Thursday’s tournament roundup; Friday’s tournament picks; UCLA-SMU game concludes with controversial ending.
West Regional
Ohio State 75, VCU 72: D’Angelo Russell scored 28 points and rallied the 10thseeded Buckeyes from an early 12-point deficit to an overtime win over the seventhseeded Rams. Russell regrouped from a blow that sent blood streaming down the left side of his face near the end of regulation, showing just why many believe he will be a top pick in this summer’s NBA draft.
Arizona 93, Texas Southern 72: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 23 points, 16 in the first half, along with 10 rebounds, and the second-seeded Wildcats overwhelmed the No. 15 seed Tigers from the start. Stanley Johnson added 22 points for Arizona, which led by as many as 27 points.
Georgia State 57, Baylor 56: R.J. Hunter’s 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds remaining capped a comeback from a 12-point deficit in the final three minutes and lifted the 14th-seeded Panthers over the thirdseeded Bears.
Arkansas 56, Wofford 53: Michael Qualls scored 20 points, Bobby Portis added 15 points and 13 rebounds, and the fifthseeded Razorbacks held off the No. 12 seed Terriers. The game featured 18 lead changes and 10 ties.
North Carolina 67, Harvard 65: Justin Jackson hit a tying jumper in the final minute, then had a fast-break dunk to help the fourth-seeded Tar Heels, after wasting a 16-point lead, edge the 13th-seeded Crimson.
Xavier 76, Mississippi 57: Matt Stainbrook scored 20 points, Dee Davis added 17 and the sixth-seeded Musketeers beat the 11thseeded Rebels.
Midwest Regional
Kentucky 79, Hampton 56: Karl-Anthony Towns bounced back from a mini-slump with 21 points and 11 rebounds, and the No. 1Wildcats rolled over the 16th-seeded Pirates.
Butler 56, Texas 48: Kellen Dunham scored 20 points, including a pivotal 3pointer with 1:18 to play, to lift the sixthseeded Bulldogs over the 11th-seeded Longhorns, who became the third Big 12 team to lose Thursday. Texas lost its NCAA opener for the seventh straight year.
Notre Dame 69, Northeastern 65: Zach Auguste scored 25 points, Jerian Grant added 17 and the third-seeded Irish escaped with a victory over the 14thseeded Huskies.
Cincinnati 66, Purdue 65: Troy Caupain got Cincinnati to overtime with his buzzerbeating layup, then Coreontae DeBerry scored four of his 13 points in the extra session to help the eighth-seeded Bearcats beat the Boilermakers. Cincinnati trailed by seven with 48.5 seconds left in regulation.
South Regional
UCLA 60, SMU 59: Bryce Alford made four 3-pointers in the final 3:40, his last on a rare goaltending call with 13 seconds remaining, to push the 11th-seeded Bruins to an upset of the sixth-seeded Mustangs.
UAB 60, Iowa State 59: William Lee scored the last four points for the 14thseeded Blazers in their upset of the thirdseeded Cyclones.
Utah 57, Stephen F. Austin 50: Jakob Poeltl had 18 points, and the fifth-seeded Utes thwarted the usually high-scoring Lumberjacks, the 12th seed.
Georgetown 84, Eastern Washington 74: D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera scored 25 points and the fourth-seeded Hoyas avoided another upset by beating the No. 13 Eagles. The Hoyas had lost four of their last five tournament games— all to teams seeded 10th or worse — and fell behind by seven in the first half.
East Regional
N.C. State 66, LSU 65: BeeJay Anya’s hook shot rolled around and in with a second to play, lifting the eighth-seeded Wolfpack past the Tigers after trailing by as much as 16 points.
Villanova 93, Lafayette 52: Dylan Ennis scored 16 points, and the top-seeded Wildcats shot close to 70 percent for most of the game as they cruised past the Leopards.