The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WHICH TEAMS ADVANCED IN BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT?
NCAA SCORES, TODAY’S SCHEDULE
EAST REGIONAL
Virginia 76, UNC Wilmington 71 Florida 80, ETSU 65 Villanova 76, Mount St. Mary’s 56 Wisconsin vs. Virginia Tech, late
TODAY
Baylor vs. New Mexico State, 12:40 p.m. SMU vs. Southern Cal, 3:10 p.m. Duke vs. Troy, 7:20 p.m. South Carolina vs. Marquette, 9:50 p.m.
SOUTH REGIONAL
Butler 76, Winthrop 64 Middle Tennessee 81, Minnesota 72
TODAY
Arkansas vs. Seton Hall, 1:30 p.m. North Carolina vs. Texas Southern, 4 p.m. Dayton vs. Wichita State, 7:10 p.m. Cincinnati vs. Kansas State, 7:27 p.m. Kentucky vs. Northern Kentucky, 9:40 p.m. UCLA vs. Kent State, 9:57 p.m.
MIDWEST REGIONAL
Purdue 80, Vermont 70 Iowa State vs. Nevada, late
TODAY
Michigan vs. Oklahoma State, 12:15 p.m. Oregon vs. Iona, 2 p.m. Louisville vs. Jacksonville State, 2:45 p.m. Creighton vs. Rhode Island, 4:30 p.m. Kansas vs. UC Davis, 6:50 p.m. Miami vs. Michigan State, 9:20 p.m.
WEST REGIONAL
Notre Dame 60, Princeton 58 Gonzaga 66, South Dakota State 46 West Virginia 86, Bucknell 80 Xavier 76, Maryland 65 Northwestern 68, Vanderbilt 66 Saint Mary’s 85, VCU 77 Florida State vs. Florida Gulf Coast, late Arizona vs. North Dakota, late
Middle Tennessee took down another Big Ten team in the NCAA Tournament, though the latest victory didn’t really feel like an upset.
The 12th-seeded Blue Raiders stood up to Minnesota’s rugged defense, then blew past the foul-prone Golden Gophers for an 81-72 victory on Thursday in Milwaukee.
Middle Tennessee proved it was no one-year wonder after shocking Michigan State as a No. 15 seed last March.
“We think we belong on a national stage,” coach Kermit Davis said. “I knew we’d play well, and we did so today.”
Reggie Upshaw scored 19 points and Giddy Potts added 15 for the Blue Raiders (31-4), who move on to face fourth-seeded Butler in the second round on Saturday.
No longer a mystery team in March, Middle Tennessee held off the Gophers’ comeback attempt from a 17-point deficit.
Upshaw, a senior captain, responded with seven straight points, including a 3-pointer and a reverse layup during a 7-3 run to help give Middle Tennessee a 10-point lead with 3:40 left.
“I don’t think so at all,” Davis said when asked if he would classify the win as an upset. “We have a lot of respect for Minnesota, but I think our record speaks for itself, and what we’ve done all year long.”
The Blue Raiders set a school record for victories and a Conference USA record with 17 league wins.
A season of redemption came to an end for fifth-seeded Minnesota (24-10), which bounced back from an eight-win season in 201516 to return to the NCAAs.
Amir Coffey had 17 points to lead Minnesota, while Dupree McBrayer added 16.
Butler 76, Winthrop 64:
Fourth-seeded Butler pushed around a team that had designs on following in its bracket-busting footsteps.
With the way Avery Woodson shot from the perimeter in the first half Thursday, the Bulldogs had little to worry about down the stretch against 13th-seeded Winthrop.
Woodson scored 18 points and tied a career high with six 3-pointers in his tourney debut, and the fourth-seeded Bulldogs contained star guard Keon Johnson in a 76-64 win in Milwaukee.
“I liked their attention to detail, for the most part. I liked their ability to share the ball, for the most part,” Butler coach Chris Holtmann said. “I thought we did some good things against a quality team.”
Woodson, a graduate transfer from Memphis, hit five 3s in the first half to help the fourthseeded Bulldogs build a 14-point halftime lead. A 12-2 run in the middle of the second half gave Butler a 60-43 lead with less than eight minutes left and put the game out of reach.
Xavier Cooks had 23 points to lead the Big South champion Eagles (26-7).