No. 15 Florida Gulf State stuns Georgetown in upset
Sherwood Brown scored 24 points and Bernard Thompson had 23 to lead Florida Gulf Coast to an incredible NCAA tournament debut, a 78-68 victory over second-seeded Georgetown on Friday night in the second round of the South Regional in Philadelphia.
The Eagles, in their second season of being eligible for Division I post-season, became just the seventh No. 15 seed to beat a No. 2.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling. We played a very tough team in Georgetown. They have great players. They are a historic school,” forward Chase Fieler said. “So being a newer school it’s very exciting for us to be able to win a game like that and for NCAA history.”
A night after America’s oldest university, Harvard, pulled off a major upset over fourthseeded New Mexico, one of its youngest — FGCU’s first student was admitted in 1997 — got one that was even bigger.
The Eagles took control with a 21-2 run that gave them a 52-33 lead with 12:28 to play, though the Hoyas used a furious rally to get within 72-68 with 52 seconds left.
It was another disappointing NCAA exit for the Hoyas (25-7), who have lost to a doubledigit seed in their last four appearances.
INDIANA 83, JAMES MADISON 62: Freshman Yogi Ferrell scored 14 points in the first six minutes as top-seeded Indiana slam dunked its way past James Madison 83-62 in East Regional play on Friday.
Not taking any chances with a No. 16 seed, the Hoosiers (28-6) started fast and built a 33-point lead in the second half over the Dukes (21-15) and opened the tourney with a statement they intend to be around for a while.
Looking every bit like a team capable of cutting down the nets in Atlanta next month, Indiana will play Temple in the second round on Sunday.
TEMPLE 76, NORTH CAROLINA STATE 72: Khalif Wyatt scored 31 points, finishing the game with an injured left thumb that had him grimacing before his clinching free throws, and Temple broke with its one-and-done NCAA tournament trend.
OHIO STATE 95, IONA 70: Sam Thompson had career highs with 20 points and 10 rebounds, part of a dominating performance by Ohio State’s front line against Iona. The second-seeded Buckeyes (27-7) have won nine straight, including their last five games of the regular season and a run to the Big Ten tournament title.
MIAMI 78, PACIFIC 49: Durand Scott had 21
points as Miami had a triumphant return to the NCAA tournament in Austin, Tex., by easily eliminating Pacific. The Hurricanes (28-6), who may be even better than their No. 2 seed in the East Regional would indicate, put the game out of reach with a 14-0 run midway through the first half.
ILLINOIS 57, COLORADO 49: Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson made consecutive 3-pointers to give Illinois back the lead with six minutes left and the seventh-seeded Illini pulled out a tough win over Colorado.
DUKE 73, ALBANY 61: Seth Curry scored 26 points, Mason Plumlee had 23 and secondseeded Duke beat Albany in Midwest Regional play in Philadelphia. The Blue Devils (28-5) will meet seventhseeded Creighton in the third round Sunday. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski extended his all-time lead with his 80th career victory in the tournament he has won four times.
CREIGHTON 67, CINCINNATI 63: Doug McDermott had 27 points and11rebounds and Gregory Echenique scored 13 points to help Creighton hold on.
MISSISSIPPI 57, WISCONSIN 46: Marshall Henderson shook out of a shooting slump and scored 17 points in the second half, giving the Rebels their first NCAA tournament win since 2002. The Rebels will play No.13 La Salle on Sunday.
LA SALLE 63, KANSAS STATE 61: Jerrell Wright made three foul shots in the final 30 seconds and No. 13 seed La Salle advanced after blowing an 18-point halftime lead to beat fourthseeded Kansas State.
IOWA STATE 76, NOTRE DAME 58: Freshman Georges Niang matched a season high with19 points as Iowa State, showing it can do much more than just fire away from outside the 3-point line, dismantled Notre Dame.
SAN DIEGO STATE 70, OKLAHOMA 55: Jamaal Franklin scored 21 points and James Rahon had 17 as San Diego State beat Oklahoma to earn its third NCAA tournament victory.