CAJUN CLUTCH
Buzzer-beater sends LSU to first Sweet 16 since 2006
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. – It’s probably the same play suspended LSU coach Will Wade would have called.
After all, it worked several times during the season. And on Saturday it sent the Tigers to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2006.
Tremont Waters drove past three defenders and scooped in a banking layup with 1.6 seconds remaining to give No. 3 seed LSU a 69-67 victory over No. 6 Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
“Great players make great plays, and he made a great play,” interim coach Tony Benford said.
After Maryland’s Eric Ayala failed to get off a shot from midcourt before the final buzzer, LSU players mobbed Waters under the basket. They could have done the same to Skylar Mays, who scored 16 points and hit a huge 3-pointer with 40 seconds remaining that put the Tigers up 67-64.
Jalen Smith answered on the other end, sending the packed crowd into a frenzy and prompting LSU to call timeout.
Benford dialed up the final play for Waters, a dynamic sophomore who has been terrific all season.
“The players knew exactly what was coming,” Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said. “We all knew what was coming. It was whether we were going to be able to stop it or not.”
Kentucky 62, Wofford 56: Second-seeded Kentucky clamped down on Fletcher Magee and beat Wofford in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. It was Wofford’s first loss in 22 games.
Reid Travis had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Wildcats (29-6), who advanced to the Sweet 16.
Magee finished with eight points on 4-of-17 shooting. He missed all 12 of his shots from behind the arc.
The Terriers hit 8 of 27 from 3-point range, including 3 of 15 in the second half.
Nathan Hoover led Wofford (30-5) with 19 points and made four 4s.
Michigan 64, Florida 49: Michigan is back in the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year after pulling away for a win over Florida in Des Moines, Iowa, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
Jordan Poole scored 19 points and took charge of the game in the final seven minutes to help the Wolverines advance. Michigan (30-6) is the No. 2 seed in the West Region, the 2018 national runner-up and has reached the Sweet 16 five times in the last seven years.
The 10th-seeded Gators (20-16) shot just 29 percent in the second half, 34.5 percent for the game and were held to their lowest point total of the season.
Michigan outscored the Gators 13-5 to end the game and finished with authority as Isaiah Livers and Poole thrilled their scoring section with thunderous dunks.
Florida State 90, Murray State 62: Mfiondu Kabengele scored 22 points, Terance Mann added 18 and the Seminoles advanced to the Sweet 16 by overwhelming the Racers.
Ja Morant, in what was almost certainly his final college game, scored 28 points, 18 of them in the first half. The rest of the Racers combined for 34 points.
The much bigger Seminoles shot 51 percent from the floor and dominated down low, outscoring the Racers 44-26 in the paint and winning the rebounding battle 45-33. Florida State’s bench outscored Murray State’s 47-6.