We started at just before noon and I’m signing off at a quarter to midnight. That’s 13 hours of non-stop, wall-to-wall hoops and it was lovely to share it with you ... even if all but two of the games went to form! Here’s hoping tomorrow brings far more of the chaos that round one of the NCAA tournament is known for. Read up on all today’s action here and we’ll see you 11 short hours!
Final: No2 Arizona 100, No15 North Dakota 82
The second-seeded Wildcats hit the century mark in a one-sided rout of the Big Sky champions. And that’s all she wrote on a conspicuously quiet day one of the NCAA tournament!
Fifteen games down, only one still in play. Well, not so much in play. Second-seeded Arizona is giving No15 seed North Dakota the business: they’re up 20 points with just under four minutes to go.
Final: No5 Iowa State 84, No12 Nevada 73
Monte Morris’ 19 points lifted Iowa State to an 84-73 win over Nevada. They’ll face Purdue on Saturday for a Sweet 16 berth.
Final: No3 Florida State 86, No14 Florida Gulf Coast 80
The Seminoles overcame a late rally to hold on for a 86-80 victory and book a meeting with No11 seed Xavier on Saturday. Dwayne Bacon led the way with 25 points for third-seeded Florida State.
Final: No8 Wisconsin 84, No9 Virginia Tech 74
Wisconsin’s Bronson Koenig poured in 28 points (including eight three-pointers!) as the Badgers pulled away from Virginia Tech in a closely fought contest for a 84-74 win. They’ll face top-seeded Villanova on Saturday for a spot in the Sweet 16.
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Arizona is way out in front of North Dakota while Iowa State and Florida State are comfortably in front in their games. The only close one is the 8-9 tilt between Wisconsin and Virginia Tech. The Badgers are currently on top 72-69 with 3:55 left, but we sense there’s plenty more to unfold here.
Well, the Florida State v Florida Gulf Coast game has gone from intriguing to wildly entertaining in a hurry. This Dwayne Bacon transition dunk is just a taste of the end-to-end action that marked the final five minutes before halftime.
OH. MY. GOODNESS. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/vksDsbdSzD
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 17, 2017
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It looked to be a fairly routine first half for third-seeded Florida State against minnows Florida Gulf Coast, the No14 seed. But the Eagles have just torn off 12 unanswered points to take a 31-28 lead with 3:02 left in the first half while the Seminoles have missed their last seven shots.
You may remember FGCU as the darlings of the 2013 tournament. Not only did they become only the seventh No15 seed to knock off a No2 when they took out Georgetown in the first round, but they became the only No15 to ever make the Sweet 16 when they followed it up with an upset of San Diego State in the second round.
Final: No7 Saint Mary's 85, No10 VCU 77
Saint Mary’s overcame a 30-point effort from JeQuan Lewis in a 85-77 win over Virginia Commonweath. Jock Landale scored a team-high 18 points to lead five Gaels in double figures. SMC advance to face the winner of the nightcap in Salt Lake City between No2 seed Arizona and No15 seed North Dakota State.
Final: No4 Purdue 80, No13 Vermont 70
Vince Edwards scored a game-high 21 points to lift Purdue to an 80-70 win over upset-minded Vermont. It snapped a run of 21 consecutive wins for the Catamounts, the longest active streak in the country. Anthony Lamb led the way for Vermont with 20 points.
Final: No1 Villanova 76, No16 Mount St Mary’s 56
Top-seeded Villanova overcame a slow start in a 76-56 win over No16 seed Mount St Mary’s thanks to a team-high 21 points from Donte DiVincenzo. The Mountaineers trailed by just one at halftime, but the Wildcasts opened the second half with a 21-6 run that blew the contest open. They’ll advance to face Wisconsin or Virginia Tech on Saturday.
The loss means No16 seeds fell to 0-130 against No1s since the tournament expanded in 1985.
Final: No11 Xavier 76, No6 Maryland 65
Xavier have pulled off the second upset of the day. The Musketeers have dispensed of sixth-seeded Maryland 76-65 in Orlando and they did it without their second-leading scorer Edmond Sumner, who was lost to a season-ending ACL tear in January.
