role all season and now is the latest No. 12 seed to win an opening-round NCAA Tournament game.
Roman Silva scored 16 points as the Beavers took advantage of Tennessee’s icy perimeter shooting Friday to beat the fifth-seeded Volunteers 70-56 in the Midwest Region.
Oregon State (18-12) became the first Pac-10/12 school to win the conference tournament after being picked to finish last. The Beavers are the 51st 12th seed to take down a fifth seed since the NCAA Tournament bracket expanded in 1985.
The 7-foot-1-inch Silva bulled through the Vols (189) for an 8-for-8 night after struggling in the Pac-12 tournament at T-mobile Arena. Oregon State hit seven 3s in the second half to win its first NCAA Tournament game since reaching the 1982 Elite Eight.
Tennessee, picked to win the Southeastern Conference, missed 21 of 26 3-point tries while shooting 33 percent. Keon Johnson had 14 points to lead the Vols, who trailed 33-19 at halftime.
■ Syracuse 78, San Diego State 62: At Indianapolis, Buddy Boeheim hit seven 3-pointers and totaled 30 points for the 11th-seeded Orange (17-9), who held the sixth-seeded Aztecs (23-5) without a field goal for nearly a quarter of the game.
Jordan Schakel and Matt Mitchell each scored 17 points for SDSU, which missed 17 of 20 first-half 3-point tries and was blanked over the final 9:17 before intermission.
■ Oklahoma State 69, Liberty 60: At Indianapolis, Avery Anderson III had 21 points for the fourth-seeded Cowboys (21-8), who halted a 12-game win streak by the 13th-seeded Flames (23-6) in their first NCAA Tournament win since 2009. Cade Cunningham scored nine of his 15 points in the final minutes for Oklahoma State.
■ Rutgers 60, Clemson 56: At Indianapolis, Geo Baker hit the decisive layup with 10 seconds left and totaled 13 points for the 10th-seeded Scarlet Knights (16-11) in their first NCAA Tournament win since 1983. Aamir Sims led the seventh-seeded Tigers (16-8) with 15 points.
■ Loyola-chicago 71, Georgia Tech 60: At Indianapolis, Lucas Williamson had 21 points for the eighth-seeded Ramblers (254), who shot 47 percent while making 11 of 27 3-point tries. The ninth-seeded Yellow Jackets (17-9) were without Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year Moses Wright (positive COVID-19 test). Jordan Usher had 15 points for Georgia Tech, which bolted to a 15-4 lead and was up 30-25 at halftime.
■ Illinois 78, Drexel 49:
At Indianapolis, Kofi Cockburn had 18 points for the top-seeded Illini (23-6), who held the 16th-seeded Dragons (12-8) to 31-percent shooting, including 22 percent in the first half. Ayo Dosunmu had 17 points for Illinois in its first game as a top seed in 16 years.
■ Houston 87, Cleveland State 56: At Bloomington, Ind., Quentin Grimes had 18 points for the second-seeded Cougars (25-3), who lost starting guard Dejon Jarreau in the opening minute with a right hip injury. The 15th-seeded Vikings (19-9) missed 14 of 19 second-half shots. Houston coach Kelvin Sampson tied UCLA icon John Wooden on the career victories list with his 664th, which ranks 38th in history.
■ West Virginia 84, Morehead State 67: At Indianapolis, Miles Mcbride had 30 points on 11-for-17 shooting for the third-seeded Mountaineers (19-9), who gave coach Bob Huggins his 900th victory. The 14th-seeded Eagles (23-8) shot 52 percent while making 10 of 19 3-point tries but committed 18 turnovers that led to 24 West Virginia points. SOUTH REGION
■ North Texas 78, Purdue 69, OT: At Indianapolis, Javion Hamlet had 24 points for the 13th-seeded Mean Green (18-9), who scored the first 11 points of overtime in their first NCAA Tournament win. Jaden Ivey had 26 points for the fourth-seeded Boilermakers (17-10). Hamlet made all eight of his free throws and had 11 rebounds and five assists. Thomas Bell added 16 points for North Texas.
■ Baylor 79, Hartford 55: At Indianapolis, Macio Teague had 22 points for the top-seeded Bears (23-2), who trailed by one at the eight-minute timeout. The 16th-seeded Hawks (15-9) trailed by 29 in the second half, and their five-game win streak ended. Baylor, which shot 41.8 percent on 3-pointers
during the season, hit 33 percent.
■ Florida 75, Virginia Tech 70, OT: At Indianapolis, Colin Castleton had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Gators (15-9), who trailed by 10 in the first half and by eight with 15 minutes left in regulation. Nahiem Alleyne scored 30 points for the 10th-seeded Hokies (15-7), including their final 12 in regulation. Tre Mann hit a step-back 3-pointer with 23 seconds left in overtime to put Florida ahead to stay and totaled 14 points.
■ Wisconsin 85, North Carolina 62: At West Lafayette, Ind., Brad Davison had 29 points for the ninth-seeded Badgers (18-12), who shot 51 percent. Tar Heels coach Roy Williams fell to 29-1 in opening-round NCAA Tournament games. Eighth-seeded UNC (18-11) entered on a three-game win streak. D’mitrik Trice had 21 points for Wisconsin, which hit 13 of 27 3-point tries while improving to 5-42 at Mackey Arena.
■ Texas Tech 65, Utah State 53: At Bloomington, Ind., Mac Mcclung had 16 points for the sixth-seeded Red Raiders (18-10), who halted a two-game skid. Neemias Queta had 11 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and a program-record seven blocks for the 11th-seeded Aggies (20-9). Terrence Shannon Jr. scored eight of his 10 points during a 13-0 run early in the second half that put Texas Tech up 38-31.
■ Arkansas 85, Colgate 68: At Indianapolis, Justin Smith had 29 points and 13 rebounds for the third-seeded Razorbacks (23-6), who scored 34 points off 22 turnovers by the 14th-seeded Raiders (14-2). Colgate went up 33-19 with a 16-2 run before Arkansas went on a 17-0 spurt to go up 36-33 at halftime.
■ Villanova 73, Winthrop 63: At Indianapolis, Jeremiah Robinson-earl had 22 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three blocks for the fifth-seeded Wildcats (17-6), who had lost two straight.
The 12th-seeded Eagles (23-2) remained winless in the NCAA Tournament since 2007.