The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NO. 2 SEED OHIO STATE UPSET
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Oral Roberts ousts Buckeyes,
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Oral Roberts welcomed the madness back to March.
The 15th- seeded Golden Eagles pulled off the first major upset of the first NCAA Tournament in two years, holding off second- seeded Big Ten power Ohio State 75- 72 in overtime on Friday.
Oral Roberts got poised, impeccable performances from its two star players, guard Max Abmas and forward Kevin Obanor, to become the ninth 15 seed to win a first- round game and the first since Middle Tennessee shocked Michigan State in 2016. Last year’s tournament was called off because of the pandemic.
Obanor scored seven of Oral Roberts’ 11 points in overtime, including two free throws with 13 seconds left, and finished with 30 points and 11 rebounds. Abmas, the nation’s leading scorer, had 29 points.
Ohio State could have tied it in the closing seconds of overtime, but Duane Washington Jr.’ s open 3- pointer from straight away bounced off the side of the rim, and Oral Roberts celebrated its first tournament win since 1974.
The Golden Eagles ( 17- 10) advanced to play seventh- seeded Florida in the South Region on Sunday.
E. J. Liddell scored 23 points to lead the Buckeyes ( 21- 10). Washington scored 18 but made just 7 of 21 shots.
Oral Roberts scored the game’s first seven points, including a 3- pointer by Abmas from the logo that drew a collective “Ooooh” from the socially distanced crowd.
Florida 75, Virginia Tech 70
INDIANAPOLIS – Florida is heading
to the second round for an eight straight NCAA Tournament appearance – and with arguably its best player on the bench as a de facto assistant coach.
Colin Castleton scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, Tre Mann hit a step- back 3- pointer with 23 seconds left in overtime and the seventh- seeded Gators held off No. 10 seed Virginia Tech 75- 70 in a first- round game on Friday.
Florida was cheered on by Keyontae Johnson, who has supported and inspired his teammates from the bench since his return from a scary medical episode. Johnson collapsed on the court during a game in December and was hospitalized, forcing him to sit out the rest of the season.
Castleton, a transfer from Michigan, was dominant on the inside and Mann showed up with a pair of key 3- pointers late to send the Gators ( 15- 9) into the second round to face Oral Roberts.
Mann hit a 3 with 2: 49 left in regulation, a shot that became huge as Virginia Tech rallied in the closing seconds and forced overtime on Nahiem Alleyne’s 3- pointer with 1.4 seconds left. Mann’s second big 3- pointer gave the Gators a 74- 70 lead and proved enough after Cordell Pemsel’s missed jumper with 10 seconds left.
Alleyne led Virginia Tech ( 15- 7) with 30 points.
Baylor 79, Hartford 55
After Macio Teague and the Baylor Bears got comfortable in the spacious confines of Lucas Oil Stadium, they looked like a team that could be playing there for much higher stakes in a few weeks.
Teague scored 22 point and the topseeded Bears shook off a slow- as- molasses start to roll over No. 16 Hartford.
Baylor ( 23- 2) opened its March Madness run at the same stadium the Final Four will take place in during the first week of April. All this year’s tournament games are being played in quarter- filled venues in Indiana because of the COVID- 19 outbreak.
In front of a crowd of around 6,000 filling the south end of the home of the Indianapolis Colts, the Hawks ( 15- 9) looked like they belonged for a solid stretch to start the game. They D’d up on Baylor’s nation- leading 3- point shooters, grabbed most of the 50- 50 balls and even celebrated a power dunk from 6foot- 9 Hunter Marks to start a mini 4- 0 run that gave them a one- point lead at the 8- minute timeout.
Texas Tech 65, Utah State 53
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Mac Mcclung scored 16 points in his first career NCAA Tournament game and Kyler Edwards added 12 to help sixth- seeded Texas Tech pull away from 11th- seeded Utah State on Friday.
The Red Raiders snapped a twogame losing streak and made new memories in the tournament after their most recent appearance, a loss to Virginia in the 2019 national championship game. Texas Tech ( 18- 10) can reach its third consecutive Sweet 16 with a win over third- seeded Arkansas on Sunday.
Neemias Queta had 11 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, and tied Utah State’s single- game school record with seven blocks. Justin Bean had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Aggies ( 20- 9), who lost their final two games.
Kevin Mccullar had 10 points and seven rebounds for Texas Tech.
Arkansas 85, Colgate 68
INDIANAPOLIS – Justin Smith had 29 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 10 Arkansas shut down high- scoring Colgate to open the NCAA Tournament with an win on Friday.
The 14th- seeded Raiders ( 14- 2) had upset pickers out of their seats early in the South Region opener with a slew of 3- pointers and a 16- 2 run to go up 14. The No. 3 Razorbacks ( 23- 6) restored some bracket order with a 19- 0 run spanning halftime and scored 10 straight points late to pull away.
Arkansas’ defense became the deciding factor.
The Razorbacks, at times, snatched the ball right out of the Raiders’ hands to set up shots in transition, scoring 34 points off Colgate’s 22 turnovers.