Florida Atlantic ends Fairleigh Dickinson’s dream
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Johnell Davis scored 29 points, Alijah Martin added 14 and Florida Atlantic ended Fairleigh Dickinson’s magical moment by outlasting the No. 16 seed 78-70 on Sunday night in the NCAA Tournament.
The ninth-seeded Owls (33-3) needed everything they had to put away the Knights (21-16), who stunned top-seeded Purdue on Friday night in just the second 16-over-1 upset i n men’s tournament history.
It will be FAU, not FDU, which will play Tennessee in the Sweet 16 on Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
“My team just believed in me,” said Davis, a junior from Gary, Ind. “It’s just a dream come true.”
Demetre Roberts scored 20 points and Sean Moore had 14 for FDU, which didn’t even win the Northeast Conference tournament before becoming an NCAA team that won’t soon be forgotten.
KANSAS ST. 75, KENTUCKY 69
Markquis Nowell scored 23 of his 27 points after halftime and Kansas State overcame a horrid start from outside by hitting a couple of clutch 3-pointers while topping Kentucky at Greensboro, N.C.
The win sends the third-seeded Wildcats (25-9) to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2018, and it came thanks to a series of big shots that finally pushed them through in a tight game.
They’ll play Michigan State in the East Region semifinals.
The 5-foot-8 Nowell, a thirdteam Associated Press All-American, played a fearless floor game while making 7 of 14 shots and 10 of 11 free throws
MICHIGAN STATE 69 MARQUETTE 60
Tyson Walker scored 23 points and the No. 7 seed Spartans beat the second-seeded Eagles in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Columbus, Ohio, sending coach Tom Izzo’s squad back to the Sweet 16 for the first time in four years.
Joey Hauser — a Marquette transfer — had 14 points and A.J. Hoggard had as 13 Michigan State (21-12) took over in the last three minutes. The Spartans advanced to play third-seeded Kansas State in the East Region semifinals on Thursday at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
It’s a familiar situation for Izzo, the 68-year-old Hall of Fame coach who won his 16th March Madness game with a lowerseeded team, the most of any coach. He had shared that record with Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, who retired this season.
XAVIER 84, PITTSBURGH 73
Sean Miller has unselfish Xavier back in the Sweet 16.
Jack Nunge scored 18 points, Adam Kunkel added 15, and the third-seeded Musketeers beat the 11th-seeded Panthers at Greensboro, N.C.
Xavier (27-9) moves on to play No. 2 seed Texas on Friday in the Midwest Region semifinals.
SOUTH REGION CREIGHTON 85, BAYLOR 76
Ryan Nembhard had a careerhigh 30 points and the No. 6 Bluejays found its shooting touch to beat the third-seeded Bears at Denver to earn a spot in the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons.
The Bluejays (23-12) will meet 15th-seeded Princeton in Louisville, Ky., on Friday.
LJ Cryer finished with 30 points for Baylor (23-11), which lost in the second round for the second straight year after winning the championship in 2021.