Freshman Collins leads Michigan past Colorado State 75-63
INDIANAPOLIS » Freshman Frankie Collins provided the spark Michigan needed in a turbulent year for the Wolverines and coach Juwan Howard, helping the 11th-seeded Wolverines rally from a 15-point deficit to beat sixth-seeded Colorado State 75-63 on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Collins, pressed into the starting lineup because starting point guard DeVante’ Jones was out with a concussion, had season highs of 14 points, six rebounds and 31 minutes.
Big man Hunter Dickinson led Michigan with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Eli Brooks had 16 points and Caleb Houstan added 13 for the Wolverines (18-14), who will face either third-seeded Tennessee or 14th-seeded Longwood in the second round of the South Region on Saturday.
Dischon Thomas scored 15 points on 5-of-7 3-point shooting for Colorado State (25-6), and Mountain West Conference player of the year David Roddy had 13 points and six rebounds.
The Rams led 28-13 early, but Collins helped Michigan chip away and the Wolverines took the lead for good midway through the second half.
MIDWEST REGION
Providence 66, South Dakota St. 57
BUFFALO, N.Y. » Al Durham had 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists and Jared Bynum made three big free throws with 29.9 seconds left as Providence snapped the longest winning streak in college basketball by beating South Dakota State.
The fourth-seeded Friars (26-5) advanced to face Iowa or Richmond.
It was a typical grind for the Big East regular-season champions. The Friars’ turnaround season after going 13-13 in 2020-21 now includes 16 victories by single digits.
The Jackrabbits (30-6) came in on a 21-game winning streak.
The Friars were up three in the final minute and Bynum let loose a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left on the shot clock. The shot missed, but Douglas Wilson was whistled for a foul. Bynum knocked down all three shots to give Providence a six-point lead. Bynum finished with 12 points and Noah Horchler had 13 for the Providence.
Baylor Scheierman led the Jackrabbits with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Wilson scored 13.
WEST REGION
Memphis 64, Boise State 53
PORTLAND, ORE. » DeAndre Williams had 14 points, Jalen Duren made a crucial basket down the stretch and No. 9 seed Memphis held off a second-half rally by Boise State.
The Tigers (22-10), whose poor start to the season had coach Penny Hardaway dropping expletives in a press conference, will play top-seeded Gonzaga or Georgia State on Saturday.
Duren finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Tigers, who were 9-8 after 17 games but went on a late-season charge to reach the tournament for the first time since 2014. The Tigers have now won 13 of their past 15 games.
Abu Kigab had 20 points to lead the eighth-seeded Broncos (27-8), the Mountain West regular-season and tournament champs, who were making their first appearance in the tournament since 2015.
EAST REGION Baylor 85, Norfolk State 49
FORT WORTH, TEXAS » Matthew Mayer scored a careerhigh 22 points and defending national champion Baylor beat Norfolk State.
Freshman standout Jeremy Sochan added 15 points and seven rebounds for the top-seeded Bears (27-6), who will play the North Carolina-Marquette winner in the second round Saturday.
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference player of the year Joe Bryant had 15 points for 16th-seeded Norfolk State (24-7).
The Spartans were one of the biggest underdogs in first-round games this year, at 20 ½ points, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Despite some size up front, they couldn’t keep up with the Bears and never came close to an upset.
Flo Thamba scored 14 points and Adam Flagler had 11 points for the Bears after some early foul trouble.