NCAA March Madness 1st round recap as the first 2 days get underway. Welcome to The Unnamed Sports Show here on the Sports Talk Line network. I am your host Joshua Griffith ready to get you caught up with the opening two days from Indianapolis.
We had a bit of everything to open the tournament including a major upset! We had a first four-team move on, a game forfeited due to Covid Protocol, Some last-minute magic, and more. Before we get to the round of 62 make sure to like down at the bottom and subscribe to the Sports Talk Line channel. Let me know what you think so far about the tournament? How is your bracket doing? Busted after one day or will you be walking into work Monday gloating?
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Let’s get to the first day’s action with the South Region…
South Region Of Upsets
(1) Baylor 79-55 Hartford (16) –
Number one seeded Baylor had no problem with Hartford as they move on with a 79-55 win. Jared Butler had 13 points 4 rebounds and 9 assists to lead the Bears to victory while MaCio Teague led all scoring with 22 points.
(8) North Carolina 62-85 Wisconsin (9) –
They will take on the Wisconsin Badgers who also had no troubles in their opening round game against the North Carolina Tarheels. Brad Davison had a big game with 29 points and 6 rebounds in the 85-62 victory.
(5) Villanova 73-63 Winthrop (12) –
The #5 Seed Villanova didn’t have any trouble with #12 Winthrop. They won by 10 73-63. Jeremiah Robinson Earl had a 22 point 11 rebound double-double in the win.
(4) Purdue 69-78 North Texas (13) –
Purdue and North Texas would see the first but not the biggest upset in the South Region. A first-half 3 by Mardrez McBride would push the lead to 32-24 for the Mean green. The game would go back and forth and would need overtime tied at 61. Javon Hamlet would go off with a beautiful floater to seal the upset. Hamlet had 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists in the upset. They will take on Villanova in the next round.
(6) Texas Tech 65-53 Utah St. (11) –
Balanced scoring lead by 16 points from Mac McClung Texas Tech was able to keep Neemias Queta at bay with just 11 points and 13 rebounds for the 65-53 win. They will be in tough next round as…
(3) Arkansas 85-68 Colgate (14) –
Moses Moody and the Razorbacks defeated Colgate 85-68. Moody had just 12 points in the win as Justin Smith decided to put up 29 points and 13 rebounds as they move past Colgate and onto Texas Tech.
(7) Florida 75-70 (OT) Virginia Tech (10) –
Another Overtime game in the first round that saw Florida hold off a scare and take it 75-70. Anthony Duraji had a huge dunk in overtime to seal things. Colin Castleton lead the Gators with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
(2) Ohio St. 72-75 (OT) Oral Roberts (15) –
The upset of the day went to Oral Roberts! Max Abmas was unreal hitting a 3 late in the first half to give the Golden Eagles the 32-26 lead. The impressive performance would continue as he would hit a step-back jumper in overtime. Ohio State had a late chance but they missed not one but two tree point attempts for the tie. Abmas had 29 points but wasn’t even the leading scorer for his team as Kevin Obanor had 30 points and 11 rebounds to go with it. They will play Florida State in round 2.
I love the NCAA tournament because you can do as much research on a team and think they will go to the final four only to have them upset in the first round. How’s your bracket doing?
Let’s get onto the Midwest Region…
The Midwest Region And The Cade Cunningham Show
(1) Illinois 78-49 Drexel (16) –
The top-ranked team in the Midwest had no issues in their first-round matchup with Drexel. Ayo Dosunmu had 17 points 11 rebounds and 6 assists, Cofi… Actually, Trent Frazier had 11 points… Yeah, let’s use that player instead. They will move on to a second-round matchup against…
(8) Loyola Chicago 71-60 Georgia Tech (9) –
Loyola Chicago who handled Georgia Tech 71-60. Branden Norris had a dagger with 2 minutes to go part of his 16 points on the night. Lucas Williamson had 21 points for the Ramblers as they look for a second-round upset.
(5) Tennessee 56-70 Oregon St. (12) –
I may get a lot wrong this tournament but one that I got right was the #12 Oregon State beavers knocking off the #5 seeded Volunteers from Tennessee. Ethan Thompson would score 13 points adding 10 rebounds and 6 assists as the Beavers would win their first tournament game since 1982.