The Cincinnati school has earned a tournament-tough reputation on merit over the past few decades: they’re 23-20 in the event since 1990.
Bill Murray is pumped!
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It appears Vermont will need to continue their upset bid against No4 seed Purdue without one of their veteran leaders. Senior swingman Kurt Steidl left with a leg injury near the end of the first half and made his way to the locker room with a pronounced limp. He was still out of the lineup after the break. The Catamounts, who have yet to lose in 2017, trail 45-41 with 15:44 left in regulation.
Villanova needed to come out fast in the second half and they’ve just that. They’ve rattled off 10 unanswered points after an early Mount St Mary’s bucket and now lead 40-31 at the under-16 timeout. They’re out of the panic zone and another burst could put it out of reach for the Mountaineers.
Elsewhere around the country ... No10 Saint Mary’s is controlling the pace and leading 42-29 over No7 VCU with two minutes left in the first half, while fourth-seeded Purdue is ahead 37-36 over No13 Vermont, the America East champions who have the nation’s longest active win streak at 21 games.
Villanova’s Jalen Brunson splits two defenders and deposits a running lay-up right before the buzzer to give the Wildcats a 30-29 lead at the half. But this contest is far closer than anyone expected. Josh Hart spent most of the half on the bench in foul trouble and it took nearly 19 minutes for the overall top seed to take their first lead of the night.
Villanova takes the lead! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/8I4FAYunod
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 16, 2017
Lest ye forget: No16 seeds are 0-129 against No1 seeds since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
No11 seed Xavier is offering sixth-seeded Maryland a spirited challenge in Orlando. They trail 36-35 at halftime. Eagle-eyed viewers may have spotted a fan in the front row of the Xavier section who bears a striking resemblance to the actor Bill Murray. That’s because it’s Bill Murray. His son Luke is an assistant on Xavier coach Chris Mack’s staff and he’s followed the team off and on this season.
Bill Murray at courtside for tonight's Xavier-Maryland game. His son Luke is an assistant for the Musketeers. pic.twitter.com/8SyTx99OA1
— Bryan Armen Graham (@BryanAGraham) March 16, 2017
Murray, as is well known, is a big sports fan. He was spotted throughout the Chicago Cubs’ postseason run, though we crossed paths a few weeks earlier when he single-handedly drummed up a patriotic chant at the Ryder Cup.
Bill Murray singlehandedly drums up America chant from #RyderCup grandstand as Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy tee off in opening group. pic.twitter.com/hYhYSeWznq
— Bryan Armen Graham (@BryanAGraham) October 2, 2016
Defending champions Villanova are the top overall seed in the field, but they’re getting all they can handle early on against Mount St Mary’s. The Mountaineers sprinted out to a 7-0 lead and now lead 14-9 with the first half nearly halfway done. The Wildcats missed their first eight shots, three of which were blocked. And their best player, Big East player of the year Josh Hart, is on the bench with two fouls.
Mt St Mary's is pitching a shutout so far.
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 16, 2017
Mountaineers lead Villanova, 7-0. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/WbhAu97Xl1
Villanova has been lucky, to be fair. At least five Mountaineers shots have rimmed out. Definitely one to keep an eye on.
The thing about March Madness: for practically every hero made, there’s someone being fitted for goat horns. Northwestern’s historic first tournament win is the headline, but it was made possible by a terrible mental error in the final reel by Vanderbilt guard Matthew Fisher-Davis.
Vandy’s Riley LaChance had just made a lay-up to give the Commodore’s a one-point lead with 18 seconds left. But that’s when Fisher-Davis inexplicably fouled Northwestern’s Bryant McIntosh on purpose after the inbounds pass ... erroneously believing Vanderbilt was trailing and needed to stop the clock.
McIntosh just happens to be the Wildcats’ best foul shooter. He calmly sank both shots to give Northwestern the lead. Vandy missed a three on the next possession, the Wildcats added a free throw and, like that, it was over.
Northwestern will always be remembered for this historic moment. Fisher-Davis will always be attached to that play. The beauty and cruelty.
