New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Maryland escapes an upset bid by Belmont
EAST REGION
MARYLAND 79, BELMONT 77: At Jacksonville, Fla. — Maryland’s Eric Ayala deflected a pass to set up a steal by Darryl Morsell that stopped Belmont’s last-second attempt at an NCAA Tournament upset and the Terrapins escaped with a 79-77 victory Thursday in the East Region.
Playing their second tournament game in less than 48 hours, the 11thseeded Bruins left no doubt they belonged after receiving one of the selection committee’s final at-large bids.
But the mid-major powerhouse from Nashville, Tennessee couldn’t knock off the No. 6-seeded Terrapins (23-10) from the Big Ten, despite a 35-point performance by Dylan Windler.
Maryland was clinging to a one-point lead and the shot clock was off as Belmont (26-6) had a chance to win it at the buzzer. The Bruins didn’t bother calling a timeout to set up a play; they knew what they wanted to do — a backdoor pass to Windler that had been one of their bread-andbutter calls all afternoon.
But Ayala barely got a hand on the pass from freshman Grayson Murphy and Morsell stepped in front of Windler to pick off the ball while the Belmont star tumbled to the court. Morsell was fouled with 2.5 seconds to go, sending him to the other end of the court for a pair of free throws. He made the first and missed the second, and Windler heaved an unsuccessful desperation shot from midcourt.
The shot didn’t come close to hitting the rim and set off a relieved celebration from the Maryland contingent. Windler sank to the court, thoroughly exhausted after playing all but 88 seconds after a victory over Temple in a playin game Tuesday.
MICHIGAN STATE 76, BRADLEY 65: At Des Moines, Iowa — For about 35 minutes, it felt like Bradley might pull off the first bracket-busting stunner of this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Michigan State survived by leaning on the brilliance of Cassius Winston and a remarkably efficient performance at the free throw line.
Winston scored 26 points and second-seeded Michigan State, thanks in part to a season-high, 25-of-26 showing from the line, held off Bradley in the opening round of the East Region.
MINNESOTA 86, LOUISVILLE 76: Des Moines, Iowa — Minnesota found its elusive 3-point stroke just in time to give coach Richard Pitino the NCAA Tournament win he’d been seeking for years.
The 10th-seeded Gophers won their first NCAA Tournament game in six seasons behind 24 points from freshman Gabe Kalscheur.
The win for Pitino came against school that fired his father. Rick Pitino coached the Cardinals for 16 seasons before his 2017 dismissal.
Amir Coffey also had 18 points for Minnesota (2213), which knocked down 11 3s despite entering play ranked 344th nationally in made 3s per game.
MIDWEST REGION
AUBURN 78, NEW MEXICO STATE 77: At Salt Lake City — After a teammate passed up an open layup that could have tied the game, New Mexico State’s Terrell Brown was fouled behind the arc and missed two of three free throws as the Aggies dropped a heartbreaker to fifth-seeded Auburn.
KANSAS 87, NORTHEASTERN 53: At Salt
Lake City — Dedric Lawson had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Kansas dominated inside.
The fourth-seeded Jayhawks (26-9) had a notable size advantage inside and used it, outscoring the Huskies 50-16 in the paint while grabbing 17 more rebounds.
KENTUCKY 79, ABILENE CHRISTIAN 44:
At JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — With PJ Washington watching from the bench in a cast, second-seeded Kentucky romped over newcomer Abilene Christian.
Keldon Johnson scored 25 points in a huge mismatch that was over by halftime. The Wildcats shot 60 percent in the opening period, held Abilene Christian to 5 of 26 from the field and went to the locker room with a 39-13 lead.
WEST REGION
FLORIDA 70, NEVADA 61: At DES MOINES, Iowa — Florida nearly squandered a double-digit lead before finally stopping a Nevada comeback and pulling off a 70-61 upset.
Kevarrius Hayes scored 16 points, Jalen Hudson added 15 and the 10th-seeded Gators won their tournament opener for the third straight year.
GONZAGA 87, FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 49: At SALT LAKE CITY — One year after dreamers and underdog lovers rejoiced at top-seeded Virginia's first-of-its-kind, firstround loss, the Gonzaga Bulldogs crushed any thought of a repeat with a wire-to-wire thumping of Fairleigh Dickinson.
Rui Hachimura led the Zags (31-3) with 21 points and eight rebounds, and this game looked every bit as lopsided as most of the 1-vs.-16 contests since 1985, when the bracket was expanded to 64 teams.