(4) Oklahoma St. 69-60 Liberty (60) –
unfortunately for Oregon State, they get to take on Cade Cunningham and The Cowboys after they held on for the 69-60 win over Liberty. Cunningham only had 15 points, but he did it in style with this massive poster on Drake Dobbs and the foul. I really hope you showed the dunk and not another drake picture! He kept his highlight play going in the second half with the drive and foul.
(6) San Diego St. 62-78 Syracuse (11) –
Another upset in the bracket as Syracuse would come out strong and not look back. Buddy Boeheim would nail a 3 from the logo with the shot clock winding down on route to a 30-point night as they would take it comfortably 78-62.
(3) West Virginia 84-67 Morehead St. (14) –
#3 Seed West Virginia will be waiting for them in the second round after they beat Morehead State 84-67. Miles McBride would drop 30 points in the victory.
(7) Clemson 56-60 Rutgers (10) –
Minor upset in this one as Ron Harper Jr., I remember watching his dad, that dates me, helped Rutgers stay close in the first half. Jacob Young would throw down 2 of his 13 points on the night to close things out in the half and Rutgers would come back all the way in the second half to take it 60-56 over Clemson.
(2) Houston 87-56 Cleveland St. (15) –
I was not wrong about the number 2 seed Houston as they did not lose to 15 seed Cleveland state. Quinton Grimes had 18 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists ad they would take it easily 87-56 and take on Rutgers in the round of 32.
That sums up the first day’s action let’s get to the West Region.
Gonzaga Dominates The West Region
(1)- Gonzaga 98-55 Norfolk St. (16) –
No surprise at the top of the west as Gonzaga remains undefeated after almost putting up 100 on Norfolk State. 98-55 was the final but it was over from the beginning. Jalen Suggs would cap off this highlight real dunk off the backboard and Corey Kirspert had 23 points for the Bulldogs.
(8) Oklahoma 72-68 Missouri (9) –
They will take on Oklahoma who was able to hold on Missouri 72-68. Alondes Williams had a huge slam that fired up the bench. Austin Reaves had 23 points and 6 assists to lead the Sooners.
(5) Creighton 63-62 UCSB (12) –
A great game that almost saw #12 UCSB upset #5 Creighton. The 5th ranked team in the Midwest would take a 34-30 lead into the half thanks to Marcus Zegarowski. UCSB would battle back and take the lead but Creighton would seal things late. A chance after a missed free throw but UCSB didn’t have a timeout and heaved up a shot from beyond half.
(4) Virginia 58-62 Ohio (13) –
So many great games after the first two days and Virginia and Ohio were just that. A step back 3 by Ben Vander Plas was part of his 17 points and Ohio was able to do something with the 62-58 win that their statesmen Ohio State wasn’t. move onto the second round… Okay, way too soon I know.
(6) USC 72-56 Drake (11) –
USC was able to end Drakes’s run to the top with a 72-56 victory. The Mobley brothers lead the way for the Trojans. Evan had 17 points and 11 rebounds as NBA teams figure out how early he will go in the draft. His brother Isiah had 15 points and 5 rebounds.
(3) Kansas 93-84 Eastern Washington (14) –
A tough round 2 matchup though as the Kansas Jayhawks will be waiting after they beat #14 seed Eastern Washington 93-84 in a high scoring game. Junior David McCormack had 22 points and 9 rebounds, Ochai Agbaji had 21 points and 7 rebounds while Marcus garret had 20 and 8.
(7) Oregon W VCU (10) Covid –
We knew this would happen in the tournament and let’s hope it is the first and final time as Virginia Commonwealth would forfeit 1-0 to Oregon due to Covid-19 health and safety protocols.
(2) Iowa 86-74 Grand Canyon (15) –
They will take on the #2 Seed Iowa who did not let Grand Canyon get the upset. Luka Garza would hit 3 of his 29 points on the night as they would advance with the 86-74 victory. Finally the East region…
Abilene Christian, Michigan and the East Region
(1)- Michigan 82-66 Texas Southern (16) –
Michigan State would hold number #1 status with an 82-66 win over the first four play-in in Texas Southern. Hunter Dickinson had 16 points in a slow night for him. Mike Smith leads the Wolverines in a game that saw 4 players score in double digits in a great overall team win.