— Myron Medcalf (@MedcalfByESPN) March 16, 2017
And with the end of the day’s games, night session begins ... now! The Terps and Musketeers have just tipped off. Plenty more to come tonight: here’s the evening menu.
- 6:50, TNT, No6 Maryland v No11 Xavier
- 7:10, CBS: No1 Villanova v No16 Mount St. Mary’s
- 7:20, TBS: No7 Saint Mary’s v No10 VCU
- 7:27, truTV: No4 Purdue v No13 Vermont
- Approx. 9:20, TNT: No3 Florida State v No14 Florida Gulf Coast
- Approx. 9:40, CBS: No8 Wisconsin v No9 Virginia Tech
- Approx. 9:50, TBS: No2 Arizona v No15 North Dakota
- Approx. 9:57, truTV: No5 Iowa State v No12 Nevada
Final: No8 Northwestern 68, No9 Vanderbilt 66
Northwestern’s first ever NCAA tournament bid was 78 years in the making. Until Sunday, they were one of only five original Division I teams to have never made the Big Dance along with Army, The Citadel, St Francis (NY) and William & Mary.
Now the Wildcats have their first tournament victory after surviving a nip-and-tuck battle with ninth-seeded Vanderbilt.
Final: No12 Middle Tennessee State 81, No5 Minnesota 72
And there they go again! Middle Tennessee State have scored a major first-round upset for the second straight year, winning 81-72 over fifth-seeded Minnesota in Milwaukee.
At least one No12 seed has knocked off a No5 seed in all but four years since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
Middle Tennessee State is four minutes away from wrecking brackets nationwide for the second straight year. Senior captain Reggie Upshaw Jr has poured in the last nine points for the 12th-seeded Blue Raiders, who are holding on to a 69-61 lead over No5 Minnesota with four minutes left in regulation.
Last year the Murfreesboro school became only the sixth No15 seed in the history of the tournament to upset a No2 when they knocked off Michigan State in the first round. This wouldn’t be quite as seismic an upset. But on an afternoon when Cinderella has appeared to hit the snooze button, it would represent the first upset of the 2017 tournament.
Final: No4 Florida 80, No13 ETSU 65
Florida needed a second-half surge to win 80-65 over 13th-seeded East Tennessee State. The Gators’ Devin Robinson matched a career high with 24 points on 10-for-17 shooting, compensating for substandard performances from leading scorer KeVaughn Allen and SEC Sixth Man of the Year Canyon Barry, who finished with seven points apiece.
TJ Cromer led the Buccaneers with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
The Gators advance to face fifth-seeded Virginia, who put down an upset bid of their own earlier on Thursday against UNC Wilmington.
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Final: No4 West Virginia 86, No13 Bucknell 80
Another result in the books. Tarik Phillip’s 16 points led five West Virginia players in double figures as the fourth-seeded Mountaineers held off a spirited challenge against No13 seed Bucknell, the sharp-shooting Patriot League champions.
Kimbal Mackenzie poured in a game-high 23 points for the Bison, including 5-for-7 attempts from three-point range. But it wasn’t enough to tame West Virginia’s democratic attack. Now the Mountaineers advance to face Notre Dame, earlier winners against Princeton, with a spot in the Sweet 16 at stake.
Our Les Carpenter has given his two cents on the Tom Crean firing. In case you missed it, the Indiana coach was relieved of his post one minute after the NCAA tournament started today.
What’s the worth of building respectability in college basketball?
Late in the winter of 2012, not long before Indiana would return to the NCAA tournament that had once been their regular domain, I listened as Hoosiers coach Tom Crean told me how bad things had been four years before.
Crean, who was fired on Thursday despite having won two Big 10 titles in the last five years, had inherited one of college basketball’s great messes in 2008. The previous coach, Kelvin Sampson, was run off after numerous NCAA rules violations – and what remained was a disaster. There were 19 Fs on the lingering players’ grade sheets, as well as reports of drug abuse and a general feeling of lawlessness. Anticipating NCAA sanctions, most of the players left. The mother of one offered to let her son stay as long as the new coach would overlook the player’s positive drug test. Crean declined.
