Alabama survives challenge from Iona, Pitino
INDIANAPOLIS — The rest of Rick Pitino’s designer suits will stay on the hangers, thanks to a blitz of baskets by Alabama that pried open a tight game Saturday and gave the Crimson Tide a 68-55 win over Pitino’s underdogs from Iona.
Herb Jones led Alabama with 20 points, including a steal and layup that highlighted an 11-0 run and gave Alabama breathing room at 54-46 after the teams seesawed with the lead through much of the second half.
But this was never easy for the second-seeded Crimson Tide (25-6).
Everyone knew the coach would come to the NCAA Tournament prepared, and expecting to win. Even though he came in with his highest seeding ever — a 15 — Pitino came to Indy with eight suits and at least a glimmer of hope he might use more than one.
This is the fifth, and maybe most unlikely, program he has brought to the tournament, in large part because the Gaels (12-6) went 50 days without playing a game in midseason due to COVID-19.
But they won their conference tournament as a 9 seed, and Pitino had done this before; his first Final Four trip came with a 6 at Providence.
KANSAS 93, EASTERN WASHINGTON 84
INDIANAPOLIS — David McCormack returned from his COVID-19caused hiatus just in time to rescue No. 3 seed Kansas.
One day after rejoining the Jayhawks in Indianapolis, the bruising big man piled up 22 points and nine rebounds, helping slow-starting Kansas rally from a 10-point second-half deficit and beat No. 14 seed Eastern Washington .
Ochai Agbaji scored 21 points, Marcus Garrett fought foul trouble to add 20 and Dajuan Harris Jr. had 13 for the Jayhawks (21-8), who advanced to play sixth-seeded Southern California or No. 11 seed Drake for a spot in the Sweet 16.
Tanner Groves scored a career-high 35 points and younger brother Jacob Groves had 23 for the Eagles (16-8), whose third trip to the NCAA Tournament ended just as quickly as the first two — though not without putting up a fight.
COLORADO 96, GEORGETOWN 73
INDIANAPOLIS — Chances are, you can fit Colorado’s entire NCAA Tournament history on the back of an old Patrick Ewing jersey. And now Ewing is part of that history, too.
The Buffaloes used an early 3-point barrage to parlay their highest seeding ever at March Madness into a first-round win over one of the biggest names in the game — a thumping of Georgetown, the program Ewing starred for in the 1980s and now coaches.
Led by freshman Jabari Walker’s 5-for-5 shooting clinic from 3-point range, the fifth-seeded Buffs (23-8) made 16 3-pointers and shot 64% from long range.
Walker missed only one of his 10 shots on his way to a career-best 24 points, and D’Shawn Schwartz (18 points) made four of his five 3s in the first half to put Colorado into cruise control. The Buffs made the round of 32 for only the third time since the brackets expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
Georgetown won four games in four days earlier this month to take the Big East Tournament title and make a surprise trip to the NCAA Tournament. But the Hoyas finished 13-13 on the season, three weeks of which was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and they didn’t look like a .500 team at any point Saturday.
CREIGHTON 63, UCSB 62
INDIANAPOLIS — Christian Bishop made both ends of a one-and-one with 16 seconds left to give fifth-seeded Creighton the lead, and the Bluejays hung on to beat 12th-seeded UC Santa Barbara.
Creighton’s turbulent season, which included a one-game suspension for coach Greg McDermott after he made a racially insensitive remark in the locker room, continues Monday in the West Region when the Bluejays (21-8) face either Virginia or Ohio.
Bishop was fouled by Amadou Sow on the floor after grabbing an offensive rebound and went to the line with the Gauchos (22-5) up 62-61.
The junior came into the game making 57% from the line, but dropped in both, barely touching the rim.
The Gauchos (22-5) came right down and put the ball in the hands of their best player, JaQuori McLaughlin. The Big West player of the year split a double-team behind the 3-point line and found Sow in the lane, but the 6-foot-9 junior couldn’t finish at the rim. Shereef Mitchell rebounded the miss for Creighton with 3 seconds left.
FLORIDA STATE 64, UNC GREENSBORO 54
INDIANAPOLIS — Raiquan Gray scored 17 points and No. 4 seed Florida State began what it hopes will be another deep NCAA Tournament run under coach Leonard Hamilton, holding off 13th-seeded UNC Greensboro.
The Seminoles, who reached the Elite Eight and the Sweet 16 in the previous two tournaments, allowed the Spartans to hang around deep into the second half thanks to an uneven offensive performance.
Florida State went 0 for 9 from 3-point range, winning a game without a made 3 for the first time since February 2018. The Seminoles still managed to shoot 50% overall.
The Spartans closed within 51-50 with 4:52 remaining, but Florida State held them scoreless for nearly four minutes after that.
Balsa Koprivica had 13 points and nine rebounds and Anthony Polite added 12 points for the Seminoles, who advanced to play Colorado in the second round on Monday.
MICHIGAN 82, TEXAS SOUTHERN 66
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Juwan Howard got the win in his first NCAA Tournament game since taking over at Michigan, guiding Mike Smith and the top-seeded Wolverines over Texas Southern.
Smith scored 18 points and Hunter Dickinson added 16 as Michigan rolled into the second round without Isaiah Livers, who is out with a foot injury. Eli Brooks and Brandon Johns Jr. had 11 points apiece.
Howard is back in the tournament for the first time since his stellar playing career with Michigan, including back-to-back Final Four appearances in 1992 and 1993. It’s his second season in charge, but the NCAA Tournament was canceled last year because of the pandemic.
Howard and the Wolverines (21-4) had little trouble with the No 16 seed Texas Southern, but the absence of Livers could lead to adversity down the road. Next up is No 8 seed LSU on Monday.
LSU 76, ST. BONAVENTURE 61
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Freshman Cameron Thomas scored 27 points in another impressive performance and his LSU teammates provided the rebounding muscle, leading the eighth-seeded Tigers past ninthseeded St. Bonaventure.
LSU (19-9) can reach its second straight Sweet 16 if it beats either Michigan, the top seed in the Midwest Region, or No. 16 Texas Southern on Monday.
Darius Days and Aundre Hyatt each had 13 points and Trendon Watford had 11. Days and Watford also had 11 rebounds each while Hyatt grabbed 10. The Tigers have won five of six.
Jaren Holmes scored 18 points and Osun Osunniyi had 15 points and nine rebounds for St. Bonaventure (16-5). Jalen Adaway had 11 points in his home state.
VCU WITHDRAWS
INDIANAPOLIS — VCU has been pulled from the NCAA Tournament because of COVID-19 protocols.
The NCAA says the 10th-seeded Rams’ first-round game Saturday against Oregon has been declared a no-contest.
The seventh-seeded Ducks will advance to the second round without playing.