Nevada trips up No. 2 Cincinnati
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Josh Hall converted an offensive rebound for the tiebreaking basket with 9.1 seconds left as Nevada erased a 22-point deficit in the final 11 minutes of a stunning 75-73 victory over Cincinnati in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.
Nevada’s stirring comeback — the second largest in Tournament history — came just two days after the seventh-seeded Wolf Pack rallied from 14 points down to beat Texas 87-83 for its first NCAA victory since 2007.
The only bigger comeback in NCAA history came in 2012, when BYU beat Iona after trailing by 25 points. Nevada’s rally is tied for second place with Duke, which erased a 22-point deficit to beat Maryland in the 2001 Final Four.
The Wolf Pack (28-7) move on to an all-upstart South Region semifinal matchup with 11thseeded Loyola-Chicago (30-5) on Thursday night.
“Nothing feels better than this,” Nevada coach Eric Musselman said. “Nothing. Sweet 16!”
Cincinnati, the No. 2 seed, never trailed until Hall’s tiebreaking basket, but watched its lead disintegrate as it failed to make a basket in the final 5:45.
With the game tied in the closing seconds, Hall got a rebound off a shot by Cody Martin. Hall made a move in the paint and then hit the winning basket.
The Bearcats (31-5) never got off a shot before the buzzer. Cane Broome briefly lost control of the ball and then passed to the area of Gary Clark as the final seconds ticked away.
As the horn sounded, a stunned Clark lay on his back under the basket while Nevada’s Jordan Caroline slid toward midcourt as part of a wild celebration.
Martin had 25 points, seven assists, six rebounds and no turnovers to lead five Nevada players in double figures.
KANSAS STATE 50, UMBC 43
In Charlotte, N.C., Barry Brown scored 18 points as the Wildcats ended the Retrievers’ brief, but historic run in the NCAA Tournament.
Maryland-Baltimore County became the first 16 seed to beat a No. 1, destroying top-ranked Virginia 74-54 on Friday night. After pulling off the biggest upset in college basketball history, the Retrievers ran out of magic against the Wildcats.
As UMBC coach Ryan Odom emptied his bench with 9.4 seconds left, the crowd gave the Retrievers a standing ovation. The players hugged at midcourt. After the game ended, players walked over to the side of the court and gave their fans an appreciative wave. The dream had ended. The Wildcats (24-11) move on to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2010 when they lost in the Elite Eight to Butler. They will face Kentucky on Thursday night.
The Retrievers had only had two field goals in the final six minutes and shot just 29.8 percent for the game.
UMBC’s scrappy defense forced 18 turnovers, but managed just three points off those. The Retrievers finished 6-of-22 from 3-point range two nights after lighting up Virginia. And 9-of-18 from the free throw line.
UMBC (25-11) showed no sign of a letdown early on, jumping out to a 7-0 lead after Kansas State missed its first eight shots.
Kansas State didn’t score until the 13:40 mark of the first half, but the Wildcats closed the half on a 17-8 run and led 25-20 at the break.