Instead, he chose to rebuild the once-great Indiana program with a handful of walk-ons, sometimes dressing team managers and baseball players. With three years of NCAA probation looming, he had little to offer recruits except a chance to lose most every night. Not surprisingly, few said yes. He took what he could get, which was little. Slowly, he made Indiana respectable again.
It wasn’t easy. For those first three years Indiana was horrible. Fans dazzled by Sampson’s brief success had trouble digesting the defeats. Even after Crean took IU to back-to-back Sweet 16s, he could do little right. He never won enough games or recruited enough big stars for a fanbase that seemed to not understand what rock bottom was.
For this, it seems, he was dumped.
A pair of 4-13 games are going on right now and they’re closer than expected. Tiny Bucknell of the Patriot League are hanging within single digits against fourth-seeded West Virginia, trailing 52-43 with 15:57 left.
The game between No4 Florida and No13 East Tennessee State is even closer: the Gators lead 33-32 at the break.
Final: No1 Gonzaga 66, No16 South Dakota State 46
The Zags, who led by only four at halftime, roared away in the second half behind a team-high 16 points from Jordan Mathews. They’ll face the winner of the 4:30pm game between No9 Vanderbilt and No8 Northwestern, who as you may have heard are making the first appearance in school history.
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Final: No4 Butler 76, No13 Winthrop 64
The Butler did it! Avery Woodson matched a career high with six three-pointers, including five in the first half, as the Bulldogs cruised to a 12-point win over Winthrop to book a spot in the second round. Butler used a 12-2 run in the second half to open a 17-point lead and put the Big South champions away for good.
On Saturday, Butler will face the winner of the forthcoming game between No5 seed Minnesota and No12 seed Middle Tennessee State for a chance to progress to their fifth Sweet 16 since 2003.
Gonzaga’s Josh Perkins just rattled home a three-pointer to make it 59-39 over South Dakota State. So much for that upset bid. The top-seeded Bulldogs are four minutes away from the second round.
Butler is in good shape to advance thanks to Avery Woodson, who is 6-f0r-10 from beyond the arc for a team-high 18 points. The six threes matches Woodson’s career high as the fourth-seeded Bulldogs lead 68-51 over 13th-seeded Winthrop with 4:08 remaining.
As a fifth-year graduate transfer, Woodson had to wait a long time to play in his first NCAA tournament game. Clearly, he’s making the most of it.
Signs of life from Gonzaga, who have used a 9-4 run after halftime to open a 35-26 lead over the game Jackrabbits of South Dakota State. Can the Summit League champions respond or will the top-seeded Zags run away from here?
Meanwhile, the Pentagon has requested that its employees refrain from streaming March Madness. Which immediately turns the Department of Defense into a target market for our live blog.
Pentagon asks employees to please not stream March Madness and this one quote is really kind of surreal and amazing. https://t.co/AL2RyL5f6J pic.twitter.com/74Lfl1MXcT
— Sam Laird (@samcmlaird) March 16, 2017
Final: No5 Virginia 76, No12 UNC Wilmington 71
Whew! The fifth-seeded Cavaliers rallied from 15 points down to beat 12th-seeded UNC Wilmington behind 24 points from London Perrantes scored 24 points and a career-high 23 from Marial Shayok off the bench.
Virginia, the best defensive team in the country per KenPom.com, are through to the round of 32 for the fourth consecutive year.
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Virginia has withstood UNC Wilmington’s best shots and it looks as if they’ll survive. They’re up 76-71 with 14 seconds left.
Meanwhile, the top-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs are weathering a stiff challenge from No16 seed South Dakota State. The Zags lead 26-22 at halftime. Bear in mind, no No16 seed has ever knocked off a No1 in 128 tries.
Final: No5 Notre Dame 60, No12 Princeton 58
A potential game-tying three by Princeton’s Steven Cook misses the mark, but Pete Miller’s tip-in makes it 59-58 with 12.8 seconds left. After a time-out, Notre Dame inbounds to Matt Farrell, who is immediately fouled. He’ll go to the line for a one-and-one and he misses the front end! Princeton grabs the rebounds and takes it downcourt without calling timeout and it’s Devin Cannady who has a clean look at a game-winning three and ... he misses! Oh dear!
