WINNERS & LOSERS
SECOND ROUND: Elsewhere in the men’s tournament Sunday
■ SOUTH REGION Kansas State 50 UMBC 43 (Charlotte, N.C.)
The party’s over for UMBC. The team that made history for being the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament lost to ninth-seeded Kansas State. Xavier Sneed (8 points) had a couple big buckets late and Barry Brown scored 18 to help the Wildcats hold on for the win and move on to the Sweet 16.
■ WEST REGION Texas A&M 86 North Carolina 65 (Charlotte, N.C.)
T.J. Starks scored 21 points and Texas A&M overpowered North Carolina inside, upsetting the reigning champions to mark the second year in a row a title holder missed the Sweet 16. The Aggies used their size to control the paint and block shots. And they pounced when UNC’s small-ball lineup couldn’t make an outside shot.
■ MIDWEST REGION Syracuse 55 Michigan State 53 (Detroit)
Tyus Battle had 17 points and Oshae Brissett scored 15, lifting 11th-seeded Syracuse to a win against third-seeded Michigan State and into the Sweet 16. Cassius Winston missed an opportunity to win the game for the Spartans with a shot from about 45 feet just before the buzzer. The Spartans didn’t make a basket in the last 5:41.
■ EAST REGION Purdue 76 Butler 73 (Detroit)
Dakota Mathias sank a 3-pointer with 14.2 seconds left, and second-seeded Purdue held off 10th-seeded Butler. Purdue led by as many as 10 points in the second half of this all-Indiana matchup, but Butler cut the deficit to two and had the ball in the final minute. Kelan Martin missed a 3-pointer, and the Boilermakers held on.
Nevada 75 Cincinnati 73 (Nashville, Tenn.)
Josh Hall converted an offensive rebound for the tiebreaking basket with 9.1 seconds left as Nevada erased a 22-point deficit in the final 11 minutes of a stunning victory against Cincinnati. Nevada’s comeback, the second-largest in tournament history, came just two days after the Wolf Pack rallied from 14 points down to beat Texas.
Florida State 75 Xavier 70 (Nashville, Tenn.)
Xavier is the second No. 1 seed to bow out of the NCAA tournament. Florida State moves on to the Sweet 16 where it will face Gonzaga. The Seminoles ended the game with an 18-4 run. They took their first lead of the night at 71-70 with 1:08 left on PJ Savoy’s transition 3. Florida State closed things out by making its free throws.
Clemson 84 Auburn 53 (San Diego)
No. 5 seed Clemson is headed to the regional semifinals for the first time since 1997 after blowing out No. 4 seed Auburn. Gabe DeVoe led Clemson with 22 points, Elijah Thomas had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Marcquise Reed added 16 as Clemson used a huge first half run to cruise past its foe from the SEC.
West Virginia 94 Marshall 71 (San Diego)
Jevon Carter scored 28 points, Esa Ahmad had 10 points and Lamont West came off the bench to add 18 points and 10 rebounds as West Virginia eliminated the Thundering Herd. The Mountaineers’ defensive pressure was just too much for Marshall. West Virginia moves on to face No. 1 seed Villanova in the Sweet 16.