Villanova starts off with a blowout
The fear naturally seeps into the thinking of players on top-seeded teams in the NCAA tournament. Could we be the ones that finally lose to a team seeded 16th?
“I can’t say it doesn’t cross our mind at all,” Big East Conference player of the year Jalen Brunson said.
But the answer from Villanova was an emphatic one: not a chance.
Brunson scored 16 points and the top-seeded Wildcats made 14 three-point shots Thursday night in an 87-61 rout of Radford in an opening-round game at Pittsburgh.
The Highlanders (23-13) posed no threat at becoming the first 16th-seeded team to knock off a No. 1.
Villanova (31-4) played to near-perfection for the first 30 minutes and nearly everyone played a role. Mikal Bridges scored 13 points, Eric Paschall scored 11 and Omari Spellman had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Villanova’s lead was 69-37 with 11:45 to play and the Wildcats had made 75% of their shots overall and 60% from three-point range.
Villanova coach Jay Wright was a bit wary of what could happen when he watched Penn give No. 1seeded Kansas a brief scare earlier in the day.
“We’re watching Penn, because my daughter goes to Penn,” Wright said. “My wife’s rooting like crazy for Penn. I saidY,o`u’re rooting for Penn. If that happens, my boy, [Kansas coach] Bill Self, will be dying.’ But you do, you think about it. What you have to do when you’re the 1 [seeded team] is do everything to fight off that distraction.”
Alabama 86, Virginia Tech 83: Collin Sexton scored 21 of his team-high 24 points after halftime at Pittsburgh to lead the ninthseeded Crimson Tide to their first NCAA tournament victory since 2006.
John Petty kept Alabama (20-15) in it while Sexton struggled during a sluggish opening half and finished with 20 points, making six of eight three-point shots. Sexton found a rhythm in the second half, including a handful of big shots over the final five minutes to give the Tide a bit of breathing room in a game that featured 10 lead changes, with no team ever ahead by more than seven points.
Alabama made 61% of its shots in the second half.
But Justin Robinson and eighth-seeded Virginia Tech (21-12) kept coming.
Robinson finished with 19 points but was called for an offensive foul with 48 seconds remaining and Virginia Tech down 78-74.
Hokies coach Buzz Williams earned a technical foul after throwing paper onto the court in frustration.
Texas Tech 70, Stephen F. Austin 60: Keenan Evans scored 19 of his 23 points after halftime and the thirdseeded Red Raiders surged late at Dallas, ending the game on a 13-2 run. Evans drove for a layup with 3:58 remaining, putting Texas Tech (25-9) ahead to stay.
Evans scored only four points in the first half, all on free throws while missing all four of his shots from the field. But he also ignited the highlight play of the game, chasing down an offensive rebound past midcourt and throwing an alley-oop pass to 6-foot-5 freshman Zhaire Smith, who made a 360-degree spin in the air while completing the dunk.
SFA (28-7) led by eight points early in the second half as the Southland Conference tournament champion attempted to take down a Big 12 opponent in an NCAA opener for the second time in three seasons.
The Lumberjacks defeated West Virginia in their last tournament appearance two years ago before losing to Notre Dame.
Florida 77, St. Bonaventure 62: Egor Koulechov scored 20 points at Dallas and the sixth-seeded Gators ended the 11th-seeded Bonnies’ postseason run two days after they defeated UCLA for their first NCAA tournament victory in 48 years.
Jalen Hudson scored 16 points and Chris Chiozza had 11 assists for Florida. The Gators (21-12) have made it to the Elite Eight the last five times they’ve been in the tournament.
A whirlwind week finally caught up with St. Bonaventure.
The Bonnies (26-8) made only 35% of their shots.