Not the cleanest endgame for the Ivy League champs, all in all.
With 20.4 seconds left, a panicked pass across court to inbound? Hope Princeton did better on its mid terms than it did on that silliness
— Dana O'Neil (@ESPNDanaOneil) March 16, 2017
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Notre Dame leads 59-56 over Princeton with 19.7 seconds left ... but it’s Princeton ball. The 12th-seeded Tigers will have a chance to tie the game on this possession. But with Princeton only in the single bonus, don’t be surprised if the Irish foul them intentionally to put them on the line and take a potential game-tying three-pointer off the table.
Notre Dame 59
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 16, 2017
Princeton 56
19.7 seconds@CBS #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/HT8p9Jy0CM
Well this Notre Dame v Princeton game looks like it will be our first white-knuckle finish of the tournament. The 12th-seeded Tigers have pulled to within 55-54 with just over two minutes left.
Three games in full swing with a fourth about to start when top-seeded Gonzaga and No16 seed South Dakota State tip off. Speaking of the Zags, we owe you an apology.
Notre Dame is starting to pour it on against Princeton. They’ve opened a double-digit lead in the second half behind the hot shooting of Matt Farrell.
Matt Farrell. So hot right now. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/vXzLq9IM0B
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 16, 2017
Meanwhile, it’s come to our attention that New Jersey governor Chris Christie is in the building and he’s not rooting for the Ivy League school from his home state. As the Associated press puts it:
Christie is sitting a few rows behind Notre Dame’s bench Thursday in Buffalo and rooting for the Fighting Irish.
The Republican has been friends with Notre Dame coach Mike Brey since he worked at the University of Delaware. Christie graduated from the school.
Christie’s daughter Sarah is a student manager for Notre Dame.
Christie’s son Andrew graduated from Princeton last year and played for its baseball team.
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And just like that, Virginia has rattled off a dozen unanswered points to close the margin to 28-26. Meanwhile, No4 Butler and No13 Winthrop are about to tip off.
12-0 run for Virginia! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/J6bn6zefDR
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 16, 2017
Here’s the official Associated Press obit on Tom Crean. The Indiana coach was fired one minute after today’s NCAA tournament started after nine seasons at the Bloomington school.
Indiana coach Tom Crean has been fired after nine often lackluster seasons.
Athletic director Fred Glass announced the decision Thursday as the NCAA Tournament was beginning.
Crean won two Big Ten regular-season championships over the last five seasons but went 18-16 this year and missed the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in nine years – including each of his first three seasons after taking over a gutted team following an NCAA scandal.
The 50-year-old Crean went 166-135 at Indiana overall.
#MarchMadness may be the No1 trending topic in the United States on Twitter, but the not-so-dearly departed Hoosiers coach is No2.
We're No. 1! We're No. 1! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/fYgxzCq9vG
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 16, 2017
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UNC Wilmington is currently on a 16-2 run. They’re leading 26-11 with just over seven minutes left against fifth-seeded Virginia, who couldn’t throw a rock in the ocean right now.
It’s just past 1pm in New York and we have our first official upset watch. Ambrose Mosley’s three-pointer has just lifted 12th-seeded UNC Wilmington to a 23-11 lead over fifth-seeded Virginia with 8:30 remaining in the first half. Mosley, who’s averaged eight point a game for the season, is a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc today and thus far making a mockery of the Cavaliers’ top-ranked defense.
Elsewhere, Notre Dame lead 36-30 over Princeton at half-time. Irish reserve guard Rex Pfleuger had to leave the game to get stitches after taking an elbow from the Tigers’ Steven Cook. Pfleuger, who is averaging 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds, returned to the bench after getting the stitches and having a concussion ruled out.
The second game of the day has tipped off, another 5-12 tilt between Virginia and UNC Wilmington. Meanwhile, Notre Dame is holding on (for now) against Princeton, leading 21-17 with just over seven minutes left in the first half. These matchups have always proven the most volatile in March Madness lore: at least one 12 seed has upset a 5 in all but four of the 32 tournaments since it expanded in 1985. And usually it’s more than one.
