MARCH MADNESS REIGNS

FROM NCAA TO CCAA TO HIGH SCHOOL PROVINCIALS

Busy day locally with Kodiaks at nationals while south hosts 4A provincials

Trevon Bluiett scored 21 points and Sean O’Mara had 18 to help No. 11 seed Xavier upset sixth-seeded Maryland 76-65 during the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night. The Musketeers move on in the West region, marking the third straight year they have advanced to the second round. Maryland, which has started three freshmen for much the season, lost in the first round for the first time since 1997.

After a slow start, Bluiett came through with 18 second-half points to help the Musketeers rally from an early six-point deficit. Bluiett converted seven field goals, including five three-pointers to energize Xavier.

Freshman Kevin Huerter led the Terps with 19 points while star guard Melo Trimble had 13 points, but made only one-third of his shots.

Xavier took control midway through the second half as Maryland went scoreless for nearly five minutes while Xavier pushed its lead to 61-50 with 9:03 left. Bluiett hit three 3-pointers during the 14-0 run.

GONZAGA 66 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 46

In a tournament made famous by the notion that anything can happen, one thing still has not: In 129 tries, no 16 seed has ever beaten a 1.

Oh, but South Dakota State sure did make it interesting for a while Thursday.

The Jackrabbits of the Summit League gnawed away at Gonzaga for the better part of 35 minutes before the Zags started looking like the No. 1 seed they are and pulled away for a 66-46 victory in the West region.

Jordan Mathews scored 16 points to lead the Bulldogs (33-1). No. 1 seeds are now 129-0 vs. 16s since the bracket was expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

The Jackrabbits (18-17) weren’t your typical 16. They came in with nine wins in their last 11 games. They beat Gonzaga to every loose ball at the start and led for the first 17 minutes, then kept it interesting deep into the second half.

PERDUE 80 VERMONT 70

Vincent Edwards scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half, and Purdue held off Vermont 8070 on Thursday night for its first victory in the NCAA Tournament in five years.

Caleb Swanigan added 16 points, 14 rebounds and four assists for the fourth-seeded Boilermakers (26-7), who were upset by Arkansas-Little Rock in double-overtime in the first round of last year’s tournament. Dakota Mathias made three 3-pointers and finished with 13 points.

Next up for Purdue is a second-round game against the winner of Nevada-Iowa State.

VILLANOVA 76 ST. MARY’S 56

Donte Di Vincenzo scored 21 points and NCAA Tournament top seed Villanova shook off a slow start and stumbled forward in the East region Thursday night with a 76-56 victory over No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary’s.

The Wildcats (32-3) weren’t themselves for much of the first half before they opened the second half with a 21-6 run to take the first step toward defending their championship. Villanova is trying to be the first back-to-back titlist since Florida in 2007.

Since the NCAA went to seeding in 1985, No. 1 seeds are 130-0 against No. 16s. The historic upset remains elusive, but for a while it looked like it could happen inside Key Bank Center.

Freshman Miles Wilson scored 22 points as the Mountaineers (20-16), who edged New Orleans in a First Four matchup on Tuesday, gave the defending champions all they could handle for 20 minutes.

But the Big East champions regrouped at halftime and reserved a date with either Wisconsin or Virginia Tech on Saturday.

NORTHWESTERN 68 VANDERBILT 66

At Northwestern, the party goes on. At Vanderbilt, there is only one question: What was he thinking?

Northwestern’s first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, 68-66 over Vanderbilt, came after Commodores guard Matthew Fisher-Davis inexplicably grabbed Bryant McIntosh of the Wildcats on purpose, sending McIntosh to the free throw line for the go-ahead points with 14.6 seconds left.

VIRGINIA 86 BUCKNELL 80

Coach Bob Huggins has spent the past 10 seasons establishing West Virginia’s reputation on playing a stifling press defence.

The Mountaineers performance on Thursday left Huggins relatively unimpressed despite opening the NCAA Tournament with an 86-80 win over Bucknell on Thursday.

The win sets up a meeting against the region’s fifth-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who hung on for a 60-58 win over Princeton.

MIDDLE TENNESSEE 81 MINNESOTA 72

Middle Tennessee took down another Big Ten team in the NCAA Tournament, though the latest victory didn’t really feel like an upset.

The Blue Raiders stood up to Minnesota’s rugged defence, then blew past the foul-prone Golden Gophers for an 81-72 victory on Thursday.

Middle Tennessee proved it was no one-year wonder after shocking Michigan State as a No. 15 seed last March.

BUTLER 76 WINTHROP 64

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 Winthrop.