Scores:
(9) Michigan State 69 – (8) Mississippi State 51
(11) Duquesne 71 – (6) BYU 67
(3) Illinois 85 – (14) Morehead State 69
(3) Creighton 77 – (14) Akron 60
(2) Arizona 85 – (15) Long Beach State 65
(1) North Carolina 90 – (16) Wagner 62
(11) Oregon 87 – (6) South Carolina 73
(7) Dayton 63 – (10) Nevada 60
(2) Iowa State 82 – (15) South Dakota State 65
(14) Oakland 80 – (3) Kentucky 76
(7) Texas 56 – (10) Colorado State 44
(5) Gonzaga 86 – (12) McNeese 65
(10) Drake 61 – (7) Washington State 66
(11) NC State 80 – (6) Texas Tech 67
(4) Kansas 93 – (13) Samford 89
Players of the Day:
Oregon’s Jermaine Couisnard
Couisnard, who previously was at South Carolina, put on a show with 40 points to lead the Ducks into the Round of 32. He finished the game 14-for-22 while also hitting five 3-pointers. He simply was scoring in a variety of ways, while also making strong plays, as the 6’4 guard put on a show against his former team. Oregon seems to be clicking at the right time and should be a team to watch out for on Day 2.
Jack Gohlke (Oakland)
Oakland needed every point from this young man, as he went 10-for-20 from behind the arc to finish with 32 points. When you dive into more of his game, it shouldn’t surprise anyone the amount of 3’s he took as he has racked up 335 total shots, 327 of them have been from three!
Takeaways from the Day:
Duquesne Knocks Off BYU
It was just the start of the day, but Duquesne got things rolling in knocking off BYU to start the day. This was a team that was able to build their lead and hold on late, as the guards of Grant and Clark really stepped up, while Jakub Necas came up big off the bench. They were aggressive and disruptive defensively, not only allowing BYU to hit their 30 3-pointer mark but also limiting them to just 33 percent shooting from behind the arc.
Dayton with the Comeback Win to Remember
At the 7:19 mark of the second half, this game looked over but credit to Dayton who never gave up, as they ended the game on a 24-4 run and secured the 63-60 victory. Nevada was clicking and rolling but went cold in the final seven minutes and Dayton was able to chip away and eventually take the lead late. They had to hold on late, but what a comeback to secure their first win since 2015.
Kentucky Bounced… AGAIN
Coming into the game, the Wildcats were averaging around 90 points per game but there had been struggles on the defensive end. Kentucky has had much success in tournament play, whether it was in the SEC or NCAA over the last four years, and it continued on Day 1 with yet another first-round loss to Oakland. Could things be heating up in Kentucky? Also remember though, Calipari’s buyout would be quite expensive…
Gonzaga Ends Upset-Bid Early
Many people had picked McNeese to secure the upset, but the Zags ended that quickly as they came out firing to go up by 23 by halftime and they didn’t let up. McNeese only shot 33 percent from the floor while Gonzaga shot 50 percent from the floor, was strong on the boards, and knocked down shots from outside.
Top Seeds (Nearly All) Take Care of Business
It was interesting to see if there were going to be any big upsets like in recent years. But outside of Kentucky, many of the top seeds were able to take care of business and do so convincingly. North Carolina, Arizona, Iowa State, Creighton, and Illinois all won in big fashion though there were times when the games were close. However, all were able to eventually cruise to a win and into the Round of 32.
Oregon continues to stay RED HOT
Towards the end of the season, it wasn’t looking too great for the Ducks but they were able to rack up the wins in the Pac-12 Tournament and they continued that strong play in the Round of 64. Couisnard put on a show, earning Player of the Day honors above, but this is a team that has had good guard play, and solid size down low. However, one thing to look at is that these players are racking up the minutes, as all their starters nearly finished with 30+ minutes in the win vs. South Carolina.
Kansas Holds On and Credit Deserved to Samford
Kansas was up by 20 points at one point in this game but Samford, a team that had a historical season from their program’s standard, chipped away and eventually cut the game down to one point in the final minute. The Jayhawks were able to hang on, but there certainly was some controversy surrounding the foul (block), as it looked clean and if you think about it, if a foul wasn’t called, Samford would have had a chance to turn around with a 5-on-4 advantage for a few seconds. But, Kansas got the call and was able to hold on to advance, even being shorthanded.
NC State Continues Its Hot Streak
One of the hottest teams in the country has to be the Wolfpack down in Raleigh. They won five games in five days to secure their spot in the NCAA Tournament, and they only continued their strong play against a tough Texas Tech team. Now, they will be going up against Oakland who knocked off Kentucky. In a matter of two weeks, the story has certainly changed from the hot seat to possibly being in the Sweet 16.