(8) LSU 76-61 St. Bonaventure (9) –
The Tigers looked good beating St. Bonaventure 76-61. A nice play after Trendan Wolfron would save it and find Cameron Thomas for the wide-open 3. Darius Days added a 13-point 11 rebound double-double in the win as they will take on Michigan.
(5) Colorado 96-73 Georgetown (12) –
Jabari Walker scored 24 points as #5 Colorado crushed Georgetown 96-73 in their first-round match. They get to take on Florida State in round two…
(4) Florida St. 64-54 UNC Greensboro (13) –
After they would win a low-scoring game 64-54 against UNC Greensboro. Raquin Gray had 17 points and 7 rebounds in the win.
(6) BYU 62-73 UCLA (11) –
UCLA was able to make it into the dance with a play-in victory over Michigan State. They continued their strong play as Jamie Jacques Jr. would blow by his defender and slam it home. Johhny Juzman scored a tough bucket and the foul in the second half part of his 27 points on the night as the Bruins would beat BYU 73-62. Tiger Campbell had 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists for UCLA.
(3) Texas – 52-53 Abilene Christian (14) –
This might have been the game of the first round as it has everything! Lead changes, big buckets, clutch scoring, and really just summed up what the tournament is. The game was close at the half and Damien Daniels was able to get his most important bucket of the night. Texas would retake the lead but a late foul on Joe Pleasant would send him to the line. The 59% free throw shooter would show ice in his veins as he hit one to tie and the second to take the lead. Texas went long on the inbound and it was stolen to seal the victory… That’s a way to end it right there.
(7) UConn 54-63 Maryland (10) –
Maryland had the minor upset with the 63-54 victory over the 7th seeded Uconn. Aaron Wiggins would fake a 3 and drive to slam it down for the Terrapins 2 of his 14 points. Eric Ayala would score 23 to lead all scoring.
(2) Alabama 68-55 Iona (15) –
Iona kept it close in the first half and even into the second, but Alabama showed why they are the 2 seed as they held off for a 68-55 win. Herb Jones had 22 points for the Crimson Tide and Jaden Shackleford had 10 points. We will need an all-name team by the end of this. They will take on Maryland in the round of 32.
A Look Ahead To The Round Of 32
This gets going tomorrow as the South and Midwest Brackets get things started before the East and West on Monday. It’s always intriguing when we have upsets in the bracket so North Texas and Villanova will be one to watch in the South. The Bottom of the South Bracket could be wide open for Arkansas but first, they need to beat Texas Tech. A 15 seed into the 2nd round get’s everyone’s attention and Oral Roberts should! Abmas is a lights-out player that can shoot, dribble and straight up ball. They are in tough against number 7 Florida but that should be on the main screen for the round of 32.
The Midwest had its share of upsets with Oregon State, Syracuse, and Rutgers but it was much more predictable than the South. Look for the top seeds, Illinois, and Houston to move on. The other two games could get interesting. Oregon State and Oklahoma State will must-watch basketball because of how good the Beavers are playing and Cade Cunnigham.
East Region will be purely fixated on the #11 UCLA Bruins against #14 Abilene Christian. A 14 seed and a first four play in meeting in the round of 32 will make for amazing leave everything out their basketball and I am looking forward to it. Will Gonzaga run the table in the West Region? Only time will tell as they take on Oklahoma. They are always fun to watch so despite it being a 1 vs. 8 seed I will be tunning in. Oregon at 7 is rested against Iowa will this be a factor come Monday?
NCAA March Madness 1st Round Recap And The Sports Talk Line Network
I hope you have enjoyed the NCAA March Madness 1st round recap as much as I have. Make sure to check out the highlights on the Sports Talk Line Network and stay tuned for more coverage as things move forward. Round of 32 starts Sunday, March 21st before a bit of a break. The Sweet 16 gets back going on Saturday, March 27th.
I will be back to recap things after the round of 32 and get you ready for the next round of action. I have been your host Joshua Griffith here on The Unnamed Sports Show getting up to date with all the NCAA Men’s March Madness news. Until next time Basketball fans.