UNDATED (AP) — March Madness wasn’t for mid-majors this year. For the first time since the women’s NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1994, no programs from mid-major conferences advanced to the second round. The 32 remaining teams all hail from the Power Four conferences and the Big East. In the men’s tournament, five mid-major teams made the second round. There were 23 teams in the first round from smaller conferences, and they went 0-23. Colorado State, a 12 seed, got the closest, losing 65-62 to Michigan State. The rest lost by double digits.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A clock issue cost Clemson an apparent buzzer-beater in the women's NCAA Tournament. Mia Moore made a running 3-pointer at the buzzer against Southern California on Saturday, but officials looked at video and determined that the clock hadn't started on time. That meant the 4.4 seconds left when Clemson inbounded the ball had expired before Moore got her shot off. USC went on to win 71-67 in overtime. Clemson coach Shawn Poppie thought his team had a signature March Madness win. He called it “a tough, tough day.”
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Cameron Boozer shook off a quiet first half to finish with 19 points while No. 1 overall seed Duke shot 61.5% after halftime Saturday to pull away from TCU for an 81-58 win in a physical second-round game at the NCAA Tournament. The freshman named a unanimous first-team Associated Press All-American earlier this week had just two points and missed his only shot in the first half. But he scored three times during the 11-0 second-half burst. That was part of a larger 26-6 surge spanning nearly nine minutes. Micah Robinson scored 18 points for TCU.
UNDATED (AP) — There hasn't been quite as much madness in March Madness in recent years. The top four seeds in each region have gone unbeaten in the first round in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments. Coaches say the influx of money into the sport now that players can be paid has led to what one coach called a “chasm” in talent between the haves and the have-nots. The ability for players to move freely in the transfer portal has also made it harder for strong mid-major teams to stay together.
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Duke has starting big man Patrick Ngongba II back just in time for the No. 1 overall seed’s run to the Sweet 16 of March Madness. The 6-foot-11, 250-pound Ngongba returned to the lineup for Saturday’s 81-58 second-round win over TCU in the NCAA Tournament’s East Region. He had missed five straight games due to soreness in his right foot. He had been sporting a protective boot and using a knee scooter. Ngongba came off the bench Saturday and played 13 minutes. He finished with four points, four rebounds, four assists and one block.
STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Uche Izoje had 16 of her 23 points in the first half as ninth-seeded topped No. 8 Iowa State 72-63 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday despite 37 points from Cyclones All-American Audi Crooks. Olivia Schmitt added a season-high 15 points for the Orange, who will face reigning national champion UConn in the second round Monday. Laila Phelia had 18 points and Sophie Burrows added 13 points and nine rebounds for Syracuse (24-8). Jada Williams had 14 points, six rebounds and eight assists for Iowa State (22-10).
UNDATED (AP) — North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham says the school is evaluating “all facets” of its tradition-rich men’s basketball program after another early exit from the NCAA Tournament under Hubert Davis. Cunningham issued a statement Saturday saying he is working with UNC chancellor Lee Roberts and executive associate AD Steve Newmark in that review. Newmark will take over as Cunningham’s successor in the coming months. Davis closed his fifth season with a first-round loss to VCU after blowing a 19-point lead. UNC has just three March Madness wins in the last four seasons.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Rick Barnes will face the team that offered him a coaching job 36 years ago when he leads Tennessee against Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. Barnes says he has no regrets about not taking the Virginia job. He was at Providence at the time and ended up coaching Clemson and Texas before moving on to the Vols. Barnes is friends with Ryan Odom, Virginia's first-year coach. The Cavaliers are trying to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since they won the 2019 national championship.