No12 Princeton are hanging with No5 Notre Dame early on, trailing 15-11 with 12:11 left in the first half. It marks the first time the schools have met since 3 January 1977, when the Tigers managed a 76-62 upset of the second-ranked Irish.
And Indiana coach Tom Crean has been fired. One minute after the NCAA tournament started. The Hoosiers, who peaked at No3 in the national rankings in Novemeber, wound up missing the Big Dance entirely and crashed out in the first round of the second-tier NIT this week.
BREAKING: Tom Crean is out after nine years at Indiana. #iubb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) March 16, 2017
HERE'S TO YOU TOM CREAN pic.twitter.com/IKDpTCNNTZ
— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) March 16, 2017
Indiana owes Tom Crean $4 million. That's a lot of money to pay a coach to leave that won two Big Ten titles in five years.
— Pete Thamel (@SIPeteThamel) March 16, 2017
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Princeton misses a lay-up off the tip ... and it’s Notre Dame’s Matt Farrell who officially opens the scoring on the 2017 NCAA tournament with a three-pointer from the elbow. Notre Dame jumps ahead of the Ivy League champions in the very, very early going.
In many ways the tournament peaks early. The Thursday-to-Sunday opening stretch will see the field rapidly boiled down from 64 to 16 – a frenetic marathon of cutaway coverage and non-stop highlights often called the most entertaining four days in sports. It’s basketball’s Christmas – and it’s why five people were waiting outside Standings when owner Gary Gillis swung open the door at 11:45am this morning.
The view from @StandingsNYC as March Madness tips off. pic.twitter.com/InzrJ1W5dQ
— Bryan Armen Graham (@BryanAGraham) March 16, 2017
Today's schedule
Here’s a look at today’s dance card. Sixteen games in 12 hours. Let the madness begin.
- 12:15, CBS: No5 Notre Dame v No12 Princeton
- 12:40, truTV: No5 Virginia v No12 UNC Wilmington
- 1:30, TNT: No4 Butler v No13 Winthrop
- 2:00, TBS: No1 Gonzaga v No16 South Dakota State
- Approx. 2:45, CBS: No4 West Virginia v No13 Bucknell
- Approx. 3:10, truTV: No4 Florida v No13 East Tennessee State
- Approx. 4:00, TNT: No5 Minnesota v No12 Middle Tennessee
- Approx. 4:30, TBS: No8 Northwestern v No9 Vanderbilt
- 6:50, TNT, No6 Maryland v No11 Xavier
- 7:10, CBS: No1 Villanova v No16 Mount St. Mary’s
- 7:20, TBS: No7 Saint Mary’s v No10 VCU
- 7:27, truTV: No4 Purdue v No13 Vermont
- Approx. 9:20, TNT: No3 Florida State v No14 Florida Gulf Coast
- Approx. 9:40, CBS: No8 Wisconsin v No9 Virginia Tech
- Approx. 9:50, TBS: No2 Arizona v No15 North Dakota
- Approx. 9:57, truTV: No5 Iowa State v No12 Nevada
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Hello and welcome to the first (real) day of the NCAA tournament! March Madness begins in earnest today with wall-to-wall hoops from noon to midnight. And somehow I’ve convinced my uppers to let me liveblog the entire thing from Standings, the famed East Village sports bar.
Throw 68 teams in a knockout format and there’s no telling what will happen. Unlike football where the big guy will beat the little guy 10 times out of 10, basketball is a sport where one hot shooter, one untimely injury or a whistle-happy referee can leave a heavily favored top seed scratching for its life. The better team doesn’t always win.
It’s about the moments. The last-gasp, coast-to-coast heroics of Danny Ainge or Tyus Edney. The pulse-pounding, buzzer-beating heroics of Tate George against Clemson, Bryce Drew against Ole Miss or Rip Hamilton against Washington.
Or what’s known simply as The Shot.
A new class will write their names into the rolls starting 10 minutes from now.
Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime why not check out his tips on how to pick your bracket ... and make sure to fill yours out here.
